Brian Sipe leads Mayfield – Another award for a great Browns QB

By STEVE KING

It was nearly 39 years ago to the day, on Feb. 24, 1981, that Browns quarterback Brian Sipe continued to reap the rewards for his tremendous performance in 1980.

Sipe, who had the greatest season ever by a Browns quarterback by throwing for 4.132 yards and 30 touchdowns, was recognized as Quarterback of the Year at the Golden Helmet Award dinner in Seattle.

That’s way, way too long.

But the biggest honor he received that year was the coveted NFL Most Valuable Player award. He became the first Brown to win it since Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown in his last season of 1965.

No Brown has earned the MVP since Sipe.

Yes, it’s been almost 40 years.

That’s way, way, way too long.

With that having been said, then, do the Browns have anyone now who could one day be a serious candidate for the MVP?

Well, yes. Yes, they do.

His name is Baker Mayfield and, of course, he plays the same position as Sipe. That’s good, because the award almost always goes to a quarterback. Right or wrong, that’s just the way it is.

Also, like Sipe, Mayfield is not very tall. There was great concern about both players when they were drafted by the Browns that they were too short to make it in the NFL.

Especially in 1980, when the Browns lived on the edge in nearly every game (13 of their 16 regular-season contests, and 14-of-17 if you count the playoffs, were not decided until the final two minutes), Sipe made the big pass when it was really needed. He never shied away from the moment. The bigger the situation, the more he embraced it. He thrived on it, actually.

That sounds a lot like one Baker Mayfield, and he displayed a lot of that in his rookie year of 2018. It’s a trait that will serve both him and the Browns well going forward — him, personally, in terms of winning the MVP, and the team, in terms of making that elusive first Super Bowl appearance.