Browns coach Mike Pettine is taking a more hands-on approach to the offense this year. And that’s not a good sign for Johnny Manziel.
Pettine, who has a defensive background, said he’s eager to get more involved offensively this season.
“That side of my brain’s been sort of asleep for a while,” Pettine said, via Cleveland.com. “It’s been great. I feel very rejuvenated as a coach to be a part of it.”
When Pettine described the kind of quarterback he wants, he sounded like he was describing the steady presence of a veteran like Josh McCown, rather than the boom-or-bust style of Manziel.
“We just don’t want to put our quarterback in situations where the percentages aren’t there,” Pettine said. “We don’t want to be in third-and-long and second-and-long, where the quarterback is getting hit a lot. When a quarterback is upright and can get through his reads quick and get the ball out of his hands he’s a lot better.”
Combine those comments with a Yahoo Sports report that Pettine was ready to move on from Manziel when he entered rehab this offseason, and it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that Manziel will spend his second year in the same place where he spent most of his rookie year: On the bench.