While Baker Mayfield’s young career with the Browns has certainly had its ups and downs, probably the most consistent thing about it has been Colin Cowherd’s absolute disdain for Mayfield as an NFL quarterback.
From the moment Mayfield entered the league, Cowherd has been easily the former Heisman Trophy winner’s most vocal critic.
But leave it to the Browns to get in a veiled shot at the Fox Sports talking head with a simple play call.
On Sunday, the Browns clinched their first postseason appearance since 2002, and they locked up the win with Mayfield’s run for a first down with just over a minute remaining in the game.
THAT'S MY QUARTERBACK‼️
Baker Mayfield picks up the game-clinching first down and the #Browns are headed to the playoffs.#OUDNA x @bakermayfield pic.twitter.com/OKaCRdmj30
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) January 3, 2021
That play, though, was called “Maserati.”
And, well, two years ago, Cowherd said of Mayfield:
“When you’re a No. 1 pick, I want you to be a Maserati — not a Mazda.”
According to MMQB, that name was brought back as a way to joke about Mayfield’s speed.
“It was for short yardage this week, and we called it,” said guard Joel Bitonio, the longest-tenured Brown, in his seventh season in Cleveland. “I was kinda giving Baker [Mayfield] a little bit of crap earlier in the week about his speed, having him run the ball. It was a good play getting the extra blocker with Kareem [Hunt] leading the way there. I was on the backside so I just kinda cut my guy off. I saw him get the first down and get down in bounds, and I knew we had the game sealed.
Though Bitonio didn’t explicitly mention Cowherd in that explanation, the choice to settle on “Maserati” for the play wasn’t a coincidence. The Browns didn’t forget.
The Browns will play the Steelers once again in Sunday’s Wild Card round.
