BEREA, Ohio -- Prior to Sunday's 24-6 loss to the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome, a national report from Jason La Canfora of CBSSports surfaced saying that Cleveland Browns backup quarterback Johnny Manziel's off-the-field issues began when he was relegated to the bench following a week-two win over the Tennessee Titans.
Manziel's off-the-field issues came to light in the days before the loss to the Denver Broncos two weeks ago when a police report and dash cam video revealed that the second-year quarterback was in an alleged domestic dispute while driving erratically on Interstate 90 in the Cleveland suburb of Avon.
But while the CBSSports report called into question Manziel's focus, Browns coach Mike Pettine denied such information.
"Never saw a drop-off at all and I'm in that room a lot and I spend a lot of time on the practice field with those guys," Pettine said. "There was maybe a day where he was a competitive guy, wanted to be the guy and was bummed out. but that feeling didn't last long.
"I never saw a drop-off from him as far as attitude on the practice field, wanting to perfect his craft, the time that gets put in in the quarterback room, how much we ask of him during the week like we do with all of our players. We test them during the week on the opponent and on the game plan, and there wasn't a drop-off."
Like Pettine, starting quarterback Josh McCown has seen focus from Manziel in the preparation leading up to games despite not knowing when he would next play for the Browns. And the 36-year old veteran credits quarterbacks coach Kevin O'Connell for keeping Manziel motivated as he waited for that next opportunity to play, which came when McCown suffered a right shoulder injury late in the loss to the Rams.
"Kevin does a great job of doing the extra things behind the scenes, at practice behind the play with both Johnny and Austin (Davis) and just getting both those guys ready and not letting their minds drift," McCown said. "It's easy when you're not getting reps to just go out there and your mind drifts and you're in and out.
"Johnny's focused on every play. He's going through the reads mentally. Austin's doing the same thing. Just watching the tape just then, I was proud of the way he came in and played. He looked poised and looked like a guy who was prepared and had a plan.
"I think that's obviously a sign of growth and it's a good thing. Obviously, what we want out of any young player is to see those guys getting better. I think he does a great job with his preparation every week and that's a credit to Kevin."
Eye-witness calls to the police from fellow travelers along Interstate 90 detailed the second-year quarterback, who admitted to having a couple drinks downtown before going home, as driving erratically on the highway and in a physical argument with his girlfriend, who was heard on the police video saying Manziel had hit her "several times," and also, "I'm in fear for my life."
Despite a league inquiry into the off-the-field incident, the Browns have to play three games over the next 15 days, and Pettine says any interviews that need to take place will not interfere with the team's preparations.
"We'll be informed of it and I'm sure they're certainly mindful of what our schedule is and I'm confident we'll be able to work around it," Pettine said. "They understand the schedule that we're in. I'm sure that whatever result, if there's some type of immediate result to it, they would let us know as soon as possible."
