Baker Mayfield was carrying the weight of unlocking Bud Light fridges across Cleveland and delivering the Browns their first win in nearly two years when he stepped onto the field for the first time as a rookie last season.
The brash quarterback quickly took command of the offense, after being called on when Tyrod Taylor got hurt mid-game, and led the Browns to a comeback victory over the Jets that changed their season.
Daniel Jones might not win anybody free booze Sunday against the Buccaneers, though he does have the weight of replacing a quarterback like Eli Manning. Still, the Giants are hoping he can provide a similar spark for a season that has started 0-2 for the sixth time in seven years.
“There’s a lot of unknown,” said right guard Kevin Zeitler, who was tasked with protecting Mayfield last season. “That being said, we know Daniel’s been working hard ever since he came to training camp and preseason. He’s been working hard, doing good things. Now it’s go time.”
“Baker came in and did the things he was supposed to do. That can invigorate us. The fact that he came in and got the ball moving, that’s what helped things get going.”
Can Jones provide the same kind of turnaround?
“I don’t know,” Zeitler said. “It’s a mystery until we see it happen. I know that’s really vague, but we’ll know after Sunday.”
Rookie quarterback debuts don’t always go so swimmingly. Mayfield entered Browns lore by finishing the season 7-7, even with some struggles along the way. But for another No. 1 pick like Jared Goff, the results didn’t come as quickly.
The Rams waited until Week 11 in 2016 to have Goff take over for Case Keenum, announcing the move on the Tuesday before the game, just as the Giants did with Jones. Goff showed glimpses of his potential while losing seven straight games to finish the season, but his teammates tried to rally around the new guy.
“You just kind of embraced it,” said Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree, who was with the Rams at the time. “You wanted to rally around him and make sure he felt comfortable being out there. You just wanted him to go out there and do well. So for us, it was just about going out and playing together, still doing our job and embracing him being the new quarterback.”
While Goff’s debut may have been looking ahead to the future for a team going nowhere and Mayfield’s came largely by necessity, Giants coach Pat Shurmur has preached that making Jones the starter for Sunday’s game is about winning now and nothing else.
“I think it’s exciting when there’s change,” Shurmur said. “I think [the team is] looking at this move based on the fact that we’re trying to beat Tampa Bay. Our future in this business is a short-term horizon. That’s really what it is.”
That message has made its way to the locker room. The Giants know there may be growing pains that come with Jones taking over, but it doesn’t mean they think their season is already about the future just three weeks in.
“It’s tough, just being how it’s happened, Eli being here for so long … but sometimes change is good,” said safety Antoine Bethea, who was with the Cardinals last year when rookie Josh Rosen took over for Sam Bradford after an 0-3 start. “It’s exciting to have a young quarterback start his career off. He can bring that spark to the offense. We’ll see on Sunday.”
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