BEREA: Browns coach Mike Pettine would support a reunion of quarterback Johnny Manziel and receiver Josh Gordon next season, providing Gordon is reinstated by the NFL and Manziel is on the roster.
Pettine said if the league lifts its indefinite suspension of Gordon, his third ban for violating the substance abuse policy, the team would welcome back the All-Pro receiver.
“Sure, he’s a Cleveland Brown. Absolutely we would,” Pettine said Thursday.
But Pettine also made reference to Manziel’s uncertain future with the franchise after he’s repeatedly challenged the Browns with off-the-field issues. Last off-season, Manziel spent 10 weeks in rehab for treatment of an undisclosed issue.
Gordon, who set the Browns’ single-season receiving yardage record of 1,646 in 2013, was suspended on Feb. 3 and is eligible to apply for reinstatement on that date next year.
Manziel said Wednesday that he has been in touch with Gordon “constantly” this season and hopes they’ll soon be teammates again. Manziel said he invited Gordon, who is training in Los Angeles, to join him at the Texas A&M game on Nov. 7.
On the surface, Gordon’s relationship with Manziel would not appear to be a positive alliance considering Gordon’s problems with marijuana and Manziel’s hard-partying lifestyle.
“That will turn out to be a positive thing if Josh is with us next year and Johnny’s on the roster that those two have built a rapport together. I could see externally you doing the math and saying that,” Pettine said when asked if the two are good for each other. “As I’ve said before, we advise our players but we don’t micromanage them outside the building.”
Asked later to clarify his comments about Gordon rejoining the Browns and Manziel being on the roster, “Again, that’s just hypothetical, trying to project it to next year. Those are all questions that will get answered sooner than later. My sole focus is this weekend.”
The Browns visit the Seattle Seahawks Sunday for a 4:05 p.m. game.
Pettine tried to further explain his comments Thursday night on the Mike Pettine Show on the Browns’ radio network.
“On the lines of Johnny Manziel, for all the conspiracy theorists that are out there and heard me in the press conference make reference to ‘if he and Josh Gordon were on the roster,’ Johnny certainly is on the roster,” he said. “There’s no imminent plans for those out there to move him, but it’s just it would not have been prudent on my part to make an assumption that Josh, given what his circumstances are, that he will be there. There’s a process that he has to go through and we respect the league in that matter and that is what that comment was referring to, so hopefully that’s cleared up.”
It was hard to tell how Pettine felt about Gordon’s influence on Manziel.
“We stress to our players, and it’s not just Johnny, but it’s all of them, about making it in this business and getting the right people around you,” Pettine said. “I’m not going to sit here and pile on Josh. His history is documented. We haven’t been able to, by league rule, have a lot of interaction. But by the feedback we’ve gotten back, the returns there are very positive.”
Pettine said the only person in the organization allowed to contact Gordon is Ron Brewer, the director of player engagement.
Ribbing himself
Pettine opened up his press conference with a quip in reference to his comment Wednesday that he doesn’t put the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson among the league’s top tier quarterbacks.
“If anyone’s interested, I have my updated quarterback rankings. Every quarterback that’s ever played is tied for 1, best ever,” Pettine joked.
On Wednesday, Pettine said of Wilson, “Would you put him up there with the guys that can transcend their supporting cast — (New England Patriots quarterback Tom) Brady, (Green Bay Packers quarterback) Aaron Rodgers, (New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew) Brees, (Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben) Roethlisberger — the ones that you would consider the two, three, four elite guys?” Pettine said. “But no, (Wilson) has certainly played himself into that next tier.”
Asked where he ranks Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Pettine kept the joke going.
“The best ever. Tied for the best ever, because I don’t want to slight anybody else when I slot somebody somewhere,” Pettine said.
Source of improvement
Since the Cincinnati Bengals tormented Manziel on Nov. 5 in the second half of their 31-10 win over the Browns, he’s had a spike in production.
Manziel completed 4-of-15 passes for 40 yards with a rating of 39.6 after halftime in Cincinnati.
