*** Thursday Night Disappointment - Bengals @ Browns ***

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by DRM08

That's what I noticed too. Mayfield had plenty of time to throw. He either misread the defense or just showed very poor accuracy on a lot of plays. Considering accuracy was supposed to be his biggest strength coming into the league, it's not a good sign. It sure looks like regression instead of improvement as he gains more experience at the pro level.

Agreed. He was all over the place. But his entire college and pro career has been about accuracy, and a really high level of accuracy. So I wonder if what happened last week was an outlier performance. Everyone has them. I guess we'll see tonight.

My theory, which is based mostly on just my gut, is that he had a little of the 'first game of the season' jitters, combined with not being entirely comfortable with the new scheme, the third one he's had to learn in three years, plus just pressing too hard. He wants to have a big performance; to hit a homerun, on every play. He needs to just take what the defense gives him and be patient. Sooner or later the defense will give him a chance to make a big downfield play. I think he's trying to manufacture something that isn't there.