The Cleveland Browns, like the rest of the world, had a lot of adjustments due to COVID-19 last year. Quarterback Baker Mayfield had to learn a new system, a lot of new players and a whole new coaching staff mostly via virtual meetings.
So far, Mayfield sees improvements over last year.
For the Browns, COVID-19 often wiped out practices and forced players to do a lot of mental reps to prepare for games in 2020. The team was able to succeed despite all of the limitations, including losing all of their top receivers one week due to pandemic protocols.
With more time together in person, Mayfield is excited for what they can achieve through more communication:
#Browns Baker Mayfield said there’s a lot more communication going on within the team compared to last season thanks to the accessibility they didn’t have this time last year.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) July 29, 2021
As many found out, virtual meetings can be helpful but have their limitations. No longer able to have a quick side conversation, virtual meetings limited the amount of communication between Mayfield and his teammates. While the team was able to overcome it, being able to be together and have access to each other should be beneficial.
The Browns offense started putting it all together in the second half of last year despite COVID-19 protocols. Expectations are sky-high now that the team can really communicate.
