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Pettine: Manziel no one-man show, needs help
BEREA, Ohio — Browns head coach Mike Pettine said the goals his team set at the beginning of the season are all there to be attained, even if the team is turning to yet another starting quarterback to get there.
At 7-6, the Browns likely need to win their final three games and get outside help for Cleveland to grab a wild-card. That, and not a switch at quarterback, is where Pettine asked his team to put its energy and focus this week. One of the teams in front of the Browns in the AFC North is on the schedule Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pettine said he met for a short meeting with his coaching staff and then met with quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer briefly Monday before making the much-discussed change.
“The move was made because of a lack of performance at that position over the last four games,” Pettine said. “But if we don’t pick up our performance around the quarterback, we’d be foolish to expect a different result.”
Manziel has played only 18 snaps this season, incuding a 10-yard rushing touchdown at Buffalo. Hoyer produced just one touchdown in his last 29 possessions.
Manziel is earning respect of teammates, Pettine said, spending extra time at the team facility and not paying any attention to the barb from Bengals coach Marvin Lewis about preparing to play “a midget.” Lewis apologized repeatedly for the comment about the 6-1 Manziel
“This is a guy who had unbelievable college production. He’s shown flashes of it at the NFL level,” Pettine said.
The offensive scheme will be tweaked by offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who was part of the play design in Washington during Robert Griffin III’s rookie season. But Pettine said the general plan has not changed — play great defense and give the quarterback manageable down-and-distances to sustain drives. He repeated several times that Manziel isn’t being called upon as a savior, and needs excellence from the Browns’ supporting cast to reach it himself.
“If you want to have success, you have to be great around him. If you get into a mode where you have to take the team on our back, do it yourself — you’re sadly mistaken,” Pettine said.
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