Browns' Baker Mayfield: 'I don't care what the doubters say'
Earlier this summer, a group of NFL executives, coaches, scouts and players surveyed by ESPN ranked Cleveland Browns starter Baker Mayfield outside of the top 10 for quarterbacks heading into the upcoming season, behind the likes of Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers 2020 breakout star Justin Herbert, and Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals.
It was the latest slight directed toward Mayfield, who helped the Browns end Cleveland's 18-year playoff drought last season and then guided his team to a postseason victory at the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in January. ESPN personality Mike Greenberg made headlines Thursday when he came to Mayfield's defense:
To his credit, the 26-year-old signal-caller is doing his best to tune out any such noise.
"I don’t care what the doubters say," Mayfield said Friday, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. "You have to have self-confidence. You have to trust the people in your corner. It goes along with setting expectations. You set your own. You live up to that standard. You have to hold yourself accountable to that every day. That’s the key to it. If you get caught up on the outside and listen to the B.S., then I’d probably be done. So I just focus on me and get better every day."
Cleveland's QB1 admitted he's heard and read criticisms of his play but added:
"I’m able to internalize that and realize I have to have an edge every single day to be the best version of me for these guys and be a leader of this franchise, but at the same time, do my job first."
Mayfield is linked with the Browns through at least the 2022 campaign via the fifth-year option attached to his contract, and it's likely only a matter of time before he puts pen to paper on a long-term deal with the club that drafted him first overall in 2018.
"I could see him getting into that Dak class eventually," one AFC scout told ESPN about Mayfield. "He doesn't have all the athletic tools of some other quarterbacks, but he's developing into a good passer."
That's more bulletin-board material for Mayfield, not that he needs the extra motivation heading into September.
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