“Baker was lousy when it mattered most” - Colin Cowherd believes former Browns QB has no one but himself to blame for failure in Cleveland

Regarding Baker Mayfield, the Cleveland Browns have taken a lot of heat for their decision to move on. Many NFL pundits are still slamming the team for digging themselves a hole by associating themselves with Deshaun Watson. However, one NFL analyst claims Mayfield had it coming and is getting exactly what he deserves.

Speaking on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, show host Colin Cowherd claimed that while the quarterback may have had decent statistics at times, his clutch factor was non-existent.

Cowherd said:

"And in the fourth quarter, the resume is now complete. With four coaches in Cleveland, [under] all four of them, Baker was a horrific fourth-quarter quarterback. He is bad, like 30th, 29th, tied for last in all the key fourth-quarter metrics, completion percentage, passer rating, interceptions, Baker was lousy when it mattered most. I think he's a franchise quarterback."

Cowherd continued, claiming that those pointing out the quarterback's dysfunctional environment are wrong:

"But the idea that we're gonna rewrite the story, and it was this guy's fault and that guy's fault... I got Joe Burrow as an example. I got Josh Allen as an example. I got Favre as an example. I got Peyton Manning as an example. I got Drew Brees as an example. I mean, look at the Saints, dysfunctional. Brees arrives, they're not."

Cowherd went on to give more examples of how good quarterbacks cut through dysfunction:

"Brees leaves, they [go] right back to being dysfunctional. Cincinnati looked really dysfunctional when Joe Burrow got hurt early in his first year. By the end of year one, we were like, 'Oh, they're the Bengals,' and then Joe Burrow came back and they were functional. That's the reality."

Baker Mayfield's career in Cleveland

Houston Texans v Cleveland Browns

Baker Mayfield's NFL career began before any other rookie in 2018 when he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns first overall. He was meant to fix the franchise and save it from decades of struggle. In his rookie season, he delivered six times more wins than the team earned in the two previous seasons combined.

After the 6-7 season, Mayfield duplicated the feat again, but his statistics suffered. In 2018, he threw for 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In 2019, he threw for 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions and went 6-10. In 2020, Mayfield had his best season in the NFL.

In a season marred by COVID-19, he threw for 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions and went 11-5. His team made the playoffs and won a playoff game. After such a successful season, Browns fans and pundits elevated their expectations for 2021. However, 2021 saw the quarterback return to his six-win roots.

After the season, the team ultimately traded for Deshaun Watson and shipped their former franchise quarterback to the Carolina Panthers. Will Baker Mayfield or Deshaun Watson win more games in 2022?

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If you use any of the quotes above, please credit The Herd with Colin Cowherd and H/T Sportskeeda.