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49ers’ Tomsula disputes suggestions SF took Browns lightly

The Browns started Johnny Manziel at quarterback on Sunday and won.

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After Manziel beat the 49ers 24-10 on Sunday in his first start off of his two-game suspension, two-time Pro Bowl safety and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison said on NBC Sports that he’d never want to play with Manziel because he can’t be trusted. Manziel relied heavily on the run game including Isaiah Crowell who had 145 yards on the ground for two touchdowns.

During warm-ups, a Browns fan leaned over the wall with a $100 bill, which Manziel signed without hesitation.

Overall, the combination of being able to run the ball effectively allowed Manziel to take advantage of opportunities to make throws, both on script and on time as well as in situations where he extended the play with his legs, showed the best of what the Browns can be. The win improves the Browns to 3-10, while the 49ers fall to 4-9.

Pettine said he made good adjustments and had command of the huddle. “He got a lot of reps and he made the majority”. If you assume the Browns won’t lead most other games – and good lord, the Browns won’t lead most other games – Crowell isn’t likely to see this sort of workload again. Manziel only had one glaring mistake, throwing an interception late in the first half that he followed up by bashing a tablet into his head. His 54 yard-run in the fourth quarter set up his three-yard touchdown run over right guard. I saw a game where we didn’t, and I don’t use this word a lot, but we didn’t execute.

“That’s what we’ve got to get done this week”, Tomsula said. When you run the ball like we did and get ahead of the sticks, you get them back on their heels and run the ball and get the defense exhausted, that’s the ideal to win a football game offensively.

The victory took a little heat off Pettine, whose future with the Browns may hinge on how his team plays over the final four games. “We were really working together”. “Winning doesn’t heal everything, but it helps”. “I tell the guys all the time, ‘When you win, there is an overreaction, and when you lose, there is an overreaction.’ When you had the streak that we had of losses, that overreaction, there is a multiplier to it. People are driving by the building to see if it is on fire”. It’s the most rushing yards by a Browns player since Peyton Hillis rushed for 184 on November 7, 2010, against the New England Patriots. But Sunday was no ordinary afternoon on the blustery lakefront for Dawson, who returned for the first time since leaving via free agency following the 2012 season. On second-and-6 at the 11, Manziel completed a 10-yard pass to wide receiver Brian Hartline.

“We know this is a formidable opponent in one of the most hostile environments in the league, ” said Pettine. Each and every guy we have in this locker room is going to come out and compete until the very end.

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Meanwhile, the Browns defense came into the game ranked 29th and were 31st against the rush. These are the only three I can think of. That’s when a quarterback is so afraid to get hit, they sabotage there selves when going through progressions.

Joe Haden1