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BEREA, Ohio – Jarvis Landry watched on television the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback seize an OU flag and planted it vigorously on the Ohio State Buckeyes logo.
It was cheeky, it was bold and it went against all the fundamentals of the sport. An opposing player is never supposed to walk or celebrate on another team's logo, even after an emotional victory.
This, which took place in Columbus, Ohio, early last season, would have been considered insulting by the masses.
Landry's reaction?
"Oh, I loved it," said Landry this week as his Cleveland Browns were ready to travel to Oakland to face the Raiders on Sunday. "Especially since the quarterback position."
Landry's coach agreed; He loved the fire that Baker Mayfield exhibited in his haughty show after the Sooners' great victory at the Horseshoe.
"I like that in men – the men who play this particular sport – because I think it's important," said Hue Jackson.
This competitive fuel might not have been very good in Ohio a year ago, but that was the big reason why the Browns made Mayfield the first overall pick in the NFL draft in 2018. C & # 39, was a big reason why they did not doubt when Mayfield took over against the New York Jets during week 3 and led the Browns to their first win since December 2016. And that's a Great reason for the Oakland Browns, where he will make his first start in the NFL.
"He walked as he had talked about it," Landry said of the Mayfield maneuver in Columbus. "It's something I appreciate and respect about it."
It's like being in a new world for the Browns. The team is winning. Mayfield had 201 yards in just over half and the Browns cleared a 14-0 deficit to win 21-17. Mayfield finished with a score of 100.1 and completed 73.9% of his throws – with three falls.
"He can do every shot," Landry said. "He can do all the checks, he can do all the reading."
The Browns' offensive coordinator, Todd Haley, who can be as crisp as any of them, even said that what Mayfield was providing was "phenomenal things." But Haley quickly added caution.
"I know a lot of people are cutting the bust for Canton already, stealing one from my old friend [Bill] Parcells, "said Haley.[Mayfield] set the bar high. I do not know that every week will be like this. "
Haley said this match should not be scheduled for Mayfield.
"This little sample, you know, no matter … throw for more than 70% and make big games, catch the ball for us, you know … I think it was a small sample, and j & I've been around long enough to understand that there are going to be ups and downs, "Haley said.
There could have been some major setbacks against the Jets. In his first round, Mayfield was fired and fumbled; the Browns recovered and continued to get a goal on the field. In the third quarter, Mayfield attempted a third pass in the end zone that could have been intercepted but was dropped.
The games can be won and lost on these games, and Mayfield and the Browns are out on the winning side of both.
"Baker is a bit of a banger," Haley said. "It's going to make a whole bunch of it, and what we need to do as coaches and coaches is make sure they go to the right places and the good guys most of the time."
The other side of Haley's argument: the first project selection must have this type of game and it must do it while fighting the ups and downs. There may be blips or weaknesses, but expectations for the first choice will always be high.
"I keep saying, this is the Baker era," Cleveland receiver Rashard Higgins told Cleveland.com.
He was not finished.
"If it goes the way it should, Baker could be the next big thing he could be on LeBron's wall, which I like to call him," Higgins said.
This is of course the world headquarters side of Sherwin Williams, based in Cleveland, where the huge banner of LeBron James has been hanging over his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thinking that Mayfield is heading to this banner after half an NFL game is a good measure of the excitement of his first performance. Mayfield's game reinforced the belief that he might be the chosen quarterback, the guy who could solve the insoluble long problem of the Browns.
In a way, Mayfield did with the Browns what he did at university, when he walked to two schools and won the Heisman Trophy. He started his career in the NFL with the Browns as quarterback of the third team, worked his best with the minicamp and took the starting position by playing against the Jets.
"When you come in and you did not have a lot of reps and you can go on the offensive as he did and help the team win, I think it says," This guy can help. "Jackson said. "I think players, for a man, all they want are guys who can help them win."
Mayfield offered his catch.
"It's a bit of my story," said Mayfield. "There have been a lot of ups and downs, you have to find the right balance, and that's one of the reasons I respect a lot." [Oklahoma] Coach [Lincoln] Riley. He helped me learn this along the way. You have to find that middle ground. You must have the same attitude every day. You must go to work. What brought you here does not need to stop.
"Even though I had a good game, it's just a basic thing, I did not come here to win a game and I did not come here to start the game." We're building a franchise here and we turn it It's about culture, so be that same person every day, which means finding the middle ground, never listening to outside noise. "
The Browns thought Mayfield was unique when they wrote it. It generates external noise but does not want to listen to it. He waited patiently for the substitute and never complained once, but he also never gave up on believing that he could begin. He gets the hype of being the first overall pick, but he always finds a way to mention teammates when he talks – including pointing out that Tyrod Taylor, a captain, had to be injured in the Jets game before Mayfield could play. Mayfield wants to live in this middle ground, but he is not afraid to plant his flag – on anyone.
What does his teammates expect from him on his first start?
"Handle it like he did on Thursday night," said running back Carlos Hyde. "Enter with that same fire, that same spark, manipulate it like a pro."
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