DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Austin Davis

What I believe Pettine hopes happens is Davis plays well and the Browns win. That way he won't have to play Manziel.

His announcement that "this is a week to week decision" was just to placate Haslam, Farmer, and the fans. He has no intention of playing Manziel the rest of the year unless forced to, IMO. I think he dislikes Manziel, and I believe he is giving the finger to Haslam and Farmer. The guy has turned out to be as petty as they come.

I wish Pettine cared more about the Browns than he does himself, his buddies, and some silly code of conduct.

You're right, it's much more likely that he's deliberately sabotaging his career because he doesn't like a guy than he's just convinced that Manziel can't be trusted to be ready game day. I'm sure that's the way it is, I see people all the time burning down a lifetime of work because they don't like their subbordinates...

When you're not very intelligent, I don't believe you deliberately sabotage your career. It just happens through your normal decision making. The Peter Principle likely applies here with Pettine. Heck, it may have applied to him when he was a coordinator. And he's not really burning down anything. He'll get another job. Is there a bigger nepotism cesspool than the NFL?

He's got some power, and he's exercising it. If he doesn't get fired, great. If he does, great. He'll get paid and find something else.

And let's be clear here. Not starting Manziel is one of plethora of reasons why he's probably getting fired. You could apply your "deliberately sabotaging career" comment to sticking with O'Neil too...or any of a number of other things.

But your premise was that he's not starting Manziel because he doesn't like him. The other decisions are based on a philosophy, which can be argued to be right or wrong but it's at least based on something other than a personal feeling for an individual. You may be dead on, on the other decisions based on a lack of intelligence or skill (although I disgree with you somewhat) but I don't buy that he'd damage his career because he didn't like a player.

I said excited to see him play, I didn't think anyone would get a full assessment of him in Flip's offense in just one start with us. But if he's going to be the backup, going to contend to start possibly and so forth - I'd say that alone is reason enough to watch the kid operate.

At this point, I hate hearing about Manziel and believe the staff has to:

Accept his party life/off the field life, and play him.

Cut him.

... as I'd alluded towards, I just hope they choose the latter of the two, how they're handling the situation is beyond strange, but hey - nevertheless we'll get to see Davis with a full week with the #1's and prep as starter. It's possible we could be shocked, but for the good and bad lol!

You have issues.

Look, I was very upset when we took Manziel over Bridgewater and I still am. I have come to the conclusion that we should also have picked Carr over Manziel. Don't paint me w/some brush that you can't control.

You, on the other hand, diss Manziel on almost every post you make. You belittle anyone who wants to see him play. We don't praise Manziel as the guy, we just wanna see if our first round pick can play. You manipulate things and it's all fueled by your obvious perverse hate for a guy you probably have never even met.

That might sound harsh, but you have called me out twice in a row. I didn't say one word to YOU. I was following the thread. You had to jump in and call me a troll and insinuate crap that is far from the truth.

Soon, you'll join the rest of the middle school girls and say........Vers is this, Vers is that.

Have fun w/that. You belong w/them.

Say somehow Manziel stays on the team and is announced the starting QB at the end of the season. How short of a leash is this guy going to be on during the entire offseason. Will a picture during the offseason instantly demote him come training camp?

Some people on this forum are so clueless. Pettine doesn't hate Manziel. He is being a good coach who is giving Johnny the discipline he needs. Too many people in this kids life have given him a pass because of his talent and because of it he think he can say or do anything he wants with there being no real consequences to his actions. Pettine is doing the right thing in giving him a wake up call.

The organization wants to see if he will rise up or give up. Unless austin lights it up I expect jonny will be the starter again soon unless he has shown he doesn't care anymore. If that becomes the case I'd still let him start and increase his chances of being trade bait.

Uhmmmm...................no comment at this time.

What's a Austin Davis?

Seriously, he may be the best QB on this pathetic team.

I take it that that's not a vote of confidence...j/k

Vote of confidence?

Yes - a confirmation that you agreed with the previous post. Somewhat less than subtle but certainly humorous...

Not really.

I think he was calling a certain sector of posters clueless and I did not agree w/that take. Actually, I thought the posters he was calling clueless had a better understanding of things than the posters who think like he does.

I was being nice.

Ah, the Versatile Dog School Of Charm & Etiquette...

I saw him play in St. Louis. Let's put it this way...I want to see him play. Kid has grit. I think he needs more playing time. If Josh can win games, Austin can win. I think we might be pleasantly surprised. To me, Austin is young version of Hoyer and McCown. Can he turn into something better? Unsure. He definitely fits Pettine's thinking of a QB.

Josh can't win games though.

You are correct. He needs at least 10 other guys to help. I'll take 22 starters like Josh any day.

Josh can't win games with 10 others though.

I don't think it is Josh who is losing games for Cleveland.

feel free to think what you like vers. I stand by what I said. I always do =)

I'm kind of curious about Austin but its not like I care really one way or another. It's not QB play that lost this season for a change IMHO.

we dont already? battlers. try hards. underdogs. its like we still have the same people year after year. quincy morgan, braylon edwards, josh gordon, duan bowie. how bout the venerable dante stallworth and andre rison?

we are a mess. we`ve been a mess for a long time

Vers, had a good definition in another thread. Give me guys who hate to lose and put in the time/effort preventing. I think we have to many players who love to win but are not willing to put in the extra effort to make it happen.

