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What Mike Pettine said after the win: Browns will 'cross that bridge' later on QB decision
Linky Dinky Do

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Browns won their 2015 home opener Sunday, 28-14, over the Tennessee Titans. After the game, Browns coach Mike Pettine met with reporters. Here is a transcript of what he said, as provided by the Browns' media-relations staff:

Opening statement:

"On an injury front couple of bumps and bruises. Mingo's (LB Barkevious Mingo) knee is a little bit sore, we'll see how that is. Des (DL Desmond Bryant) was a game time decision with the shoulder, we'll see how he came out of it. Overall we played well enough to win, got off to a great start. They battled back, I gave them credit. There was the rollercoaster of an NFL game. There was that long lull in the third quarter when we couldn't get much going and gave up some plays. Overall when we needed to make plays defensively we did. Seven sacks, I think we ended up with three turnovers. Offensively, I was pleased with the way we ran the ball. I think we ended up around four yards a carry and we made some big runs when we had to. You just can't say enough about the recovery of Travis Benjamin, has come back from the knee fully. I just told him he might not be allowed in Nashville ever again. He's the Titan killer as I called him on the sideline a couple times. It's great to see a guy battle back and have the production that he's had. He's done everything that we asked and had a phenomenal offseason and the results have showed. From a quarterback standpoint, some inconsistency but clearly made some big plays.

Disappointing thing again was the football getting away from us a couple of time. We were fortunate not to turn the ball over at all even though there were a couple times it was on the ground. We did get it back but that's something we certainly will need to address and get cleaned up.

On Manziel's last touchdown pass of the game:

"Certainly wasn't the way the play was designed. I think Flip (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo) had the best line of the day on the headset after he rolled out of it, ended up throwing backwards across the field, scored the touchdown. He just says real calmly while everybody was cheering, he said 'coaching is overrated' (laughter). They did a nice job, brought pressure. We didn't pick it up. Johnny did a nice job getting out of it and finding (WR) Travis (Benjamin) and making a play."

On what the plan was for that play:

"The protection was firmed up we should have been able to pick that look up. I'll have to look at the tape. I don't know whether we miscommunicated but they ended up with one outside that we should have been able to slide to. It was going to be a much more conservative pass on the other side of the field. When he rolled away we really didn't have any receivers on that side of the field because we protected it up but he was able to buy some time and find Travis coming across."

On if Benjamin adjusted his route:

"Yeah, I think he saw the scramble and just flattened it out. He knew he had gotten above the defender and it was just a matter of just out running him with the football."

On what he saw in practice to give him confidence in Manziel starting:

"As I said, he was prepared. He had gone through a lot of the reps with the ones, sitting in on meetings and then meeting with the quarterbacks on Saturday, getting a good sense of where they are from a mindset standpoint. Having him talk about what plays he likes from the game plan and why, just being interactive. I think – this is any position- I think when players are interactive with the plan, 'we like this.', 'we don't like this.' As coaches we can go ahead and, I always say 'hey, we're not the ones out there playing. They're the ones out there trying to execute these plays so let's make sure they're confident in what we're doing.' He was very interactive with the plan and again, there's some inconsistency there but he made enough plays for us to win."

On if Manziel will keep the starting job:

"(QB) Josh (McCown) is in the concussion protocol still. So until that situation is resolved, then he will be the starter."

On if Manziel will start after McCown is cleared:

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I'm not going to speak on that one."

On the TD on the second play of the game:

"It was something we had schemed up that we knew we wanted to take a shot, if they came out in a certain personnel grouping that we felt that we could get Travis behind the defense."

On if it was a part of the plan for Manziel to be conservative with his throws:

"It wasn't to be that conservative, we got a little bit conservative in the third quarter and they did a good job- it would have been hard to justify up 21 to come out and be throwing the ball. We wanted to make sure at the very least that the clock was moving. They did a good job knowing that. Bad things can happen when you throw the football and especially with the lead we did not want to- we weren't sitting on it but at the same time we were picking our best runs and wanted to make sure that we worked the clock and that the possessions weren't fast. Like I said, I give them credit for defending what we did and we found I thought a critical part was that last drive where we were able to punch that ball out and hit some big runs. Then we got the first down, we were able to end up driving down and taking the shot."

