DORSEY HAD A JOB TO DO, AND HE DID IT

By STEVE KING

I’m not surprised at all that it happened, but Browns General Manager John Dorsey did exactly what he had to do during his press conference on Wednesday.

Dorsey came down hard – or as hard as you can come down in public and still stay above board – on the troublesome offensive line, which was what he should have done. The line has been awful compared to what it needs to be, and Dorsey let it be known that he isn’t happy with that group as a whole and he intends to do something about that in terms of making changes in the lineup and/or on the roster.

But there was more than just that, and it came in a different vein.

Dorsey was fully supportive of struggling franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield, and again, it was exactly what was needed, especially since the GM went out and took him at No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. So the two men are indelibly linked – joined at the hip, as it were – and they can not be successful individually without the other one also being successful.

The psyche of a quarterback – particularly that of a young one – can be oh, so delicate. Dorsey needs to support him. It is integral to Mayfield getting back on track.

Sure, there are probably some harder conversations going on behind closed doors, but with the media sitting right there, Dorsey is going to pump up his guy.

Look at the arch rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Their future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, can do no wrong in public. They are always propping him up. He has the keys to the castle. No matter what takes place, Big Ben is right. It’s what has to happen.

Dorsey said he believes the Browns, with 10 games left, can get to where they want to go this season. But that’s not going to happen without Mayfield leading the way. And no one knows that better than Dorsey, which was evident in his every word on Wednesday.