Browns not worried about Manziel’s partying
6/11/2014BEREA, Ohio — The Browns aren’t worried about Johnny Manziel running out of bounds off the field.
Or floating on pool rafts.
After a weekend of partying in Texas, where he was photographed floating on an inflatable swan while drinking champagne in a nightclub pool, Manziel was on the field Tuesday as the Browns opened a mandatory three-day minicamp.
The team is not making their popular Heisman Trophy-winning rookie quarterback — or starter Brian Hoyer — available to the media this week.
Manziel has left Cleveland each of the past three weekends, first taking a trip to Las Vegas, then to Los Angeles for a seminar with other rookies, and then to his home state, where in addition to having some fun, he got drafted by the San Diego Padres and attended Game 2 of the NBA finals.
Following practice, Browns coach Mike Pettine said he’s not worried about how his young QB spends his free time.
“I’m not concerned,” Pettine said. “I would become concerned if it was something criminal and I would be concerned if it affected his job. There’s a lot of our guys, if when they leave here if they were followed around, you’d get some very similar pictures.”
Manziel has said he intends to keep living his life to the fullest, and Pettine doesn’t feel the need to monitor the 21-year-old’s every move.
Manziel is currently listed as Cleveland’s backup behind Hoyer. The two will compete during training camp next month, when each pass will be dissected.
The dueling QBS are already under scrutiny. During Tuesday’s workout, Manziel took snaps with Cleveland’s first-team offense as Hoyer continues to be limited as a precaution while recovering from offseason knee surgery.
When he was on the field, Hoyer showed his ability to read the defense and release the ball more quickly than Manziel, who is still learning the nuances of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s system, and adjusting to the speedier pro game.
That’s not to say Manziel didn’t show progress.
“He’s getting more comfortable in the huddle, calling the plays,” Pettine said. “I think he’s got a very nice touch with the deep ball. We’ve added some of the zone-read stuff that Kyle’s run with RG3 in Washington and he’s done a nice job handling that. He makes improvement every day.”