News & Info/Headlines
As Cleveland Plain Dealer staffer Dan Labbe understated: "Things aren't getting better for Johnny Manziel. ..." Nor are they looking good for fantasy football owners who secured Manziel's services for their Dynasty leagues.
This after a report from ESPN.com's Pat McManamon and Jeremy Fowler in which they talked to "nearly 20 Browns sources, both on the record and on condition of anonymity" that paint an ugly picture of Manziel's actions during the season and how they were viewed by those within the organization.
Included in the ESPN report: "As one player put it, Manziel throughout the entire 2014 season was a '100 percent joke.'"
But couldn't that be said of the Browns in general?
In fact, one could argue that Manziel's decision to check himself into a rehab center the week before Super Bowl XLIX for undisclosed personal issues (widely reported to be alcohol related) was the best news coming out of Cleveland in the last year.
Other than that, Josh Gordon has been suspended for the entire 2015 season (reportedly for failing a drug test due to alcohol use); general manager Ray Farmer is being investigated by the NFL and reportedly faces a multi-game suspension for allegedly texting instructions to the sidelines during games; offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was allowed out of his contract after just one season with the club; and most recently, a in-depth article by CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora made a strong case blaming owner Jimmy Haslam for the Browns' overall dysfunction.
How bad is it?
According to La Canfora, "The culture in the Browns building is toxic, I'm told. Morale is beyond low. If you can flee, you are fleeing. There is no shortage of individuals throughout that organization who would, like Shanahan, get the hell out of there if at all possible. There's an overwhelming sense of dread about the future and a fear that, come the end of the 2015 season, Haslam will do the one thing he has managed to do with any consistency during his three-season reign -- that is, blow up his entire building once again and fire everyone, in essence blaming all but himself for his sweeping failure."
Adding to that whole dynamic, it seems safe to assume Haslam's meddling has been most problematic at the quarterback position.
Manziel's rookie season could not have been more disappointing -- to the point where now Haslam is plotting trading up to draft Marcus Mariota this spring, sources said told La Canfora and Manziel's presence in Cleveland is born of Haslam, those same sources said.
The owner wanted to make a splash, add some pop to his franchise, sell some tickets and jerseys. "That was a business decision," one source with direct knowledge of the situation told La Canfora. "That's on the owner."
The board in Farmer's office leading up to the draft had three names atop it -- Derek Carr, Teddy Bridgewater and Manziel, in that order, La Canfora's sources said.
It was no secret within the organization why Manziel was there -- Haslam.
So, as La Canfora explained, there was already inherent pressure to play him, despite him coming from a rudimentary college system, despite him being distant and awkward with teammates (it was common for him to eat alone and walk the halls with headphones on, sources told La Canfora). Brian Hoyer held him off as opening day starter -- Hoyer even coming off an ACL injury knew the system much better and quickly earned a trust with Shanahan and head coach Mike Pettine that Manziel never came close to gaining.
The ESPN.com piece shed further light on Manziel's issues.
Specifically, the story delves into the Saturday prior to the finale in Baltimore ("Two team sources said security found a player who they felt clearly had partied hard the night before. One source used the words 'drunk off his a--.'") and how Manziel was treated by the team ("One Browns staffer said he believed Manziel didn't get tough love when attention to detail wasn't there. ...").
As for what went wrong in his first start?
"More than once, teammates corrected the play-call in the huddle, or headed to the line hoping things would work because the call was wrong. Sometimes, the offense would get lined up wrong because Manziel forgot to read the whole play or got the verbiage wrong (saying 'left' instead of 'right,' for example)."
Which might explain why newly-hired offensive coordinator John DeFilippo failed to endorse him as the team's quarterback. More noteworthy (considering the fact he was most responsible for Manziel's presence in Cleveland), Haslam echoed the notion that he didn't know if their quarterback is currently on the roster.
Speaking just before Manziel had himself admitted for rehab, the owner said the Browns remain committed to finding a franchise quarterback. He said all options are open to find a starter for next season and Haslam has no idea if Manziel is the long-term answer.
'We don't know yet,' said Haslam when discussing whether the team's QB of the future is currently on the roster.
As Associated Press sports writer Tom Withers noted, the Browns have had no luck at quarterback since returning as an expansion franchise in 1999. Cleveland has gone through 22 different starters in the past 16 seasons, and the team's inability to land a franchise QB in the draft or free agency may best underscore years of losing.
