The Cleveland Browns have stunned most of the league by winning a lot of games and are currently first place in the AFC North.
Check out the latest news and rumors below.
Hoyer Wants Big Deal
The Browns haven’t made a contract extension offer yet, despite the 29-year-old leading the team to massive upsets this year and an overall 6-3 record, a league source told CBS.
Peter King of TheMMQB confirmed that the Browns haven’t made an offer. They made one back in May but it was quickly rejected.
Hoyer is making just $1 million this season, and his contract expires this year.
CBS says that Hoyer wants a deal similar to that of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.
“Dalton’s contract is essentially a series of one-year deals with significant flexibility for the team, but Dalton did land $12 million to sign and $17 million guaranteed, which is far more than what Hoyer could have secured before the season,” it said.
“The Browns remain very much alive for the AFC North title and face the struggling Texans and Falcons the next two weeks. Victories in those games will only further cement Hoyer’s status. It’s worth noting that Texans coach Bill O'Brien had interest in acquiring Hoyer in the past -- they worked together in New England -- and the Texans could very much be in the market for a quarterback in 2015. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht was also with Hoyer in New England, and that team has had multiple failures at the quarterback position already this season.”
There have been other ideas out there. One, from NBC, says that the Browns should offer Hoyer a short-team deal that offers security but that doesn’t force them to dump Johnny Manziel.
“Two years, $18 million, fully guaranteed. With Manziel under a highly affordable contract through 2017 and the Browns holding fifth-year option for 2018, inking Hoyer through 2016 gives the Browns maximum flexibility,” it said.
“Manziel may not like it; if he doesn’t, he should commit himself to beating out Hoyer. If that happens, the Browns would be able to justify benching Hoyer, since Manziel by rule can’t get a new contract until after the 2016 season.”
General manager Ray Farmer said recently that he wants to let the season play out before offering Hoyer an extension.
Manziel Will Get His Chance
While the rumors and speculation about Hoyer’s contract continue, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach came forward this week and said that he believes Manziel will get his chance to shine.
“He works hard, he’s very competitive and he’s in Cleveland,” Staubuch, who recently filmed a commercial with Manziel, told USA Today.
“The Cleveland quarterback, (Brian) Hoyer’s doing a good job so I think Johnny is going to get his chance in the NFL one day and he’s going to be a good quarterback.”
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Staubuch also said that he gave Manziel some advice.
“I told him on the field the thing is your teammates have to have confidence in you. And I said the most important thing you can do is make sure transfer your confidence to them because if they don’t have confidence in you, you’re not going to get the job done,” he said.
“It’s a team game, it’s a team effort and so he is such a good player and he has confidence in himself but he cannot lose the confidence of his teammates. That can happen in a lot of different ways but you never want that to happen whether it’s off-the-field escapades or on the field when you’re not working hard.
“But Johnny works hard and I think off the field he has a good time but it can’t diminish the feelings his teammates have for him as far as trying to win a football game. That’s about the only thing I really talked to him about a little bit. I don’t know if he listened or not but other than that we just had a good time doing the commercial.”
Pettine Cautions Public, Team
Head coach Mike Pettine cautioned people not to get ahead of themselves, pointing out that there are no awards for being 6-3.
“There’s no prize for being 6-3. The only thing that’s done for us is our games are meaningful now. You still have to have the ability to put that one in a box and move onto the next one,” he told reporters, reported Browns.com.
“It makes it a little more difficult because of what they’ve been hearing now for three or four days, but I didn’t have to hit them with a bunch of coach speak and all that. I think this is a mature group that can handle it. It showed today in how they showed up and how they’ve worked in practice.”
The Browns are atop their division but are followed closely by the three other teams--the Bengals are 5-3, and the Steelers and Ravens are both 6-4.
The players have gotten the message.
“We need to keep our goals at the forefront,” said Paul Kruger, who leads the Browns with six sacks. “You can’t lose focus it. It’s almost like we are anxious for the next opportunity.”
“We still have seven games to go,” added Andrew Hawkins. “It was cool to reflect on it all with a couple days off but I think if you ask anybody on the team, we’re all moving forward.”
Karlos Dansby, who leads the team in tackles with 69, said that the team is working on the defensive game plan for the Texans.
“We’re one step closer. We’ve got to keep it together and keep finishing ball games,” said Dansby.
Gipson Out With Concussion
BEREA, Ohio—Browns safety Tashaun Gipson missed his second straight day of practice with a concussion and may sit out Sunday’s game against Houston.
Gipson, who leads the NFL with six interceptions, was injured in last week’s win over Cincinnati.Browns coach Mike Pettine said Gipson was hurt when he was kneed in the head while forcing a fumble. Pettine said the team has not ruled Gipson out for this week, but he’s following the league’s procedures on head injuries.
If Gipson can’t play, Jim Leonhard and Jordan Poyer will get time at free safety.
Browns Pro Bowl tight end Jordan Cameron was back on the field after missing the past two games with a concussion. Cameron was hurt in the Oct. 26 win over Oakland.
Also, starting center Nick McDonald (calf) returned after being sidelined Tuesday. Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas was given a day to rest.
Browns Have Problems with J.J. Watt
BEREA, Ohio—J.J. Watt seems to be everywhere these days. Turn on the tube, and there he is dancing on a TV commercial. Check out the supermarket’s magazine display rack and there’s Houston’s dynamic No. 99 on the covers of two national sports magazines — this week.
Unstoppable on the field, Watt can hardly be controlled off it. He’s all over the place.
On Sunday, the Browns need to keep him out their backfield and off their quarterback.
