BEREA, Ohio — When someone comes after or comments on a Cleveland Browns player in a negative way, coach Freddie Kitchens is first in line to defend his athletes, and he did that prior to Wednesday’s practice at team headquarters.
Former NFL coach Rex Ryan referred to Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield as a “one-read” signal-caller who is “overrated as hell” and scrambles out of the pocket if his top target is covered, and Kitchens categorically dismissed that opinion during his pre-practice press conference.
“I appreciate his opinion and all that, but he is not in our building,” Kitchens said. “He has no idea what we’re doing.
“Is Baker a one-read quarterback? No, he is not. That’s asinine to even say.”
With Kitchens calling the plays as interim offensive coordinator for the second half of the 2018 season, Mayfield completed 180 of his 263 attempts (68.4 percent) for 2,254 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions, but it has been a struggle for him thus far in 2019.
During Sunday night’s 20-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Mayfield completed 18 of his 36 attempts (50 percent) for 195 yards and one touchdown with an interception on the Browns’ last offensive play of the game, a fourth-and-goal from the four-yard line that was taken away off of a deflection.
Three games into his second NFL season, Mayfield has completed 62 of his 109 attempts (56.9 percent) for 805 yards with three touchdowns, five interceptions, 14 20-yard throws and one 40-yard pass, all while taking 11 sacks for 81 lost yards.
Over 17 games played, including 16 straight starts, Mayfield has completed 372 of his 595 attempts (62.5 percent) for 4,530 yards and 30 touchdowns against 19 interceptions.
“The quarterback has to be the toughest person on the field, and I think Baker is,” Kitchens said.
“We’re constantly talking about Baker’s technique, and he’s constantly aware of it, but at the end of the day, I want him to feel comfortable about what he’s supposed to do and go out and just do it. However he gets it done, he gets it done. That separates some players from other players, and Baker’s got the ability to be accurate from different throwing angles, from his feet being in different spots, places, non-clean pockets, on the move. He’s got those abilities. At the end of the day, we’ve just got to execute.”
Comments aside, the Browns returned to the practice field Wednesday and began their preparations for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, and both teams are looking to get back into the win column after losses last weekend.
“Baker and I are likeminded from the standpoint of we’re only worried about today,” Kitchens said. “We’re worried about first and second down and a few third downs today. Tomorrow, we’re going to worry about third down and red zone. The next day, we’re going to worry about short yardage and red zone.”