It is important that the Browns seem to agree that Johnny Manziel was the top quarterback on their draft board. Questions remain over some other areas.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's All-Johnny, All-The-Time. And the Browns better not complain about that, or "all the noise." They asked for it the moment they drafted Johnny Football.
Also, about the Cavs and Tribe ...
About Johnny Manziel ...
1. Did anyone doubt that Jimmy Haslam had input into picking Manziel? When a team considers drafting a quarterback with so much hype, the owner has to make the final call. This is a challenge for any organization, handling a national celebrity before he even takes his first NFL snap. The owner has to not only be OK with it, he must want it.
2. No doubt, Haslam craves the attention that his team is receiving. In listening to the tape of assistant coach Dowell Loggains talking to Bo Mattingly on an Arkansas ESPN radio station, the main point was the Browns worked out 14 quarterbacks. He said Manziel was at the top of the list "then there was everyone else."
3. The ranking was important, because I wanted the Browns to take the top guy on their list. The only way it will work for a scrambling quarterback such as Manziel is for the front office and the coaching staff to view him as their main target. I do hope that's the case. I'm giving the Browns the benefit of the doubt when Loggains said Manziel was their top-ranked QB. If not ... well ... I don't want to think about that right now.
4. So the key question was when to take Manziel. Do they stay at No. 26, or move up? They made the decision to trade their 26th pick and a third-rounder to Philadelphia for the 22nd pick, convinced Kansas City was taking Manziel at No. 23. CNNSI's Peter King reported that Minnesota was competing for the No. 22 pick with the same intentions.
5. As for Manziel texting the Browns and asking them to pick him -- no surprise. He probably had mentally circled a few teams that were constantly looking for a quarterback, figuring those would be good spots to start his career.
6. As far as we know, the Browns are the only team that Manziel texted. But it wouldn't be a surprise if there were others. Manziel knows a few things about self-promotion.
7. Here is the part of the Loggains interview that sounds bad for the Browns: "When I got that text, I forwarded it to the owner and to the head coach (Mike Pettine). I'm like 'this guy wants to be here. He wants to be part of it.' As soon as that happened, Mr. Haslam said, 'pull the trigger. We're trading up to go get this guy.'"
8. The problem with the quote is it sounds as if Haslam had to force his front office to move up -- and perhaps the football people wanted to see if he dropped to No. 26. What we don't know is if General Manager Ray Farmer said something like, "I think it's time to get him." And then Haslam gave it the green light.
9. I heard that Loggains was not cleared by the Browns to give that interview to his buddy in Arkansas. Coach Mike Pettine denied that, saying they were aware of the interview. Either way, I doubt he'll be giving many more interviews in the near future.
10. The Browns need to understand that every comment on Manziel will be debated and picked apart by the national media. And don't blame the media. This scrutiny comes with Manziel.
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Cleveland Browns team shop worker Bethany Davis holds a Johnny Manziel jersey for a customer. Right now, he's No. 2 on the depth chart, matching his jersey. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer About Johnny Backup ...
1. In his interview, Loggains also mentioned that Manziel texted, "I want to wreck this league together (with the Browns)." That attitude made him Johnny Football at Texas A&M. It will be interesting to see how he is received here.
2. Haslam delivered this message when speaking at the Canton Hall of Fame Luncheon this week: "Mike Pettine said it very well: 'Johnny, right now you're our backup quarterback and you need to act like such.' We were very frank with him that that's the expectation. 'You're the backup quarterback.' This is a hard-working, blue-collar town. This isn't Hollywood. He's not the starter. Brian Hoyer is our starting quarterback. Johnny is the backup."
3. Manziel has a reputation of liking the nightlife and his celebrity friends. The Browns want him to know that he better be ready to back up the comments made at his first press conference. Word from Texas A&M was split on Manziel's willingness to prepare off the field. Some said it wasn't an issue, others said he needed to remember that the quarterback should be the first to practice and the last to leave the film room.
4. I do believe Haslam's "Hollywood" line was about telling Manziel that they want him to watch the late-night hours. They also want him to not worry about his commercial "brand," and concentrate on football.
5. The "blue-collar" line was about putting in the work with the playbook and videos. Hoyer is an excellent example of being a leader in all the critical off-field areas that you'd expect from an NFL quarterback. If Manziel is willing to learn, Hoyer is a great example to follow.
