QB Baker Mayfield (8.8.21)
QB Baker Mayfield:
On how it feels to be back in front of the fans at FirstEnergy Stadium:
“It feels really good to have everybody here. It was not even a fully packed stadium, but it sure felt like it. That is the kind of support that we have, and you can tell that football is right around the corner.”
On having Pro Football Hall of Fame Head Coach Tony Dungy at practice today and address the team:
“First off, that guy is obviously a Hall of Famer but just a great human being. Obviously, a great coach. Everybody you hear from, you hear great things about him. I got a chance to talk to him before practice, and then his message to the team afterwards, it is not about talent and it is not about bringing extra guys in, it is about not being outworked, doing your job and doing it at a very, very high level. It is just a great message from somebody like that who has done it before.”
On what has been accomplished in training camp so far:
“We have gotten better as the days go on. I think we are learning what we are trying to expand on offensively. We are doing a better job of taking care of the ball. Situationally today, we did some two-minute stuff – I have to be a lot better on that. As this camp goes on, we need to continue to stress situational importance of third downs, two-minutes and taking care of the ball. Just keep emphasizing everything we need to as the year goes on.”
On if competition was elevated today with more fans in attendance:
“Any time you get a full-packed stadium, the energy level goes up, competition and everybody wants to do a little bit more. That is what makes it exciting. We are going to have a lot more people for these regular season games so we need to continue to ramp it up.”
On if he expects even more from TE Austin Hooper this season:
“I expect a lot from all of our guys. We expect to have a lot of success. I am going to go through my reads and deliver the ball where it needs to be delivered and trust that whatever schemes we have called that I am going to do my job and distribute it to those guys. We all expect a lot out of each other. Hoop is a great player, and we are lucky to have him.”
On WR Donovan Peoples-Jones:
“Donovan and I, we worked quite a bit this offseason. He looks great. Hats off to him. He has put in the work. He looks unbelievable right now. He is running faster. Like I said last week, he is a smart guy. He can play a lot of positions. He did not just learn one receiver position. He learned the whole system.”
On Bills QB Josh Allen signing a contract extension:
“I am very happy for Josh. Josh is a great guy. Going through that [draft] process with him, I am obviously very happy for him. In a tradition-rich town like Buffalo, they are lucky to have a quarterback like him who cares about it and lives that same mindset that they do up in Buffalo.”
On what goes through his head when he sees the numbers of Allen’s contract:
“Like I said, I am worried about winning. I think the rest will take care of itself. Yeah, it is good for the quarterback position overall. I would be lying if I said otherwise. I am worried about winning right now. I do not know the timeline on it. We have not talked about it because I am worried about winning this season.”
On if he cares if contract negations continue into the season:
“I am not doing the negotiations so quite frankly I do not give a damn. I am worried about winning Week 1, then going on to Week 2 and focusing on that week one week at a time. That is my mindset so no matter how many times I get asked this question throughout the year, it is going to be the same answer because that is just the truth.”
On the new standard in Cleveland, given he mentioned it when addressing the fans today:
“I said it after we clinched the playoff berth against the Steelers right over here about 10 yards away. That is what we came in to do. My draft class and the free agents that came in, we have just been trying to change the culture and set the standard to what it used to be of a winning football culture. We have to expect greatness, and you have to strive for that every day. We have a great locker room right now and a great staff that is pushing to do so.”
On if the pace and tone of practice is different than when he first joined the Browns:
“Yeah, it is a little different than when I first got here.”
On Dungy’s message to the team:
“That it is not about talent or wanting it more because everybody has talent at this level and everybody wants to win it all. It is about outworking, doing your job at the highest level possible, doing that as a team and coming together.”
On if he had met Dungy before:
“I had not, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Like I said, everything that you hear about him, he is an unbelievable person. Obviously, a great coach in the Hall of Fame. Just the type of guy he is, you can just feel that energy off of him.”
On if he and WR Odell Beckham Jr. are getting a lot accomplished working together on the side of practices one on one:
“We definitely got a lot more work. I feel good about where we are at. I know he is excited and everybody else is excited to plug him in and get going.”
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