The Cleveland Browns franchise received a jolt this past Thursday we have not seen in Ohio over the past two decades.
Taking over under center with his team down 14-3 against the New York Jets, rookie No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield led the Browns to a stirring comeback. It resulted in Cleveland’s first win since Christmas Eve of 2016 and had fans of the long-downtrodden franchise excited.
That apparently includes future Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas, who suited up for the Browns from 2007 up until his retirement following the 2017 season. As the best player on the Browns during that span, Thomas didn’t enjoy a lot of team-wide success.
That changed with him on the sideline at FirstEnergy last Thursday. And he couldn’t have been more excited.
.@joethomas73 joins RBS now!
"The way Baker came in and played on Thursday…It left me completely speechless."
Watch live or listen back later at https://t.co/oaaIdGksEw pic.twitter.com/FC38cVOtAS
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) September 25, 2018
This is the reason John Dorsey went out there and selected Mayfield No. 1 overall back in April. The idea was to instill excitement in a franchise that has not seen it over the past two decades. Mayfield responded. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 201 yards in just over two quarters of action, leading Cleveland to a shocking 21-17 victory.
Now the team’s starter heading into Week 4 against the Raiders in Oakland, Mayfield has an opportunity to lead Cleveland to consecutive wins for the first time sinc 2014.