I'm wondering, if players don't believe in their HC, the schemes, see the team rudderless..... At what point do they simply feel lost themselves?

I believe it would be hard to be a leader if you felt the direction in which you were leading them was a three ring circus.

I would find it very hard to believe that more than a select few players on this team believe in this coaching staff or FO. Why would they?

Pitt, what signs are you seeing this team rolled over? Are you saying they believe in the coaches for the first half coming out in the second half laying an egg?

I do get your point. Maybe we see more your view in the next coming weeks.

Quick, can anyone name the QB with at least 10 passes with the highest QB rating?

Austin Davis

In a game or for a career?

Tom Brady is the QB with at least 10 passes with the highest QB rating. So I'm not sure what he was asking for either.

Right. For a game, there have been plenty of QBs with a perfect QB rating.

Pop quiz...how many turnovers did Davis have returned for TDs last year?

Pit...........I think you are missing my point. Those kind of guys don't question the coaches as much. They go out and do their job! That's huge!

Now, it can be tough playing--or working--for an incompetent superior, but a true warrior never allows that person to interfere w/his performance on the field or on the job. Hating to lose prevents one from not giving one's best effort at all times.

Does that make sense?

I meant this season. I should have been more specific.

Not that it means anything, it's just 10 passes, but it kind of surprised me.

If you knew anything about how passer ratings were calculated, it would not be a surprise.

Completion percentage
TD Percentage
YPA
Int Percentage that is it.

Hit a bomb for a TD in your first 10 throws, and you win the lotto.

Austin Davis will try to keep Johnny Manziel on bench with good starting debut vs. Bengals

Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns quarterback Austin Davis runs for a first down against the Baltimore Ravens in the second half Monday night, Nov. 30, 2015. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)
Print Email Mary Kay Cabot, Cleveland.com By Mary Kay Cabot, Cleveland.com
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on December 05, 2015 at 8:42 PM, updated December 05, 2015 at 8:43 PM



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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Austin Davis didn't expect a text from his friend Brett Favre this week when the Browns picked him over Johnny Manziel to start Sunday against the Bengals.

"No, I don't think he gets cell reception deer hunting in the woods,'' Davis said of Favre. "He's unreachable right now. But when he comes out of the foxhole, I'm sure he follows along. I know he's had a lot of nice things to say, and I appreciate it from such a legend and such a great player."

Favre seemed like he may have spent a little too much time out in a tree stand last year when he put his fellow Southern Mississippi product into the Hall of Fame during a hot stretch with the Rams, where he went 3-5 as a starter in 2014.

"Not to sound off my rocker, but he -- in my mind -- can be the next Tom Brady or Kurt Warner," Favre told ESPN. "(Brian) Hoyer as well. Austin, like those mentioned, just needed a legit opportunity."

Davis appreciated the high praise from the future Hall of Famer, but told reporters then, "I don't really want to be the next anybody. I just want to be the first Austin Davis and just keep doing what we're doing."

Davis, who first met Favre at Southern Miss, trained with the 11-time Pro Bowler in preparation for the 2012 NFL Combine, where Davis was a last-minute invite. Even then, he was summoned mostly to throw to the tight ends, and was an afterthought amongst the quarterbacks.

But once he was there, reporters caught wind that Favre was his mentor.

"You broke some of his records at Southern Miss?" one asked Davis, according to the Huntsville Times.

"Yes, sir," Davis said.

"Which ones?" the reporter asked.

"All of them,'" Davis said.

It was vintage Davis, who becomes the 24th quarterback to start a game for the Browns since 1999. He's quiet and unassuming. He walked onto the Southern Miss football team after earning a baseball scholarship there. He started as a redshirt freshman and never looked back, leading the team to 12 wins as a senior.

Along the way, he shattered Favre's records and earned the respect of the former Packers' great, who struck up a friendship with him back then.

But the only team that drafted Davis out of college was the Boston Red Sox, in the 31st round.

By then, Davis had long left his baseball career in the rearview mirror and had signed as an undrafted free agent with the Rams. He spent 2012 in St. Louis and was cut the following year, but soon joined the Dolphins practice squad. That lasted all of a week before he landed back in St. Louis in October of 2013.

Last season, he began camp as the third quarterback there and was just trying to hang on. But Sam Bradford's torn ACL, suffered in the preseason game in Cleveland, paved the way for Davis to put himself on the NFL map and ultimately end up with the Browns.

Pressed into service after Shaun Hill went down with a calf injury in the opener, Davis started the next eight games and captured the attention of the NFL with some sensational performances. He had back-to-back 300-yard, three-TD games in losses to Dallas and Philadelphia, and then knocked off the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, earning a 132.3 rating in that game.

"It's important that you flush every game when it's over, whether it's good or bad,'' said the even-keeled Davis. "But to a certain extent, you draw off of the confidence good games give you and just remind yourself that you can do it. It just takes the right opportunity.''

