QB Baker Mayfield (10.7.19)
The team had success early but you guys stopped yourself. What does that feel like?
“You’re not doing your job anytime you stop yourself which seems to be our biggest problem right now obviously. When you do that against a team of that caliber, you’re not going to have a lot of success.”
How big of a blow was the swing of momentum with the Cleveland Browns WR Antonio Callaway miss on the goal line?
“It was unfortunate. I put it in perspective of it could’ve been points for us, but instead it’s taken away and you’re not getting any out of that. That’s huge for momentum on the road. They already had points on the board. You look back at it and yes it’s unfortunate, but I could’ve been more accurate with the ball. Honestly, it’s more than just one play that turned the game around.”
It’s just one game, but is this game a wake-up call?
“Once again, it shows for us that we need to do our job. The inconsistency is killing us right now.”
Is it harder to get the ball to Cleveland Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. in the overall sense than you thought, or have you guys just missed offensive opportunities?
“It’s a little here and there. Teams are going to do their stuff to take him out of the game, but we also have to take advantage of matchups when we do have them.”
How disappointing is it to have a game like that after it looked like you guys had it together after Baltimore?
“We knew that nothing carries over from last week. We just have to come out and do our job. I think the most disappointing thing is as simple as that. When you make mistakes and beat yourself up, a team like that is going to capitalize, and they absolutely did. They deserve the credit.”
How do you account for all of the miscues?
“We’re going to look at the film. There’s just a lack of focus. We’ll see what it is when we watch the film. We’ll be able to key in on some things and eliminate mistakes. That’s what the good teams do.”
You talked about finding an identity in Baltimore. Does this leave you searching for it again?
“Absolutely not. In Baltimore we did our job. Tonight we didn’t do our job. Therefore, you play behind the sticks, and it allows a team like that to be able to tee off and do certain things. I think we found out what we need to do. We just didn’t do it tonight.”
Any thoughts on 49ers DL Nick Bosa’s flag-planting celebration?
“I didn’t know that until I was informed before I got up here. Good for him. Good play.”
You faced a lot of pressure tonight. How difficult was it for you to get into a rhythm?
“It was like one step forward and two back. There was no rhythm for the offense to get into. When we did, we got down to the redzone and didn’t finish.”
Does how you were able to come back from the Tennessee experience give you a frame of reference for what you’ll be dealing with?
“Once again, we’re not hitting the panic button. For us, we know the problem. We know we have to be better and do better. When you play a great team, you have to eliminate mistakes. You just have to. We know exactly what we need to do. We need to play well. We need to do our job each and every play.”
How do you feel like you played personally?
“Not great. When you look at it, there were a lot of things wrong. We’ll go back to the drawing board.”
You said during the week that the schedule has been hectic up and down. Did that contribute?
“No. That would be an easy excuse to use, but I don’t think it’s anything besides looking in the mirror and seeing what we did wrong. It’s as simple as that. Now, we have a short week. It’s going to be very mental for us. Guys will have to take care of their bodies and do what they have to do. We have to go in with a gameplan that we know we can execute and play faster.”
Do you still have total faith that Antonio Callaway is the playmaker you know he can be?
“He is who he is. Everybody makes mistakes. We had total faith in him. There’s a reason he was out there tonight even after not playing the first four games. We trust him. The biggest thing is putting our arms around him and letting him know that every once in a while that happens, but to be able to be a great team we have to eliminate that and take advantage of our opportunities.”
###