Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said Friday he is in a better state, both physically and mentally, and he admitted he lost last year and doubted himself amid the chaos in Cleveland.
“Have success through high school and college and have that standard so high, and then [last year] not nearly as successful as I’m used to – so I would say I’m losing myself, “said Mayfield, who won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma in 2017 and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft.” that success, not figuring out what worked, I think I tried different ways to have that success and I did not find it.
“I lost myself in that, and I did not know who I was [need to be] for these guys on the team. “
After breaking the Nook rookie record with 27 touchdown passes in 2018, Mayfield struggled in his second season. He threw 22 touchdowns, but was intercepted 21 times, and the much-hyped Browns stormed under the stretch en route to a 6-10 finish. As a result, both head coach Freddie Kitchens and general manager John Dorsey were fired, paving the way for the Browns to hire first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski and first-time general manager Andrew Berry.
After struggling with weight problems last year, Mayfield showed up at the training camp last week adding 4 pounds of lean mass while cutting body fat, according to Berry, who noted that Mayfield arrived in “great shape.”
“I think there were a lot of plays – back to last year – physically I couldn’t work out that much, by saving. That I was heavier than I ever played at a playing weight,” said Mayfield, who twice temporary games with separate injuries to his throwing hand and wrist had to leave. “I had to be able to have the scrambling ability to move in the bush. It’s my job to be in prime physical shape, to look up on Sundays and do my job.”
Mayfield said he used this diet period as a dietitian, emphasizing ‘cutting out the bad body weight’ to get in and out of the bag faster. He added that the silver lining of the virtual offseason and was away from the team facility due to the coronavirus pandemic was that he could focus more on getting mentally and physically to where he wanted to go on training camp.
“I’m in a much better state,” Mayfield said. “I put the work in … just ready to roll, attack, go back to where I need to be to be the leader for this team, for this franchise. The reason I’m here is because ‘ “I have been able to attack myself every day with 100 percent effort.”
Mayfield said overcoming previous setbacks, including being a two-time walk-on in college, at Texas Tech and then Oklahoma, has helped him work through the doubt in himself that emerged last year and his self-confidence rediscovered.
“I think it’s one of those things I talked about with our team – you have to find that faith; you have to find that confidence in yourself,” he said. “And that’s where I base my story, my whole career, is trusting in myself and taking those opportunities.”
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