Mayfield's rookie skit highlights ‘Hard Knocks,' but does it top Vollmer's?

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FOXBORO -- The impression was spot on. The gum-chewing. The strut. The "buddy boy" drops. More gum-chewing.

Baker Mayfield's impersonation of Browns general manager John Dorsey, featured on Tuesday's episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks," earned praise all over the internet before the show had even finished airing.

He has a talent, sure. But could Mayfield go bilingual if he had to?


Nine years ago in New England, before Twitter's popularity exploded, before internet meme's were a thing, the same year that "Hard Knocks" focused in on Chad Ochocinco and his teammates in Cincinnati, there was a rookie skit performed that might've trumped Mayfield's in terms of its originality.

Bill Belichick remembered it fondly on Tuesday afternoon, during a press conference where he took a relatively easygoing approach throughout. The portion he specifically brought back -- his memory sparked by a brief discussion of retired offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer's ability to flip from the right side of the line to the left -- had to do with the German tackle, who's now broadcasting Patriots games in his native tongue.

"Sebastian was part of the rookie skit," Belichick said. "The rookies didn’t have much material, which they usually don’t, and I suggested to him, ‘Why don’t you just get up there and imitate the head coach and say what I would say in German?’ So, he did. No one knew what he said, but it was pretty entertaining. He had a great sense of humor. Yeah, Sebastian had a really good sense of humor."

Mayfield may have been the No. 1 overall pick. He's already on the verge of becoming the face of the Browns franchise before even being named the starting quarterback. But could he entertain Belichick on rookie skit night to the point that Belichick would recall just how entertaining he was nearly a decade later?

My guess is nein.

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