After rough outings against San Franciso and Arizona, Davis lost the job to Hill and never attempted another pass in the final seven games.

In the offseason, the Rams trade for Nick Foles and Case Keenum, and drafted Sean Mannion in the third round. The odd man out, Davis was released on Sept. 5 and the Browns signed him two days later. On Sept. 30, they wrapped him up to a two-year extension worth $4.173 million.

"From the moment I got here I felt like they believed in me as a player and that's really important regardless of if I was going to serve as the three for the rest of the year,'' said Davis, who jumped from No. 3 to No. 1 for the season straight year. "That wasn't really part of the discussion as far as, 'You're going to start and this and that.' We all know how things can change.''

Ironically, Davis may have had a chance to start again this year in St. Louis, where Foles was benched and re-instated this week only because Keenum has a concussion.

"I miss those guys and I wish them well, but that's life in the NFL,'' said Davis. "You've got to switch teams, you've got to keep going and keep getting ready to play.''

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Davis knows he'll take the field Sunday in front of a home crown that largely wants to see Johnny Football. But just like last week, when he trotted out to a chorus of "Johnny! Johnny!'' chants to replace Josh McCown (broken collarbone), he'll take it in stride.

"Playing quarterback is hard no matter what,'' he said. "I have to do a good job of not letting it faze me. The thing we need to remember is our fans are passionate and want to win. So I don't take things like that personally. I see it as they're passionate, they want to win, and we all do. To play in front of a home crowd like that, I'll take that any day.''

The fans sure loved 'em some Davis Monday night when he went 6-for-6 on his first drive for 71 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin that tied the Ravens at 27 with 1:47 remaining. Of course, the joy in Brownville was short-lived when Baltimore blocked the 51-yard gamewinning field goal attempt and Will Hill returned it 64 yards for a touchdown as time expired for the 33-27 victory.

"During the game, he told me 'it feels good to be in here' and he just smiled real big,'' said receiver Marlon Moore. "It's unfortunate the way that it had to come about, but we're happy for him and we're going to go to battle with him just like we would for Josh and Johnny.''

Relentless preparation is Davis' hallmark. Even when he first arrived, he could be seen helping McCown decipher the defense on the sidelines.

"The fact of letting people down just bothers me,'' he said. "That's where just the hard work and prep comes from. It's a big responsibility."

Davis knows he's on a week-to-week trial and that Manziel will get out of the doghouse soon for lying to the coaches about partying over the bye weekend.
"The quarterback situation is always week to week,'' he said. "You never know when somebody's going to get hurt or circumstances change.''

He also knows he's No. 24 on the ridiculous list of Browns quarterbacks since 1999. For comparison's sake, the Patriots have started three quarterbacks in that same 16-year span: Drew Bledsoe, Tom Brady and Matt Cassel. He's also the 15th Browns quarterback Marvin Lewis has faced since 2003.

"I've heard that number (24) tossed around, but it's hard to really speak on that,'' he said. "I just want to prepare and play my best."

It won't be easy against the 9-2 Bengals, who beat the Browns 31-10 in the first meeting with Manziel at the helm. They're No. 1 in the NFL in points allowed with only 17.5 per game and and held Davis' former Rams to just seven last week. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins leads all NFL interior linemen with eight sacks and Carlos Dunlap has 8.5. Safety Reggie Nelson leads the NFL with six interceptions.

"They're really good, that jumps out,'' said Davis. "I don't know exactly what they're ranked, but I'm pretty sure it's close to the top. We'll try to build on what we were able to do successfully and figure out what we didn't do so well. But they're going to change and we're going to change. It's a different game.''

And if all goes as planned, Davis will give Favre something to smile about when he comes back in from the woods.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ss...ncart_big-photo

I think he was asking because it was more of a fun fact, not a relevant stat.

Austin Davis is certainly a good, hard working guy. And I hope he does well today, although I don't expect that. But there is a reason he was cut by the Rams even though he started several games for them in the past. Maybe more than one reason, who knows?

So let's be clear on one thing....the only QB on our roster that has even a remote chance to be a regular starter in the NFL is Johnny Manziel. Not Josh McCown. Not Austin Davis. Not anyone on the Practice Squad. Johnny. Period.

Now, that doesn't mean he will become a good starting QB in the NFL. He's certainly done his best to sabotage his own career. and, honestly, the Browns haven't done him a whole lot of favors either. (Truthfully, damn near all Browns QB's can say the same thing). But Johnny still has at least the potential to be good. But with the boneheads running this organization I doubt we'll ever see that potential here. Too bad. I was interested in seeing what the kid could do with 5-6 games.

One last thing. I don't ever want to hear Pettine tell me he's playing the person who gives the team the best chance to win. Because that's pure bullcrap and we all know it. If he was doing the best for the TEAM he'd have fired his DC long ago and he'd certainly have started Manziel this week. Hell, if he really wanted to help the team he'd have resigned a month ago and kidnapped Farmer when he left. Just my 2 cents....

mac, if he needs help from the running game and the Defense to win.....LOL....why are you going to record the game? Your own experience should tell you that's not gonna happen.