Around The League didn't pay much attention to Johnny Manziel's weekend junket to Las Vegas because it seemed, to us, like much ado about nothing.
Mike Pettine agrees.
The coach of the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday called the national fervor over Manziel's poolside hangout with Rob Gronkowski and a fleet of 9s comprehensively "overblown."
"My advice to him was (to) 'have fun,'" Pettine said. "He's a young guy. He's done everything that we've asked. The playbook has not been an issue for him."
Quipped the coach: "I know he had his iPad with him. And I know he wasn't using it as a coaster."
Pettine emphasized that the Browns wouldn't "micromanage our players," but he did warn his young signal-caller to "be prepared for a lot of questions."
That played out Wednesday, when a tidal wave of scribes mobbed Manziel following the team's offseason practice session. The No. 22 overall pick handled the onslaught with poise:
» "I'm just really used to it," the rookie said of all the attention. "It's been life for so long now, I really wouldn't know what it would be like any other way. I can't really think back to the days of how it was when I didn't have people tweeting or taking pictures of wherever I was. I don't mean that in a way to have a big head or anything like that. It's just how things are for some reason."
» When one reporter asked if the quarterback's legion of critics had veered "puritanical," Manziel asked back: "Can I get a definition first?"
» On his foray into Cleveland nightlife: "I haven't seen the city. I haven't been downtown. I've been to the hotel and maybe to Chipotle."
» "I'm going to live my life to the fullest, and I'm trying to earn my place in this locker room with these coaches with this organization," said Manziel, who already has the backing of his left tackle, Joe Thomas, who told The Plain Dealer: "It is the offseason. You need time to decompress."
» Modern-day Broadway Joe? Mr. Wesseling thinks so:
The latest "Around The League Podcast" breaks down the news and discusses players who could be summertime trade targets.
