Cleveland Browns throwin up a Hail Mary

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The Cleveland Browns have been one of worst NFL franchises in the last decade. It doesn’t help when they draft bust after bust and have had 27 starting quarterbacks in the last 10 years going 0-16 in 2017.  But this off season the Browns are adding key pieces like WR Jarvis Landry from Miami and  free agent RB Carlos Hyde form San Francisco. Rectally  they drafted the controversial prospect QB Baker Mayfield with the 1st over all pick in the 2018 draft , drafting the best DB prospect in the Denzel Ward  4th pick.

Most of the fans and analysts  would disagree with the draft choices by the Browns because fans and analysts are caught up in the politics of opinions and emotions.  The Browns made good choices based on what they needed as a team, not on what others said about who they should take.

I mean yeah; Baker Mayfield is a reach  considering he is barley 6-feet but he can lead a franchise with his contagious  charisma and leadership. Plus he flourishes in the under dog role from being a walk on going into college to winning the Heisman trophy and from being one play away from going to the national title game; he proves time and time again that no situation is too big for him or too difficult.

But there are some legitimate concerns from the Cleveland fans about some of their former players because Johnny Manziel is like all of us; not perfect.  The difference between Manziel and newl arrival Mayfield is honesty and humility. Manziel does not seem to learn from his mistakes,  When mistakes of character and judgement on and off the field get in the way of progress then it is time for new leadership.  There have been  off the field issues of partying too hard and having on field problems with his emotional control as well.  A good leader makes no excuses and always seeks improvement.

Recently there was a video were Mayfield getting arrested  by the police on Feb. 25 with being intoxicated in public and attempting to fleeing form the police.

Despite past mistakes, I think Baker has learned from them and is more focused on football and making the guys around him better, not focusing on being a celebrity. He admits to having a DUI and attempting to run a away from police during the arrest, so he went and got help by going to drug prevention classes.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/06/19/oklahoma-qb-baker-mayfield-pleads-guilty-to-three-charges-from-feb-25-arrest/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.38943f42e354

Sports is a place where people shouldn’t be judged on what they have done in the past,  but it is a place to show growth and commitment to improvement.  Commitment to the craft and willingness to succeed matter. In this case where a young athlete made mistakes; he learned form it and is ready to use the level playing field to demonstrate his positive potential.