If there’s one NFL player who can keep a coaching staff awake at night it’s Watt, the Texans’ 6-foot-5, 290-pound wrecking ball who never stops moving. In nine games this season, Watt has amassed a career’s worth of stats for an ordinary player.
“He’s a beast,” Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer said Wednesday. “Everything said about him is true. I hope we can contain him.”
Watt has an unmatched 2014 resume. He’s recorded 8½ sacks, been credited with swatting seven passes and made 11 tackles for loss. The $100 million man — he signed a six-year contract extension in September — leads the league with 29 quarterback hits and he’s scored three touchdowns, returning an interception 80 yards, rumbling 45 yards with a fumble and catching a 1-yard TD pass.
Watt is the first defensive lineman to score three TDs since 1985, when William “The Refrigerator” Perry did it for the Chicago Bears.
Perry was a novelty act.
There’s nothing gimmicky about Watt.
“I wouldn’t say it’s hyperbole when you say he’s the best defensive player in the NFL because I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody who plays like he does, as hard as he does,” Browns Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas said. “I’ve never seen anybody as disruptive as he is. He’s unpredictable.”
Just when the AFC North-leading Browns (6-3) found some cohesion in their running game, gaining 170 yards rushing last week in Cincinnati, they'll have to try and move the ball against Watt and Houston’s defense. The Texans shift Watt along the line of scrimmage, playing him inside to use his strength and outside to maximize his speed.
When he walks to the line to make his pre-snap read, Hoyer will find Watt.
“It’s something I always do,” he said. “I check the front. I check the linebackers. I check the coverage, but I think it’s more for our offensive line and running backs to know where he is. He’s a great player, but he also has great players around him.”
Players don’t come any tougher than Watt, in his fourth season from Wisconsin. He’s earned the universal respect of his peers and Texans coach Bill O'Brien said Watt’s work ethic is unmatched.
“He’s here early. He stays late,” O'Brien said on a teleconference. “He practices very, very hard. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great leader on our team.”
Browns coach Mike Pettine had high praise for Watt, the AP’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2012 and front-runner to win the award again.
“It’s rare that somebody has it all, and really you look for a weakness and it’s hard to find one,” Pettine said. “He plays so hard that sometimes you see they either substitute for him or he burns himself out. To me, that’s a compliment that he plays as hard as he does.”
Browns in Unfamiliar Place--First
BEREA, Ohio—The Browns took an unexpected trip during their three-day weekend. They climbed into first-place in the AFC North — alone.
It’s been 20 years since Cleveland was atop its division this late in the season. Not since 1994, when Bill Clinton was in the White House, “Forrest Gump” was opening his box of chocolates in theaters and the franchise’s surprising move to Baltimore was still a year away, have the Brownslooked down in the standings.
They’re enjoying the view.
“First place is first place,” linebacker Karlos Dansby said. “You can’t go nowhere from there but down.”
Yes, the Browns (6-3) are feeling good about themselves as they prepare for Sunday’s home game against the Houston Texans. But as he has done all season, coach Mike Pettine is preaching perspective. He’s trying to keep his players at a neutral level, knowing the highs can quickly be followed by lows.
Before Tuesday’s practice, which was observed by 75 military members and their families in honor of Veteran’s Day, Pettine spoke to the Browns about not letting their new haughty status blur any goals.
“There are no awards. There’s no prize for being 6-3,” Pettine said. “The only thing that’s done for us is our games are meaningful now. You still have to have the ability to put that one in a box and move onto the next one.”
This is new territory for the Browns, who have lost at least 11 games in each of the past six seasons and haven’t been to the playoffs since 2002.
While it’s their reality now, Pettine has confidence his leaders, players like Dansby, safety Donte Whitner and linebacker Paul Kruger, who won a Super Bowl title with Baltimore, will help keep his message alive in the weeks ahead.
“I think this is a mature group that can handle it,” Pettine said. “It showed today in how they showed up and how they’ve worked in practice.”
The Browns learned a lesson about the hazards of success earlier this season.
Following a blowout win over Pittsburgh, the Browns came out flat the following week and were beaten by a then winless Jacksonville team they probably should have handled. In the days leading up to that game, Pettine warned about it being a trap — and sure enough the Brownswere ensnared.
Looking back, Pettine may have made a mistake.
“We might have overdone it as a staff just talking about trap-games and all that,” he said. “The vast majority of our guys I think are very mature, very professional. To me, it comes out when they speak. You can hear it. They’re saying the right things, and I think they truly believe it. This will be a big test for us.”
Kruger said Pettine’s messages have been on point during his first season as Cleveland’s coach. Pettine has pushed the right buttons, knowing when to motivate and when to back off. He’s given the Browns freedom to dance in the locker room following a comeback win in Tennessee and delivered the right amount of criticism after a loss.
With the Browns on top, Pettine is keeping his players in check.
“You have to be able to handle success,” Kruger said, “and coach Pettine has done a better job than any coach I’ve even been around helping us understand that and making an emphasis on it, knowing how to handle a loss and bounce back and know how to handle a win — not overreact.”
It’s also why Pettine has been mentioned as a possible coach of the year candidate, a notion he takes in typical, self-effacing stride.
“Part of the overreaction,” he said, drawing laughter. “I’m smart enough to know that I’m a part of it, but it still falls back to me on the staff we were able to put together and the players we were able to bring in. Everybody is pulling the rope in the same direction. Since I’m at the head of it, I can see why that talk is there, but there’s no ‘Nine-Game Coach of the Year.’ It’s at the end of the year.
“To me, those are all team awards when that happens, so I’m no different. It’s on to the next one.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
