Off-season thoughts (Vol. 1)

Something Browns General Manager Andrew Berry said in his post-season (postmortem?) wrapup with the media a few days ago struck a note.

"We fully expect Baker to be our starter and bounce back (next season)," Berry said, referring to his badly banged-up and mismanaged quarterback Baker Mayfield.

He later went on to say, "We're looking forward to Baker getting healthy in the offseason and then putting in good work through the spring and with his coaches for having the type of season we know he can have."

First of all, I don't take those words seriously. Not accusing Berry of prevarication. I just know lying is a sport played on a daily basis by front offices around the National Football League. It's fake news until it isn't.

Right now, I have a hard time believing Mayfield is in the Browns' long-range plans and that includes next season, but the Cleveland GM is smart enough to couch his thoughts and plans in a deceptive kind of way. 

As for Mayfield bouncing back and playing well, isn't that what Berry said about his quarterback during the bye week this season when a badly battered Mayfield had a chance to rest? "We expect him to play his best football down the stretch after the bye," he said. 

Mayfield played only three of the final five games (winning one) after the bye, missing the Las Vegas loss because of COVID-19 and the season-finale victory over Cincinnati when he finally said, "Enough," and shut it down for the season. He didn't give the team medical staff another chance to expose him to further punishment.

He threw six touchdown passes and seven interceptions in those three games as the offense scored just 60 points. In the loss to Pittsburgh, he was sacked nine times. Is it any wonder he called it quits? So much for expectation.

I don't believe for a minute Berry wants Mayfield back as his quarterback and is doing his best to make certain to make that happen. The fact he's the Browns' quarterback is credited to -- blamed on? --  Berry's predecessor, John Dorsey, who made the former Heisman Trophy winner the No 1 overall pick in the 2018 college lottery.

Wouldn't surprise me a bit that Berry has surreptitiously put the word out that Mayfield, even though he is damaged goods right now, is available for the right price. And what would that price be? A veteran quarterback -- Minnesota's Kirk Cousins, for example -- who might have worn out his welcome and might not mind moving on.

Why Cousins? Because he hasn't lived up to the hype that accompanied him when he bolted to Minnesota four years ago, taking the Vikings to the playoffs only once. And that, not coincidentally, was the year Kevin Stefanski was his offensive coordinator. Not suggesting that's the case. Just trying to connect the dots. In addition, there either are or soon will be others out there in free agency Berry likes better. 

Then there is the reported disconnect between the quarterback and his head coach with regard to offensive philosophy. Mayfield and Stefanski deny there is any friction even though the quarterback went public twice during the season with criticism of Stefanski. They maintain their football relationship is not as fractured as some would believe.

Nevertheless, count me very surprised if Mayfield returns in a Cleveland uniform.

***

It was back on the night of April 23, 2020 that I suggested the Browns had made a mistake with their first selection of the 2020 draft. They needed an offensive tackle and three of the top candidates fell to them at No. 10.

As I watched team after team select the so-called skill players, I couldn't believe the Browns would be so fortunate. That normally doesn't happen to them. And this was Berry's first draft. I remember thinking let's see what this guy's got.

Tristan Wirfs, Jedrick Wills Jr. and Mekhi Becton were still there. Wirfs was my first choice and it wasn't even close. "You don't pass on an offensive lineman out of Iowa, especially one like Wirfs, who was a three-year starter with the Hawkeyes," I wrote.

I remember thinking about writing Wirfs' name down, figuring "it was a slam dunk" but "decided to hold off because a little voice suggested I was being a little too confident and should wait until (NFL Commissioner Roger) Goodell made it official."

And when Goodell announced Wills as the pick, "My shoulders slumped," and I thought to myself, "Why can't they get it right?" Shortly after, I realized Wirfs had no shot at winding up in Cleveland. Browns Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta said Wills "was actually the top tackle on our board from the beginning."

Meanwhile, Wirfs dropped to 13, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn't get the pick in quickly enough.

And now here we are two seasons later, enough time to evaluate that decision. Normally, three years is the standard applied for reaching such conclusions. Not this one. It is that decisive. By now, you probably realize where this is going.

Wills, who played only offensive right tackle throughout his career, was shifted to left tackle by the Browns and has encountered problems. He has started 28 of 32 regular-season games, playing 91% of the snaps as a rookie and only 69% this season due mainly to ankle problems. 

In his two seasons, he has allowed nine sacks and numerous quarterback hits and hurries and been flagged 12 times for false starts and six times for holding. Pro Football Focus graded him at 61.5 in his first season and 65.9 this past season. He is clearly the weak link of the offensive line, grading much better as a run blocker than protector of the quarterback's blind side.

Wirfs, on the other hand, is the two-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro (this year) right tackle with the Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl ring in his rookie season with another shot at making it two in a row this season. 

The 6-5, 325-pounder was the talk of the 2020 Indianapolis Combine, posting eye-opening stats for such a big man. He ran a seeing-is-believing 4.85 40-yard dash (Willis ran a 5:04) and stunned scouts with his agility and change of direction. His pulling skills were deemed effortless by scouts.

In his three seasons at Iowa, Wirfs started at right tackle as a freshman and remained there through his first two seasons, but displayed his versatility switching between left and right tackle in several games in 2019. 

Many scouts reportedly thought Wirfs would be better suited to begin his professional career inside at guard, but the Bucs thought differently. They needed a right tackle. Besides, Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa were set at guard.

(The following is written with full knowledge that Wirfs suffered an ankle injury early in Sunday's victory over Philadelphia in a wild-card game and missed most of the game.)

Since coming to the NFL, Wirfs is one of only three players who have not missed a snap -- 2,255 of them -- in the last two seasons. Not only is he an iron man, he plays like a seasoned professional. He has allowed only three sacks and been flagged for only four false starts and two holds. That garnered an 81.8 grade from PFF last season and an 85 this season. 

This is not to pat myself on the back. Heaven knows I have been horribly wrong numerous times throughout the years. But this one jumped out so strongly, I often think Wirfs would have made the Browns' offensive line clearly the best in the NFL.