‘We could have won a championship with him’: Former Cleveland Browns interim coach on Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield received some high praise from his former interim head coach during his rookie season for the Cleveland Browns.

It is no secret it was an up-and-down start to Baker Mayfield’s career after he was drafted No. 1 by the Cleveland Browns.

During his first season, Mayfield set the rookie passing touchdown record with 27. He followed that with a poor second season. A great third year led to a playoff berth and the first playoff win for the Browns since 1994. His final season in Cleveland started well before he injured his shoulder and tried to play through it.

That resulted in the Browns trading for Deshaun Watson and sending Mayfield to Carolina. After a whirlwind 2022 season, during which he played for two different teams, Mayfield found his home in Tampa Bay. He had a career season that led to him getting a three-year, $100 million deal.

During that first season in Cleveland, Mayfield’s head coach and his offensive coordinator were fired midseason after a three-game losing streak.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams took over as the interim head coach and Mayfield and the Browns took off. They went 5-3, and Mayfield completed 68.4% of his passes for 281.8 yards per game, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Mayfield transformed a team that had gone 1-31 their previous two seasons into a seven-win team in his first year.

Williams was not retained as head coach, though. Instead, the Browns hired the interim offensive coordinator, Freddie Kitchens, as the head coach.

Williams spoke on “Come Get Some Show” and had high praise for Mayfield and the new contract he earned with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I’m so happy,” Williams said. “He’s one of my all-time favorites. I believe with all my heart, we could have won a championship with him had I stayed in Cleveland instead of heading out. I’m so proud at how he’s proven himself, time after time after time. From high school to college from college to the NFL and now within the NFL. Hey, come get some, Bake. I’m very happy for him.”

It’s easy to play the what-if game with Mayfield’s career. What if Williams had been retained and they built upon the momentum from the 2018 season? Would Mayfield still be there? Would they have won a Super Bowl like Williams thinks?

We’ll never know, but everything happens for a reason, and what is Cleveland’s loss is Tampa Bay’s gain.

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Social media reaction to Johnny Manziel’s boycott of future Heisman Trophy ceremonies, standing with USC’s Reggie Bush

Johnny Manziel defended Reggie Bush and made a major Heisman statement. Everyone is talking about it.

Johnny Manziel stands in solidarity with Reggie Bush. Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy recipient, published a recent post on X which puts into action his recent opinions. Those opinions were expressed in interviews about USC’s Reggie Bush not having his Heisman Trophy returned:

“After careful thought and consideration I will be humbly removing myself from the Heisman trophy ceremony until @ReggieBush gets his trophy back. Doesn’t sit right with my morals and values that he can’t be on that stage with us every year. Reggie IS the Heisman trophy. Do the RIGHT thing  @NCAA the ball is in your court.

Much love JM2″

The social media reaction to this tweet has been extensive and as expected, very polarized.  Here is how social media reacted to the news:

Where does Jackson Arnold rank in early 2024 Heisman odds according to Fan Duel?

Jackson Arnold is already getting some preseason Heisman buzz before his first year as a starter.

If you think [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] is going to win the [autotag]Heisman[/autotag] in 2024, now is the time to bet on it. You probably won’t see the odds this low again if he has the season you think he’s going to have.

Arnold is heading into his first year as the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. The sophomore quarterback showed flashes in games last year. Even though his bowl game was soured with all of the turnovers, he showed in that game why people are so high on him and his ability.

He’s definitely got all of the makings to be Oklahoma’s next great quarterback and Heisman contender. Arnold’s going to have plenty of opportunities to show out against several high-quality opponents.

So where does Arnold land in 2024 Heisman odds according to Fan Duel Sportsbook? Let’s take a look at the early contenders.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3006″ ] Fan Duel

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe says former OC suggested he switch positions

Former Alabama OC Bill O’Brien told Jalen Milroe he couldn’t play QB for Alabama

Aside from the game itself, a lot of things go into making the College Football Playoffs a great experience. The players get a week’s vacation to a cool bowl site as well as being gifted all sorts of things ranging from memorabilia to video game consoles and so much more. For people in the media, the week leading up to the game is content heaven because of how much more access they have to the players compared to a typical game week.

