QB Baker Mayfield (12.11.19)
QB Baker Mayfield:
On his current relationship with Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury and them ‘working through their differences and it being in a good place’ per Kingsbury :
“It was a long time ago. We have talked since. I have played against him a few times since. It is exactly that. We are in a good place. Obviously, he is trying to beat me this week and I am trying to beat him. On top of that and (Cardinals QB) Kyler (Murray) being involved, it makes for a fun one for us.”
On if he enjoys that he, Kingsbury and Murray are in the same game on Sunday:
“Yeah, I think anytime you see a familiar face within competition, it makes it something you want to strive for a little bit of bragging right over. Something to just enjoy it and have more fun.”
On if the passing of time has helped settle differences with Kingsbury:
“Yeah, passage of time, conversation, I think all of the above. It is in the past. What happened, happened, and we move forward.”
On his biggest issue with Kingsbury in the past and if he still uses it as motivation:
“Guys, that is back in 2013 –six years ago. We are not going to re-dig issue from back then.”
On if he uses it as motivation:
“No, I think it worked out for them. They had (Chiefs QB) Pat Mahomes, and I think he is doing fine now.”
On if his success last year potentially helped prove Murray could have similar success in the NFL, given some of their comparisons:
“No, I think Kyler is just a phenomenal athlete. He is one of a kind. After being around him for a few years in practice watching him tear it up on scout team and then play, he is who he is. He is a special player. He is the only one ever to be drafted first round in baseball and football. There are very few athletes like him physically capable of what he is able to do.”
On how many of Murray’s games or film he has watched this season:
“I have tried to catch a few. Obviously, with our division playing theirs, we have seen a good amount of their film, but trying to keep up with him, I know how busy he is. That first year is in fast motion so just catching up with him every once in a while. I will talk to him this week though.”
On playing together at Oklahoma, being consecutive first overall draft picks and now playing against one another:
“I am obviously very happy for him. I remember I was eating dinner with my family when he won the Heisman last year and just how excited I was for him. He deserves all of that, and it is going to be really fun to play against him.”
On his vote for the 2019 Heisman Trophy:
“I can’t tell you guys that.
On his vote for the 2018 Heisman Trophy:
“Well, that was easy.”
On if his success allowed more opportunities for a team to draft a shorter QB No. 1 overall:
“I think our games are different. Just his arm talent alone is very special. The things he is able to do when he throws the ball, it comes out different. When you see it in person, you will understand what I am talking about. Obviously, his speed is next level. He is very quick and you try tackling him in a phone booth. He is a tough guy to defend.”
On the Cardinals adopting more of Murray’s college style offense and if that could become a trend in the NFL:
“Yeah, I think what you see nowadays is there have been a bunch of guys break the mold and coaches call plays to the strengths of their players. Whether it is the QB, the running backs or the receivers, you want to get guys in the best position to win so these guys that are more of the running quarterback or whatever label you want to put on it, they are able to throw but they are able to take advantage of numbers and their athleticism. Kliff has done a good job of implementing the things Kyler is good at and the things he has been doing his whole career, and you are seeing that success offensively.”
On if he will continue to play aggressively and be less concerned with individual statistics:
“Yeah, I think that the one throw that got tipped off of (WR KhaDarel) Hodges’ hands, need to let him clear it out throw it to (WR) Jarvis (Landry) on the in route. I mentioned after the game but after looking at it, feeling the window and being aggressive of trying to take advantage of something I see and feel. There is a good balance of that and going through my reads and putting it in the right place. I think that is one that I really regret from Sunday, but I have to continue to be me.”
On the Cardinals defense:
“They are doing a lot of stuff to give you mixed looks up front. They are pressuring. They are blitzing a lot. Obviously, we played (Cardinals defensive coordinator) Vance Joseph last year – he was their coordinator last year in Denver. We are going to see what they are going to do. They are giving us a bunch of different looks and they have a bunch of guys up front that are making plays. Obviously, (Cardinals OLB) Chandler Jones, we have to know where he is at all times.”
