New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick spoke highly of the Cleveland Browns' offense ahead of Sunday's match-up in Foxborough.
Belichick started at the top, singing high praise for Browns General Manager John Dorsey, who joined the organization in 2017. Since then, Dorsey's splash moves include signing embattled running back Kareem Hunt, trading for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and drafting Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick of the 2018 draft.
"Dorsey has really accumulated a lot of high level talent all the way across the board, so this is really a game about these two teams. I don’t see it as an individual thing," Belichick said during a Tuesday conference call with reporters.
He moved on to quarterback Baker Mayfield, who, despite some sophomore season growing pains, has managed to keep Cleveland in its first six games for second place in the AFC North. Meanwhile, Belichick's Patriots remain the AFC's only undefeated team at 7-0 atop the AFC East.
"Baker’s a really smart player, has a lot of talent, can make all the throws, has a terrific arm," Belichick said, adding that Mayfield has remained tough, despite taking some hard hits. "He's a big threat and a tough guy to handle. He's obviously smart. Coach [Freddie] Kitchens gives him a lot of latitude at the line of scrimmage to change plays and make adjustments and things like that. You can see he's very much in control of the offense.
"He's an impressive second-year player. He's doing a lot of good things."
The praise continued when Beckham's name was brought up, as Belichick noted the Browns' "good receiving group."
"He's a game-breaker from any place on the field, very hard to tackle,” he said, noting Beckham's 89-yard touchdown against the New York Jets in Week 2. “He can score from anywhere on the field, run it by you making acrobatic catches, or catching a short pass and breaking tackles, getting through the defense that way. You don’t always know where he's gonna be. He's a dynamic player."
Belichick was the first to bring up running back Nick Chubb during Tuesday's call, a sign of his respect for the second-year Georgia grad.
"You certainly can't have a conversation about the Browns' offense without talking about Chubb," Belichick said after answering questions about Beckham. "That guy's a really impressive player any time he touches the ball, which is a lot."
On the other side, the Patriots' defense will be ready for the Browns' offense that has seen so much hype. New England currently ranks first in total defense, ahead of San Francisco and Buffalo.
"We have a very distinct group of players that make good decisions in coverage and reading the quarterback and making plays on the ball," Belichick said. "We've made some good catches that some defensive backs don’t always make. We're always trying to turn the ball over. Our secondary's done a good job of finishing those plays."
The Browns face the Patriots Sunday at 4:25 p.m. at Gillette Stadium.