6. King reported that Manziel never had an actual playbook in college. He received weekly game plans. Now, he has to learn a full playbook for the first time.
7. Manziel scored a solid 32 (out of 50) on the Wonderlic test. By comparison, Andrew Luck had a 37, Aaron Rodgers a 35 and Russell Wilson a 25. So he has the smarts to pick up the nuances of the playbook.
8. Haslam also knows Hoyer is respected by the players. The veterans especially hold him in high regard because they know all the adversity that he has overcome to come back from knee surgery. They know how he has been relentless preparing for his chance to start. The Browns obviously didn't pick Manziel at No. 22 to be a long-term backup. They want him to develop into an impact starter. But they also know that so much has come so fast to the 21 year old.
About the Browns ...
1. I'm not about to celebrate the signing of two veteran receivers who have been looking for work for a few months. But there is reason to believe adding Earl Bennett and Miles Austin at least gives the Browns more options.
2. Once upon a time (2009 and 2010) Austin was a Pro Bowl receiver with Dallas. In 2012, he still caught 66 passes, six for touchdowns. He had six drops and a 14.3 average. Duplicating that in 2014 would be a huge boost for the Browns.
3. Austin's issues the last few years have been hamstring injuries. He's 6-2, 215 pounds and worth a look. He'll be 30 in June, so he may have a few good years left -- if he can stay healthy. Dallas cut Austin because he was due $5.5 million this season after catching only 24 passes in 2013.
4. Bennett was due $2.5 million from the Bears, who wanted him to take a pay cut. He is a possession receiver, catching 32 passes (two drops). He played 53 percent of the snaps, but averaged only 7.6 yards per catch. His longest play was 17 yards. He did catch four passes for touchdowns.
5. So you add Austin and Bennett to veteran Nate Burleson (recovering from a broken arm) and the Browns hope at least one of them can still play. And a good guess is they will continue shopping the free agent market and waiver wire.
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The Greg Little Era comes to an end with him having more dropped passes (31) than touchdown catches (8).John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer About a bad Browns trade ...
The decision to cut Greg Little means the Browns have only one player left from the mega 2011 draft day deal with Atlanta for the rights to Julio Jones. That's Phil Taylor, who has been a solid defensive tackle.
Little has been awful. He ranked 111th out of 111 receivers by profootballfocus. He's dropped 31 passes in the last three seasons, and never showed the speed or big-play ability that the Browns expected when making him a second-round pick in 2011.
Jones battled a foot injury last year, but he's caught 20 touchdown passes in three seasons and has big-play ability. Most fans know about him.
But the Browns also traded a third-rounder that day to Kansas City. That pick became linebacker Justin Houston, who has made Pro Bowls in 2012 and 2013. Every year, the trade looks worse for the orange helmets.
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Atlanta got the best of the Julio Jones deal with the Browns. The only player left on the Cleveland roster from that trade is Phil Taylor.AP Here's a look back:
1. In 2011, Browns General Manager Tom Heckert liked A.J. Green and Patrick Peterson. When both were picked before the Browns No. 6 selection, Heckert decided to add draft picks.
2. Atlanta wanted Jones, a speedy wide receiver from Alabama. The Browns traded their first-round pick to the Falcons, who grabbed Jones. The Browns received Atlanta's first-round picks in 2011 (No. 27) and 2012 (became No. 22). They also received picks in the second and fourth rounds of 2011. They also received a fourth-rounder in 2012.
3. In 2011, they traded the No. 27 and No. 70 picks to Kansas City to move up six spots in the first round to No. 21. That became Taylor.
4. Not much has been said about the No. 70 pick sent to the Chiefs, but Houston has 21 sacks in the last two years.
5. The Browns eventually turned the acquired picks into fullback Owen Marecic (2011, fourth round) and QB Brandon Weeden (22nd pick, 2012). Marecic is no longer in the NFL, cut in 2013 during training camp. Weeden was cut at the end of the season and signed by Dallas.
6. The Browns also received a 2012 fourth-rounder. But they traded that pick, a fifth-rounder and a seventh-rounder to Minnesota to move up one slot to No. 3 and take Trent Richardson.
7. So Taylor is all that remains as Richardson was traded to the Colts.
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Kyle Crockett made it to the Tribe after only 40 1/3 innings in his minor league career.Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer About the Tribe ...
1. Jason Giambi will soon be able to come off the disabled list, but what will the Indians do? Many of the at-bats that he'd receive as a DH are currently going to Lonnie Chisenhall (.357, .877 OPS). Chisenhall has been a DH in 14 games, hitting .413 in that role.
