Baker Mayfield got his guy.
Mayfield said Wednesday on SiriusXM that Freddie Kitchens was “my choice” to be the Cleveland Browns coach.
“I believe in him,” Mayfield said on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio. “That’s not to say anything about anybody else, but you know what? We had something special and I want to build on it.”
Mayfield’s comments were the first he’d made publicly about the Browns’ decision to give Kitchens the job. Kitchens had guided a dramatic improvement in the Browns after he was promoted to offensive coordinator midway through the 2018 season.
Mayfield was not shocked Kitchens became the choice of general manager John Dorsey and the team.
“I kind of had that sense the whole time,” he said. “Seeing how he was, how he didn’t change when he made the jump from running backs coach to offensive coordinator. Then just taking over and the difference that we had while he was calling plays. You know what, he had guys believing in him. When you have guys that believe in you as a head coach and respect you, there’s going to be great things that happen.”
Mayfield said maintaining continuity on offense was “very important” to him.
“And I think not just for me but for our guys on offense,” he said. “To be able to see what we did on offense the back half of the season and then believe in that and then know that we have the same system. So to continue to learn. And to me, that’s the biggest thing is getting everybody on the same page.”
Mayfield echoed one of Kitchens’ principles when he addressed his feelings toward former coach Hue Jackson.
“There was a lot of things behind closed doors that I’m not even going to get into,” Mayfield said. “But if you’re not in our locker room, if you’re not on our team, you’re against us. That’s always been my attitude. It doesn’t matter who it is. That makes it more fun, that makes it more passionate when you know somebody on the other side. That’s how it’s always been. That was how it was when I was playing against guys in college. That’s how it is when I’m playing against other rookies that I went through the draft process with.
“So that’s how it is. If you’re not with us, you’re against us.”
Source : ESPN
