Johnny Manziel being made into a distraction
Oct 18, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel warms up before the game against the Denver Broncos at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
Based on the media coverage surrounding the Browns, it seems like this Johnny Manziel guy must be a pretty important player on the team.
The focus has solely been on him the past few days for a simple incident that should not be a concern to anyone outside of the Browns organization.
It is a fallacy to throw out the point that other players in the NFL do much worse things, but it still brings up a great point. Why is Greg Hardy being allowed to play still not a daily focus? What he did is infinitely worse, and he is actually making a difference on the field for his team.
Related: What should the Browns do with Johnny Manziel?
But what Manziel did, or didn’t do, is a minor issue that really has no business being delved into by members of the media, who expect to be told everything and get angry if they are not.
#Browns HC MIke Pettine struggles to explain extent of discipline of Johnny Manziel in domestic argument incident. https://t.co/d9H1rlhnjl
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) October 19, 2015
Mike Pettine does not owe anyone any answers on this matter and has done a great job of being a professional, which is something the Browns have lacked for too long. It is nice to have a coach who not only protects his players when they truly did nothing all that wrong, and who does not tell the media everything he knows.
It is important to remember that these teams come together as a sort of family unit, and talking to the media on a daily basis is not exactly a favorite task among the team.
Not talking about Manziel serves to minimize any distractions, but the players are not the ones writing up articles that are sent out to millions.
More from Dawg Pound Daily
- 3 Cleveland Browns players who don’t deserve another season in 2023
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
What should be written about is how the Browns blew several chances to beat the Denver Broncos on Sunday. But that never seems to be the case in Cleveland.
Even if the Browns had won, Manziel would still be the focus because of who he is, but the mood may have been different surrounding Pettine and his lack of sharing all the details of Manziel’s possible discipline.
But the loss does not help Manziel out at all in terms of media coverage. The lack of a winning team seems to contribute to off-the-field issues becoming more important that actual game results.
Constant calls for Manziel to be traded or cut would not be so loud if the team had a 6-0 record. Why does the backup quarterback need to be talked about at all? Even if he is Johnny Manziel.
If the media wants him to get over who he was in the past, they should start by treating him differently and stop fabricating distractions to get page views.