Michael Vick is still riding STRONG with Baker Mayfield -- telling TMZ Sports he believes the Browns QB can still turn things around ... IF HE THROWS TO ODELL!!
"Baker's my dude," Vick says ... "Just keep pluggin'. All the outside noise, you're gonna get that. You gotta be mentally tough at the quarterback position."
Of course, Mayfield's come under fire lately because ... to put it simply ... the Browns are back to being the Browns, with a lackluster 2-6 record.
And Baker's been getting crushed in the media for his stat line -- 7 TDs and 12 INTs -- having only thrown to Odell during Red Zone opportunities 3 TIMES this year!