Make no mistake, Baker Mayfield loves to hear the roar of the FirstEnergy Stadium crowd. He’d just like to hear a little less of it when the Browns have the ball near the end zone.
Mayfield noted in his postgame press conference that he believed right tackle Chris Hubbard couldn’t hear his snap count and that’s why he jumped early for a false start just before halftime. The 4th down penalty forced the team to kick a field goal instead of going for it and possibly extending the drive for a touchdown.
Some fans took umbrage, so Mayfield addressed the situation after Tuesday’s session in Berea.
“When we’re on offense on a critical down, we need to be able to have silence in our home stadium,” Mayfield explained. “It has to be an advantage for us, and then when they get the ball, it has to be really loud. It’s just football.”
Left guard Joel Bitonio seconded Mayfield’s sentiment. Bitonio noted, “It was a little bit loud a couple times in the red zone there going into the far tunnel.”
It’s a generally given principle of fandom that you only get loud when your team is on defense. It can be hard to resist the excitement, though.