On the key to putting pressure on Titans QB Marcus Mariota

"I think it was a good mix. I think Jimmy O (defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil) did a really good job mixing pressure with straight rush. We got to him a lot with just straight four man rush. Not just the sacks, I think there was also a cumulative effect with that we hit him a bunch too. We did a good job of there were a lot of pass plays, I look back, he's picking himself up off the ground. Anytime you can do that to a quarterback, not just get the production with the sacks but affect him, you like to think that that has a cumulative effect over the course of a game."

On the game plan at fourth and inches:

"We debated, do we want to go up three scores. Anytime its inches we have confidence in our guys that we can make it. We felt we were up two scores and that we felt we could get that. I give credit to them for stopping us, we didn't execute the play, the sneak well enough. It's easy to say I regret it now that it didn't work out, we just felt we had momentum. The way we were playing defense we had them shut out to that point. It was a decision we made and we rolled with it."

On if that is what he wanted to see out of RB Isaiah Crowell in regards to breaking tackles: "That was the big challenge all week. Running hard, breaking tackles. It is not just him. That whole room – I thought Duke did a nice job as well and hit some runs where it wasn't blocked for much and the next thing you know the sticks were moving or it was a real positive gain. I thought both backs did a real good job.

On the play of the defense:

"There is definitely some things to get cleaned up, but overall anytime you hold an offense down for that long you are going to be successful. When you get to the quarterback seven times and you get some takeaways. You are going to win a heck of a lot more games than when you don't. That group took the challenge. I think the whole team did. You heard it from talking to guys in the week Whitner especially – embarrassed or whatever it was that we didn't go out there with our best effort and we let the circumstances the way the Jets game went, get to us a little bit. I thought the sideline did a great job. The energy was up even though the third quarter went the way it did with us not generating much offense. Overall I felt it was a great team win. We got a contribution from special teams. The (offense) did some good things to get us the lead and obviously close the game for us. Defensive they were solid throughout."

On if Manziel looking to run less was a result of game planning by the Titans or the coaching staff emphasizing it:

"I think he has a good sense of when to get out of the pocket if it opens up. I thought they did a good job of running some interior line games where you could tell they game planned for it, whereas New York did not. Just my sense from the sideline there weren't kind of as many gaping scramble lanes. I thought they did a good job of keeping him the pocket."

On the performance of WR Travis Benjamin:

"To me, you can't be happier for a guy for what he has gone through. Coming back and last year not being 100 percent and that really weighed on him. When you see a guy buy in and prepare the way he prepared. Anybody that spent time around him – you all know he is a great player and an even better person. Those are the kind of guys you root for. It was awesome to watch him have the production that he did."

On how important it was to get the win today:

"To me, all wins are important. It was great. I told the guys afterwards there is no better view than to stand there in the locker and look at the look on their faces. Winning in front of our crowd. There is no better feeling just to see them celebrate afterwards. It is special. Winning is hard in the NFL. For us to be able to do it in front of our home fans on our opener it makes it that much more special."

On LB Barkevious Mingo's knee injury:

"I am not sure if it was the same knee or not. I don't think it was anything serious. I think it is something we will have to monitor."

On 'what channel he had the remote' set on during the game:

"We control the volume. I thought our fans did a great job. They stayed in the game, too. We didn't give them much to cheer about in third quarter and in the fourth when they came back and got it to within a score. They were there for us in the end. That is what I tell our guys. We want them to be loud and use it as an advantage that we have to do that. I thought at the end of the game they were outstanding."

On Manziel's second touchdown throw:

"It was a heck of a play. He felt pressure coming from his blind spot. It was vintage Manziel. We want him to play within structure and make a read, but when a play breaks down that is what he brings. The ability to escape. He did an outstanding job. I thought he had the chance to just run there. One of the signs of maturity there too was that he kept his eyes down field. He used that as an opportunity – 'I am not just going to get 'X' number of yards and slide. I am going to keep my eyes down the field and make a play.' We saw the result."​

we have to start Johnny next week IMO

so besides the loose balls, what did JM not do that Pet is unhappy about [if he is unhappy]? It did look like there was confusion on the lineups during the first drive. Maybe I'm reading into nothing but it just seems like Pet is not sold on JM?

