As they do at every bye, no matter who the coach is, the Cleveland Browns will use the time between now and their next game on the final night of November to do a few self-scouting before preparing for their next opponent.
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The Steelers, after all, are ideal against the Browns at home whenever Ben Roethlisberger is in uniform.
Browns coach Mike Pettine said of Manziel: “I think the performance against Pittsburgh validated the progress that he’s made, the improvement that he’s shown – and he deserves this opportunity”. The Browns host Baltimore on November 30….
To those new to this weekly torture, the loss at Heinz Field to Steelers hobbled quarterback Ben Roethlisberger guarantees the Browns (2-8) of an eighth straight season without a winning record.
Haslam and Coach Mike Pettine meet routinely, sometimes chatting on the practice field.
What we know is the Steelers beat a team that looked like a 2-8 team, and Roethlisberger appears to be on track to play in Week 12 against the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks. We addressed it by unit, by player, talked about the program from A to Z.
“We haven’t discussed it yet so probably the next time I sit in front of you, I’ll be able to answer that”, Pettine said. Where we are right now isn’t good enough. We were tireless in our rehab and trying to get ready.
Johnny Manziel came out of Cleveland’s 30-9 loss to the Steelers on Sunday with one request.
On Monday Pettine said he wasn’t “prepared” to say he was turning to Manziel, but it was clear he was leaning that way. Now he’s among the best in the game and he takes particular delight in tormenting the Browns, who could have taken the OH native in the 2004 Draft and instead opted for tight end Kellen Winslow II.
For him to be effective from the pocket first-you just look at it and look at our league, and the guys that are successful, they are successful from the pocket-I was proud of him because he was so effective from the pocket. But it was Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant who were the stars of the game again.
NOTES: Wide receiver Andrew Hawkins (concussion) was injured in the fourth quarter and did not return. This, even though Johnny Manziel passed for 372 yards against them.
One will continue for another year at least: Ben Roethlisberger’s mastery over the Browns. Manziel was under siege and sacked six times.
Brown (10-139-2) was only outpaced by Bryant (6-178-1) in one of the most dominant dual-receiver performances in franchise history. Manziel’s first game as the full-time starter will come against the Baltimore Ravens. Even with the Browns doing a legitimately solid job of shutting down running back DeAngelo Williams and often double-covering Brown, the Steelers rolled anyway. It had to be satisfying for a unit that allowed the Browns to rush for 349 yards in two games against the Steelers last season.
Part of the reason is left cornerback Joe Haden has missed five games with injuries, but that isn’t the entire explanation. “I would never leave the Browns”. On the strength of those two plays, Cutler hit 19 of 24 passes for 258 yards and three scores, finishing with a quarterback rating of 151.0.
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After the Browns tied the score on their next drive, Roethlisberger entered the game. For the game, the Steelers rushed for 60 yards on 21 carries.
