Apparently, Johnny Manziel isn't close to being the Browns' biggest problem. The Cleveland coaching staff is.
Exhibit A is a comment made by Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin following the team's 30-9 loss against the Steelers on Sunday that dropped Cleveland to 2-8 on the season, Pro Football Talk reported.
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Whether it was a Freudian slip or a direct blast, Benjamin raised the issue of the Browns staff as being a culprit for the team's fortunes, the Akron Beacon-Journal's Nate Ulrich tweeted that was posted on Pro Football Talk.
"... As long as we get the right pieces in here and the right staff and anything we need to make this team great, I'm willing to stick by for the long haul," Benjamin said.
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Exhibit B is the Browns' unwillingness to hand the reins over to Manziel, despite the second-year quarterback completing 33-of-45 passes for 373 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Steelers. His play this season has calmed talk of his bust status as a former first-round pick. He lobbied for the starting job after the game.
"I hope so,'' he said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer when asked if he earned the start in two weeks against the Ravens after the team's bye. "I want to keep playing. Every game that I play, I keep learning, and I feel like things keep slowing down, I keep getting better.''
The problem is that coach Mike Pettine, for some reason, sees the need to keep the competition open during the Browns' bye week. Cleveland's other option is 36-year-old Josh McCown. While acknowledging that Manziel played his best game as a pro against Pittsburgh, Pettine said a quarterback competition still exists.
"Everything's going to be on the table this week,'' Pettine said. "As coaches, this gives us a chance to hit the reset button and just kind of [evaluate] what are our circumstances. It's too early for me to stand up here and speak on it."
No it's not, NFL.com said.
"Pettine and staff have been loyal to veteran Josh McCown with good reason, NFL.com reported. "He's been hard-working, reliable and the better quarterback on the field. But finishing the year with a 36-year-old under center borders on insane for a team mired in a decades-long quest for an identity."
Which proves Benjamin's original statement.
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