That was my read from actually watching his presser.

Manziel thus far looks better than Bradford

Either that, or he doesn't want JM to take his foot off the gas. He's improved a ton, but there is still a long way to go.

If he can turn into a OK starter, it'll be a huge win.

Well, I'm sure the coach knows a couple things we don't, I also believe he doesn't want to pump up Manziel's ego too much. I'm sure he is generally pretty pleased.

Johnny Manziel scores one against his critics with big plays in Browns' win over Titans

Mary Kay Cabot, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Mary Kay Cabot, Northeast Ohio Media Group
linky

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel's week began with ESPN's Merril Hoge urging the Browns to cut bait from him and move on, and other analysts such as Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells piling on.

It ended with Manziel emerging victorious over fellow Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota in a 28-14 victory over the Titans after a 50-yard game-clinching touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin that coach Mike Pettine described as "vintage Manziel.''

"Yeah, it's sweet,'' said Manziel, who evened the Browns record at 1-1. "I've come a long way from that point on (when he checked into a rehab facility), so to be sitting here today and just have an ultimate turnaround from what it was in the first two starts I had last year, personally it feels awesome.''

In achieving his first career victory after two mostly disastrous losses last year, Manziel served notice that Johnny Football -- even though he's shed that label -- is alive and well.

"It's satisfaction seeing the rest of the guys in the locker room, being able to be in there,'' said Manziel. "All those guys dancing, getting the first win of the season, getting the win that we really needed. So Merril Hoge will always be Merril Hoge. For me, it's just sweet to get the first win, sweet to see how the locker room was after the game.''

Manziel attempted only 15 passes and completed 8 for 172 yards, but made those completions count. Two of them went for big TDs to Benjamin, the first a 60-yarder on Manziel's second play of the game to the put the Browns up 7-0 early the first quarter, and the second, the 50-yarder on the Browns' final drive with 252 left that sealed the victory after the Titans' rookie quarterback mounted a threat.

The TD, after he spun away from Brian Orakpo on third and 6, rolled left and threw back across his body to Benjamin, came after Manziel was strip-sacked on his previous two drives and was bailed out with recoveries by Mitchell Schwartz and Duke Johnson.

It also came after Mariota (21-of-37, 257 yards, two TDs, 0 INTs, 96.3 rating) overcame an ankle injury and a pounding by the Browns' defense to throw touchdown passes on back-to-back drives in the second half. He closed the gap to 21-14 with 6:42 remaining after the Browns had taken a 21-0 lead at halftime on Benjamin's 60-yard catch, Isaiah Crowell's 11-yard run after a Terrance West fumble and a 78-yard punt return by Benjamin, also known as Rabbit.

It also followed followed seven straight pointless possessions by the offense, which stalled after opening with two scoring drives for a 14-0 first-quarter lead. After the break, Manziel completed only 2-of-4 attempts, and mustered only 18 yards of offense in the third quarter.

"We got a little bit conservative in the third quarter,'' said Pettine. "It would have been hard to justify up 21 to come out and be throwing the ball. We wanted to make sure at the very least that the clock was moving. They did a good job knowing that. Bad things can happen when you throw the football and especially with the lead we did not want to - we weren't sitting on it but at the same time we were picking our best runs and wanted to make sure that we worked the clock and that the possessions weren't fast.''

Manziel acknowledged it was hard for him to make plays during that play-it-safe stretch.

"I think we got into a little bit of a lull running the ball first and second down and putting ourselves into some third and longs,'' he said. "So those are tough situations to try to make plays when they kind of drop a little bit and hug rush. But for the most part, I think the way our offensive system is, the way our scheme is, I think it fits well."

But Pettine applauded him for taking a big chance on the third-down strike to Benjamin, which pushed his rating to 133.9, the highest since Derek Anderson posted a 140.3 in 2007.

"It was a heck of a play,'' said coach Mike Pettine. "He felt pressure coming from his blind spot. It was vintage Manziel. We want him to play within structure and make a read, but when a play breaks down that's what he brings. The ability to escape. He did an outstanding job. I thought he had the chance to just run there.

