I believe that Haley already had some changes in place as Baker took the field, and that there is no need to change the receivers' side of the passing offense at all.
Baker just executed his part of the same offense better than Tyrod did; the basic scheme is fine as it is.
Jeff is right that we should look for some more roll-outs and run/pass options, as Mayfield remains very accurate on the move (Tyrod actually wasn't--something else I was wrong about).
The run/pass option often helps an offensive line out a lot, as they get to attack the defensive line as if it's a run, and conversely, the defense has to take the run seriously, so they can't really "sell out" or twist or stunt a lot.
Rollouts obviously help an offensive line because the passrushers now have a moving target. They line up and fire out aiming at the pocket, and the quarterback leaving it costs them mojo and leverage vs offensive linemen who have positioned themselves to maximize their advantage.
Count on Todd Haley to make the most of Mayfield's quick reads and mobile accuracy, since it will also help baby left tackle Desmond Harrison (as well as everybody else) out a lot too.
Oh yeah "everybody else" includes the running backs, of course.
This is one of the reasons why Baker Mayfield was obviously the best quarterback in this draft class.
You can't run rollouts or RPO's with a lot of quarterbacks. The ability to consistently make the right decision post-snap isn't common, and the ability for a quarterback to throw with velocity, touch, and accuracy on the move is rare.
Baker Mayfield is first and foremost a pocket passer, and did the vast majority of his damage in college from the pocket. But he also excelled when forced to scramble and improvise.
The Sooners never bothered to exploit these skills (I get it why should they?), but in the 2018 NFL, these skills will come in real handy!
By the way, I predict right now that the 2018 quarterback class will match or exceed any class in history.
Josh Rosen couldn't pull his game out when he replaced none other than Sam Bradford, but he was still very impressive. Darnold is very raw, but already scary (without much offensive help). Josh Allen just stomped a mud-hole in the Vikings' defense (fire all the scouts! Who knew he could RUN like that? Probably not the Vikings, right?)
Good for Micheal Hoag for noticing Rodney DeValvefield's apparent return to health.
I would axe Micheal to say "use" instead of "utilize", because the two words mean the same thing, but he's otherwise really smart:
Micheal points out some X and O stuff, but I need to toss this in:
DeValve's role (at tight end) is nearly identical to that of Njoku. Everybody rants and raves about Njoku's freakiness, but DeValve, when healthy, has outperformed him, and he DOESN'T DROP PASSES.
As I posted yesterday, I hope Njoku will become more reliable for Mayfield than he was for Tyrod for abstract psychological reasons. But if Njoku remains as unreliable as he has been, DeValve will have his job.
(Oh "his job": mismatch "move/wing" tight end; defacto third or fourth wide receiver).
Josh Edwards needs to stop editing interview transcripts and making everybody sound like "Data" from Star Trek, but other than that, he wrote a nice article on the sack-competition going on among the Browns' defensive linemen (and Genard Avery, who Josh was smart enough to include).
Garrett is tied for the lead in NFL sacks with five, but Larry Ogunjobi is right there at seventh.
Gregg Williams said he's using Ogunjobi at nose tackle, and generally inside the A-gaps. Gregg mentioned Ogunjobi's "strength index"...
OMG that's ANALYTICS! Gregg Williams isn't a football guy! Wait...it's even worse: Have you noticed that they never fired Paul DePodesta?
God help us! The Browns are still using analytics and Gregg Williams is one of them!
I kid.
I think Terry Pluto wasted ink on his "worried about Mayfield" article.
Terry reminds us that Baker Mayfield is still just a rookie, and will have some downs to go with his ups. We can't expect him to be as good as he was in a little over one half vs the Jets.
Obviously. But Terry also predicted that Baker will have some "bad games".
NO HE WON'T.
Why should he!?! Baker Mayfield is surrounded by lethal weapons, supported by a top five defense, and coached by Todd Haley.
Even if he wasn't, he started 46 games in college, and had Oklahoma in the top four the last two years! "Air Raid" or no, he operated from the pocket, read five-deep, and...
Jeez here's Terry talking like he's Darnold, or Allen, or Kizer, for that matter!
Yeah, I fully expect some free safeties to pick Mayfield off, but well...read my last post: Baker Mayfield will have some "hiccups" and get sacked and stuff, but he will NOT have a "bad game" in 2018.
Terry might be remembering how Carson Wentz got stifled later in his rookie season, and I get that: Wentz was a (big/strong) quarterback with lots of experience in a professional system.
But Mayfield has more experience, and played at the highest level. He has better offensive weapons than Wentz had as a rookie, is more accurate at every level...
Nevermind but Terry is wrong. Baker Mayfield has no exploitable weaknesses (see last two posts). He is more adaptable and advanced than Carson Wentz was at this point in their respective carreers.
I'm weary of these "pump the brakes" guys, and Terry's article was predictable. Curb your enthusiasm. Let's not build his statue just yet. Yeah yeah.
Once again thanks to Jeff Risdon, Rodney Averyfield is PFF's top-graded rookie passrusher through three weeks (ahead of Chubb and everybody else).
For whatever reason (and by no means am I second-guessing Gregg Williams here), Avery hasn't had a lot of reps, but he's been a major bastard just about every time he's been on the field.
Who can blame Gregg Williams for this? So much talent. So few slots. Sigh...oh well...
Yes, the Mayfield era has begun, and now the Browns have had a few extra days to adapt and get healthy.
Ross Tucker is a big brain, but he predicted that the Browns would lose to the Raiders because the Raiders "are due".
Huh? Ross prefaced this prediction by citing the Browns' white-hot defense, lethal offensive skill-talent, Mayfield, etc.
"They're due?"
Most likely, many of YOU PEOPLE "feel" like that. I get it.
For like two decades, we have YET to see the Browns win two games in a row (with one exception). The Raiders are a talented team, and Derrick Carr is completing 76% of his passes. The Raiders have thus far been competitive, but lost in the fourth quarter.
Everybody expects these issues to be corrected with John
But this is 2018, and Baker Mayfield. Baker himself pretty much said what I keep saying: Nothing that happened before now is relevant.
The Raiders' semi-desperate situation, the typical "script", and where the game is played are irrelevant.
The 2018 Browns are better than the 2018 Raiders. THAT is relevant.
The Mayfield effect: This game should not be close. The Browns are the better team. But if it IS close late, Mayfield vs the Raiders defense will beat Carr vs the Browns' defense...
But it shouldn't get that close. Because the Browns are better than the Raiders, period.
And yes, the short rookie Baker Mayfield is "all that" NOW.
Browns 31, Raiders 17.
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