Just consider what else happened at FirstEnergy Stadium.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel runs to the locker room after his team defeated the 49ers 24-10 in an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, in Cleveland.
It’s only the sideshows that attract us now.
It was the third straight game the Browns have allowed a blocked field goal, but Coons finally got one past the line of scrimmage in the second quarter, making a 26-yarder to put Cleveland ahead 10-0.
Admit it, you can’t not watch.
Manziel was back on the field after being benched two games by Pettine for partying during Cleveland’s bye week after he had promised not to be a distraction. (Insert calliope music here).
Manziel completed 21 of 31 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown.
Johnny Manziel started his Sunday by signing a $100 bill and then went out and played well enough to ensure he’ll have more autograph requests from Browns fans in the weeks to come.
“He beat me to it”, joked Smiling Mike Pettine, waxing wacky for the first time since the Browns’ last win, which came – let’s see here – um, two months ago. For Cleveland fans who’ve sat through this incredibly disappointing season, there were numerous sights for sore eyes.
“We said we wanted to play for pride at the end of the year”, Manziel said. The 49ers are now just 1-6 on the road this season.
Late in the first half with the Browns leading, 10-3, and driving, Manziel took it back to his days in College Station, Texas, as the Heisman Trophy victor from Texas A&M and tried to break down a well-defended play. San Francisco is not Seattle, Sunday’s opponent, but that doesn’t change what Manziel did. Though they lost against the Cardinals at the end of November, they played them pretty tough and avoided a huge blowout. You can’t argue that if Pettine would have started Manziel over another aging lifetime backup that even if he was terrible they would have been in worse shape than they are right now. Pettine said after the game, not realizing the team had just tied a franchise record.
But Manziel is so used to throwing on the move from college that when he does run in the National Football League, he has shown he can be effective. So it’s in there.
The 49ers took control at their 42 but went three-and-out.
Manziel will have solidified his hold on the position, moving forward into next season.
Dial knifed between rookie first-round draft picks Cameron Erving, who was knocked on his back and Danny Shelton to record the block much the way the Baltimore Ravens did November 30 on their game-winning kick-six.
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However, where other young quarterbacks are often provided the excuse of being young, inexperienced, and still learning, Manziel’s flaws and occasional missteps oddly seem to be noted more often. “The number is starting to climb but for me, these mean a lot to me”. I still have a lot to prove.
