SOMETIMES QUARTERBACKS HAVE TO TAKE THEIR TEAMMATES TO TASK

By STEVE KING

I’m turning the clock back to Oct. 6, 1985.

Some of you may not have been alive and/or have no recollection of that moment in time.

Others of you were alive, and perhaps even a few of you remember the day and already know where I’m going with this.

Before there was, in Browns history, a wow-’em quarterback by the name of Baker Mayfield, who rankled some people for letting teammate Duke Johnson know in no uncertain terms that it’s the team that matters most, not the individuals, there was one by the name of Bernie Kosar.

This was the early part of his rookie season, and Kosar, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1985 NFL Supplemental Draft and the man for whom the club had given up all of its prime picks in the 1985 and ‘86 college drafts to get, had watched from the sideline as veteran Gary Danielson led the Browns to a 2-2 start. Then Danielson was knocked out of a home game against the New England Patriots in the middle of the second quarter by an injury.

So Kosar, who as supposed to sit all, or at least most, of the season while learning from Danielson, suddenly found himself in the game. He got to the huddle and the 10 other players there were chattering amongst themselves about Danielson having gotten hurt. It had taken them by surprise and knocked them off-kilter.

Kosar looked around, gathered himself and screamed, “Shut up!”

They all stopped talking, their mouths gaped open.

Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome, the senior member of the veterans in that huddle, would later say, “When I saw a 21-year-old kid come in and take over the huddle and have the nerve to tell a bunch of veteran players to be quiet, I thought to myself that he was something special.”

Newsome was right. Kosar was extraordinary, and his first act in taking over the team was to well … take over the team. He was the boss, and they had to follow his lead.

It really isn’t that much different than what Mayfield did to Johnson.

It worked out pretty well for Kosar, so can we lighten up a little bit on Mayfield?

Thank you.