One of the biggest jaw-dropping statements from media week so far was when Alabama quarterback [autotag]Jalen Milroe[/autotag] revealed that former offensive coordinator [autotag]Bill O’Brien[/autotag] had suggested he switch positions. O’Brien didn’t gain much popularity during his time in Tuscaloosa, but even for him, that is a pretty insane statement.

Especially in hindsight considering that Milroe will be starting in the Rose Bowl in four days and will likely enter the 2024 season as the Heisman Trophy betting favorite. As for O’Brien, he was responsible for one of the worst offenses in the NFL this season as the offensive coordinator of the Patriots. He essentially ruined whatever was left of Mac Jones career as a starter in the league.

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LSU pettily dropped a Jayden Daniels Heisman billboard near the Pac-12 Championship game

Imagine trying to make your case for Heisman and you look up to see another candidate staring at you.

The race for the Heisman is reaching elite levels of petty, and we are here for the chaos.

College football is one of the best sports America has to offer. There are rivalries, massive upsets, “Did you see that?” moments and, of course, lots of talk about the best player in the nation.

This season, several athletes have made some stellar cases for that title, like the leader of Washington Huskies, Michael Penix Jr., and Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix. But LSU has been lobbying for another name to considered: senior quarterback Jayden Daniels.

They are so serious about Jayden’s case for Heisman that they set up a billboard in Las Vegas where Nix and Penix are squaring off Friday in the Pac-12 championship game.

Cold-blooded.

David Pollack gives Carson Beck Heisman love

David Pollack shares his top five Heisman players including Georgia quarterback Carson Beck

Despite being laid off by ESPN, former Georgia Bulldog David Pollack continues to voice his thoughts on the college football landscape. On Monday, Pollack shared his top five Heisman players, which included Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. It’s taken some time for the national landscape to catch on to what Beck is doing at Georgia, but after another strong performance against Ole Miss, he’s starting to get that recognition.

Pollack listed Beck on his list of Heisman “Dudes” to show which guys he likes right now. Beck is coming off a 306-yard performance with two touchdowns and an interception. Through ten games this season, Beck has thrown for 3,022 yards and 18 touchdowns to five interceptions. Although Beck is statistically behind many Heisman quarterback contenders, he’s been the leader of the undefeated Bulldogs and powers the Georgia offense to 41.2 points per game.

Beck will have another couple chances to earn a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony with an upcoming game on the road at Tennessee and the SEC championship game against Alabama. Beck is likely a long shot at this point in time, but anything is possible as long as the Bulldogs keep winning.

Pollack has remained a constant presence in the Georgia and the Athens area as he’s currently helping out the North Oconee football team and he travels around doing motivational speaking.

Fans go wild over Jalen Milroe’s impressive first-half against Kentucky

Jalen Milroe’s first half against Kentucky has some fans claiming the Heisman Trophy race may have a new contender.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has steadily improved every week during the 2023 college football season. As the team looks to make a jump in the College Football Playoff ranking, Milroe has stepped up in a big way.

In the first half against Kentucky, Milroe did make one poor decision, which led to an interception, but he has played nearly flawless football, all while being visibly hurt after he took a hard hit to the leg on the first drive of the game.

He’s completed 11 passes on 17 attempts for 185 yards and three touchdowns for an average of 10.9 yards per completion. Milroe also had five carries for 29 yards and a rushing touchdown.

Here’s what fans had to say about his first-half performance.

Dillon Gabriel still a top 10 quarterback through Week 10 per On3

Despite the recent offensive struggles, Dillon Gabriel is among On3’s top 10 quarterbacks.

Despite the offensive struggles the past two weeks, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] has still put together a great season. At one point, he was considered one of the guys to beat for the award, if not the [autotag]Heisman[/autotag] favorite.

Gabriel has thrown for 2,646 yards which ranks No. 12 in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He’s No. 15 in the nation with 20 passing touchdowns. His 71.3% completion percentage ranks No. 8 in the country. He also ranks No. 10 in passing efficiency on the year as well.

