Browns notebook: GM Ray Farmer says Johnny Manziel’s rehab should ‘be taken into consideration’ when ‘Hard Knocks’ team picked
By Nate Ulrich
Beacon Journal sports writer
PHOENIX: If the producers of HBO’s
Hard Knocks want to thrust cameras into Johnny Manziel’s face as he tries to piece his life and career together this summer, it should cause the Browns to cringe.
Manziel will definitely be under scrutiny once he’s discharged from the rehabilitation clinic he entered Jan. 28, but being featured on the popular documentary series would certainly amplify everything for the young quarterback.
Browns General Manager Ray Farmer was asked if such a scenario would be a cause for concern.
“I think those are things that need to be taken into consideration,” Farmer said Monday during the NFL owners meetings at the Arizona Biltmore resort.
Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News tweeted Sunday he’s hearing the Browns are the “front-runners” to become the next team showcased on
Hard Knocks, which chronicles the training camp and preseason of an NFL team each year. Carucci spent the past few years working for the Browns as their senior editor.
“I think it’s pretty interesting that somehow we surface as the front-runner forHard Knocks,” said Farmer, who worked for the Kansas City Chiefs when they were featured on the show in 2007. “And in reality, we’ve taken the time, we’ve met with them each of the last two years and that circumstance will play itself out. … As it stands now, no determination has been made.”
The Browns declined to appear on
Hard Knocks when approached last year. They had that right, per league rules, because Mike Pettine was in his first year as coach. Teams with first-year head coaches, teams that have made the playoffs in the last two years and teams that have appeared on the show in the last 10 years are allowed to sidestep the show.
The NFL hopes a team volunteers to do
Hard Knocks. But if no one steps up, then a team is picked.
In addition to the Browns, the New York Giants, Washington, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Houston, Jacksonville and Tennessee can’t get off the hook this year, according to Sports Illustrated.
“It’s something we’re considering, but I haven’t decided,” Houston owner Bob McNair told the Houston Chronicle. “It’s a distraction, but it’s something people like to see.”
Pettine had a prominent role on
Hard Knocks in 2010 as the defensive coordinator of coach Rex Ryan’s New York Jets, so he knows what the show entails. He rejected it last year because he wanted to get his footing in his first year without the distractions.
“I just always felt if there’s anything that causes us to think for one second about something other than preparing our football for the opener, then that’s probably not a good thing,” Pettine said in June. “There are some distractions involved with it. I see the other side of it, the positives that can be there, but from a staff standpoint, that’s something that we have to factor in.”
Browns wide receiver
Andrew Hawkins played for the Cincinnati Bengals when they were on the show in 2013, and he expressed relief when the Browns avoided
Hard Knocks last year.
“What I noticed in Cincinnati, a lot of the young players would kind of play into the cameras,” Hawkins said in June. “They’re setting up stories and they’re too naïve to even see it and it’s taking away focus for them.”
On the radar
The Browns have expressed interest in free-agent tight end Rob Housler, a league source confirmed Monday for the Beacon Journal. The two sides have talked, but nothing is imminent and no visit has been scheduled, the source said.
The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation.
ESPN.com first linked Housler to the Browns. Housler spent the past four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, who drafted him in the third round in 2011.
Housler, 27, recently visited the Atlanta Falcons, according to ESPN.com. So the Browns could be competing with their former offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, who’s now with the Falcons, for Housler’s services.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Housler is considered a fast receiving threat who wasn’t used much in the offense of Cardinals coach Bruce Arians. Housler had just nine catches for 129 yards in 15 games last season. He tallied 39 receptions for 454 yards and a touchdown in 2013 and 45 catches for 417 yards in 2012.
The Browns need a tight end who can be used as a weapon in the passing game. Right now, they have Jim Dray and Gary Barnidge on the roster.
The Browns have been in pursuit of tight ends since free agency began March 10, but none of those targets has panned out.
Former Browns Pro Bowler Jordan Cameron chose the Miami Dolphins over a return to Cleveland. Approximately three hours after multiple national reports surfaced March 12 about Cameron agreeing to re-sign with the Browns, he signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Dolphins.
Asked if he thought the Browns had a deal with Cameron, Farmer said, “Both sides have to agree. Everybody has to agree as to what that is and how it happens, and Jordan made the decision that he wanted to go to Miami. That’s clearly within his right.”
Charles Clay received a transition tag from the Dolphins and later joined the Buffalo Bills by signing a five-year, $38 million offer sheet. The Browns reportedly showed interest in Ed Dickson and Jermaine Gresham, but Dickson re-signed with the Carolina Panthers, and Gresham reportedly underwent surgery last week to repair a herniated disc in his back.
The Browns also hosted veteran tight end/fullback James Casey for a free-agent visit in late February. He remains unsigned.
Extra points
The recent signings of wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline wouldn’t preclude the Browns from drafting a receiver in the first round April 30, Farmer said. “If we added another receiver, it could make you that much more viable,” Farmer said. “I know everybody has this thing that somehow I’m anti-wide receivers, but if he’s the best player, you should take him.” … Farmer said not knowing whether he’ll lose a draft pick as punishment for Text-gate hasn’t interfered with his offseason strategy. Theoretically, he could have felt handcuffed if he wanted to trade a middle-round selection for a veteran. “No, I haven’t considered it,” Farmer said. “… It hasn’t deterred me one iota from trying to build the team.” … Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell attended quarterback Garrett Grayson’s pro day workout Monday at Colorado State, according to ESPN.com. … As expected, the Browns didn’t receive any compensatory picks when the league distributed them Monday. Teams can receive as many as four compensatory picks for suffering net losses in free agency from the previous year. The Browns should be awarded a few picks next year. “There’s always conversations about how to increase your draft revenue,” Farmer said of compensatory picks. Since compensatory picks were first awarded in 1994, the Browns have received a league-low six.
http://www.ohio.com/sports/browns/b...eration-when-hard-knocks-team-picked-1.577418