Thanks to Jake Burns' "Film Room", I learned more about football in general; these guys always see things I missed.
This one was about how well Baker Mayfield has improvised once scripted plays have broken down, and it's very impressive, because all these passes are perfectly placed, and very difficult throws to make.
I had thought that Baker was throwing off-balance, but Jake points out that he resets his feet and squares up very quickly.
What impressed me even more than what Baker is doing is what his receivers are doing. In all but one of his examples, Jake says the wide receivers he ultimately threw to diagnosed the nature of his trouble, and improvised their own selves to give him a target.
With Higgins, it's not a huge surprise, but fellow rookie Antonio Callaway is doing it too (this could be why he pushed Dameion Ratley down the depth chart).
Like Jake points out, Baker is playing like an old veteran already, but for Callaway to be doing the same is even more special:
Wide receivers aren't taught "diagnostics" in college, beyond just taking short routes deep and coming back from deep routes.
These receivers (including Callaway) are "seeing what Mayfield sees", and going to specific areas especially for him.
Freddie Kitchens certainly deserves most of the credit for Mayfield's sudden "improvement", as he actually has recievers in position to make these adjustments, and many of the scripted plays work as-planned.
Baker Mayfield never panics. He's a rare bird.
As Jake says, Mayfield is about to face a "murderer's row" of several badass defenses, so he's still got some climbing to do.
But see, that means that more offensive plays will get disrupted.
If Mayfield is sacked, that's that. But if he extends the play, he can still do a variety of damage.
This is RARE. These defenses rank so high partly because not many quarterbacks can do much once a play breaks down and they're "in trouble".
Aaron Rodgers, Big Ben, Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Mahomes, Baker Mayfield (I'm sure I missed somebody---Watson maybe?)
Defenses are built to blow up pockets and chase quarterbacks around, because MOST quarterbacks become ineffective when that happens.
Browns fans know all about this. How many times has that bastid in Pittsburgh shrugged off sacks and made huge, heartbreaking plays on us?
Geezers like me remember Brian Sipe, the core of the Kardiak Kidz. Same deal!
Mike Lucas thinks Colin Cowherd needs to get Baker Mayfield back on his show and publicly apologize for all the stupid, ignorant stuff he said about him.
I concur.
Look, it's just sports' talk, and Cowherd wasn't personally attacking Baker; he was trying to analyze his potential as a pro quarterback period.
I don't hate Colin. I just think he's a dumbass.
Colin will hold off on his mia culpa, because he probably expects the aforementioned defensive murderers' row to uh...like "expose" him or something.
Doug Farrar contrasts Freddie Kitchens and Todd Haley (hardly neccessary, but he gets into the X's and O's of it).
I only hate Todd Haley a little, because he reminds me of my boss. He's a control-freak who refused to listen or adapt to his talent (or reality).
Freddie has used some trick plays and stuff, but really hasn't reinvented the wheel here. He's simply playing with the players he has, and not the players he wants.
Freddie has used three running backs, three tight ends, empty backfield-you name it! Defenses don't know what's coming, and this isn't anything they can "figure out" by watching film.
ALL of it has been at least moderately successful.
It almost seems like Freddie got a chemistry set for Xmas and is fooling around with it; just seeing what will happen!
He knows he's got the quarterback, bellcow running back, Duke Njoku the interior Oline, then Hilliard/Callaway/Higgins/Landry/many tight ends, and he's not sweating things.
Seriously, Freddie Kitchens actually felt like he could "experiment" vs the Falcons and Bengals!!!
He'll probably "tighten up" a little vs murderer's row, but still use a bunch of 12 and 22 (one back two tight ends and two backs two tight ends) personnel and...
All these are run-sets by the way, so Freddie clearly wants to face base defenses a lot.
Check back 250 or so posts: Duke can line up at any WR position, Njoku is really almost a wide receiver, and base defenses don't have the people to cover both of them.
...I'm about to start redundanationalizing my recent posts again, but I just have to repeat: The two tight end sets are big helps on passes as well as runs, and (this is new):
When your quarterback can run around and improvise, by the time the called play is past it's expiration date, both tight ends are downfield as receivers, and niether is covered.
The Patriots can't do this. The Browns can.
Mayfield again. Is any of this sinking in?
Screw the Mayfield vs Jackson "controversy". Some of my peeps love the "cold shoulder" non-hug stuff, but...why?
I mean yeah Hue lost all those games, but HALEY aborted the offense in 2018, and Hue is getting that shit shoveled on him too, and that's not fair.
I think Baker is wrong here. Hue failed (epicly) before Haley or Mayfield even got here. As I've tried to explain to everybody, the real deal is that Hue was FORCED to give Haley the keys to the offense as a condition of his politically-forced retention.
All this "defecting to the enemy" stuff is kinda silly.
For all of Mayfield's brains and talent, he's still a kid.
This is a game. Not war. Hue Jackson didn't commit treason by hiring back on with his freind and mentor Marvin Lewis...
That's for Mayfield, but some of you guys...
I know Hue Jackson failed historically, but he didn't do it on purpose. Yeah he blamed everybody but himself, but he's not an evil monster.
You don't need to STALK him for the rest of his/your life, okay?
Seriously, you're tracking ex-Browns and celebrating when they don't do well? That's almost as bad as the permabashers who track and celebrate the ex-Browns who prosper.
It's all mentally ill. Stalking.
And all this "cold shoulder" crap belongs on TMZ, because it's irrelevant.
In my opinion, Baker Mayfield overreached here in an effort to prove his leadership, (and obviously this made the stalkers happy), but it's irrelevant.
All that matters is wins and losses. This isn't a Soap Opera, or a gossip column.
While we can agree that cutting Mitchell Schwartze (and a couple other guys) was downright stupid, that was then. This is now.
It's time for you to bash John Dorsey, Freddie Kitchens, and Gregg Williams (or not).
STOP THE SOAP OPERA BULLSHIT.
I HAVE SPOKEN.
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