Mid-week thoughts

Two subjects . . . many thoughts.

Both subjects are of the highest profile on the Browns’ landscape. Each is now going through what might be best described as difficult times.

By now, you have probably (and correctly) guessed the subjects are Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. First, the face of the franchise.

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Baker Mayfield arrived in Cleveland with a gigantic chip on his shoulder. He placed it there himself as he climbed the ladder of success despite his smallish stature.

He wasn’t supposed to experience success when he enrolled at Texas Tech in 2013 and walked on as freshman. And yet, he beat the odds and became the starting quarterback until someone named Patrick Mahomes came along.

He wasn’t supposed to win the starting job at Oklahoma after walking on following his transfer from Tech. And yet, he beat the odds again after sitting out one season.

And he was nothing more than a long shot to win the most coveted college football award. The fact he became the 2017 Heisman Award winner did not surprise him because bucking the odds became his credo.

The disrespect shown him throughout his collegiate career followed him into his professional football career when Browns General Manager John Dorsey stunningly made Mayfield the top overall selection in the college football draft.

Yet another hurdle to climb. Prove to the naysayers that once again they were wrong about him and underestimated what he could do on the next level. He was short and did not possess the greatest of guns as a thrower.

And yet, that’s exactly what he did in his rookie National Football League season, setting a record for most touchdown passes (27) for a first-year quarterback. He did that despite watching from the bench for the first two games.

That chip on the shoulder has served him well. Until now. It seems to have disappeared as a motivating factor. Many wheels have fallen off the Baker Mayfield bandwagon. No one seems to know why 2018 Baker Mayfield is missing in 2019.

He’s still on the small side and he still can’t throw a football through a brick wall. But the magic that propelled him to enormous success along the way has disappeared. Poof. Gone. Just like that. Has the chip been discarded now that he’s made it?

With the exception of one game, the big victory over Baltimore, Mayfield cannot be counted on to win games with clutch passes this season. The feeling that somehow he will do something special to win a game is AWOL. He is no longer making big plays when big plays are needed.

Remember the tight windows he threw through last season? They are sill there, but his isn’t firing his passes through them anymore. He’s missing larger windows, too. His 55.9% accuracy is far below his norm. It’s gotten to the point where he is missing wide-open receivers.

The disrespect he entered the league with, the one that disappeared at the end of last season, is back. Those highly skeptical about him when he entered the league slunk back into the shadows with his success last season. They are back.

Their criticism for the most part is spot on. Mayfield is showing zero signs he is anywhere near where he was a year ago. With the exception of a rare glimpse or three, that quarterback is struggling.

Whether it’s the coaching, the scheme, the game plans is anyone’s guess. He is being humbled, despite a brash and confident approach that seems to be there when he speaks.

Browns guard Joel Bitonio may have unlocked part of the mystery. It involves those who play against his quarterback.“ It’s one of those things that people, they see Baker’s name, they see him in the media, they see some of his quotes . . . and they want a piece of him,” he said. “. . . It’s the way they motivate themselves to play.”

Mayfield is a lightning rod for controversy. Let’s face it. His strongest attribute is not modesty. He’s the kind of person who doesn’t seek trouble, but somehow it always finds him, The latest incident was the Nick Bosa flag waving a few days ago mocking Mayfield’s flag-planting at Ohio State in 2017.

Instead of ignoring it when asked about it, Mayfield felt compelled to answer snarkily. “Good for him,” he said. “He had it premeditated. He’s been thinking about it obviously for two years now. That’s a long time to think about a loss.” Not exactly what you’d call ambassadorial.

But he sure has been brought down a peg or two in the first five games with Seattle and New England, two pretty good defensive teams, straight ahead. Now that the disrespect has resurfaced, Mayfield needs to rediscover that chip and place it back on that shoulder. If it’s still there, it’s not working and he needs new motivation.

Proving people wrong about him is such a big part of his game. It might have to follow him the rest of his career if his peculiar performances this season are any indication.

(One last memo to Mayfield: Never carry a football in your throwing hand and wave it around carelessly while scrambling like it’s a loaf of bread. It’s not and your hands aren’t big enough to secure it. That’s why you fumbled late in the first quarter against the 49ers and turned the ball over.)

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What was though initially to be a offensive dream matchup for the Browns this season is stuck in neutral with no solution in sight.

Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. got off to a terrific start in the first two games, connecting on 13 passes for 232 yards, including a dazzling 89-yard touchdown catch and run in the victory over the New York Jets. He was targeted 21 times.

In the last two games, Mayfield found him just four times (two in each game) for a paltry 47 yards and no visits to the end zone. The symbiosis between the two has all but disappeared.

That’s not what John Dorsey and Freddie Kitchens expected when the general manager traded for the extraordinarily talented wide receiver.  The frustration is mounting, especially in light of the 31-3 pounding the Browns absorbed in San Francisco Sunday night.

Beckham experienced losing a lot in five seasons with the New York Giants and was not shy about venting his concerns. It gained him the reputation of being difficult. Part of that reputation followed him to Cleveland.

Mayfield is aware of his current frustration. “You can’t blame him,” the quarterback said. “That’s one of the best receivers in the league and if he’s not getting the ball, he always has that in the back of his mind ‘what if I did get the ball and changed this game.’”

It’s obvious opposing teams are doing everything they can to take Beckham out of the game. It’s just as obvious it’s working, adding to the mounting frustration.

The coaching staff is trying everything to make certain Beckham gets his hands on the football as often as he can. They’ve called two plays thus far that enabled Beckham to show off his strong throwing arm.

He was used a decoy at times like in the 49ers loss. He was lined up in the backfield on one play and Mayfield faked a pitch toss to him simulating a sweep to the right side while handing off to Nick Chubb going the other way, a misdirection play that netted 37 yards.

It became so frustrating toward the end of the game, Beckham decided to add punt returner to his résumé. That’s another way of getting his hands on the football.

What followed was disastrous and embarrassing.

First of all, he should not have been in the game. Why risk one of your most valuable players? The Browns were down, 28-3, at the time with seven minutes left in regulation and no chance of winning. What in the world were the special teams coaches thinking?

Beckham caught Mitch Wishnowsky’s punt cleanly at the Cleveland 34. That was the only thing he did right. Four moves of desperation to escape tacklers and six yards in reverse later, he fumbled and lost the football. It led to a 49ers field goal.