06-04-2019, 10:24 AM
BEREA Britton Colquitt Jersey , Ohio (AP) — Baker Mayfield has become the NFL’s unwanted poster boy for helmet-to-helmet hits.Twice this season, Cleveland’s rookie quarterback has been struck in the head by tacklers during games and both times the officials failed to call a penalty for the obvious infractions.Mayfield’s trying not to take oversights personally.“They just have to find their consistency,” he said of the erratic calls. “With every ref it’s different — how they see it, how they’re seeing the plays, momentum with the whistle, when it’s blown, stuff like that. So as they continue to try to enforce the same rule, I think the consistency will grow. But right now, that’s why you’re seeing some confusion.”On Oct. 21 at Tampa Bay, Mayfield slid after a 35-yard run and was drilled from the side by Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead, who wasn’t flagged but was fined $26,739 fine by the NFL, which acknowledged days after the hit that it should have been a penalty.Last week, Kansas City safety Ron Parker delivered a glancing blow with his helmet to Mayfield while the quarterback was being wrapped up by defensive tackle Chris Jones. Again, no penalty was called Tyrod Taylor Jersey , but Mayfield was forced to leave the game after an independent medical observer called the officials and requested the QB undergo a concussion evaluation.Mayfield passed the test and was allowed to return three plays later. He fought to stay in the game.“Yeah. I guess that is the new rule,” he said. “I have to come off the field for a checkup.”Parker could be fined by the league, which announces its weekly punishments on Saturday.Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, joked that Parker’s hit fortunately didn’t do any damage.“It would be more frustrating if it hurt,” Mayfield said. “I was more frustrated they took me out of the game, to be honest with you. But they’re protecting me. They’re doing their job. So ultimately what can I complain about?”Mayfield has sympathy for the officials, who are doing what they can to protect players — especially quarterbacks — while presiding over a game that’s moving very fast. Mayfield smiled when asked if the officiating was as uneven when he played in college at Oklahoma.“No,” he said, grinning. “I had a bunch of friends out there, so it was good.” The Cleveland Browns have yet to officially announce that Freddie Kitchens will be the team’s next head coach, but the club has been busy working to fill out the coaching staff.After missing out, if you will, on Vance Joseph (hired by the Arizona Cardinals) and Chuck Pagano (hired by the Chicago Bears) for the defensive coordinator position, the Browns have now reportedly turned their attention to Steve Wilks Baker Mayfield Color Rush Jersey , last seen as a one-and-down head coach with the Arizona Cardinals, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:In a fun little twist, Wilks was spotted with general manager John Dorsey walking through the halls of team headquarters during Friday’s in-house show, Cleveland Browns Daily.Wilks has spent time as a defensive backs coach for the Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers. He was promoted to the defensive coordinator position in Carolina in 2017 and found some success as the Panthers were in the top 10 in yards allowed and points allowed per game that season.He was hired by the Cardinals as head coach for the 2018 season, but the team struggled to a 3-13 record and fired Wilks. Arizona’s defense finished the season ranked 20th in yards per game (358.8) and 32nd against the run (154.9) yards per game.Wilks may not have been the cause of all the problems, however, as Jonathan Jones pointed out at si.com in December:One thing working in Wilks’ favor is that he prefers a 4-3 base for his defense, which is what the Browns have built for the past two seasons. While the defense may only line up in that particular alignment a handful of times each game, the fact that the players match the coach’s philosophy is a plus, especially given that part of the Cardinals’ defensive struggles in 2018 came from the team beginning the transformation from a team built for a 3-4 base defense.