Potentially one of quarterback Johnny Manziel's last supporters in the Cleveland Browns' organization appears to be head coach Mike Pettine. Unfortunately, regardless of if he believes in him still, it doesn't matter because Pettine is one of the coaches expected to have his job on the line heading into Black Monday, which is tomorrow.
Despite the side-show that is Manziel's alleged off-field life, Pettine showed that he still has faith in Manziel and if he remains the coach, would more than likely be willing to give him another chance.
"Here is a guy that has an NFL skillset," Pettine said according to NYTimes.com. "He's very talented. If you spend some time with him, he's a likable guy. You root for him, but there are problems there. We'll talk as we're headed to the offseason about getting addressed to make sure that, I said this before, we want to make sure that all of our places are grounded or in good shape as people first, players second. I don't think you can be as effective as you can be as a player if things aren't right off the field, and he's a good example of that."
These comments were said before Manziel's latest "incident." According to a report by USA TODAY Sports, witnesses heard the Black Jack dealer exclaim Johnny Manziel was with them while examining his ID. Manziel then responded by posting this picture to Instagram:
So was he there? Was he at home? Supposedly, the photo had the location added after it was originally posted as Avon, Ohio. Who knows what to believe?
Either way, Manziel is not at the Browns-Steelers game today. Granted, he was not mandated to be there by the franchise, but I think a lot of the front office personnel would have liked to see him there and show he supports the team.
Honestly, though, maybe Manziel doesn't want to be back.
I know I wouldn't.
The one guy who has your back, Pettine, could very well be gone heading into next season. The roster around you obviously isn't all that talented. It's Cleveland. It's the Browns. It's not a crazy idea to not want to be there, and maybe this is his final act of defiance to get himself traded this offseason.
Pettine clearly feels confident in his abilities. While he acknowledges the off-field and personal issues, he knows that Manziel has the talent to be a quarterback in the pros. If that is ever to happen, Manziel needs to take it upon himself and truly change his ways.
On the possibility of that happening, I'm really not too sure if it'll happen before it's too late and he's run out of shots...
