Baker Mayfield’s Maturation On Full Display This Season

On most Thursdays FirstDown PlayBook brings you a special treat here on the Coaches Community website. We feature a breakdown of personnel and technique provided by our friends over at The Scouting Academy who are our go to experts in this field.

Perhaps THE commercial of this football season has been Kyler Murray and Tim Tebow discussing the work Murray has been putting in on his anticipation. In reality, that is an area for growth that many QB’s share. At the NFL level, you must throw with timing and anticipation in order to be successful.

One such quarterback seeing a huge growth year in 2020 is Baker Mayfield of the Browns. Take a look at this out-and-up from his tight end to demonstrate the value of anticipation and timing to his success. Note the importance of matching up the drop with the route. Mayfield hits his back foot just as the TE breaks out.

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At this precise moment, Mayfield confirms that he’s seeing Zone coverage. Knowing that he’s got the outside vertical clearing out the corner, he anticipates the soft spot in the coverage. There’s no way any defender will be in position to cover the TE when he breaks back vertically.

Here’s where the timing piece comes in. Mayfield throws the ball before the break occurs. There’s no reason to let anyone rally to the route, as the flat defender is trying to do. Mayfield throws it before the break so that the ball gets there on time, giving the defense no chance to make a play.