The Browns might be 2-4, but General Manager John Dorsey did his best Frank Drebin on Wednesday, declaring that there’s nothing to see here, and that quarterback Baker Mayfield and coach Freddie Kitchens are doing a great job.
Via Jake Trotter of ESPN.com, Dorsey had nothing but support for the quarterback he picked first overall last year and the coach he hired.
That’s probably #asexpected, but Dorsey said he was particularly encouraged by the way Kitchens got the team to bounce back and play better last week against the Seahawks, after taking a beating the week before from the 49ers.
“I think the team has responded really well,” Dorsey said. “I like the offensive scheme that he’s kind of developed which was on [display] in the Seattle game, by putting [Mayfield] in a really good position to move those chains.
“I think Freddie has done a really good job. I love where he is right now in terms of that first-year heading label you all try to stick with him.”
Kitchens may have lost some of the luster he gained last year as interim coach, experiencing growing pains that are normal in Cleveland.
Dorsey also backed Mayfield, who leads the league with 11 interceptions.
“Mastering the quarterback position is very hard,” Dorsey said. “Right now, defensive coordinators are probably throwing different looks that he hasn’t seen. But Baker is one of those guys that he’s smart enough, he’s not going to make the same mistake twice. He’s learning from that.
“I like where he is. I like his competitiveness. I love everything about him — that hasn’t changed one bit, in terms of his competitiveness, his ability to throw the football. . . . I still think his balls are still accurate. Everybody keeps saying that there’s inaccuracy with his ball, I still think he throws a good football. . . . What I really like is his teammates like him.”
They might like him more if he threw it to his team more often, but the Browns biggest problems might have been of expectations. They got everyone all lathered up by going 7-8-1 last year, and clearly enjoyed being a fashionable offseason pick, making this start seem like more of a disappointment than it may necessarily be.