Johnny, unite us: Manziel brings hope to Cleveland

The expectations are so high for Johnny Manziel in Cleveland that fans wonder if he can turn around their NBA team, too.
After getting a hero’s welcome from victory-starved Browns fans that included the purchase of nearly 2,000 new season tickets, Manziel was asked at his debut press conference whether he could lure his friend LeBron James back to the Cavaliers.

“I don’t think I can do that,” the team’s new first-round quarterback selection said with a smile.

But the Browns being the Browns, it couldn’t be all good news. The team was rocked Friday afternoon by an ESPN report that talented-but-troubled receiver Josh Gordon is facing a year-long NFL suspension for another positive drug test.

And while Cleveland was giddily toasting the arrival of Manziel after his selection with the No. 22 pick Thursday night, it wasn’t all praise for the Texas A&M product on Friday.
According to a purported internal scouting report obtained by the website BroBible, the Patriots shredded Manziel as a “spoiled brat” with “outlaw bloodlines” who was resented by college teammates for his lack of dedication in practice and the offseason.
“Vibe on this guy keeps getting worse,” according to the report. “Support staff members [at A&M] are sick of him and ready for him to go. Described as a cocky, me-guy.”
The alleged take from an unnamed scout also claimed that Manziel doesn’t study the game, “never watches film” and only knew 60 percent of A&M’s offense in 2012.
The Patriots did not comment about the report’s authenticity, although the team’s beat writer for the Boston Herald — apparently based on information from a team source — dismissed it on Twitter as fake.
According to the Herald’s Jeff Howe, the grade in the report didn’t match the grading format shown publicly by the team in 2011. The logo on the report also is out of date by two years.
Neither the Browns nor a big chunk of their fans agreed with the Patriots’ supposed assessment, though.

Manziel’s selection with the second of Cleveland’s two first-round picks Thursday instead set off wild celebrations at draft-day parties, and more than a dozen noisy fans showed up at the team’s headquarters Friday afternoon to welcome Manziel at his introductory press conference.
Even James joined in the festivities, sporting a Manziel Browns jersey during the Heat’s charter flight to New York for their playoff game Saturday night against the Nets.
Manziel and the Browns tried to dampen the runaway expectations, with the team announcing that Brian Hoyer would be its Week 1 starter at quarterback and Manziel promising to tone down the “Johnny Football” persona.
“Really, there’s no time for it now,” Manziel said Friday when asked by Cleveland-area reporters about the moniker. “I’m committed to getting better.”
The Browns certainly weren’t going to complain about the spoils of taking the most polarizing player in this year’s draft, though.
A team source confirmed more than 2,300 season tickets were sold within 24 hours of Manziel’s selection.
Manziel returned the love by praising Browns fans as the most passionate and knowledgeable in the league.
“Dawg Pound, here we come!” Manziel said Thursday night.