Whatever the reason, the Browns (3-10) ran roughshod over the 49ers as quarterback Johnny Manziel and running back Isaiah Crowell looked more like Otto Graham and Jim Brown.
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“We said we wanted to play for pride at the end of the year”, Manziel said. “Guys get upset”, Barnidge said.
“One down, three to go”.
“Yes, you don’t want it. Last week, I thought we did a nice job of tackling”. Ownership and management has been sending out a vibe that the Chicago victory proves the team is heading in the right direction.
The Cleveland Browns (3-10) are coming from a 24-10 win over the SF 49ers.
The plan going forward is to let Manziel start the remaining games. So it’s hard for me to really lend any credence to any opinions that are outside of our locker room.”Barnidge said Manziel is starting to understand what it means to be a professional”.
The Browns would like to force the Seahawks, and then the Kansas City Chiefs (Dec. 27) and Pittsburgh Steelers (Jan. 3), to defend the same way.
“So you can’t give up explosive runs like that”.
The Seattle Seahawks look to win their fifth straight game as they get into playoff mode.
“It’s a good combination for us to come out and score some points”. All of that will take a hit after their previous game.
After the game, Manziel seemed to acknowledge that he’s trying to improve upon his limited experience, telling reporters (via Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot), “I’ve only gotten to play six or seven games”. Manziel threw for 270 yards, a touchdown, and one interception.
It’s not just Hartline’s receiving skills that the Browns will miss.
It s a bummer situation for him to go down at the end of the year, Staley said.
So, what might motivate the 49ers for their final three games in a lost year?
He played 16 snaps against the Niners and got open several times, but Johnny Manziel did not throw the ball his way.
-PASSING DEFENSE: A minus. The defense sacked 49’ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert 9 times on Sunday, the most by any National Football League team in a game this season. It was a season high in the NFL.
From Pre Season on it is obvious Manziel has been schooled on the importance of staying in the pocket by first year QB’s Coach Kevin O’Connell and I believe he has grasped the concept thus far. The Browns held Torrey Smith to one catch for 17 yards.
The 49ers’ running back stocks have nearly been wiped out, with Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush, Mike Davis and now Gaskins injured. Get lined up, get your aiming point and go cut it loose. The Browns selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2010 draft.
-SPECIAL TEAMS: D. Cracks are beginning to show in the Browns normally solid special teams units.
A veteran of countless games played in the bitter cold and a kicker who converted a pair of field goals, including a 48-yarder in an 8-0 win over the Buffalo Bills in the middle of a certified blizzard, Dawson was taken aback by the fact that a mid-December game in Cleveland was played in 63-degree conditions. Punt coverage faltered on Sunday, when the Browns allowed Bruce Ellington to escape on a 36-yard return. By benching players he doesn’t like (or is perceived to not like), Pettine is in a place where winning is the worst way to keep his own job because one of those players has an edict from above the head coach’s head to start.
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Tomsula insists he reinforced those very ideas all week leading up to the game about being prepared despite the Browns’ long skid and 2-10 record entering the matchup.
