Was Baker telling the truth?

By STEVE KING

When meeting with media members on Monday, quarterback Baker Mayfield talked about the Browns not being satisfied despite their success in 2021, an 11-5 record, their first playoff appearance in 18 years and their first postseason win in 26 seasons.
“Everybody’s hungry for more,” he said.
If you’re a Browns fan — and I’ve got to believe you are if you’re reading this — then you have to hope and pray that Mayfield is right. For that — the supposed hunger, the supposed dissatisfaction with the way the season ended with a close loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that was there for the taking late in the fourth quarter — is the theme of the 2021 season for the Browns.
But is Mayfield being honest? Does he seriously mean that — is his hurt real and his desire to do much better this fall legitimate — or is he saying it simply because it sounds good and it’s the way the fans believe the Browns should be feeling?
If he’s truthful — and you’ll be able to tell so as the offseason continues and training camp opens — then the Browns are in good shape. They’ve got the talent to do it, as they are much, much better on paper than they were last season. But do they have the will and determination to do it? Do they have the drive to do it? Do they really think there is unfinished business coming into this season?
A lot of teams think they’re hungry, that they’re on the verge of something special, but it doesn’t always work out to show that. The talk was cheap and the work ethic wasn’t there. The NFL graveyard is littered with those teams’ headstones.
Ultimately, it’s the job of Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, he of the calm and meticulous approach, to make certain that the players are primed both physically and mentally. But it shouldn’t fall — it can’t fall — solely onto his shoulders to get it done. Long before it gets to that point, the players have to police themselves and see to it that things are as they should be.
And one of the players leading the charge on that will be Baker Mayfield. We’ll see if he and his teammates have the courage of their convictions.