Jordan Mills Jersey from laiyongcai92's blog

Now that he's in the NFL Jordan Mills Jersey , the brash quarterback who became a household name at Oklahoma as much for throwing touchdown passes as taunting opponents, intends to clean up his act.

"I'll be very competitive, but the other stuff, obviously it can't happen," Mayfield said. "I know that."

A day after the Cleveland Browns made Mayfield the surprise No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, the 23-year-old spent part of his introductory news conference discussing how he has matured and learned from past on-field incidents that made him more polarizing and could have soured teams from wanting to select him had they gotten the chance.

His Heisman Trophy-winning season was speckled with foolishness.

Before facing Texas Tech, the school where he began his college career, he entered the stadium in Lubbock wearing a T-shirt that had "TRAITOR" written on the front. He also famously celebrated a road win at Ohio State by taking a victory lap and attempting to plant a Oklahoma flag at midfield in the artificial turf.

But those paled in comparison to his actions during a game at Kansas. Reacting to the Jayhawks' captains for refusing to shake his hand before the game, Mayfield returned to the sideline following a TD drive, ripped off his helmet Randy White Jersey , grabbed his crotch and screamed expletives toward Kansas players.

Oklahoma punished him by not allowing him to start his final home game in Norman and coach Lincoln Riley stripped him of his captaincy against West Virginia.

Looking back, Mayfield said he regrets the "stuff" he did and that going forward he has to redirect his emotions.

"That was absolutely over the top," he said. "But there's a fine line. You need to be competitive, but a lot of that you can internalize and use that as motivation to drive you. You don't have to show it all the time. ... I can use that for behind the scenes when nobody's around, the film, the hours you put in."

Mayfield also learned from an arrest in February 2017, when a night out with friends in Fayetteville, Arkansas, turned into an arrest for public intoxication, disorderly conduct and fleeing.

The Browns did extensive vetting of the incident Cowboys Connor Williams Jersey , so much so that general manager John Dorsey said he knew what Mayfield had ordered from a food truck before his run-in.

Dorsey felt comfortable enough with Mayfield to make him his signature pick, the fresh face of a franchise in perpetual rebuilding mode.

"He is very mature. He is very smart," Dorsey said. "We all learn from our mistakes. I have learned from my mistakes in the past, too. I am better today than I was a year ago. I have no problems with a young man being allowed to understand the mistakes he makes, and let's move forward."

Mayfield says he's done just that.

"I do not think I would be sitting right here unless I had made those strides," he said. "Without those mistakes, later on down the road I might have had slip ups, but now I can learn from them and be able to move forward."

They hit 3s whether they were wide open or had a defender in their face. They hit them from the corners and the wings.

The Nets shot 48 percent from behind the arc in a 119-111 win Thursday night over the Bucks, though it seemed like they just couldn’t miss. Allen Crabbe scored 25 points and led a 19-of-39 3-point shooting with two 3s in the closing minutes of a tight game.

This win over a playoff-bound team will serve as motivation for the Nets as they close out an otherwise disappointing regular season.

”I keep saying `We’re playing for a lot,”’ coach Kenny Atkinson said. ”We’re playing for our future Orlando Pace Jersey , we’re playing for our culture … we’re playing for our fans.”

And making it a little tougher for the Bucks to climb up the East standings.

This isn’t the way that Milwaukee wanted to play a night after clinching its third postseason berth in four years thanks to Detroit’s loss to Philadelphia.

The Bucks and Washington Wizards are tied for seventh with identical 42-37 records, a game behind sixth-place Miami. But the Wizards have the tiebreaker with the Bucks because of a better conference record.

Washington lost at Cleveland on Thursday night, meaning the Bucks missed a golden opportunity to move up with the 53-loss Nets in town.

”We’ve got to win and they’ve got to lose now,” Bucks center John Henson said. ”That’s why it’s important to win games like this tonight because that matters at the end of the season.”

Khris Middleton scored 31 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee.

Undermanned in the frontcourt because of injuries, the Nets packed the paint to try to prevent the free-wheeling Antetokounmpo from having his way around the rim. Brooklyn center Jarrett Allen had a career high five blocks, and the Nets finished with 12 on the night.

”He’s got to be our paint-patroller, our rim-protector,” Atkinson said about Allen. ”He was outstanding patrolling the paint tonight.”

A hot night from 3-point territory made up for any other shortcomings.

Crabbe was clutch by hitting two of his five 3s over the final three minutes, the second coming with 1:18 left to give the Nets a six-point lead that sent Bucks fans to the exits.

D’Angelo Russell was 4 of 10 from the arc and finished with 22 points. Joe Harris was 3 of 5 and finished with 17 points.

”The answer is we did not defend it pretty well Joe Thomas Browns Jersey ,” Bucks coach Joe Prunty said when asked to explain his team’s perimeter defense. ”We defended it pretty poorly.”

TIP INS

Nets: The frontcourt was beset by injuries with F DeMarre Carroll (left hip) and C Jahlil Okafor (right ankle) each missing the game after getting hurt in a loss Tuesday at Philadelphia. … F Dante Cunningham did not dress because of back spasms.

Bucks: F Jabari Parker had a couple highlight-reel dunks but finished 6 of 21 from the field for 13 points. He added 10 rebounds. … G Eric Bledsoe had 16 points and six assists.

MILESTONE

The Nets tied a franchise record set last season with a 14th straight game of at least 10 3-pointers.

BUCKS SPARK

Brooklyn had the Bucks on their heels until Bledsoe’s energetic play gave Milwaukee a spark on both ends of the floor. The speedy point guard had two steals during an 18-3 run in the third quarter, finishing the spurt with a corner 3 for a 75-71 lead with 2:22 left.

But the Bucks were just 5 of 20 overall from 3-point range.

”We couldn’t shoot it in the ocean, they got a chance to get them,” Parker said.

START IT UP

Brooklyn’s 23rd different starting lineup of the season had a hot first half. The quintet of center Allen, forwards Harris and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson along with guards Crabbe and Russell combined to shoot 57 percent in the first half and 44 percent (9 of 22) from the 3-point arc to take a 52-45 lead at halftime.

QUOTABLE

”Everybody says (we’ve) got nothing to play for, so we might as well get as many wins as we can before the season ends.” – Crabbe.

UP NEXT

Nets: At Chicago on Friday night.

Bucks: At New York on Friday night.

—

More NBA basketball:  Miami Dolphins Elite Jerseys