Best moment: Mychal Kendricks’ scouting report
Former Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks was tasked with providing some intel on his former team, and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was clearly impressed with the scouting report he gave the guys. Kendricks said, among other things, that Nick Foles threw a deep ball with a “teardrop effect” and left tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai “doesn’t trust his feet” so he will lose confidence. The knowledge was quickly put to use in preseason action when Myles Garrett dominated Vaitai and the Browns forced four turnovers in the first half, including a deep interception of Foles.
Worst moment: Things slow down for Baker Mayfield
The sequence where the narrator talked about how the game is starting to slow down for Baker Mayfield was very boring, especially in an episode that could have used another eventful scene. Overall, it felt like a couple minutes were wasted with slow-motion shots of the rookie at practice, including the ball spinning in the air for what seemed like an eternity. Mayfield’s success will be determined over the next few years—not based on a short scene from Hard Knocks.
Funniest moment: The rookie show
The No. 1 pick’s impersonation of general manager John Dorsey was great, but the highlight of the rookie show was easily Blake Jackson’s spin on Jarvis Landry’s speech to his fellow wideouts in Episode 1. Jackson kept repeating how “contagious” guys not playing through injuries is, and he took Landry’s words literally by video clips showing him catching passes with a broken hand, then a broken foot, then two broken feet (with a toe-drag catch), and then both legs wrapped while riding on a cart—all while narrating in a parody of Jarvis’ speech.
Underrated moment: Darren Fells helps Devon Cajuste
It’s pretty clear heading into next week’s season finale that Devon Cajuste is a guy fans will either be thrilled for if he makes the team or heartbroken for if he gets cut. Based on the clips they’ve shown in practice and games, the 25-year-old seems to have the size, toughness, and athleticism to stick around, but his blocking needs improvement, which is where Darren Fells comes in. The veteran signed with Cleveland earlier this year and is a roster lock because he’s an exceptional blocker, so his one-on-one session with Cajuste to give him tips on his technique was one of the best moments of the season, as you could see the strides made in that scene alone before carrying it into game action.
Best quote: Josh Gordon
“Love yourself.” – to FOX sideline reporter Kristina Pink on his message to everyone now that he’s back after all the ups and downs
MVP: Baker Mayfield
He was the focus of the worst moment, but it wasn’t Mayfield’s fault that the crew decided to make a pointless scene out of a couple practice clips. Beyond that, Baker was featured in two pre-recorded videos for the rookie show: the Dorsey impersonation, and a Carl Nassib impersonation that wasn’t anything special until a brief, well-timed pause followed by an f-bomb that caused the room to burst in laughter. Mayfield also won over FOX color commentator and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman through the TV meeting and their on-field talk, which led Aikman to believe that the former Heisman winner just wants to help the team.
Totally agree on the Mayfield part. That was filler content.
The episodes are getting worse.
Probably because it’s the Browns.
This team is going to be bad.