http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/co...-re-sign-with-cleveland-if-he-s-on-roster.ece
Johnny Manziel responds to report Brian Hoyer won't re-sign with Cleveland if he's on roster
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Rick Osentoski/AP
Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) lines up against the Detroit Lions in the first half of a preseason NFL football game at Ford Field in Detroit, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
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By Nate Ulrich
Nate UlrichThe Dallas Morning NewsAkron Beacon Journal (MCT)
Published: 17 October 2014 05:07 PM
Updated: 17 October 2014 05:07 PM
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BEREA, Ohio — Browns rookie backup quarterback Johnny Manziel made headlines on Aug. 16 when he said he wasn’t ready to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Sept. 7 season opener.
Nine weeks have passed since Manziel gave that honest self-assessment, and now he’s“absolutely” sure he would be prepared to be thrown into the fire anytime.
“I feel a lot more confident, a lot more comfortable,”Manziel said Friday after practice. “Getting into a new system, just getting around these guys, the whole process of being under center a lot more, everything that’s involved in this offense just wasn’t anything that I was asked to do really at [Texas] A&M. So I knew it would take me some time.
“Now going through these game plans and getting some of the same ideas spilling over into the next week, we have our certain game plan stuff throughout the week, so I feel like I can study that. I’m a lot more honed in on that. It just makes me a lot more comfortable.”
Of course, the Browns (3-2) are on a roll with starting quarterback Brian Hoyer, and they hope to extend their winning streak to three games Sunday when they visit the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-6).
“He’s playing very, very well, and he does everything the right way,” Manziel said of Hoyer. “So for me to get a chance to sit back and watch this for as long as whatever this may be, I think it’s beneficial for me.”
Still, Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, could be summoned at a moment’s notice.
“It’s a wacky league,” Manziel said. “So you never really know when you could be thrust in there. … Coach [Mike] Pettine is always talking about next man up, and we’ve had a lot of that going on at other positions. But that counts for my position as well, so I need to make sure I’m ready to go.”
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said he believes Manziel wouldn’t have a deer-in-the-headlights reaction if Hoyer were hurt.
“It’s something that he’s always got to be ready for,” Shanahan said. “He could end up being — as the cliché is — one play from starting. I hope he’s working to be ready, and if that ever does happen, I think he will be.”
Pettine said he likes the way Manziel has been practicing. This week, he played the part of Jaguars rookie quarterback Blake Bortles for the scout team offense.
“He’s good,” Pettine said. “He gets a couple reps with the twos running our stuff and then he jumps in there with the scout team. It was good this week, too, playing against a quarterback that’ll take off and run that he could get in there and give us a good look. The few reps that he gets, he is progressing.”
But no matter how well Manziel practices, there’s a realistic chance Hoyer could keep him on the bench for an extended period of time — especially if Hoyer stays healthy, continues to play well and is rewarded by his hometown team with a long-term contract. Hoyer is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.
“I think all of that stuff will really play itself out,” Manziel said. “But it’s not something that’s really been on my mind.”
On Wednesday, Hoyer insisted a report by BleacherReport.com’s Jason Cole that he wouldn’t sign a long-term deal with the Browns if Manziel were still on the roster “couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Manziel said he wasn’t bothered by the report.
“Brian didn’t even really need to come up to me because obviously he dismissed that,” Manziel said. “And then between me and him and our [quarterback] room, I don’t think we ever even thought that had even the slightest piece of legitimacy behind it. So between me and him, everything’s been fine.”
Of the top four rookie quarterbacks drafted this year, Manziel is the only one who’s a backup. Bortles (No. 3 overall), the Minnesota Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater (No. 32 overall) and the Oakland Raiders’ Derek Carr (No. 36) are starters.
“I’m happy for those guys,” Manziel said. “They’re obviously getting a chance to come in early and contribute to teams and that’s the situation they’re in. That could’ve been my situation here. So far, that’s not the case.”
Manziel said he realizes every situation is different. It’s impossible for him to know how long he’ll be required to exercise patience.
“I think it’s hard to sit here right now and kind of guess how things are going to play [out] in the future,” Manziel said. “But every quarterback that’s come into the league has had a different circumstance.
“It’s all about how you handle it when you’re not on the field and continuing to try and better yourself, even when it’s really hard, making sure you’re on top of yourself and really hard on yourself, continuing to make sure that you’re ready to go. So I think how you prepare with the time you’re not on the field and your number’s not being called is really what sets you apart.”
