Thoughts On Sanders And The Four QB Carousel

If it is August, fans in northeast Ohio are generally talking about who should be the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns in the first game of the season.

In last week’s first pre-season game, rookie Shedeur Sanders got the start and completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. It was a solid performance, but again we remind you although Carolina did play their starters in the first couple of series, Sanders got most of his work against backups.

On the other hand, he played with mostly reserves. Jerry Jeudy did not play and neither did the entire starting offensive line, including TE David Njoku.

Our comment on Sanders is simply this. He looked good and we want to see more. Hopefully, we will this weekend against the Eagles. But, he remains a solid NFL prospect and in no way shape or form should the Browns consider starting the rookie anytime before the halfway point of this upcoming season.

Unfortunately, he will likely not play this week due to an oblique injury. That doesn’t help his situation.

The Browns have tried to force rookies under center before they were ready before and how has that worked out? Remember, the only reason Baker Mayfield saw the field in the second game of the year in his rookie season was an injury to Tyrod Taylor.

Presumably, the Cleveland front office brought Joe Flacco in and traded for Kenny Pickett in order to start the season with a veteran at quarterback.

And that’s the correct and the smart move. We would assume if Pickett still cannot get on the field this weekend, then you have to figure Flacco will start against the Bengals on September 7th.

We advocated for that anyway, because he has the most gravitas in the locker room. There is no question the veteran leaders on the team, Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Joel Bitonio, Njoku, will the 40-year-old signal caller gives them the best chance to win.

Dillon Gabriel also missed the first game with a hamstring issue, but seems ready to see the field this week, and if he can go, our guess is he will start.

And the Browns need to see what the other rookie can do as well. At the very least, they spent a third round draft choice on him and have to do their due diligence. You have to think there was a reason Cleveland picked him two rounds before they took Sanders.

The whole situation is exactly what the franchise signed up for when they drafted two rookie QBs in the last draft. That no one saw it was going to be difficult to get two rookies integrated in the offense and get a veteran ready to play when the regular season starts.

Perhaps that’s why Flacco was signed, because he has seen it all before and probably can be ready with minimal reps.

We still believe the Browns will find a way to keep all four quarterbacks on the regular season roster to start the year. They almost have too much invested in each one to make any other decision.

Unfortunately they didn’t have the foresight to see this coming last April.

Happy With Baker, But Let’s Ease Up A Bit

There is no question that fans of the Cleveland Browns are looking for things to be optimistic about.

After one win in the last two seasons, having a 2-2-1 record through five games certainly provides a glimmer of hope. There is even talk about playoff contention, and heck, if the Browns can get to Thanksgiving still in the hunt, that would be outstanding.

The rookie class is exceeding everyone’s expectations, with Denzel Ward showing signs he can be a shutdown cornerback, Nick Chubb showing flashes of being a top flight running back, and Genard Avery doing very well as a pass rusher.

And then you have the first overall pick, QB Baker Mayfield, who has been pressed into service quicker than most figured after the acquisition of Tyrod Taylor, brought in so the team could ease the rookie into the job.

Mayfield has completed 58.9% of his passes and has a passer rating of just 81.4, but he is providing football fans in northeast Ohio a reason to tune in the Browns every Sunday.

He put up 42 points in a loss to the Raiders, even though he turned the ball over four times.

He ranks 10th in the NFL in yards per passing attempt, meaning he’s not a dink and dunk type of passer, he’s picking up yardage in chunks

We have heard people in the local media and also fans saying the Browns have found their “franchise” quarterback, the franchise’s first since Bernie Kosar.

We say let’s slow down a bit.

We believe you have to string a couple of very good seasons together to achieve the franchise moniker. And while he like Mayfield a lot, let’s wait until NFL defense have seen the rookie and compiled a dossier on how to combat him.

Let’s look at the two quarterbacks taken with the first two picks of the 2015 NFL Draft, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.

Winston started all 16 games his rookie year, and after 12 games, the Buccaneers were 6-6. In those first dozen contests, he threw 17 TD passes vs. 12 interceptions as Tampa looked much improved from a 2-14 season the year before.