"One of the signs of maturity there too was that he kept his eyes down field. He used that as an opportunity – 'I am not just going to get 'X' number of yards and slide. I am going to keep my eyes down the field and make a play.' We saw the result."

What he didn't necessarily see was his starting quarterback going forward, or if he did, he wasn't ready to go there yet. Pettine said Manziel is the starter at least until McCown is out of the concussion protocol. If Manziel earns the nod at home next week, he'll oppose fellow 2014 draftee Derek Carr, who threw for 351 yards and three TDs in the Raiders' upset of the Ravens Sunday.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it,'' said Pettine. "I'm not going to speak on that one."

Pettine also lamented two more strip-sacks of Manziel, who also had two last week against the Jets. In that game, they prevented the Browns from making a second-half comeback en route to the 31-10 loss. In this game, Manziel was saved by his teammates from potentially blowing the victory.

"The disappointing thing again was the football getting away from us a couple of times,'' said Pettine. "We were fortunate not to turn the ball over at all even though there were a couple times it was on the ground. We did get it back but that's something we certainly will need to address and get cleaned up.''

Manziel, who worked on his ball security all week, doesn't know how the ball came out.

"Man, I had two hands on the ball it felt like,'' he said. "I don't know what's going on, but it can't happen. Luckily we were able to get both of those back, but that could've been a huge turning point. So that's one of the things that I'm still really hard on myself. I think I did a better job (than) last week of having two hands on it, but still, it's not the result we want.''

Aside from the two big TD passes, Manziel completed only six for 62 yards. He also rushed only one time for .3 yards and was stopped cold on a fourth and 1 sneak in the red zone in the first half.

"Like I said, he hadn't done that the whole game, and that's what is so frustrating,'' said Orakpo. "He didn't do it – he couldn't do it the whole game. Then, the play he needed it, he was able to buy more time so he could throw the ball down the field. They made a play and scored. That is the unfortunate thing. We had him corralled in that pocket throughout the whole game. Take away two big plays – man, I wish we could have those back."

Manziel's improvement over last year wasn't lost on his teammates, who were looking for him to protect the football this week.

"He gave (us) a huge lift because he's an energetic guy,'' said safety Tashaun Gipson. "I think we all can agree that he's an exciting football player. Whether the negativity or the positive on the field or off the field, he played good football today. He looked like Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M throughout most of the game. I know he wanted those fumbles back, but besides that I couldn't be more pleased with his game, his accuracy, his throws. He put the ball in the air, he trusted what he saw and he let it rip. That showed in his performance.''

Linebacker Paul Kruger, who gained Manziel as a neighbor in his quiet west side golf community, is proud of how far he's come from the party boy who was suspended for the 2014 season finale.

"He's shown a lot of maturity the last six months for him to come in these last couple games and kind of find his momentum, kind of find out who he is as player in this league,'' said Kruger. "The coaches are doing a good job of creating plays that give him good opportunities for what he does well. It was just a great thing to see from the sideline.''

Isaiah Crowell, who rushed for 72 yards and a 4.8-yard average, wasn't surprised Manziel came through.

"We knew he was ready,'' he said. "He did well all week so we trusted him, and he did his thing."

Manziel's good friend Joe Haden, who gave up the 13-yard TD pass to 6-5 rookie Dorial Green-Beckham that narrowed the gap to 21-14 in the third quarter, knew he had it in him.

"I'm just proud of him, just to see how far he's come from his first starts last year – just to be able to be a whole lot more poised, under control, and look like he understands what's going on,'' he said.

"Personally, first win at home, season opener, that's a pretty awesome script for me,'' he said. "I'm getting better, but still missed some things that I'm going to be hard on myself about tomorrow on film. I just want to say it's one game. There's no reason to really be too high about, too low about it. So just continuing to try and stay positive and not really try to lose any of that swag that you had coming in. I think that's the thing: Don't get too down. But at the same time, it's awesome to get out of this game with a win, boost your confidence a little bit for sure."

Hoge promised to wear an orange and brown tie on the air if Manziel proved him wrong. Will Manziel check it out?

"Of course,'' he said.