Since then, he has completed 54-of-76 passes for 642 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions for a rating of 94.3 in starts against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a 30-9 loss on Nov. 15, and the San Francisco 49ers, a 24-10 win on Sunday.
“You teach. Johnny, he’s not a repeat offender,” offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said, explaining Manziel’s turnaround. “I know what some people think of Johnny, and we talked about the perception of him outside the building last week. He’s a coachable, coachable player, and he listens. As long as he keeps doing that, he’s going to continue to get better.”
Manziel was demoted after he started against the Steelers because he partied during a bye-week break, then lied to the Browns about it. He returned to the starting lineup against the 49ers after spending two games on the bench.
“I trust him. I know him more than most people,” DeFilippo said. “Has he made mistakes in the past? Absolutely. We’re moving on from those and each day is a new day for all of us. That’s where we are right now.”
Coons on injury report
Rookie kicker Travis Coons was added to the injury report with a right groin problem and was limited in practice.
Coons has had a field goal blocked for three consecutive games. On Sunday, his 42-yard attempt was snuffed by the 49ers’ Quinton Dial with 9:48 remaining in the first quarter. Coons, who is 20-of-23 on field goals this season, also saw the Cincinnati Bengals block his 47-yard try and the Baltimore Ravens’ get his 51-yard attempt.
“Two of those three blocks have been low kicks that we’re trying to rectify in practice,” special teams coach Chris Tabor said. “I’m going to put one of them on the protection and the other two on the trajectory of the football.
“Foot to ball just a little high there and not getting underneath it enough. It’s gone through a strength of ours the first 10 or 11 games to a little bit of an Achilles heel. We have to get it because we need every point we can get.”
Tabor said there will be no changes on the field goal protection unit despite the fact that rookie offensive lineman Cameron Erving, the 19th overall pick, has been getting overpowered.
“He’s been doing really good up until this recent stretch,” Tabor said of Erving. “I’m not going to put everything on Cam Erving. Cam Erving is going to be in there. Did he look better yesterday? Sure did. Does he have to get better? Sure he does, but that’s all of us, coaches and players included.
“There’s seven offensive linemen that play on Sunday. You have to have big people up there. With regards to a wholesale change of people, in my world we don’t have that luxury.”
Expected to play
Browns All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas watched practice Thursday but didn’t participate for the second consecutive day because of an injured knee.
However, Thomas and Pettine expect the eight-time Pro Bowler’s consecutive-snap streak of 8,763 plays to remain intact Sunday. It’s the longest active string in the NFL.
“Taking a day off was just a matter of trying to make sure I was as fresh as possible on Sunday for the speed guys in Seattle,” said Thomas, who hasn’t missed an offensive play since the Browns drafted him third overall in 2007.
“At this point, I don’t see anything that’s going to keep him out of [Sunday’s] game,” Pettine said.
Thomas said he didn’t suffer the injury against the 49ers.
“No, it’s just a matter of being 31 years old and trying to make sure you’re as fresh as possible,” he said. “... I’ve had a lot of injuries [in my career], but I’ve been fairly healthy this year and there was no injury on Sunday.”
Extra points
• Pettine suggested it’s just a matter of time before the Browns place receiver Andrew Hawkins on injured reserve. He has suffered two concussions this season and missed five games, including the past three. The team could have made the move Wednesday when it claimed undrafted rookie running back Raheem Mostert, but it chose to waive undrafted rookie receiver Darius Jennings. “The logical move would have been to shut Hawk down, but we just weren’t at that point yet,” Pettine said. • Cornerback Johnson Bademosi (elbow) was added to the injury report and was limited in practice. In addition to Thomas, cornerback Justin Gilbert (concussion), Hawkins, running back Glenn Winston (concussion) didn’t practice Thursday. Wide receiver Marlon Moore (ribs) and cornerback K’Waun Williams (shoulder) wore red “non-contact” jerseys during practice and were limited.