CLEVELAND — Second-year Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield appeared to release some frustration following Wednesday’s practice at team headquarters in Berea when he stormed out of his weekly press conference and launched an expletive-laden comment at a reporter.
Admittedly, the Browns are not where they want to be, not at 2-5 and three games in back of the AFC North Division-leading Baltimore Ravens after going on a three-game losing streak, and offensive coordinator Todd Monken believes the frustration comes from those on-field struggles.
“Most quarterbacks I have been around, it is important to them,” Monken said. “They are the closest, other than coaches, tied to winning and losing. They are. It is important to him, not only his performance, but from a winning standpoint.”
According to Monken that message on increasing the sense of urgency at practice has been delivered from Mayfield to his teammates, clearly and effectively.
“We are as good here as anywhere I have ever been in terms of our quarterbacks communicating with our skill guys,” Monken said. “That part of it has been outstanding, and it is going to continue to be until we get it to where it is right.
“That is the objective. It is not one -- coaching or playing. It is all of us getting it right. It is important to him, and it is important when he takes the snap. It reflects on all of us, but I know he takes that personally. He is an outstanding player, an outstanding competitor and wants to win. I think it is good for us, I really do.”
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Mayfield and the Browns comes into Sunday’s game at the Denver Broncos on the heels of a 27-13 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium last week.
In the Browns’ third straight loss, Mayfield completed 20 of his 31 attempts (64.5 percent) for 194 yards and one touchdown against one interception. Mayfield’s longest throw went for a 31-yard gain and he was sacked five times for 43 lost yards by New England’s aggressive defense.
Mayfield posted a 79.2 quarterback rating in the loss to the Patriots.
Mayfield’s interception was not so much his issue as it was the play-call at that particular time and the inability to block up front.
After losing a pair of fumbles on Nick Chubb runs and down by 10 points, the Browns faced a first-and-10 from their own 21-yard line when Mayfield threw an underhanded shovel pass to wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who was crossing the formation from left to right.
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However, Patriots defensive lineman Lawrence Guy blew up the play when he went unblocked, knocked Landry out of the way and corralled the interception.
And those are the kinds of mistakes the Browns are looking to eliminate, sooner rather than later, if they hope to reverse their fortunes and start winning games.
“When you are having a shovel pass and you have misdirection, maybe the look was a little different than we had worked, and maybe, we just did set out like we liked, just some things that way that did not work,” Monken said.
“It is one of those things you move on from. Then, you figure out a way to not do those things again and find a way to beat the Broncos. We are looking to be 1-0 this week. Everybody says it. That is last week, things that just happened to happen to us last week and that is just the way that it is.”