PITTSBURGH: Johnny Manziel is campaigning for more playing time, and even though the Browns took a 30-9 beating from the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC North showdown Sunday at Heinz Field, the 22nd overall pick in last year’s draft presented his strongest case yet for an extended look.
“I want to keep playing,” said Manziel, who fell to 1-4 as a starting quarterback in the NFL, including 1-2 this season. “Every game that I keep playing, I keep learning, and I feel like things keep slowing down, I keep getting better.
“I was able to see the entire field and know where to go with the ball, so the more times I get a chance go out there and get a chance to start, the better I feel. That’s progression.”
After the humiliating defeat, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said he would make “no change” during the team’s Week 11 bye, so coach Mike Pettine and General Manager Ray Farmer are safe for now despite the franchise’s 2-8 record, including 1-2 in the division, and five-game losing streak. Of course, it might be a much different story for Pettine and Farmer following the season.
Nevertheless, committing to Manziel for the rest of the season could be a significant change on the horizon, though Pettine didn’t make any promises during his postgame news conference.
“Everything’s going to be on the table this week,” Pettine said when asked if Manziel would start moving forward. “As coaches, this [bye] gives us a chance to hit the reset button and just kind of [evaluate] what are our circumstances. So it’s too early for me to stand up here and speak on it.”
Manziel started in place of veteran Josh McCown (ribs) for the second consecutive game. He completed 33-of-45 passes (73.3 percent) for 372 yards and one touchdown with an interception. He posted a passer rating of 95.8. He ran three times for 17 yards (5.7 average) and took six sacks. He fumbled once and lost it.
The production led right guard John Greco to believe Manziel is “capable of leading this offense.”
“I’m proud of him. He played hard,” Greco said. “I think his maturity level and his leadership qualities are starting to evolve and develop into what we know he can be.”
Pettine said he thought it was Manziel’s best performance.
“Against a pretty good defense, he took some hits and stood in the pocket and made some throws, got out of the pocket and made some throws,” Pettine said. “... I thought he was very much in tune with the plan, the protection. He knew for the most part where to go with the ball. Unfortunately we didn’t get the result, but if you just look at it individually, I think he took a big step forward.”
The coaching staff has stressed the importance of Manziel going through his progressions and throwing from the pocket instead of running too soon. He seemed to improve.
“I think it’s a process to continue to try and learn when to stay in the pocket and make throws when your protection’s there, and when to get out and run a little bit,” Manziel said. “I think for the majority of the day I had a good balance of that.”
The main problem Sunday was Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger proved again he can practically torch the Browns blindfolded with one hand tied behind his back.
Backup Landry Jones started the game because Roethlisberger is dealing with a mid-foot sprain suffered last week. But right tackle Marcus Gilbert stepped on Jones’ left ankle during the Steelers’ second possession, forcing Roethlisberger into action with 8:06 left in the first quarter.
Jones entered the weekend 0-1 as an NFL starter. Roethlisberger is 18-2 as a starter against the Browns.
“Ben is an historically great quarterback, so it changes a lot,” outside linebacker Paul Kruger said. “You’ve got a guy without much experience compared to a guy who’s won [two] Super Bowls.”
Roethlisberger broke the game open in the second quarter with touchdown passes of 4 yards to Antonio Brown and 32 yards to fellow wide receiver Martavis Bryant. The Steelers (6-4, 1-2 in the AFC North) led 21-3 at halftime and never looked back.
“It was embarrassing,” Kruger said. “I don’t know what to say about it — we got outplayed in all phases of the game.”
Roethlisberger finished 22-of-33 passing (66.7 percent) for 379 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. He posted a passer rating of 123.2. He took one sack.
“I drank a lot of milk,” Roethlisberger said of playing through the injury. “It kind of surprised me and everyone else because I was in a boot. On Monday, my [left] foot was basically black and blue.”
Roethlisberger and Brown connected for a 56-yard touchdown with 9:07 left in the fourth quarter. After beating cornerback Johnson Bademosi on a slant route during the play, Brown rubbed it in by front-flipping into the end zone.
Brown tallied 10 catches on 14 targets for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Bryant had six catches on 10 targets for 178 yards and one touchdown.
With starting cornerback Joe Haden and starting strong safety Donte Whitner sidelined with concussions, the Browns allowed nine passes for gains of at least 28 yards, including three of at least 44 yards.
Bademosi and Tramon Williams drew pass interference penalties of 39 and 38 yards, respectively, in the third quarter. The Browns finished with 12 penalties for 188 yards compared with the Steelers’ five for 50 yards.
“It’s our fault we’re losing these games, but we’re helping the other team out, too,” Williams said. “We’ve got to find a better way. If we’re going to lose, we’ve got to lose being more disciplined, just doing it our way. We’re not doing it our way. We’re losing, and we’re giving away games at the same time.”
The offense also helped the Steelers.
Manziel fumbled on the Browns’ first play from scrimmage when the ball slipped out of his hand as he tried to throw it, setting up the first of three successful field goals by Steelers kicker Chris Boswell. Wide receiver Andrew Hawkins lost a fumble in the second quarter.
The Browns scored just one touchdown in four red-zone trips.
The most glaring letdown came early in the fourth quarter after Manziel scrambled for an 11-yard gain. He was ruled down at the 1, but the Browns challenged the call because it looked as if Manziel might have carried the ball over the goal line before he was tackled. However, the close call stood after a replay review.
“I’m pretty pissed about that, to be honest,” Manziel said. “I felt I should’ve scored, should’ve reached the ball out a little bit further.”
Rookie offensive lineman Cameron Erving’s holding penalty on linebacker Arthur Moats negated a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Isaiah Crowell. The Browns were penalized 5 yards for an illegal formation, and Manziel was sacked by linebacker Ryan Shazier for a 9-yard loss.
Then Manziel completed passes of 6 and 12 yards to Hawkins, setting up fourth-and-goal at the 7. Manziel scrambled and threw a pass intended for Hawkins in the front of the end zone, but cornerback Mike Mitchell dived to intercept it with 14:02 left.
“It’s senseless,” said Manziel, who would have had a 5-yard touchdown pass later in the fourth quarter if wide receiver Travis Benjamin hadn’t dropped the ball in the end zone. “It’s what we’ve continued to do, just shoot ourselves in the foot.”
Free safety Jordan Poyer intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger during the ensuing series, setting up the Browns’ lone touchdown — a 7-yard pass from Manziel to tight end Gary Barnidge with 12:28 remaining.
“The big picture is I’m progressing. I’m getting better,” Manziel said. “That’s what I want to be doing. It’s hard to play this position. There’s a lot of little moving pieces. There’s a lot to learn coming from a spread offense [at Texas A&M].
“I’m continuing to learn every week, regardless of my situation.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ.