Steeler writer Mark Madden (link withheld for your protection) is another guy who is tired of the Browns hype.
That's fair enough, because if I were a Steeler fan I'd feel the same way. The 2019 Browns are undeniably suddenly much more talented, but the 2019 Steelers will better...not worse...than the 2018 version.
One of the few things Corky Madden got right is the fact that Big Ben made Antonio Brown (like Santonio Holmes, Burress, etc), and not the reverse.
But most of the rest of what this guy said was derivitive or simply stupid.
1: Mayfield had a great season. Mark did get some more smart stuff in there, as he pointed out that Ben outperformed Baker by a mile vs winning teams, but then he was...you know...a ROOKIE?
I remember Big Ben's rookie season. He tried to be a game manager, and really sucked throughout the playoffs as the Bus and his Defense carried the load.
Gradually after that, Roethsenberger became elite...eventually.
Baker Mayfield is already significantly better than Big Ben was at the same point in their respective carreers.
2: Just see my last post. I had Corky cut off at the knees before he wrote this garbage.
Speaking of Baker Mayfield, sigh-Jake Burns humiliated me again in re Baker Mayfield.
I've been telling you that Mayfield is as good scrambling to his left as to his right. I was wrong.
Mayfield was under 50% with 2 TDs and 2 picks scrambling left, and good old Jake found most of those mistakes.
I remember Baker kicking ass scrambling to his left because he made several of his best plays doing that.
Anyway, Jake says (and I know) that these errors were more mental than physical, and are highly correctable. (In fact, Mayfield himself should correct the bad reads automatically).
For example, on one of the plays Jake singled out, a cornerback literally ran to a sideline and crouched down 12-13 yards deep.
Mayfield didn't notice him, and saw Seth DeValve open as he broke outside. The sneaky bastard cornerback intercepted the pass.
This was a defense reading a tendancy in a timing offense, and bushwacking an aggressive rookie QB. Mayfield should be painfully aware of it already...he never saw anything like that in college.
Part of Jake's critique was physical too. Two of the passes Baker threw were off-platform and all-arm. In one case, he was inaccurate, and in another failed to elevate the ball over a linebacker.
Jake says these mistakes are highly correctable too.
Needless to say, opposing defenses will see what Jake saw, and try to chase Mayfield to his left.
It's pretty much all they've got.
Fortunately, Todd, Freddie, and Baker see it coming. I'm not too worried about it. I suspect that Baker was running to his left a lot in his offseason workouts with his receivers.
I expect these guys to exploit how the first 2 or 3 defenses will attack Hubbard and whoever wins the Right Guard derby in an effort to stifle Baker Mayfield.
I don't envy defensive coordinators, as they're always "chasing" offenses; REacting to what they've seen...getting deep here but long story short I expect MonkenKitchensMayfield to stay ahead of that curve.
Our cousins in Pittsburgh don't see this. YET.
Dan Justik offers some bandaids "in case" Duke Johnson is traded early.
Dan's top 2 options are the venerable Gramps Sproles or Jay Ajayi.
Dan is a work in progress, so it hasn't yet registered with him that A: a pass-catching RB is less important in 2019 than it was in 2018 B: Dontrell Hilliard EXISTS.
Ajayi is still in his prime, and is a for real bellcow running back.
Dan? Hilliard is Duke's replacement. If Duke is traded, a backup for Nick Chubb is the obvious priority (and I would try for more years on that cheap contract).
But really, even Leonardo De Burns is wrong sometimes when I am right.
If you read this Blog, you expect man coverage outside, no true fullback, zone blocking etc.
If you don't read this Blog, you expect Steve Wilks to use Williams, Ward, and Mitchell as zone corners, Dorsey to...
Screw it. Stay tuned. You'll see.
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