There were a lot of little novellas playing out last Sunday as the Cleveland Browns took on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Opening Day. Ben Roethlisberger fighting for his right to be considered one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks. Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount punishing the Browns defense while their future hangs in the air from a preseason DUI. Punt returner Antonio Brown kicking punter Spencer Manning in the face. And then, of course, the struggle for number one gunslinger in Cleveland as Brian Hoyer keeps Johnny Manziel on the bench at least one more week, despite the Browns' 30-27 loss.
Although he was penalized and may face a fine from the league, Antonio Brown went out of his way to assure kicker Spencer Manning that he didn't mean to go all Karate Kid on him (via ESPN):
"I definitely had a conversation with him and I think he had a sense of humor about it and he understood what was intended on the play. I think [Lanning] understood there was no intent to injure anyone."
Meanwhile, the Browns had plenty of bright spots during the game, particularly during their second half comeback attempt. But the Browns, led by hard-nosed head coach Mike Pettine, don't make excuses.
When interviewed after the game, Petinne explained that, in his mind, there are no moral victories, only real victories. That said, however, he has shown confidence that veteran QB Brian Hoyer can get the job done, as he nearly did Sunday.
Hoyer, who could easily have been talking about himself as much as his team, will still have to look over his shoulder every week to see if Manziel is there behind him (via New York Post):
"'It was great, but we can't put ourselves in that type of hole against a team like Pittsburgh,' Hoyer said. 'We got close to earning everyone's respect, but we have to finish it next time.'"
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