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Mike Pettine: There's no rift in Browns' locker room

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Coach Mike Pettine's decision to sit quarterback Johnny Manziel against the Raiders in favor of veteran Josh McCown did not sit well with many fans of the Cleveland Browns.

Or with some of Pettine's players, if you choose to believe a flame-throwing report from TMZ.com, which claims to have spoken with three anonymous Browns starters who lobbied hard for Manziel to play against the Chargers in Week 4.

Asked point-blank about the story by Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer, Pettine replied: "I've said all I'm going to say on that."

This came after the coach announced that he was "confident there's no rift in the locker room" over his choice to stick with McCown.

"We've talked to the team periodically about media policy and that if you go on record, put your name on something," Pettine said. "As far as multiple players being off the record, we talked to them about it, but that's not something I'm concerned with."

Said Pettine: "I know it makes for good copy and clicks outside of here, but given the veterans that we have in the room and being on the inside and talking to the players constantly and getting feedback of other coaches and other players and getting a sense of the pulse of the locker room ... I'm confident that this is not an issue."

Pettine noted that he and his coaching staff employ an "open-door policy" for any player with questions about the depth chart.

McCown is widely respected inside the locker-room, but any team with season-long concerns under center is ripe for anonymous chirping or made-up stories about anonymous chirping or on-the-record chirping from angry fans and writers tired of the decades-long ghost ship that is the Browns.

As for Manziel, we're going to see him back on the field sooner than later if McCown fails to ignite this moribund offense.

I see Pettine never denies the story or it's possibility, dances around it nicely, but never flat out denies it.

I don't know if this story is true or not. What I do know is that Manziel is a lightning rod. As long as he is on the bench, there will be stories similar to the one reported by TMZ.

(I am not saying Manziel should play to prevent these types of stories.)

Why not trade Manziel to stop all the rumors then.? I'm sure there are a few teams who have QB's better than McCown they would part with for Manziel.

Why would a team trade anything, let alone someone better than McCown, for Manziel?

Weeden

I just love our team being in the News consistently ; For all the wrong reasons !

This sports team is a honey pot for beat writers and topics they can write and roll with. They don't even have to dig for anything, just let time pass and more sooner than later, we'll have something else unfold, be questioned and etc.

Welcome to Cleveland.

What I know about TMZ is that if you say "Johnny is good and can be a starter", they report as "Players are angry that Johnny is not starting"

That is what they are about, that his what they do. They make mountains out of mole hills to make money.

Well I suppose if you want to read between the lines, there is something there. But I choose not to.

Pettine has always struck me as a straight shooter. But he's being a good spokesman for the team by not pinning anything on anyone player.

I mean, look at how he handled West. Always was positive about him, but he's gone now so now we know that the problem was deeper than Pettine ever let on in interviews.

Honestly, that's the way it should be. He shouldn't trash players in the press..

I think Mike Pettine is a decent guy and a good coach. This is his first HC job and he is still learning. I believe that given a fair shot he will do well with this team. Our GM is another matter. If RF is let go I don't think it will affect things that much as far as the team play. He is easier to replace than the entire coaching staff.

Because it doesn't matter what he says.

Folks that want to buy into the made up story are going to. They will - as you just did above - construct frameworks in their mind where it is all still true.

People WANT to believe that there is dysfunction. Heck, just look at the thread where we extended that QB.... the Drama Machine is already spinning in high gear on that one.

Ain't that the truth.

As for the QB signing, It's farmers fault, I'm convinced

To get someone better than what they have.

Michael Vick, Steelers
Mark Sanchez, Eagles
Mike Glennon, Buccaneers
Kirk Cousins, Redskins
Tarvaris Jackson, Seahawks



Also IMO a few teams would probably trade their starter for Manziel right now.

If JF wasn't already here, we'd be on that list...

My point is (weather Pettine want's to admit it or not) we have a polarized team (players/coaches/ownership/fans) that either hate or love JM. The Brown's have two choices to shut up both sides right now.

1. Trade him
2. Play him

What's it gona be?

Are you saying Manziel is better than those QBs or McCown?

I think that unless your QB is Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady, etc, you probably have a polarized team in some regard, some more than others.

Or if your backup is Blaine Gabbert.

"a polarized team in some regard" is certainly not the Brown's with JM.

Don't get me wrong, I want him to play for us. But really if the team is dysfunctional with him and won't play him. The only thing to do is to trade him right?

Pettine reminds me of a young Belichek .. IE , early days in Cleveland when you couldn't tell him anything !

Oh come on,, what's with all the drama

Johnny will get his chance to play, of that I'm sure. How he does with those opportunities will tell the team and it's players and it's fans what the next move should be.

And no matter how he plays, there will always be a faction out there that says we can do better. So what's the difference?

Nah, Belichick was always smart. He wasn't afraid to take risks. He just was terrible w/the media and he benched Bernie. He was right to do so, but the local media and fan base turned on him.

Additionally, have you ever seen that show where they talk about his years in Cleveland? That was one amazing staff he assembled. Heck, Nick Saban was on it. Ferentz, Savage, Pioli, Mangini, the guy who was the Falcons GM, Lombardi, etc.

Unlike Pet, BB was never afraid to surround himself w/excellent football minds. He wasn't intimidated by them, but learned from then and had big enough balls to still be the man. He wasn't worried about everyone "getting along."

No comparison between the two, bro.

How can he confirm or deny what a few players may or may not have said anonymously off the record? He can speak to the overall tone of the locker room but not for every individual.

If some players feel that way, I'm sure they expressed it anonymously for a reason.

rift - noun - Latin for hope or optimism.

LOL

In that case he is absolutely right, though I doubt Pettine is a Latin scholar.

There are times when I think English is his second language.

Your opinion Bro .. Bill made a ton of mistakes when he was just getting started here in Cleveland , and has admitted so on TV on several occasions .. See round peg / square hole //
His way or the high way ..

rift - (verb) to burst open; split.

Sure he could absolutely discredit the report as false. He doesn't need to confirm what every individual may or may not have stated (just the starters on offense ) it's not a courtroom.

More to your point, it strikes me that he does not have the pulse or ear of the locker room as evidenced by the lack of preparedness on the field. To me, he comes across as a lost man, unfortunately.

rift - (verb) raise to a higher position or level (Asian pronunciation).

You asking me?



What he does with his opportunities. LOL.. that's BS. If a sizable portion of the coaches/players/FO/ownership are not 100% bought in, he's bound to fail.



Sorry but that's not what we have going on here. It's too polarized to large of a faction on each side.

I give McCown 1 possibly 2 more games and if he's the man we need to get something for Manziel through trade.

a difference in opinion, belief, or interest that causes such a break in friendly relations.

huh?

Yikes.

The sources are not anonymous to the news outlet. They are anonymous to the public.

Like I said I want JM to play but If McCown is doing fine at QB why keep JM? We have other backups that aren't so polarizing or cause locker room fodder. JM can get his chance with another team who recognizes his talent has his back who actually want him as their starter and can play at his level.

Josh McCown is 400 years old.

Brett Favre was 800
George Blanda was 2400