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Chubb has proven to be the superior back to Barkley, game in, game out, season-to-season. We don't know if this is Barkley's return to his first year, or if it was just week 1 defensive breakdowns. Hopefully the glaring run defense problems in week 1 lead to adjustments and clearer play in week 2. It was a sizable enough problem even this coaching staff would have to be aware of it.

Mayfield was expected to learn through osmosis, in sharing space with Darnold. It was a solid plan.

I don't think he needs to be the worst, or even near the worst, to have a legitimate reason to replace him.

LOL. To be fair, I'm not sure that wasn't just an unconfirmed twitter accusation, and it was Christmas Eve, and he was home on covid protocol -- but Mayfield was infamous before that for being a hyper competitive Halo player - so maybe. Aside from that, Mayfield was always credited for being a hard worker- just not always easy to get along with because of his "fire." Expectations were always out of whack in CLE. One decent season (i.e. not going 1-15 or 0-16) and they were talking superbowl squad in ...2019. I don't think the 2021 roster, even with a healthy Mayfield was a superbowl caliber team, without some breaks (like Burrow and the Bengals got). The WR room was just that bad, and the defense was too prone to blowing leads as Stefanski called end-games inexplicably. I honestly don't know what Mayfield will ever be, as we've never seen two years of him in the same system -- what Burrow, Mahomes, Rodgers, Brady, Jackson, Herbert... and so on, have all benefited from.

Also, Mayfield did get booed in his first game in Carolina, so far as I've heard (not at the game). And his play probably deserved it for the first half, if one goes in for booing your own team, which some do.

Welcome, but uh, okay. Former Brown's fan here (and did not follow Oklahoma; can't support sexual predators, anyway). Mayfield is the only playoff winning quarterback the Browns have had. This sort of critique would fly if the Browns EVER won anything without Mayfield, and were able to win in spite of his six injuries in 2021. They didn't in 2021, and the Brown's defense in the playoff win, that CLE fans have revisioned as being inspite of Mayfied, so lauded for the scores in the Steelers playoff victory almost blew the game in the fourth. Just like the defense blew leads all 2020 and through the first half of 2021. This narrative you're bringing here is just factually wrong. It flies with the remaining fans in Cleveland, because you are all doing mental gymnastics. And, let's not even mention the fact, that Mayfield basically did win CAR a game on Sunday, only to have refs hand CLE the win.

It depends how you much value you put in PFF. I personally saw at least 2 muffed snaps that should be on the center, but they only attributed one to Elf -- so mileage may vary.

One thing I've learned being as a former Cleveland Browns fan is that Mayfield is always at fault...unless it's anything good.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/09/13/end-zone-angle-shows-matt-rhule-was-right-about-missed-intentional-grounding-call/ Some tidbits in the article and the video that support the no-call.

His first read was to the left, his second read was getting sacked.

The offense was not balanced the first half and it played to CLE strengths. When they incorporated the run, and stopped relying on short-passing, it opened up the offense more, and prevented CLE from just rushing the passer. It was Mayfield's first game with this team, after being acquired late, with a QB competition and OL competition delaying chemistry. It could have remained ugly in the second half and it didn't. Mayfield had a game winning drive that the refs took away at the end (and a good kick by the rookie.)

...also, the offense was so imbalanced away from the run in the first half, the Browns D knew it was a pass on virtually every plan, which plays to CLE D's strength. When they started running it opened the offense up.

The tackle had Burn's facemask.

Did Carolina cut all their running backs? /s

Having said all that, if he makes adjustments in 2022, to address his 2021 mistakes, that’s a sign of growth as a coach. It sounded like they were updating the offense for the serial rapist, but not sure we’ll see that with Brisset under center. I expect bland TE sets and running up the gut.

I think he was a good coach to get the Brown’s stable after the disastrous 2019 season. He does not seem like a “super bowl caliber” coach though. He showed poor control of his players, baffling play calling, a lack of ability to adjust gameplans, not to mention his handling of OBJ and Mayfield last season. CLE’s playoff win might have been because he was at home with Covid. His offensive scheme did not play to his roster’s strength, which is a primary weakness as a coach I lamented often. Compare to Harbaugh in BAL - they redesigned their entire offense for Lamar. Stefanski tried to turn Mayfield into Cousins. I don’t think Stefanski is a bad coach, but he’s also done nothing to show he’s a good or great coach - ironically, he seems average, the same criticism Mayfield receives. A great coach would have found a way to get the 2021 Browns into the playoffs, even with Mayfield’s play. But Stefasnki and the CLE Defense lost an equal number of games in 2021 that an injured QB caused. CLEs inability to hold 4th quarter leads is on the coaching and playcalling, especially when the best player group on the Browns was the RB room (even with Hunt injured much of 2021).

With Conklin out, this smacks of 2021 for the Browns, already. While Mayfield was hurt and it affected his play, what gets very little blame in the media-sphere is how bad the Brown’s back-up tackles were all season. You had an injured, at-times hobbled Mayfield running for his life trying to throw to one of the worst WR groups in the league. Brisset is less mobile than even injured Mayfield. The interior line of CLE is their strength, except their new center is an unknown and a backup. The vaunted CLE OL might be in trouble again.

I’m here for this from Oakland, CA. LFG!

He wasn't much of a #1 in CLE, which was sort of the problem there. He couldn't produce on the stat sheet, he made several timely drops, and eye test looked like he wasn't trying. He never wanted to be in Cleveland and it showed long before the stories of him wanting out started to hit the media. You could see in his play in LA, from his first game, he was trying harder. If I recall correctly, his first pass was still a drop though

His splits were almost identical in LA as in CLE (slightly better in CLE actually, except for TDs, which go to RBs in CLE).

This was the fear when he joined up, and it flared up at various points. The infamous clip of Chubb and OBJ chatting on the sidelines, and OBJ saying "I just want to score a Touchdown" and Chubb responding "I just want to win" sort of summed up OBJ in CLE to me. That, and quitting on plays, dropping passes, moping on sidelines. OBJ knew what he was doing by throwing Mayfield under the bus with his dad's video - he knew Mayfield was polarizing and playing hurt. He was the perfect scapegoat.

Myles Garrett's relationship with the truth is also complicated.

Great post. Very appreciated to read a sensible recounting of the Browns from a fellow ex-Brown's fan, especially about the defense, which on paper, should be elite, but...wasn't. I quoted my favorite line, and couldn't agree more. How he escaped blame for so many issues last season is proof to how fixated people can get about Mayfield. I blame his half-beard.

Mayfield vs. Stefanski's knowledge of Mayfield. CMC vs. Clowney. Amari Cooper vs. Horn. Garret vs. Icky + whomever is chipping.

Mayfield never even said this. The media is extra reliable with anything involving Baker.