He threw for at least 177 yards in every game, topping out with a 363 yard effort in a 31-23 loss to the Rams in the 14th game of the year.

Three years later, does anyone consider Winston one of the top 10 QBs in the NFL?

Mariota started 12 games his rookie year, with the Titans going 3-9 in his starts. He completed 62% of his passes with 19 touchdowns, 10 picks, and a 91.5 passer rating.

His second year was even better–26 TDs, 9 interceptions and a 95.6 rating as Tennessee went 9-7 for the season.

They made the playoffs last season, but the quarterback’s performance declined. He threw 13 scoring passes with 15 interceptions, and this year they are 1-2 in his starts and he has a TD to interception ratio of 2:4.

Again, he wouldn’t make anyone’s Top 10 either.

And that’s our definition of a franchise quarterback, a guy who is among the top players at the most important position in sports.

Don’t forget Dak Prescott in Dallas, who was hailed as a future All Pro after his rookie year, when the Cowboys went 13-3. Now? He’s showing he may just be average.

So, while we are very excited about the former Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma, we aren’t ready to ordain him quite yet. He is playing very well right now, but let’s evaluate him in late November or early December.

By then, we will make more of a sample size to evaluate him. We do like what we’ve seen so far.

Victory, Sweet Victory!

Finally!

After 19 weeks of regular season NFL play, the Cleveland Browns finally picked up a victory with a 21-17 victory over the New York Jets at First Energy Stadium.

In typical Browns’ fashion, it wasn’t easy.

A combination of another special teams’ gaffe (allowing a blocked punt), terrible offensive line play (Tyrod Taylor was sacked four times by halftime), and terrible play by Taylor (he completed 4 of 14 passes for 19 yards), gave the Jets a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

We felt if the visitors got the next score of the game, the Browns would still be winless after three games in 2018.

But, Taylor was injured and had to be checked for a concussion, so in came the first overall pick in last year’s draft, QB Baker Mayfield.

The offense immediately got a shot in the arm, both in the air and on the ground. The offensive line got better, probably because Mayfield got the ball out quicker.

Mayfield wound up completing 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards and no turnovers. It appeared the rookie attacked the defense, throwing into tight windows, and moving the ball vertically.

His worst throw came when he fired one off a defender’s shoulder pads in the end zone when he didn’t see a safety over the middle.

He even caught a pass, the tying two point conversion play from Jarvis Landry on a flea-flicker, reminiscent of the play he scored on in the Rose Bowl.

The running game also got going, getting 133 yards on the ground on a four yards per carry average, as Carlos Hyde led the way with 98 yards on 23 carries.

Landry caught 8 balls for 103 yards, including an incredible catch to set up the Browns first touchdown. The guy’s hands are just incredible.

On the winning touchdown drive, the rookie was tremendous.

He hit Duke Johnson for a first down on a third and five for 15 yards. He hit fellow rookie Antonio Callaway for 10 yards on a 3rd and 10.

Those were big time throws, put exactly where they had to be.

Defensively, after the Jets scored their second TD with 7:59 remaining in the second quarter, they scored three points the rest of the contest.

Sam Darnold was held under 50%, completing 15 of 31 passes for only 169 yards, and after some big plays allowed in the running game early, New York had just 107 yards rushing, a 3.6 average per carry.

They forced three more turnovers, a forced fumble by rookie Denzel Ward, and picks by Joe Schobert and Terrance Mitchell, the latter which clinched the victory.

That’s 11 forced turnovers in the first three games. Last year, the Cleveland defense forced 13…for the entire season.

And Myles Garrett had two more sacks.

There is no question the Browns have some emerging stars on that side of the ball. Garrett and Ward will be the obvious names, but Schobert, Mitchell, and Larry Ogunjobi can’t be overlooked either.

Unfortunately, the special teams still continue to be unimpressive.

The penalties were down too, the Browns had just five last night, but that could be a product of the officiating crew. Some throw a lot of flags, some don’t.

With the win being on the Thursday night game, the Browns get a little extra time to celebrate. They will have a victory weekend.

