Earlier this year, in the New England Patriots’ bye week between the end of the regular season and their first playoff game in the divisional round, Tom Brady spent some time with his personal throwing coach, Tom House.

The then-41-year-old, five-time Super Bowl-winning, three-time NFL MVP had just wrapped an 11-5 regular season that saw him complete 65.8 percent of his passes with 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

He told Boston radio station WEEI at the time that “football is always about technique and fundamentals and the more sound you are — in the bigger games you need to be as sound as possible.”

Brady and the Patriots went on to beat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

Brady turned to House, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who also works with Drew Brees and Matt Ryan among other NFL quarterbacks, after his longtime throwing guru, Tom Martinez, died in 2012.

For years, as he racked up Grand Slam wins, Tiger Woods worked with swing coaches and even rebuilt his swing more than once in an effort to make him the best golfer possible.

These days Woods doesn’t employ a full-time swing coach, but he does have someone he consults with on his putting.

The point remains, however: Two of the greatest players ever in their respective sports know the value of having a coach to help with mechanics, to help hammer home the little details that often make a big difference.

Not every athlete, apparently, feels the same.

‘I already know exactly what I need to work on’

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield acknowledges he needs to work on his game, but won't work with a private coach. (AP/David Richard) More

On Thursday, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield chatted with media before the team’s final regular-season game and was asked about how he’ll spend his offseason outside of team activities.

“I already know what exactly I need to work on and improve going forward,” Mayfield said via the Akron Beacon-Journal. “That is the exciting thing about it, it is always a continual process of getting better and improving.”

Which is great. Mayfield would be lying to himself if he didn’t believe he had room for improvement; despite having some of the best offensive skill players in the NFL on the field with him, his numbers dipped from last year in pretty much every category.

But here’s where Mayfield sounded incredibly short-sighted and, really, arrogant: He has no interest in working with a private coach.

“I do not need somebody to teach me how to do a three-step drop,” Mayfield said. “I can look at film and be critical of myself. Throughout this process, I have had people help me out along the way and try and take things from different people. Anytime I am around somebody, I ask questions. Do not act like I have it all figured out.

“There is always room to improve and take things from there and there, but I would not say that I will go on the beach and swim through the ocean and try and learn how to play quarterback by doing that.”

We’re not sure which passing gurus Mayfield has met or knows of, but we’ve never heard of a personal coach telling a player he’ll be a better quarterback by swimming in the ocean. A more fit one, sure, but House and Martinez likely didn’t help mold Brady into the quarterback he is with dips in the Pacific.

And the notion of being taught a three-step drop? Getting a coach doesn’t mean he doesn’t know the basics of quarterback play, but if you’re doing the drop inefficiently, a coach could, maybe, help with that?

‘All of it is good’

It sounds like Mayfield’s decision runs counter to what his own coaches on the Browns would like to see happen.

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken knows players at all positions can benefit from offseason position-specific work or strength and conditioning work.

“You have it at all positions. Some are strength and conditioning. Some are technical,” Monken said. “All of it is good; people that dedicate their time and their livelihood to improve players’ performance on the field. But there is a difference between tutoring and training and then what we have to do, which is be held accountable for their actions.”

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