Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield's story has him playing the character of an underdog. Starting as a walk-on at Texas Tech University to doing the same at the University of Oklahoma, only to win the Heisman Trophy and become the eventual first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Mayfield's story can be described as inspirational, and one any human being can relate too. With that said, Mayfield, even after overcoming the odds and reaching the status of Cleveland Browns starting quarterback, still portrays the underdog.
It's as if Mayfield is the embodiment of the overused title. On Friday, the Browns second-year quarterback took to Instagram to remind fans, and possibly himself, of where he came from.
One fan, going by the username laska24, did not appreciate Mayfield's post.
Laska24 left a comment telling Mayfield to, "Win football games. That speaks louder than these AB'ish style of posts."
Mayfield was quick to respond by telling the fan, "you're right... let me call out my teammates and throw a fit about my helmet then go freeze my feet off."
In reference to an offseason full of Antonio Brown headlines where the former Pittsburgh Steeler requested a trade eventually getting shipped to the Oakland Raiders but not before going on ESPN and The Shop to publicly bash Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. While in Oakland, Brown burned his feet in a botched cryo-therapy session, missed practice due to multiple helmet grievances, posted fines on Instagram, threatened Raiders general manager Mike Mayock, forced his way off the team to eventually sign with the New England Patriots and get cut a week later to due sexual assault and rape allegations.
Brown has since unofficially retired from the NFL despite his agent Drew Rosenhaus refuting the claims.
Comparing Mayfield's underdog mentality to Brown's actions might be a stretch, but it is obvious Mayfield is not a fan of how Brown handled himself this offseason.
While Brown has yet to respond, Mayfield is known for being brutally honest and not holding back when it comes to the media. Prior to week one, Mayfield called out the media for focusing on a small portion of a quote in a GQ Magazine piece where he stated,
"I cannot believe the Giants took Daniel Jones. Blows my mind...Some people overthink it [what makes a good quarterback]. That's where they go wrong. They forget you've gotta win."
Mayfield's judgment may come into question at times as to whether he should stay out of the public eye or not respond to criticism verbally, but his character is unwavering. Although Mayfield may have thrust himself back in the spotlight with the comments regarding Brown, Mayfield is speaking the voice of the people and giving them a hero to look up to.
It is cause of this that I have crowned the Cleveland Browns "Americans Middle Class Team."
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The Browns face the toughest part of the schedule in the coming weeks when they travel to Baltimore, San Francisco, host the Seahawks, and travel to Foxborough capping off what could be a 1-6 start to the season.
If Baker can bring the same intensity he does in his Instagram posts, Cleveland may be able to survive and make a push for the playoffs. For Brown, he is currently under investigation for the aforementioned sexual assault and rape allegations and has most recently been accused of having sex in front of an artist he hired to paint a portrait of himself.
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