They go to Oakland a week from Sunday, and have a chance to start, wait for it…a winning streak!

We all thought the Browns were an improved football team, and last night, they proved it.

The Mayfield era started earlier than expected, but you can’t turn back after his performance and the result of the game.

Browns Almost Win Again, But Don’t

Former Browns’ Pro Bowl special teams player Josh Cribbs said it famously a few years ago…the Browns almost always almost win.

Those words were never more true than today, as the New Orleans Saints came back to beat the Browns, 21-18, dropping Cleveland to 0-1-1 on the young season.

Today, it was a breakdown in the kicking game, as Zane Gonzalez, who really has been reliable since the middle of last season, missed two extra points and two field goals, including a makeable 51 yarder with :08 remaining in the fourth quarter which would have tied it up.

It’s a short week before Thursday night’s game with the Jets, but our guess is there will be a kicker tryout either tomorrow or Tuesday in Berea.

Midway in the third quarter, it looked like the Browns were going to win this one. They were controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and had a 12-3 lead.

With 14:46 left in the fourth quarter, Cleveland had the ball at the Saints’ 26, and Gonzalez missed a field goal which could have made it 15-3, but he missed, and New Orleans had renewed life.

It took a little over five minutes for the Saints to find the end zone, and make it just a two point lead.

Then it got weird, Todd Haley called a reverse on first down which lost 8 yards, and put the Browns in a tough situation, and that drive ended with a three and out.

The defense held, but on the next possession, Tyrod Taylor did something he normally doesn’t do, throw an interception, and the Saints were set up for a score that took the lead at 18-12.

The rest of the game was surreal.

On a 3rd and 12 from the Saints’ 46, after Taylor basically sacked himself on second down, the quarterback hit rookie Antonio Callaway for a touchdown, when he blew past the Saints’ safety.

That tied the game. Then, Gonzalez missed an extra point which would have given Cleveland a 19-18 lead.

With a little over a minute to go, the Saints moved right down the field, as the Browns allowed a 42 yard crossing pattern to native Clevelander Ted Ginn Jr., to set the Saints up for the go ahead field goal.

However, the Saints allowed the Browns to move 41 yards in two plays totaling 16 seconds, to set up a game tying redemption kick for Gonzalez.

Again, he missed it.

Watching the other results today in the NFL, Gonzalez isn’t the only kicker who might be on the unemployment line come tomorrow.

The Browns didn’t have a lot of success on the ground, but neither did the Saints. But Todd Haley kept trying, probably in an effort to shorten the game and keep Drew Brees off the field.

After not winning the turnover battle in every game a year ago (0-14-2), the Browns won that stat for the second straight week.

Yet, they still haven’t won a game.

The defensive star was Larry Ogunjobi, who had two sacks, while T. J. Carrie had eight tackles and a sack as well.

The offensive line did a much better job pass blocking this week, but it seemed like the offensive design was to get the ball out of Taylor’s hands quicker.

The Browns look like a team that doesn’t know how to win, which is understandable because they are now 1-32-1 since the beginning of the 2016 season.

The next chance will be Thursday night. Still, this one was tough to take.

Let’s Not Judge Taylor Too Quickly

Nobody gets carried away like NFL fans after week one. After the opening game of the season, people make generalizations even though a lot depends on who you played in the league’s first week.

Take the Jets’ rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, for example. We already saw one article claiming both the Browns and New York Jets are regretting not taking Darnold after his performance against the Lions on Monday night.

We just said we didn’t want to make generalizations after one week, but the Lions don’t appear to be a very good football team. Let’s see how Darnold performs in the weeks to come before proclaiming him the next big thing.

This brings us to the Browns’ quarterback situation, which after Darnold’s game last Monday night, have some fans and media people wondering why Hue Jackson doesn’t start first overall pick Baker Mayfield.

First, we do not think, nor never have thought, that Tyrod Taylor is a great QB. If you ranked the signal callers around the NFL, he would rank in the mid 20’s.

Should the Browns have drafted Mayfield to make him the starter down the line, perhaps even in the second half of the season? Absolutely.