Johnny Manziel responds to report Brian Hoyer won't re-sign with Cleveland if he's on roster
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Rick Osentoski/AP
Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) lines up against the Detroit Lions in the first half of a preseason NFL football game at Ford Field in Detroit, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
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By Nate Ulrich
Nate UlrichThe Dallas Morning NewsAkron Beacon Journal (MCT)
Published: 17 October 2014 05:07 PM
Updated: 17 October 2014 05:07 PM
<!--set group's style class and style id to the wrapper of main contents-->
BEREA, Ohio — Browns rookie backup quarterback Johnny Manziel made headlines on Aug. 16 when he said he wasn’t ready to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Sept. 7 season opener.
Nine weeks have passed since Manziel gave that honest self-assessment, and now he’s“absolutely” sure he would be prepared to be thrown into the fire anytime.
“I feel a lot more confident, a lot more comfortable,”Manziel said Friday after practice. “Getting into a new system, just getting around these guys, the whole process of being under center a lot more, everything that’s involved in this offense just wasn’t anything that I was asked to do really at [Texas] A&M. So I knew it would take me some time.
“Now going through these game plans and getting some of the same ideas spilling over into the next week, we have our certain game plan stuff throughout the week, so I feel like I can study that. I’m a lot more honed in on that. It just makes me a lot more comfortable.”
Of course, the Browns (3-2) are on a roll with starting quarterback Brian Hoyer, and they hope to extend their winning streak to three games Sunday when they visit the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-6).
“He’s playing very, very well, and he does everything the right way,” Manziel said of Hoyer. “So for me to get a chance to sit back and watch this for as long as whatever this may be, I think it’s beneficial for me.”
Still, Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, could be summoned at a moment’s notice.
“It’s a wacky league,” Manziel said. “So you never really know when you could be thrust in there. … Coach [Mike] Pettine is always talking about next man up, and we’ve had a lot of that going on at other positions. But that counts for my position as well, so I need to make sure I’m ready to go.”
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said he believes Manziel wouldn’t have a deer-in-the-headlights reaction if Hoyer were hurt.
“It’s something that he’s always got to be ready for,” Shanahan said. “He could end up being — as the cliché is — one play from starting. I hope he’s working to be ready, and if that ever does happen, I think he will be.”
Pettine said he likes the way Manziel has been practicing. This week, he played the part of Jaguars rookie quarterback Blake Bortles for the scout team offense.
“He’s good,” Pettine said. “He gets a couple reps with the twos running our stuff and then he jumps in there with the scout team. It was good this week, too, playing against a quarterback that’ll take off and run that he could get in there and give us a good look. The few reps that he gets, he is progressing.”
But no matter how well Manziel practices, there’s a realistic chance Hoyer could keep him on the bench for an extended period of time — especially if Hoyer stays healthy, continues to play well and is rewarded by his hometown team with a long-term contract. Hoyer is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.
“I think all of that stuff will really play itself out,” Manziel said. “But it’s not something that’s really been on my mind.”
On Wednesday, Hoyer insisted a report by BleacherReport.com’s Jason Cole that he wouldn’t sign a long-term deal with the Browns if Manziel were still on the roster “couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Manziel said he wasn’t bothered by the report.
“Brian didn’t even really need to come up to me because obviously he dismissed that,” Manziel said. “And then between me and him and our [quarterback] room, I don’t think we ever even thought that had even the slightest piece of legitimacy behind it. So between me and him, everything’s been fine.”
Of the top four rookie quarterbacks drafted this year, Manziel is the only one who’s a backup. Bortles (No. 3 overall), the Minnesota Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater (No. 32 overall) and the Oakland Raiders’ Derek Carr (No. 36) are starters.
“I’m happy for those guys,” Manziel said. “They’re obviously getting a chance to come in early and contribute to teams and that’s the situation they’re in. That could’ve been my situation here. So far, that’s not the case.”
Manziel said he realizes every situation is different. It’s impossible for him to know how long he’ll be required to exercise patience.
“I think it’s hard to sit here right now and kind of guess how things are going to play [out] in the future,” Manziel said. “But every quarterback that’s come into the league has had a different circumstance.
“It’s all about how you handle it when you’re not on the field and continuing to try and better yourself, even when it’s really hard, making sure you’re on top of yourself and really hard on yourself, continuing to make sure that you’re ready to go. So I think how you prepare with the time you’re not on the field and your number’s not being called is really what sets you apart.”
