What’s with Baker Mayfield? Time for Case Keenum? The rise of Greedy Williams? Hey, Terry! Browns edition

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and receiver Odell Beckham Jr. leave the field together after their victory over the Minnesota Vikings, October 3, 2021, at US Bank Stadium.

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen sacks Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield in the first half, October 3, 2021, at US Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield throws a pass in the first half, October 3, 2021, at US Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield tries to scramble for positive yards but is sacked by Minnesota Vikings defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson in the second half, October 3, 2021, at US Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield throws against the Minnesota Vikings in the second half of play at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield scrambles with the ball against the Minnesota Vikings in the second half of play at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield scrambles with the ball against the Minnesota Vikings in the second half of play at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield dives for the first down marker against the Minnesota Vikings in the second half of play at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield throws a pass in the first half against the Minnesota Vikings, October 3, 2021, at US Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield wanted an interference call on a touchdown pass attempt to receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the first half, October 3, 2021, at US Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns fullback Andy Janovich and quarterback Baker Mayfield celebrate after a two point conversion against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half of play at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield pauses during a time out against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half of play at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield looks to throw against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half of play at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield prepares for the snap against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half of play at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield throws warm up passes before their game against the Minnesota Vikings, October 3, 2021, at US Bank Stadium.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Browns have won three in a row. Baker Mayfield has struggled in the last two games. The defense has roared and Chase McLaughlin is doing a Phil Dawson imitation. Fans are excited, worried and have lots of questions:

Hey, Terry: Baker has struggled somewhat the last couple of weeks. I see his sacks are up, but it seems like he’s not under a lot of pressure on some of the passes he’s overthrown. Do you think his issues stem from him falling back into bad habits with his mechanics/ footwork? Does he have happy feet since the line hasn’t blocked as well in the first four games? Or is this the after-effect of his shoulder injury? – Marcel Rice

Hey, Marcel: Something is wrong. Part of it has to be physical, or else why is he wearing a brace on his left shoulder? Reports came out Thursday that he has a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder that won’t require surgery. Remember, players and coaches never want anyone to know they are hurting – especially when it comes to the QB. Mayfield insists he is OK.

But as you do, I also see him rushing passes, leading to those wild overthrows. I’m not smart enough to know about his footwork, and I’m not alarmed by this. Most QBs, even good ones, have up-and-down streaks. Patience is in order.

With Baker Mayfield struggling, the debate about Odell Beckham's impact is back.

Hey, Terry: Is it me, or is Baker a different QB when Odell Beckham Jr. is on the field? – Dennis Mulac

Hey, Terry: Am I wrong, or with OBJ back is Baker out of sync again? – Deckland Wallace?

Hey, Dennis and Deckland: There are a lot of stats about how Baker has played with and without OBJ, and he’s been better without OBJ. Those are the numbers. But I don’t use that to explain his problems in the last two games since OBJ returned.

The Browns don’t have Jarvis Landry healthy, so they need OBJ as a threat to the defense. There may have been a few passes he forced to OBJ, but not a lot. Baker is messed up right now. When a player is having some physical problems, it also can impact his confidence. I’d like to see Baker run more rollouts with short and medium passes to get into the flow of the offense.

Hey, Terry: Do you think Baker Mayfield will get a franchise QB payday if he continues on his current trajectory? – Ross LaPinta

Hey, Terry: Will games like last week create more apprehension in the front office to not pay Baker Mayfield a $100 million dollar-plus contract when the season ends? -- Alex Keenan

Hey, Ross and Alex: The good news is the contract is not issue right now. He already has a deal for the 2022 season. If needed the Browns can franchise him for 2023 and beyond. So they can wait and see how he performs the rest of this season.

But let’s keep this in context: Baker is the first legitimate NFL QB they have had since Tim Couch, who never had a chance because of all the injuries he suffered in the expansion era. He has more ability than Couch. Going into the season, I wrote that Baker is a good enough to take his team to the playoffs and win some games. That’s still my opinion.

Hey, Terry: Does Case Keenum give us a better chance to win until Baker’s left shoulder is healed? – Dan Price

Hey, Dan: Baker’s never missed a start since taking over in Game 2 of the 2018 season. He’ll insist he can play. He played with a broken rib in Pittsburgh last season. This is a decision for the coaches and medical staff. That said, Keenum is good enough to win some games in relief if needed.

Chase McLaughlin has made all his kicks this season.

Hey, Terry: Looks like we have a shutdown defense and a competent kicker. Are you feeling better about our chances of getting a ring this year? -- Dale Levy

Hey, Dale: I wrote about the 14-7 victory in Minnesota being a big, huge, enormous win for the Browns for those precise reasons. We’ll see if the defense continues to play at a high level, as it did in the last two games.

Meanwhile, Chase McLaughlin drilled field goals from 48 and 53 yards. He’s 7-for-7 on FGs. This is a huge deal, especially if he can keep it up. The real challenge is coming in November and the months that follow when the weather is cold, the wind whips and the pressure rises.

Hey, Terry: Coach Kevin Stefanski seems to like to go for it on fourth down in the red zone rather than kicking a field goal. So far we’ve failed, and passed on a couple of field goal opportunities to put points on the board. I’m not a fan of taking points off the board, as they say, unless you’re down by four points and need to win the game. What might Stefanski’s thoughts be behind this strategy? – Mike Brubaker

Terry’s Talkin’
What's up with Baker Mayfield? And what the Browns should do at left tackle while Jedrick Wills Jr. battles injury

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Hey Mike: Here’s what Stefanski said at his Wednesday press conference:

“Ultimately, we really, really value seven points versus three. I know that is a difference of four, but we really believe in those 7′s because in this game, you typically have to score a bunch of points. We won a game last week 14-7. That is not typical in the NFL. You have to score a bunch of points. It will be dependent on a bunch of factors. If those factors tell us we should take the three points in those instances, we will. But I just think that difference – I know it is four points – but it is huge.”

Greedy Williams had huge game in Minnesota.

Hey, Terry: How would you rate Greedy Williams’ overall performance? – Randy Russell

Hey, Terry: When Greg Newsome II returns from the calf injury and we have Denzel Ward, Newsome, Williams plus Troy Hill, Grant Delpit, Ronnie Harrison Jr., and John Johnson III. Will defensive coordinator Joe Woods find time for these seven? – Trenton Widdis

Hey, Randy and Trenton: Good defensive backs are like pitchers: You can never have enough. In a base 4-3 defense, you have two cornerbacks and two safeties. So that’s four. Woods prefers to play three safeties and two cornerbacks. So that’s five. These guys do get hurt.

As for Williams, he had played only 16 snaps in the first three games before taking over for the injured Newsome last week. Newsome is out this week, so we’ll see if Williams can build on his good performance.

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