2. It will be hard for the Tribe to have Giambi on the roster for very long. With Jason Kipnis still hurt, the Indians need guys on the bench who can also play the field. Another problem is Ryan Raburn (.181) is not hitting. In addition, Terry Francona loves to load up his bullpen with pitchers.
3. Another reason the Tribe brought up lefty Kyle Crockett is Josh Outman is having a miserable time against right-handed batters. A lefty reliever, Outman has held lefty hitters to a .174 average. But righties are smashing him (.350, 1.135 OPS). Outman had the same problems with Colorado last season, lefties (.198) were not a problem. But righties batted .347.
4. Francona has been intrigued with Crockett since seeing the Virginia product throw at the end of last season. Crockett was the Tribe's fourth-round pick in 2013. He is the new Cody Allen, who bolted through the Tribe farm system in 1 1/2 seasons and 98 innings. Allen came to the Tribe in 2012.
5. Crockett has pitched only 40 1/3 innings in his minor-league career, allowing two earned runs. He is skipping over Class AAA because the Indians think he is one of those college pitchers who can mature quickly. The 22-year-old could earn a long-term spot in the bullpen if he pitches well early. Crockett doesn't throw especially hard -- high 80s -- but he has excellent control and sharp breaking pitches to lefties. He allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings in his big-league debut on Friday.
6. The Indians know Jesus Aguilar may not be ready, but they wanted to give him a chance this week. His overall stats at Class AAA are impressive (.298, 7 HR, 19 RBI). But in the month of May, he was batting only .182 with three RBI.
About Danny Salazar ...
The decision to send Danny Salazar back to the minors is another indication that the Tribe is trying very hard to climb back into playoff contention.
The easy decision would be to give the gifted right-hander more time to find his control. The problem for Salazar isn't walks -- it's that his pitches are often high in the strike zone. Not only does that lead to home runs (eight allowed in 40 2/3 innings), but also a lot of foul balls, which have raised his pitch count. Suddenly, the Indians are into the bullpen very early in the game.
Only twice in eight starts did Salazar (1-4, 5.53 ERA) pitch at least six innings.
Trevor Bauer was shelled in his last start, allowing six runs (four homers) in 5 2/3 innings. It was his first poor outing of the season, as Bauer is 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA at Columbus. For several weeks, Tribe scouts have been saying Bauer is ready for the big league rotation.
Consider how the Tribe also pulled a struggling John Axford from the closer's role, how they took Carlos Carrasco out of the rotation after four starts -- replacing him with Josh Tomlin.
My guess is the Indians would have taken Carlos Santana out of the cleanup spot if Jason Kipnis had stayed healthy. That would have permitted Kipnis to remain in his No. 3 slot, with Michael Brantley hitting fourth. But Brantley had to take over at No. 3 for the injured Kipnis.
The Tribe had no attractive alternatives at No. 4 -- Nick Swisher (not hitting), Yan Gomes, Asdrubal Cabrera, David Murphy or Lonnie Chisenhall.
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Augie Bossu is in the Ohio High School Coaches Hall of Fame for both football and baseball.Pete Copeland, Plain Dealer file About youth coaching ...
Francona and the Browns' Pettine will be speaking Monday at "Breakfast with the Coaches." It's already a sellout.
The reason that I'm mentioning it is that this event is sponsored by the Positive Coaching Alliance-Cleveland. It will be shown on tape on FoxSports STO, the channel that carries the Tribe games. The first broadcast will be May 26 at 5:30 p.m., and it will also be carried several other days.
"There is so much research that shows the impact of youth coaches on kids â good and bad," said Tribe President Mark Shapiro, who is the chairman of the Cleveland chapter. His point is how coaches and parents treat young people when they take part in sports often dictates if they stay with athletics â or quit at an early age.
"If you talk to most athletes who play in college, they usually mentioned the positive influence of one or two coaches," said Shapiro. Those who give up often talk about negative reactions from parents and/or coaches.
I played baseball at Benedictine for Augie Bossu, the legend who also coached football at the school. Our summer baseball teams were coached by Father Dominic Mondzelewski, who also was an assistant principal, cross country coach and taught some social studies courses.
Neither man claimed to be the second-coming of Earl Weaver or Terry Francona â but both were positive leaders. They made it fun to be on their teams, while winning also was stressed.
