Jimmy Haslam says Browns haven't given up on Johnny Manziel
Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters on Saturday that the team has not given up on quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Haslam also said that he doesn't want to put too much pressure on Manziel or the coaching staff to think Manziel has to become a “legitimate quarterback” this year, and reminded the media that the second-year quarterback is only 22 years old.
“Despite what everybody reads and says, we've not at all given up on Johnny,” Haslam said at Browns training camp. “We think he has the potential to be a good football player. Now, having the potential and doing it are two different things, but I think we've said numerous times that you're not going to win consistently in this league without a good quarterback and we're trying to make that happen.”
Manziel enters training camp as Cleveland's No. 2 quarterback behind Josh McCown, however head coach Mike Pettine wouldn’t guarantee that Manziel will not start in Week 1.
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Haslam also addressed expectations for the Browns 2015 season and said he is “not going to blow things up” if the year is disappointing.
“I think we're on the right track, so we're not going to blow things up,” said Haslam. “I understand why people might ask that after a couple of bumps in the road the first couple of years, but we're not going to do that. I think we're putting in place a good foundation. The first year we were here the draft was not what we wanted.”
Cleveland finished 7–9 last year after starting the season 7–4. The seven wins marked the Browns highest win total since going 10–6 in 2007.
- Molly Geary