However, if you look at Taylor’s career, last Sunday’s performance vs. Pittsburgh was an outlier. His completion percentage was the worst of any game he started in the NFL, his yards per attempt were the fifth lowest of any of his starts.

So, it appears to us that Taylor just played a poor game.

That said, the criticisms of the former Virginia Tech product seemed to be valid. He seemed hesitant to throw guys open, and the reason he doesn’t throw a lot of interceptions is he is conservative in his passing attempts.

Both were evident against the Steelers.

After having a quarterback who needed a handle on the ball to hold it a year ago in DeShone Kizer, we understand why John Dorsey and Hue Jackson wanted someone who wouldn’t give the ball to the opponents on a regular basis.

And don’t think for a minute that 1-31 over the past two seasons doesn’t figure in to the decision to go with Taylor either.

Management wanted a quarterback who wasn’t going to assist in losing games. Is that a defeatist attitude? Probably, but when you’ve won once in the last two seasons, you want a passer who isn’t going to make big mistakes and cost the team a victory.

You would think going along with that, you would want to run the ball and play defense to keep your team in games and have a chance to win. They didn’t emphasize the run much, and that’s something to keep your eye on.

But let’s see how Taylor does in the coming weeks, especially in a game where a driving rainstorm isn’t happening. If he struggles like he did in the opener against New Orleans and the Jets, then you can start to have a conversation about putting Mayfield in the starting lineup.

If Taylor’s entire career was similar to the Steelers’ game, then it would be a different story, but the evidence shows he just played a poor game.

No decision should be made based on one week of play in the National Football League. We understand that there are only 16 games, so there is greater importance.

Some New Stuff, But Some Old Habits Return In Opening Browns’ Tie

Well, it wasn’t a loss.

And when you go through an 0-16 season a year ago, you should be happy with even a ray of sunshine, and that’s the best thing that can be said about the Browns’ opener today, a 21-21 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That the Browns’ defense forced six turnovers and had four sacks of Ben Roethlisberger, and still only managed a tie is disappointing the say the least.

A year after being the worst team in the NFL in turnover differential, turning the ball over a whopping 41 times compared to just 13 takeaways, the Cleveland defense was a machine in terms of taking the ball away today.

Gregg Williams’ unit has three interceptions and three fumble recoveries, and the Cleveland offense turned it over just once, which after averaging over 2.5 per game a year ago, was a welcome sight. But more on that later.

This game was all but over with 7:49 left in the fourth quarter when the Browns were stopped on downs, trailing 21-7.

But Myles Garrett forced a fumble by James Conner, which was returned to the Steelers’ one by Jabril Peppers. One play later, the Browns were back in the contest at 21-14.

Garrett wasn’t finished. On the second play of the next drive, he forced another fumble during a sack of Roethlisberger, and this time Joe Schobert fell on it.

The offense didn’t convert that one, but after an exchange of punts, Tyrod Taylor hit Josh Gordon with a 17 yard touchdown pass and the game was tied.

Garrett had two sacks and two forced fumbles, rookie CB Denzel Ward had two interceptions.

Rookie Genard Avery should have won the game for the Browns by forcing another fumble late in overtime which Schobert returned inside the Pittsburgh five, and a block in the back penalty moved the ball back.

Two things which have been a Browns’ tradition did raise its ugly head. First, after tying the game at 7 in the third quarter with a great drive running the football, the defense allowed the Steelers to score in five plays.

That cannot continue to happen. You have to get stops after your team scores to keep momentum.

The special teams have been an issue over the years, and they were again today. A poor punt in overtime was forced when the Steelers penetrated pushing the blocker into Britton Colquitt, and the potential game winning field goal was blocked when the Pittsburgh line dominated Zane Gonzalez’ line.

They didn’t get much out of the return game either.

As for the offense, the rap on Taylor was he was cautious about turning the football over, something the Browns needed after last season. It seemed today like Taylor was holding the ball an inordinate amount of time, although we will excuse him today because of the weather conditions.

Let’s see how he does next week in a dome in New Orleans.

