Daily Dawg Tags: Johnny Manziel’s options in 2016
Spanning the virtual globe to bring you the latest news about the Cleveland Browns and the NFL – these are your Daily Dawg Tags for Wednesday, Dec. 23.
Cleveland Browns:
Cleveland Browns: 3 options for Johnny Manziel in 2016
"The Cleveland Browns have a big decision to make once this season ends. Well, they have many big decisions to make. Jimmy Haslam must decide if he wants to keep Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine. Pettine seems to stand a better chance at this point, but I wouldn’t put anything past this franchise, new ownership or not. But the decision that will stand out in the media and be talked about until a move is made, is the one regarding Manziel. He has performed well the last two games, and has started two of the three wins for the Browns this season. Sure, those came against two of the worst teams in the NFL, but wins nonetheless."
NFL Power Rankings: No Johnny bump this week
"What a difference a week makes for the Cleveland Browns. A week after beating the hapless San Francisco 49ers, the Browns were reminded what it means to be on the other side during a beating at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks. “It was apparent after watching the tape that our level of play just wasn’t good enough,” head coach Mike Pettine said on Monday. “Unfortunately that’s been a theme in a lot of our losses this year. The positive is I like our teams attitude, I like their fight.”"
Cleveland Browns: Joe Thomas, Alex Mack earn Pro Bowl nods
"The Cleveland Browns placed two players on the 2016 Pro Bowl roster as offensive linemen Joe Thomas and Alex Mack were selected. Tight end Gary Barnidge, who tied a single-season franchise record last Sunday with his ninth touchdown reception, along with wide receiver Travis Benjamin and special teams player (and sometimes cornerback) Johnson Bademosi were selected as alternates. This will be the ninth consecutive trip by Thomas to the Pro Bowl, joining Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Lou Groza for the most appearances in franchise history. Thomas is also the only offensive lineman in NFL history to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first nine seasons."
Cleveland Browns: If players want Pettine to stay, play better (Factory of Sadness)
"Recently in the press and I’m sure on social media, multiple Cleveland Browns players are standing behind head coach Mike Pettine to remain in his current role next year. The latest players to have expressed that opinion has been quarterback Johnny Manziel, tight end Gary Barnidge, and left tackle Joe Thomas. The message that should be known to those players, as well as the whole team is that if you want a coach to stay, the team needs to put forth a better effort to win games! We all know the prerequisite to retaining your job is winning! Unfortunately, that is something this team has only done three times in fourteen games."
Jimmy Haslam must decide how much continuity matters (ESPN)
"Continuity or change? Retooling with the same group or starting over? Living up to a promise made in preseason or reacting to the record? Those are the bottom-line questions that Jimmy Haslam must face as this long and dreary Cleveland Browns season winds down."
NFL News:
Shaquille O’Neal defends Odell Beckham Jr. (FanSided)
"Odell Beckham Jr. has been suspended for a game by the NFL, after his actions on the field during the New York Giants’ game against the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday. Beckham, Jr. and Panthers cornerback Josh Norman went at it all day on the field, and Beckham, Jr. ended up taking some dangerous shots at Norman. While the Panthers were doing things to get under the skin of Beckham, Jr., everyone has said what Beckham, Jr. did went too far."
T.Y. Hilton: Colts flaws go back to faulty play-calling (NFL.com)
"A hard truth in Indianapolis: The Colts have been one of the NFL’s biggest busts this season. The inability of the offense to find consistency is a major reason for this disappointment. Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton has already been let go, and the challenge has grown greater with Andrew Luck missing extended time with a kidney injury. For wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, the problem is not Luck’s absence or Hamilton’s failed vision. This is a play-calling issue, which falls on Hamilton’s replacement, Rob Chudzinski."
Will Smith tries to shine a light on darkest side of the sport he loves (SI.com)
"One late summer morning in 2014 in Lodi, Calif., Dr. Bennet Omalu was doing what he does most days. He was methodically dissecting a human body to determine why it had died. For Omalu, who is 47 years old and the chief medical examiner of San Joaquin County, the act of performing an autopsy is a spiritual and delicate one. He treats each body, including the young Hispanic woman who now lay before him, as if it were still sentient. He gently washes it. He cuts through its skin only with clean instruments. He communicates with it. “I need your help,” he will think. “We are in this together. Please help me find out what happened to you.”"