Browns’ Manziel says he’s focused on improving, not listening to Mariota comparisons

BEREA, Ohio The two games Johnny Manziel started last year couldn’t have gone any worse.

He was shut out in the first one and injured in the second. He led the offense to just three points in six quarters.

Now there’s a chance he’ll receive a shot at redemption Sunday when the Browns (0-1) face the Tennessee Titans (1-0) in the home opener at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Manziel will serve as the starting quarterback if Josh McCown isn’t medically cleared from the concussion he suffered in the first quarter of Sunday’s season-opening, 31-10 loss to the New York Jets. McCown won’t be able to practice until Friday at the earliest, coach Mike Pettine said, so Manziel has been preparing as the starter.

“I’m just trying to go out and play better football than I have in the past,” Manziel said Wednesday after practice. “I’ve been disappointed in the way I’ve performed, especially ending the season last year. It didn’t end on a very good note.

“Was it better on Sunday? Sure, it was better. Did I feel more comfortable? Sure. But did I do some things that looking back that I would have like to have back? Absolutely. So now moving forward 1/8the key is3/8 don’t make those same mistakes again. I need to learn from what I did, see the field and just trust what’s gotten me to this level.”

Should Manziel play, the game would feature a matchup of former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks. Manziel received the honor in 2012 at Texas A&M University, and Titans rookie Marcus Mariota earned it last year at the University of Oregon.

This past Sunday, Mariota, the second overall pick, became the first player since at least 1933 with a perfect passer rating (158.3) in his first professional game and joined hall of famer Fran Tarkenton as the only rookies in NFL history to throw four touchdown passes in a season opener.

It’s early, but Mariota looks like a bona fide franchise quarterback. On the other hand, Manziel has a lot to prove before anyone views him in the same light.

It’s a popular narrative Manziel is trying to tune out.

“I want to continue to improve and go out and not care, not worry about what anybody else is saying,” Manziel said. “There was a time I was talked about every single day on every station around the entire country. There were days where I was talked about good. There were days I was talked about bad. Now it’s 1/8important3/8 for me to block all that out, do what I need to do in this locker room, make sure I’m prepared and go out on Sunday and try to do better than I did last week.”

Manziel and Mariota met as prized high school recruits at Oregon’s football camp. They connected again at the Manning Passing Academy and some Heisman festivities.

“Johnny’s a great guy,” Mariota said during a conference call. “I’ve got to know him a little bit. I look forward to whatever the case may be maybe playing him this weekend. He’s a good football player. He really makes something out of nothing, so our defense has a task for them, but we’ll see what happens.”

The Browns might need to rely on Manziel for Week 2, but they might not.

Pettine said McCown is “making progress” but remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol. Manziel said McCown was on the field Wednesday watching part of practice.

Asked if the Browns would play McCown on Sunday if he practices by Friday, Pettine said, “We’ll be prepared either way.”

Manziel realizes he could practice as the starter for most of this week, only to take a backseat to McCown if he receives the green light from an independent neurologist.

“That’s part of it,” said Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in last year’s draft.

Either way, Pettine said the Browns would limit Manziel’s throws in practice this week because of his problematic right arm. He has endured soreness in his elbow and forearm caused by tendinitis since his freshman year at Texas A&M. The issue flared up in practice Aug. 23, forcing him to miss the final two preseason games. It also bothered him at times Sunday when he played in place of McCown for the final three quarters.

“The team reps, to me, are the most important,” Pettine said. “So I would rather him take fewer throws in individual 1/8drills3/8, just be cautious in individual as opposed to just giving him the full workload. I just want to make sure he can make all the throws in the team period, which we don’t see as an issue.

“We feel he’s past it. I mean there’s still going to be some natural soreness. But we just don’t want to jump right back in and 1/8say3/8, ‘Hey, he’s going to take starting reps and overload him,’ especially early in practice. If there’s throws that he doesn’t have to take there, then we’ll go ahead and make sure that the bulk of his work comes in the team periods.”

Third-string quarterback Austin Davis is also taking some practice reps with the starters this week.

“We’ll mix him in,” Pettine said of Davis, who signed with the Browns last week. “We’ll make sure that if he has to go into the game, he’ll be prepared.”

Manziel was listed on the injury report as a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice.

“They are still monitoring me a little bit, so we don’t push it into any excess or anything like that,” Manziel said. “But I got every single throw that I needed to with the people I needed to, and I think they’ve done a really good job of handling it. There’s no point in going out there and throwing any meaningless balls that could potentially push it over the edge, but my elbow feels really good.”

Manziel’s elbow didn’t let him down Sunday when he threw the first touchdown pass of his NFL career a 54-yarder to wide receiver Travis Benjamin. He helped the Browns capture leads of 7-0 and 10-7 before they unraveled in the second half. He threw an interception in the third quarter and lost two fumbles in the fourth quarter. He completed 13-of-24 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown, posting a rating of 75.3.

Now Manziel is determined to focus on “keeping the instincts 1/8to scramble3/8 but being smart while you’re doing it, knowing the situation really well and protecting the ball.”

If Manziel can avoid turnovers, he’ll likely be much more successful in his third career start, whether it’s this weekend or down the road.

(c)2015 Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

Visit the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) at www.ohio.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.