The Browns have failed to meet the gaudy expectations that preceded the team heading into the season and emotions are boiling over. Just look at Baker Mayfield, who made a premature exit from his weekly press conference on Wednesday.
Cleveland sports reporter Tony Grossi started a line of questioning about a failed Browns drive during Cleveland's loss to the Patriots on Sunday. When Baker tried to shift the focus to the costly penalties the team received during the offensive possession, Grossi interrupted his response, and Baker was not pleased.
"Stop saying but," Baker said to Grossi. "I just told you the clock was running and we had a penalty. You want to give them the ball back? No. You don’t play, you don’t know. That’s just plain and simple." Grossi then asked if Mayfield was happy about the failed drive. "Was I happy with the drive? No, we didn’t score points. That’s the dumbest question you could ask. What? Jesus, Tony." Mayfield then walked away from the reporters, ending the media session.
Some NFL fans used the interaction as an opportunity to bash Baker for not keeping his composure.
Others put the blame squarely on Grossi for asking Mayfield a question that seemed to be self-explanatory.
As for Baker, he took to Twitter where he explained that his reaction came from his competitive nature. The Browns are currently third in the AFC North with a record of 2-5. The team needs to tap into its offensive potential in a hurry if they want to put themselves in the playoff hunt and keep the season alive. Mayfield understands this, and tweeted that his "sense of urgency" is at an all-time high.