The QB did run the ball 8 times for 77 yards, making him the Browns’ leading rusher. That’s not something we want to see going forward.

Jarvis Landry caught 7 passes for 106 yards, but it seemed like long stretches where the offense ignored him. To be fair, they ignored Josh Gordon too, so again this might have been due to the rain.

The decision to start Desmond Harrison at left tackle should be criticized, whether it was Hue Jackson, Todd Haley, or line coach Bob Wylie. He didn’t play with the starters in the pre-season, and looked like he wasn’t ready today.

He may have a ton of potential, but offensive line play is cohesive, and let having him with the starters in a game until today showed. The line needs to get better, and get better as soon as next week.

So, it’s on to New Orleans, and the Saints will be fired up after losing to a perceived to be poor Tampa Bay team today.

Let’s hope there is improvement in the offense in week two.

Browns Have The Pressure To Win

The Cleveland Browns set their 53 man roster over the weekend, and over half of the squad was not on the roster a year ago.

That’s what happens when you go 0-16. You weren’t very good, and so it should be pretty easy to find players that are better than those who play on a team that can’t even win a single game.

On the other hand, many people, us included, felt the Browns were better than 0-16 a year ago. We believe the talent was on the roster to win two or three games.

Now, we understand that a 2-14 record would still be one of the NFL’s worst teams, but only two teams have ever lost every game they played, and one of them was the 2017 Cleveland Browns.

At least, they could have escaped that embarrassment.

With the roster changes and a new GM putting that roster together in John Dorsey, the pressure falls squarely on Hue Jackson. Dorsey has gained the trust of the fans, so if the Browns get off to a poor start, the death knell will be sounding in Berea.

The coach has a veteran quarterback in Tyrod Taylor, and he specializes in not turning the ball over, a problem that plagued the team a year ago. Cleveland coughed the ball up 41 times, 28 of them on interceptions, both totals were last in the NFL.

Jackson can no longer make excuses for rookie mistakes from his signal caller.

He also has a new play caller in Todd Haley, whose offenses in Pittsburgh have ranked in the top five in yards gained three of the last four years.

Much of that was through the air with Ben Roethlisburger at QB, but in the preseason, he emphasized the running game, something the Browns abandoned as soon as they were trailing, and at times this occurred in the first quarter.

With Carlos Hyde and Nick Chubb, teams will have to respect the run.

The one thing that concerns us is the offensive line, which the coaching staff is still tinkering with, just five days before the opener.

After moving Joel Bitonio to tackle in training camp, it has been reported that Jackson is consider moving him back to guard, and putting undrafted rookie Desmond Harrison at left tackle. This would also move rookie Austin Corbett to center.

If this occurs, the first snap Sunday would be the first time this group ever played together. That doesn’t seem to be an optimum situation.

As for those concerned that the “plan” was abandoned, keep in mind 27 of the 53 players on the roster have less than two years experience in the league.

There are only six players, one of them being punter Britton Colquitt, with over five years in the NFL. And there are only three players over 30, one being Colquitt, and another being quarterback mentor Drew Stanton.

So, this is still a very young football team.

And now is the time to start seeing wins on the field. After two seasons, where the team and its fans experience just one victory, no excuses will be tolerated.

A poor start won’t be tolerated this season. There were some who understood the gutting of the roster in order to begin a rebuild, but even their patience is at an end.

So, there is pressure on the coaching staff to start putting some “Ws” together. Most agree there is talent on the roster.

If the Browns get smoked Sunday in week one, the anger could start to percolate. The pressure to win is upon the organization.

What Have We Learned About Browns Thus Far?

The Cleveland Browns have played two exhibition games, this means the “dress rehearsal”, which is what the third practice game has been called will take place Thursday night, against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Unfortunately, that’s really no longer the case, the starters usually only play maybe a half of the penultimate exhibition game any more.

What have we learned, if anything, about this year’s edition of the brown and orange.

The Browns have professional play at quarterback. Compared to last year’s forcing of rookie DeShone Kizer, who made a ridiculous amount of mistakes, with a pair of second year passers in Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler as his backups, having Tyrod Taylor, Drew Stanton, and rookie Baker Mayfield as QB’s is a monster upgrade.