Many of you have the same type of stories. Check out the website of positivecoach.org.
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Vinny Del Negro has made the playoffs in four of his five years as a head coach with two different teams. AP About the Cavs coaching search ...
1. Not sure who will end up as the next head coach, although I still think Alvin Gentry has an excellent chance. Vinny Del Negro also will be considered. He had a 56-26 record with the Clippers in 2012-13, but lost in the first round of the playoffs and was fired. He made the playoffs in four of his five years with Chicago and the Clippers. He was 96-52 in his final two years with the Clippers, but it appears Chris Paul and some other players were not big fans of the former NBA guard.
2. It would be a surprise if Mark Jackson is hired. If you read some of the stories about his two years with Golden State, he fired one assistant coach in front of the entire team. He fired another for taping conversations. He also reportedly didn't want senior team advisor Jerry West to watch practice.
3. Jackson's tenure was strange. He had success on the court, winning 51 games. Most of his players liked him and were upset that he was fired. Yet, he had trouble with his own coaching staff, and in communicating with the front office. And those traits were getting worse rather than better in his two years. From what I hear, he won't be a serious candidate here.
4. Stan Van Gundy made a smart move by not only becoming the Pistons' head coach, but also the president of the franchise. He will be the sixth head coach in the last seven seasons there, so you can see why he wanted full power. He received a five-year, $35 million deal. The last successful Pistons coach was Cuyahoga Heights product Flip Saunders, who was 246-176 from 2005-08. Saunders made the Eastern Conference Finals in each of his three seasons with the Pistons.
5. Van Gundy takes over a team that was 29-53. Mo Cheeks started the season and former Akron Zips assistant coach John Loyer ended the season. The only other NBA coaches with the type of power held by Van Gundy are San Antonio's Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers with the Los Angeles Clippers.
6. Steve Kerr is not the general manager of the Warriors, but as a former Suns GM he has a lot of experience. Golden State will pay him $25 million for five years to coach, so Kerr will have a lot of influence.
7. ESPN's Chris Boussard reported that Miami assistant David Fitzdale may be a candidate for the Cavs job. I heard his name briefly mentioned last season before Mike Brown was hired. Heard nothing about him this year.
8. One of the people with General Manager David Griffin at the NBA combine was James Posey, the former NBA forward. A product of Twinsburg, Posey was an assistant coach with the Canton Charge. Griffin has a high opinion of Posey and he could be a candidate to be an assistant here. It depends on the new head coach, but Posey has the respect of the front office.
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The Cavs paid extra attention to Doug McDermott at the NBA Combine.AP About the Cavs ...
1. As of now, the Cavs have the No. 9 pick in the first round. The NBA draft lottery is Tuesday, so that can change. Their other pick is No. 33. The Cavs would like a young big man, along with a small forward or shooting guard who is primarily an outside shooter.
2. The Cavs have a concern with Jarrett Jack, Dion Waiters and Kyrie Irving because all are considered "high usage guards" in the latest NBA jargon. That means they like the ball -- a lot. So the player added to this mix -- be it shooting guard or a small forward -- must be a "catch and shoot" guy. That means the player doesn't spend a lot of time dribbling the ball.
3. Is Doug McDermott the next Kyle Korver or Adam Morrison? That's one of the questions the NBA scouts were asking at the combine. McDermott averaged 26.7 points and shot 53 percent (45 percent on 3-pointers) for Creighton. He measured 6-7, and that means a small forward. He will have trouble on defense. Can his shooting make up for it?
4. Morrison was a shooting star at Gonzaga and the No. 3 pick in the 2006 draft by Charlotte. His pro career was a flop, as he averaged 7.5 points. His shooting touch was terrible in the NBA (37 percent). Meanwhile, Korver worked hard to become an acceptable defender, and he's an elite shooter. The Cavs tried to sign Korver last summer, but he went to Atlanta (for less money) instead.
5. Korver has played 12 seasons. He's a career 42 percent shooter from 3-point range. For the Hawks, he shot 47 percent on 3-pointers and averaged 12 points this season. The Cavs desperately need a player like this, which is why they will look hard at McDermott. Michigan's Nik Stauskas (17.5 points, 44 percent from 3-point range) also falls into that category. In the second round (or perhaps trading up to the first), the Cavs might consider Duke's Rodney Hood. Griffin really would like to find a shooter in this draft with one of his picks.