Last season, the Browns were in the playoff race before Hoyer struggled down the stretch and was benched in favor of Manziel. Hoyer, who started 13 games and led the Browns to 10 wins in two seasons, is eligible for free agency in March. Haslam did not rule out the possibility that Hoyer would be brought back.
In fact, the Browns have reached out to Hoyer about a contract extension.
Asked the first week of February whether he believes he'll get a chance to start in 2015 Hoyer told the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot, "yeah, no doubt."
When pressed on whether that could be with the Browns, the quarterback provided the "all options are on the table" response. Hoyer acknowledged that the texting and behind-the-scenes culture in Cleveland could impact the decision on his future and said he could tell Shanahan -- now in Atlanta -- was unhappy.
"... To say I was unaware, I'd be lying," Hoyer said.
The quarterback added that he met with DeFilippo and came away impressed.
As for the other issue in Cleveland at the moment, Hoyer said he reached out to Manziel after hearing his teammate entered rehab. It "takes a big person" to commit to that step, Hoyer said of Manziel.
Hoyer also added that it was "disappointing" to hear about Gordon's suspension, and hoped the young player could figure it out.
As for Manziel, the hyped first-round pick, he played poorly in two starts, raising questions about his future in Cleveland. Manziel was also a distraction away from the field as his weekend getaways and late-night antics became a distraction.
Haslam made it clear the Browns will demand more of Manziel, who went 18 of 35 for 175 yards and two picks.
'Johnny has to show on and off the field he can be a professional,' Haslam said. 'He knows that. Everybody in the organization has told him that. It'll be up to Flip and Pettine to decide whether he can be the kind of quarterback we need him to be. He knows what we expect of him on and off the field and it's up to him to prove he can do that.'
At this point, it's worth revisiting exactly what we got from Manziel on the field in 2015 (courtesy of Fowler):
So whatever you think about the off-field shenanigans, they pale in comparison to his on-field shortcomings so far. And believing he can turn things around at this point seems like a reach. Of course, the same could be said of the entire franchise at this point.
Further examples of that?
Now that the NFL has suspended Gordon for a full year, the consequences of his Week 17 team-imposed suspension become more important. Indeed, citing a league source, Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio reports that Gordon will soon be filing a grievance with the assistance of the NFLPA challenging the unpaid suspension for missing a Saturday walk-through practice before the regular-season finale against the Ravens.
The fight isn’t about getting the game check; it’s about getting credit for a sixth game in 2014 and in turn a year of credit toward free agency.
If Gordon loses the grievance (and if he stays clean for the next year and secures reinstatement), he won’t be eligible for unrestricted free agency until after the 2017 season. If he wins the grievance, he’ll be only one season away from hitting the market.
Either way, Florio notes, Gordon must pass up to 10 drug tests per month for the next 12 before he’ll have any chance to return to the NFL.
In addition, La Canfora reports that Jordan Cameron, who becomes a free agent next month, is not interested in returning to Cleveland.
Cameron was a Pro Bowler in the 2013 season and played well at times in 2014, averaging 17.7 yards a catch. But he has also suffered three concussions in the last two years, and that may scare a lot of potential suitors off. It’s unknown whether the Browns even want to keep Cameron.
Looking for positives?
They are few and far between. How about this?
Terrance West said on Instagram his goal is to enter next season weighing 215 pounds so he can be quicker and more nimble when hitting holes and juking defensive backs in the open field.
According to the team's official web site, West posted that he weighed 228 pounds when the NFL season ended with 13.7 percent body fat. He wasn’t exactly proud of that number. To compare, Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is listed at 215 pounds and Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray weighs 217 pounds.
To shed the weight, cardio has been West’s focus in recent weeks, specifically boxing.
West showed enough in 2014 to believe he can be a building block for the Browns offense. His 673 rushing yards led Cleveland’s rushing attack, which tallied 1,728 yards – the most by the franchise since 2009. His partner in the backfield, Isaiah Crowell, also certified himself as an NFL-caliber back during an uplifting rookie season.
Furthermore, DeFilippo reiterated the Browns will be lining up playmakers in different spots next season.
If West loses weight and improves his speed, there is reason to believe he could become a much larger part of the passing game.
Assuming they find a suitable quarterback, of course.