We understand and support the decision to start Taylor. After all, when you are 1-31 over the last two seasons, there is no reason watch a rookie go through growing pains in regular season games.

That said, it would be nice to see Mayfield get some time with the starters, against the Eagles’ first team defense. That’s the next step in seeing how the first overall pick has developed thus far.

We have also learned that Todd Haley won’t abandon the running game. Last season, Hue Jackson would tell everyone every week that he wanted to run the ball, and when they feel behind in the first half!, he would start throwing the ball on virtually every play.

Haley came out Friday night running and Carlos Hyde gashed the Buffalo defense. However, what we more telling was staying with the run in the opener even though it wasn’t really successful. That was a good thing to see.

Remember, the Browns are still missing starting guard Kevin Zeitler, who hopes to be ready for the Steelers in week one.

Defensively, the Browns’ first unit looks to be the real deal, and if that’s true, it is amazing how having solid play at cornerback makes a defense look a heck of a lot better.

We have always believed you should learn from history, and the Browns’ best stretch in the last 35 years was fueled by having Hanford Dixon and Frank Minniefield at the corners.

This isn’t to say Denzel Ward and Terrance Mitchell are the caliber of the leaders of the “Dawg Pound”, but it makes stopping the run easier and it will make Myles Garrett and Emmanuel Ogbah better pass rushers.

GM John Dorsey must believe cornerbacks are similar to pitchers in baseball, when you think you have enough, you go out and get some more. We agree. In today’s NFL, slowing down the passing game is paramount. That’s why pass rushers and corners are at a premium.

The one problem we still see is depth, which is understandable for a young football team. We see a tremendous upgrade in talent on the first unit, both because of Dorsey’s acquisitions and the development of the draft picks from the previous two drafts.

However, there seems to be a big drop off when the subs play. Again, that’s natural, the Browns are still building, but it does mean we will probably see a lot of roster changes when the teams around the NFL cut down to the 53 man limit.

Having Taylor Means Browns Can Take It Slow With Baker.

By nature, Cleveland sports fans are a nervous lot.

Do the Indians have enough pitching, particularly in the bullpen. Will LeBron James leave the Cavaliers in the off-season?

For Browns’ fans, the worry is always the quarterback position. That comes from not having a franchise QB since Bernie Kosar was given his release by Bill Belichick in 1993.

When the Browns draft a rookie at the position, the front office and the fans invariably want to get him on the field, sometimes at the detriment to the player.

Tim Couch was supposed to be the foundation for the Browns when they returned to the NFL in 1999. He came into the first game he suited up for, and started the second game. Behind a makeshift offensive line, it was an expansion team after all, Couch took a beating and lasted just five seasons.

He did guide the Browns to a playoff spot in 2002, however.

Last season, DeShone Kizer was thrown into the fray before he was ready, and the result was an 0-16 season that everyone would like to forget.

So, now the attention falls upon first overall pick Baker Mayfield, and already some fans and media alike are wondering when he will start for the Browns.

Here are the arguments they use, and our response:

The Carson Wentz/Deshaun Watson Factor: Both of those QBs were picked in the first round and started right away, and if they could, why can’t Mayfield?

In Wentz’ case, the Eagles traded away Sam Bradford for a first round pick, and the alternative was Chase Daniel, who had (and still has) started just two NFL regular season games, and had thrown 77 passes total.

And for Houston, it took just one half of football for Bill O’Brien to decide Tom Savage shouldn’t be his starting passer, a job given to him with two NFL starts.

Even Russell Wilson beat out Matt Flynn, signed to a big contract as a free agent after, you guessed it, two NFL starts.

By contrast, the QB the Browns plan to open the season with, Tyrod Taylor, has started 42 NFL games, has a winning record in those starts, and guided the Buffalo Bills to a playoff spot last season.

This isn’t to say Taylor is an All Pro. But he is a professional quarterback with a proven track record. And for a team that has won one game in the past two seasons, that’s very appealing.

