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Browns' Johnny Manziel: 'I need to earn my keep'

Johnny ran, Johnny passed and then Johnny talked.

Cleveland Browns rookies hit the field for their first rookie minicamp session and all eyes were on quarterback Johnny Manziel.

However, the 21-year-old Manziel kept his job in perspective.

"I'm a rookie. I need to earn my place and earn my keep," he said, per the team's official twitter feed. "I don't want to have anything handed to me that I don't deserve."

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Manziel's stance meshes well with the Browns' brass insistence this week that the celebrity quarterback "act like a backup." (Even if some believe that organizational stance folly.)

Browns quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains created a stir Friday when he revealed texts Manziel sent during the draft.

When asked about the texts the rookie said he wasn't sure if "wreck the league" was the exact quote he sent, but it was along those lines.

"This was a place I felt comfortable with. This was the place I wanted to be," Manziel said, per The Plain-Dealer.

Coach Mike Pettine acknowledged that if there is anything the team can do to limit the circus around their young quarterback they would do it, but he acknowledged that Manziel is a special player.

"We talked about the 'it' factor. He has it," Pettine said. "So does Brian Hoyer."

(Hey! No giggling at the Hoyer comment.)

The attention surrounding Manziel has gotten to the point that cornerback Justin Gilbert had to be reminded he was, in fact, the team's top pick.

"It doesn't feel like it," he told the media.

It is only going to get worse, Justin.

The latest "Around The League Podcast" plays the post-draft version of the game "What's More Likely" and breaks down all the latest news.

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