Browns: Hue Jackson may have a point about Baker Mayfield

Hue Jackson might be the last person in the world you’d expect to come to the defense of Baker Mayfield but that’s exactly what he’s doing.

Hue Jackson may not be the most popular guy in the world and it’s pretty fair to say his time in Cleveland was not great. Yet, that doesn’t mean he’s not still able to toss out a piece of info that makes sense every now and then. He was an NFL coach for a reason, after all. Hue Jackson spoke to the folks at ESPN 850 this morning and talked about why Baker Mayfield is struggling. He brought up one thing that no one talked about; the lack of snaps in shotgun formation.

This was something Mayfield did quite a bit of in college and in his sensational rookie season with the Browns. Jackson thinks the lack of shotgun stuff and the abundance of running the football has shaken Mayfield’s confidence.

"Baker has not played as well as I think people think he should. To defend him a little bit, I think Baker is not playing in a system, in my mind, that showcases his talent and ability. You take away from who he is anytime he has to go under center. I don’t think that’s his strength. When he’s in the shotgun, he’s a much different player."

Jackson goes on to point out that one thing Kevin Stefanski needs to do is cultivate a balance in the offense to help Mayfield find his groove.

"To me, that is the biggest job of the coaching staff the rest of the season. Because he’s going to be the key to this thing. And there’s no doubt they can run the football. But I think there’s a happy median there somewhere where you can still be a really good running team but be able to throw the ball at a high level for a quarterback who needs to go find a way to go get his own personal wins. Because he needs some. He hasn’t had that 300-, 400-yard game. He needs that to feel good."

Jackson also points out that Mayfield isn’t untalented and succeeded as he did for a reason.

"This guy was the first pick in the draft. Not a second-rounder or third-rounder. They took this guy for a reason, because he can throw the football. Now you’re saying what, he’s not good enough? I don’t think that’s the case at all."

Jackson may not be on everyone’s list but he does have a few people who still support him and he does still have people who listen to him. How much weight that carries in Cleveland is hard to say but it’s not unfair to assume Jackson’s words are falling on deaf ears tonight.

That doesn’t mean Jackson is wrong, however. Jackson has a valid point about Mayfield and putting him back in the shotgun more may help rejuvenate him. Mayfield has the talent, that’s not in dispute, it’s putting it together with better decision making that’s important. Jackson may actually have a point and the Browns should consider that.

We’re as shocked as anyone is by saying, “Hue might be right”.