His Age. Mayfield is 23 years old, hardly an advanced age. Aaron Rodgers was 25 years old when he started his first NFL game. Brett Favre was also 23. Russell Wilson was 24 years old.

The point is this–if Mayfield sits this season, he could still wind up as the Browns’ starting QB for 12-15 years, based on how long players like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Favre have started.

The Bust Factor. If Mayfield doesn’t start right away, clearly he is a bust. Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs picked Patrick Mahomes in the first round and he started one game, the last game of the year after KC clinched a playoff spot.

Is anyone saying he’s a bust?

Look, if the best veteran QB the Browns had was Brian Hoyer or Brock Osweiler, we could understand being upset if Mayfield couldn’t beat them out.

That’s not the case here.

If Mayfield overwhelms Todd Haley and wins the job by being better than Taylor, then so be it. Otherwise, why not let the future franchise quarterback, learn how to be a professional by observing both Taylor and Drew Stanton, two guys who are pros.

Relax, Browns’ fans. There’s no rush here.

If the Browns are 4-8 with four games left, then they can let Mayfield get a chance to show what he has learned.

But, here’s a novel approach. Why not try to win some football games? It doesn’t mean you are stunting Mayfield’s growth, nor does it mean the Browns blew the first overall pick.

Browns Should Be Patient With Baker

Philosopher George Santayana is credited with saying “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

This couldn’t be more apt for the Cleveland Browns right now. Once the team drafted Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, fans and media alike have been wondering when the rookie from Oklahoma will become the starting quarterback.

We continue to hope the Browns’ coaching staff and front office will resist the temptation to put Mayfield in there, at least until perhaps the last four games of the season.

We understand that other quarterbacks have moved right into the starting lineup for their teams over the past few years, guys like Carson Wentz, Jameis Winston, and Marcus Mariota, but there was unique circumstances here.

First, none of the teams those QBs played on did not win a game the year prior, nor did any of them win just one game over the past two seasons.

GM John Dorsey brought in Taylor because he’s a professional, putting up a 22-20 record as a starter over three seasons in Buffalo. He should start the season, and if he is putting up some wins, why wouldn’t Hue Jackson stay with him?

It’s not like all quarterbacks drafted high start as rookies, either. Sure, the quartet we mentioned did, but from last year’s class, Patrick Mahomes didn’t start until the last week of the season.

From the 2016 class, Jared Goff didn’t start until a little over the halfway point in the season.

And last season’s rookies that did start weren’t really replacing quarterbacks as good as Taylor. Mitch Trubisky took over after Mike Glennon started the first four games and put up more than 20 points just once.

Deshaun Watson took over in the first half of the first game for Tom Savage after he was awful in a 29-7 loss to Jacksonville in the season lidlifter. Savage was 6 for 13 for 62 yards and was sacked six times when he was benched.

Look, we understand that Taylor isn’t Tom Brady or a player who would ever be ranked in the top ten of QB’s around the league. However, he’s got a much better track record than Glennon or Savage.

With a very young team, the Browns need a veteran presence at quarterback to start the season off.

And even if Mayfield plays lights out during the exhibition, fans and media alike will have to remember he will probably be playing against a bunch of players who will likely not be on NFL rosters come week one.

This is not to doubt the ability of Mayfield, who we liked coming out of college, and we have no reason to not trust Dorsey’s selection as the future franchise quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.

Another argument used to rush the first overall pick into action is his age. Heck, he’s 23, you’ve got to get him in there. Mayfield is 23, not 33. Even if he doesn’t play at all in 2018, good QBs are playing into their late 30’s these days. It’s conceivable he could still play for 15 years.

The Browns have had a history of starting signal callers too early. DeShone Kizer was clearly not ready. Neither was Cody Kessler, Johnny Manziel, or Brandon Weeden.

Why not try something different and have the rookie watch and learn a bit before putting him on the field. We also understand that Mayfield is a competitive guy and wants to play as soon as possible.

That doesn’t mean the Browns should go ahead and put him in there before he is ready. The best plan is for him to sit and watch for awhile. There is no reason to rush the process.