I get the same vibe and if you look at actions over words, he named both Hoyer and McCown, hardly studs, his starting QB very early in TC. The coaches get to see them every day, so that has to mean something. Of course, they could be wrong too, but it at least means that they're not happy with either Manziel's consistency or grasp of the play book etc

Hmmm 8 of 15 for 172 yards and a QB rating of 75.5 and he put the ball on the ground two more times yesterday.

If you take away the two long passes (the first one was under thrown) He would have been 6 of 13 for 62 yards no TD's and two fumbles, and everybody would have been screaming for his head.

That was last year. I'l take a win over anyone anytime.

Certainly need to prep that way. Who is backup?

They may not review McCown until friday again so Johnny probably gets the start anyway as McCown wouldnt have taken any reps in a couple weeks. Which that should give Johnny another shot of putting his stamp on this QB spot. 133 QB rating certainly helps his case.

QB rating is 133.9. And why would you want to take away his 2 biggest plays? Let's take away MM's 2 TD passes and call it a day

That always reminds me of Butch davis when he gave up 300 yards rushing well you take away those 4 80 yard runs and we held him in check lol

or lets take away the Hartline drop and the three passes JM threw away to avoid sacks and he is 8-11 and 172 yards.

lets take away those two long runs and the Run D looks a lot better.

I was going to say that, but I couldn't remember if BD was the coach or not. I thought it was take away those 2 big runs and we held him in check. Anyway everybody was screaming for this Team to make a play when needed and it finally happens and we want to take away some plays

Just like all the praise for Mariotta who put the ball on the ground a dozen times. Was inaccurate all day. held the ball to long as he was struggling reading the D and he gets praise while Johnny pond scum was holding back the Browns.

Honestly i am starting to think a lot of the Hate for Manziel by the media is as much typical Browns hate as anything else. If Johnny was a Cowboy they would all be kissing his ass this morning.

according to ESPN his QB rating was 75.5 yesterday

http://espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400791669

I said take away those two plays only because he looked bad the rest of the game, and everybody is praising him when I don't think he played well at all. Hell if we would have lost those two fumbles many people around here would be singing a different tune about him today. Or is Benji wouldn't have been so wide open on the first TD pass which was under thrown people would also have been singing a different tune.

To be fair to GM, I know what he's talking about, we can't get to high on JM yet. But it is looking better and better. Hope he keeps it up.

No matter what, Mourg, for Browns fans the grass will always be greener on the other side. Mariotta was careless with the ball. His deep ball was incredibly inaccurate. He had intermediate throws that were inaccurate. The INT to Poyer was terrible. Hell, he could have had four picks, and Browns fans would want him. However, if he had those same four picks in a Browns uni, the fans would turn on him quickly.

That's just the way most Browns fans and media are.

Oh I hope the kid turns into a 8 time Pro Bowl QB I would love it just as much as everybody around here would, and he is so much better this year as compared to last season. However he still has a long way to go.

I was going after the national media after listening to some of those guys should have been clear on that one lol

But hey if we had asked Browns fans would you be happy after the first 2 weeks if Johnny had a 3-1 TD/int ratio and a 100 QB rating average? I think most would have felt i was on dope for even asking the question.

I thought that first pass was right on the money, Benji just reached up and plucked the pass off and away he went. The under throw was in the first game.

^This. The win was awesome, the two TD passes were awesome, making Hodge wear an orange tie today is awesome. Other than that, I saw nothing that shows me he deserves the starting job at this point in his development. And I still don't understand the need/desire to rush him in there. Obviously he has a long way to go, and just as obvious is the fact that sitting and learning as the backup is definitely helping him to develop as a QB.

JMHO

This is the bottom line really. He made improvement from last game. Continued, incremental improvement. Isn't that what we are looking for?

I don't think Pett's a big fan, really. You can see it on his face and in his tone. But hopefully, he just feels Manziel needs more time to sit and learn. Hopefully he hasn't given up on him completely.

I thought Manziel's presser was really good. You get the impression he's a completely different guy now. I would have loved to hear from Thomas on what he thought of Manziel. Thomas is not capable of hiding his emotions. Would have been interesting to hear what he had to say.

One thing I wanted to say about the fans support of Manziel. When he is walking in the tunnel and they are chanting Johnny!! Johnny!! that was a beautiful moment considering where this kid was a short time ago.