On if he is bothered when seeing his completion percentage after the game against Cincinnati:
“Absolutely. Like I have said, it is all of the little details that affect those stats. As long as we win, ultimately, that is the main goal, but you have to continue to work on that stuff, get the ball in our guys hands and let them make plays.”
On where he has improved this season:
“Protection-wise upfront, handling different looks, slowing the game down for me just mentally and now it is about just getting everyone on the same page and doing our job.”
On if he feels he has taken the ‘25 percent jump’ in most areas of his game that General Manager John Dorsey mentioned earlier in the year:
“Obviously, statistically not really with the turnovers and everything like that. I would say that we have had a few unlucky bounces, but at the same time, we have made an improvement for the most part but still not good enough.”
On if he could see Kingsbury becoming an NFL coach when playing for him:
“Yeah, you could see at the time, the type of coach that was coming into the NFL, that was when Chip Kelly was getting into it – the more Air Raid or whatever you want to the label on it, spreading g the ball out and trying to take advantage of numbers. People are always going to have their opinions on what works and what does not, but Kliff was successful in college when he played, went to the NFL and had a career and then got back into coaching because he is a brilliant offensive mind. Players love playing for him. I know that just from personal experience obviously and they adapt to what he does.”
On Kingsbury saying he wishes he handled their situation differently and if he appreciates that and that Kingsbury has accepted some responsibility for it:
“Absolutely. Those are conversations that we have had and so we have both acknowledged that an 18-year old Baker was not the all-knowing that he thought he was and just having a conversation goes a long way.”
On if he felt the need to meet with the athletic training staff following his press conference on Sunday:
“Yeah, I had the conversations that I needed to, in the building. Like I said, when I addressed it afterwards, the effect that those words have in the bigger scheme and the bigger picture were not my intentions. The people within our building, like I said, know where I am coming from. They know my frustration, and they know that if I was happy go lucky about everything then we would have a real problem on our hands. I talked to the people I needed to so am confident in that and us moving forward.”
On if he is sorry in some ways he settled his differences with Kingsbury and can’t use it as motivation:
“I do not even know. This one is more Kyler and me. This is real bragging rights being in the same quarterback room for a few years and just razzing each other back and forth. Like I said, it is going to be a fun one.”
On who the better scout team QB was at Oklahoma:
“I would say I probably had the better scout team overall so I can’t directly compare. You had two of the starters on the Ravens offense right now and a few other guys around the league that played with us on the scout team.”
On if he has spoken with his Browns teammates about Murray:
“After I heard the messages this morning and the scouting report, they have it all panned out of how they want to attack it with the exact strengths of their offense, and I agreed with it.”
On how he helped take Murray under his wing while at Oklahoma:
“I think the only thing was the transfer thing. Playing one year your true freshman year and then transferring right after, it can be different to sit out that next year and have to take the backseat. It is not like it was his choice, but then moving forward, Kyler probably did a lot more for me than I probably did for him just pushing me to be better. Whenever you have a guy like that behind you, it is really going to push you so that is why I truly believe competition raises all levels around you. I am thankful for that.”
On if he encouraged Murray to pursue football and the NFL over MLB:
“I did. I will leave it at that. I did.”
On what it says about WR Odell Beckham Jr. to play through injury and not miss any games:
“I would say much like I did on after the game, he is fighting through pain. It shows you how much he really wants to win. The things that I have continuously said about him, he wants to be the solution to help us. It is the same message.”
On if he understands Beckham’s frustration while playing hurt:
“Yeah, like I said after the game as well, that is where the frustration comes from and we can sense that. That is that.”
On if he believes Beckham wants to return to Cleveland next season:
“I can’t answer that for him. there are all the rumors going around, but I have had my conversations with him and I know what we talk about so I trust him wholeheartedly.”
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