I don't like how this played out, even being a black OU fan who likes Baker Mayfield, but Hue Jackson has given Tyrod Taylor every benefit. You can blame inept kicking cost Tyrod wins, but the numbers clearly show that Tyrod is mediocre... and maybe there's not much of a difference between him and Baker(there is... statistically and eye test wise), but Baker got the Brown's first win in almost 2 years in only ONE HALF of football being down by 2 scores.
I personally gave Tyrod Taylor the benefit too because he was a vet that let a mediocre franchise to it's first playoff birth in 20+ years. I figured just like everyone did that he would come in and lead the Browns and Baker could sit and polish his game. The Browns coaches had the inside view though.... if Mayfield was outperforming Taylor in camp, then why wasn't he named the starter? The Browns did themselves a disservice by not naming him the starter. They could have been 3-0 and really in position to make the playoffs(and be the talk of the town).
In the eyes of many, Baker was NFL ready, thus the reason he was drafted high. The difference wasn't that big(until last night). Tyrod Taylor isn't a HOF, SB winning QB, so Baker didn't have much to learn or gain sitting.
American sports coaches have been programed to believe that young talent cannot succeed without sitting and learning behind vets, whether the vets are good or not. In Europe, in regards to soccer, their motto is: If you're good enough, you're old enough!
Baker is a more superior QB at 23 than Tyrod is at almost 30 years old.
Period!