OO and atm Johnny has a higher rating than umm Peyton Manning, Teddy, Carr, Bradford, Brees, Luck, Stafford, Eli, Ryan and Russell Wilson lol.

He may stink it up the rest of the year but I am enjoying the moment.

I haven't seen that necessarily. I do think he's sick and tired of answering the same questions about it over, and over, and over... ad infinitum. I also think he's good with his decision to start McCown when he's good to go, and ok with the need to start Manziel until he is. The good news is, Manziel has improved to the point where he can take the reigns if necessary, against an average front.

JMHO

I rarely watch US college ball, but a couple of years ago I tuned into the game where Manziel took his team into Tuscaloosa and beat 'Bama. Watching the guy, I thought 'the kid is a winner. Has moxie.'

With all his rookie troubles, on field and off, I had a lot of doubts about his NFL future but he's winning me over again.
I'm still not convinced he's the answer but he gives us hope. Man, he is electric, a playmaking son of a gun.

Definitely. So far Bradford looks like an odd fit for the Eagles.

With their offensive line woes, it'd be hard finding someone who could be a fit. Let alone a Qb who goes through knee issues like no other.

Of course you also have to factor in which regime drafted him, what they gave up to get him and who the four players drafted after him were and how well they are doing.

JM has a long way to go, and GM is correct for a lot of the game he was not that good, but his rating this year is 99+ and he was a ratio of 3-1 and a record of 1-0 as a starter.. so I will enjoy the moment and hope he continues to grow....

The Browns ineptitude in the last 2 minutes of the half are well documented.. worst in the league last year in giving up points in the final 2 minutes of the half...

So when the Titans got the ball, even though deep in their own territory with 1:39 left, I was absolutely certain that we had dominated the whole first half and were still going to go in up 14-3 or maybe even 14-7... so when we stopped them and ran the punt back, that's really when I started to feel like we were going to win.... shame a nice 14 point lead doesn't give me that feeling, that we should win...

Chip Kelly is a genius... just ask ESPN. LOL

Hey it may still work out and there is time yet but getting beat by the 'Boys without Dez and with Romo going down it does not bode particularly well.... I wont even mention Weeden going 8 for 8... LOL

I know that what I tried to explain to my wife when she was ure we would win at 21-0 and then at 28-14... "when their are 30 seconds left, we lead by 21 and have the ball then we can breath... until then its THE Browns and anything can happen."

That was the plan last year until Brian choked at the end of the season. It was also the plan until Josh got hurt last week. The Browns new Johnny had a whole lot of learning to do when they drafted him. They drafted him based on how high they were on his talent, and they never thought he would walk right in and light up the league right away. So far they have been right on about him. Lets hope he ends up the way they planned for him to by next season.

He is definitely flashing.

JFF has really impressed me with how far he has come, but he still has a lot of work to do on his game.

There are 4 major things that I see wrong with him and only 1 of those is something that can be corrected easily during a season.

I'll start with the correctable one first. He is still slow in his read progressions. That is expected in a young QB and is correctable over time with more reps at NFL speed. This can't be corrected holding a clipboard while Josh plays though.

Now the 3 that can't be corrected easily...

His footwork. Overall his footwork is poor and he throws off his back foot more often then not. Not only is this not good for his elbow, but it will lead to interceptions. This is a muscle memory thing and to correct it, you have to run drill after drill after drill until it becomes instinct. You don't have time for these kind of drills during game preparation.

His throwing motion. This is all over the place as well. Again bad for his elbow. He literally brings the ball all the way down to his hip before some throws. He'll get more balls swatted out of his hands and risk a Tim Couch type injury if he gets his arm hit too many times. It is correctable the same way as above.

Ball security. His instinct when scrambling is to hold the ball one-handed down by his waist. Not only does this lead to fumbles, but it slows down his throwing motion having to bring the ball up again before he throws. Correctable the same way as above.

So if Josh is healthy should Johnny start? In my opinion no. While the PT will help him progress with the first problem, it will also reinforce bad technique in the other problems.

If I were coach, I'd start Josh and have Johnny separated in practice doing drills to correct these issues.

The odds are that Josh will probably be hurt again and hopefully by then you have made progress with Johnny.

Just my opinion.