Gabriel has been productive and is still considered one of On3’s top 25 quarterbacks for the 2023 season. The Sooners quarterback comes in at No. 9 and is the No. 1 quarterback in the conference. Only one other Big 12 quarterback made the list, and that’s Texas Longhorns‘ [autotag]Quinn Ewers[/autotag] at No. 20.

The last two weeks haven’t gone the way fans would have liked. The calls for [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] have started to grow louder and louder. Still, Gabriel continues to play really well. In Bedlam, he completed over 70% of his passes for 344 yards and a touchdown. In the Kansas game, his play-caller took the ball out of his hands, which really isn’t his fault for that performance.

Was he perfect? No. There were things in both games Gabriel has to clean up and get better at if the Sooners want to get back on the winning track. Most notably, Gabriel has to take care of the ball. He also needs to see the field a little bit better.

Gabriel is far from the problem Oklahoma is facing right now. His position in On3’s quarterback rankings further supports that.

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Roll Tide Wire’s Player of the Game Week 10: Jalen Milroe

Jalen Milroe’s four rushing touchdowns are a record by an Alabama quarterback

I doubt this will come as a surprise to anyone, but the most outstanding player to the RollTideWire staff was Jalen Milroe in Alabama’s 42-28 victory over the LSU Tigers. The win all but secures a spot in the SEC Championship game where they would likely face the Georgia Bulldogs with a College Football Playoff berth on the line. Not too bad for a team that many people wrote off after their sloppy Week 3 performance against USF.

Even though the lead went back and forth all evening, it felt like Alabama still had control over the game. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels gave the Tide defense all they could handle, but after an early score in the third quarter, the LSU offense didn’t find the scoreboard again. It felt like Nick Saban had an answer for everything Brian Kelly wanted to do, especially in the second half.

The story of the game was Jalen Milroe as he is winning the Alabama fans over more and more each week. Tonight, Milroe was 15/23 through the air for 219 yards, but it was what he did on the ground that was so impressive. Milroe carried the ball 20 times for 155 yards and four touchdowns – the most rushing TDs by a QB in Alabama history.

After the Texas game, people were really down on Milroe and it appeared as if he lost his starting job. Here we are eight weeks later and he is establishing himself as one of the best QBs in the SEC and a dark horse contender for the Heisman.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Dillon Gabriel top 5 in College Sports Wire’s Heisman Poll

Dillon Gabriel is off to a strong season and has found him in the running for a prestigious award.

The Oklahoma Sooners are off to a 4-0 start after winning on the road against Big 12 newcomer the [autotag]Cincinnati Bearcats[/autotag]. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] has played a huge part in that start.

He’s thrown for 1,227 yards on 10.4 yards per attempt. He’s also thrown 12 touchdowns and one interception and completing 78% of his passes. Some will point to the level of competition, but the fact is he wasn’t putting up these types of numbers a season ago. There are very few in all of college football that have been as productive as Oklahoma’s quarterback.

His start to the season has put him on College Sports Wire’s first Heisman poll of the season, coming in at No. 5. Gabriel has the eighth-best odds to win the Heisman, according to BetMGM.

Gabriel returned for a fifth year in college football after Oklahoma fell short of expectations with a 6-7 season. Gabriel is among the active passing leaders, just behind Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman. The offense has shown improvement with his efficient play. As Big 12 play ramps up, we will find out if the Sooners offense can keep it rolling. A big test looms next week against Texas. – College Sports Wire staff

As they said, the key game is against the Texas Longhorns. If Gabriel has a strong showing that week the [autotag]Heisman[/autotag] talk will only grow If he plays poorly, it’ll be hard for him to get back into the running by season’s end.

As for now, there’s no doubt you can see the growth in Gabriel’s game. He looks more confident. He looks like he has a strong connection with his receivers. He knows when to take the shots and when to just not make a mistake because of how well the defense is playing.

That’s what you want from your quarterback. Sure, he needs to make some of the layup throws like the ones to [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] against the Bearcats that would have resulted in touchdowns.

He’s not a perfect player, but he’s playing at a high level so far.

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