Todd Haley: Browns quarterbacks “the best” he’s ever been around

Cleveland Browns players and coaches being super positive about the state of the team or when talking about a specific area of the team is really strange and something that much of the Dawg Pound isn’t used to, in all actuality. In the same week that wide receiver Jarvis Landry agreed with Josh Gordon that the Cleveland Browns have the best group of wideouts in the NFL, new offensive coordinator Todd Haley seems to have gotten the “be really positive” memo as well.

Entering his 22nd year as a coach or coordinator in the NFL, Haley has had his fair share of quarterbacks that he has seen, but he believes the Browns’ group, which includes starter Tyrod Taylor, rookie Baker Mayfield, and veteran Drew Stanton, is the best he’s ever coached.

“This is probably one of the best – if not the best – quarterbacks rooms, in general, that I’ve had,” Haley said Thursday following the conclusion of offseason workouts, according to clevelandbrowns.com’s Patrick Maks.

“The group, in general, is what I’m excited about. I think that it’s an intelligent, intelligent group, with [the] ability to throw the football and make plays with their legs, some of them. When you have that, I think that good things happen. Competition is created in the room, even though they’re working hard together to help each other and get better as a group.”

While his comments, along with all of the others this week, have been a breath of fresh air, do we really think Haley believes that or is he just saying it to boost the confidence of his quarterbacks since it’s his first season with the Browns? Both Taylor and Mayfield are extremely talented, but the offensive coordinator has coached Big Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh since 2012, a guy like Kurt Warner with the Cardinals in 2007-08, and Drew Bledsoe and Tony Romo (his rookie season) with the Cowboys from 2004-06.

Those are plenty of well-known names, but then again, Haley did talk about the entire group, rather than just the starter. So, maybe he believes Mayfield is the best backup he’s ever had, which could lead to him believing that it’s the best group of quarterbacks that he’s ever had.

Along with those comments, the offensive coordinator had plenty of positive things to say about all three of his quarterbacks. beginning with Taylor, who, in an ideal situation, is the starting quarterback for all 17 games this fall.

“I thought that Tyrod has done a tremendous, tremendous job of establishing himself as the leader of this offense. His car is there every morning in his spot when I get here in the morning, and it’s there when I’m leaving,” Haley stated about the veteran quarterback. “That’s what you’re looking for in the leader of your offense. I think that he’s done a great job with understanding the terminology, concepts and all of the different things. Like I said, we threw a lot at him. He’s more of a show what to do, more than by talking. I’ve really been impressed and encouraged by him.”

Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon agrees with Haley. Then again, Gordon has only been around Browns quarterbacks throughout his career and hasn’t gotten to experience any other team’s gunslingers, which could potentially change his mind. But at least the wideout seems to love his quarterbacks that he currently has.

“The most talented quarterbacks I’ve seen come through here, by far,” Gordon said. “It’s going to be an interesting thing to watch the quarterback battle go on but you’ve got a proven guy in Tyrod, we’ve got a young talented guy in Baker. I don’t see how it can go wrong, really.”

Although Mayfield is only a rookie, he has already made quite an impression both on and off the field. His skill set, leadership, confidence, and ability to be very vocal are some of the things that stick out the most. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, but the offensive coordinator knows that Mayfield shouldn’t (and won’t) be the starting quarterback come the opening kickoff in Week 1.

“He has made very good progress,” he said, “but any time that you are a young player coming into this league – especially a quarterback – it is going to take time.”

In a perfect situation, Stanton never sees the field. He’s just a veteran that both Taylor and Mayfield can lean on and learn from on the sidelines, especially the rookie. Not only can the rookie learn from film study and from his own work during practice, but with Stanton on the sidelines with him this upcoming season, Mayfield can also ask him questions and be a leader on the sidelines. He’s a key part of the Browns’ future success and the more help and advice he receives, the better.

“Drew Stanton doesn’t get talked about a lot,” Haley said, “but he’s a guy with a lot of experience that I never was with, but having watched him through this phase of what we are doing – the OTAs, phase one, phase two, whatever they are – he still has got some in the tank. He can throw the football. He’s extremely smart.”

It seems as though all three quarterbacks know their role, which is vitally important for a successful team. Taylor is the starter, Mayfield needs to develop and be able to have the game slow down for him, and Stanton is the veteran on the sidelines helping Mayfield improve.

Whether or not the current Browns quarterback room is truly the best Haley has ever been around may be in question, but at least the offensive coordinator has confidence in his guys. That’s what is most important in the end, right?

The Browns have seemingly been in search of a franchise quarterback since 1999. Imagine if Haley’s offense allows both Taylor and Mayfield to succeed so much that both of them end up being the best quarterbacks Cleveland has had since returning to the NFL. How fun would that be? It’s hard for the Dawg Pound to be positive about many aspects of their team, but maybe, just maybe, they can start growing more confident about their team, much like the players (and now coaches) have. It’s amazing what a group of positive veterans does for a football team.