xperience that you need in playoffs. And I think this year hopefully makes us eager to do it ne

BEREA, Ohio - On one knee and far from the action, quarterback Johnny Manziel leaned on his orange helmet and watched. Black Friday Shoes Sale . This is his new position. As Browns starter Brian Hoyer worked with Clevelands first-team offence during 11-on-11 drills Thursday, Manziel, for now relegated to the second string, observed from the side. He took mental notes as he waited for his turn. This rookie has been no sensation. Hes not ready to start. Meet Johnny Backup. Failing to make any magic happen in his first two NFL preseason games and unable to close the gap enough to beat out Hoyer, Manziel will begin the season as Clevelands No. 2 quarterback, matching his uniform number. Its not a major surprise given hes had to learn a complex offence and he entered training camp behind Hoyer. But Manziels inability to leap-frog Hoyer, a journeyman who has made four career starts and is coming off knee surgery, shows the jump from college to pros is gargantuan — even for Johnny Football. "Obviously I didnt want this to be the outcome," Manziel said. "But at the same time, I didnt necessarily feel I was ready, I felt like there were steps that I needed to take, and I need to take, to get better." Manziel has shown flashes, just not enough. Still, the Browns have seen promise in him, and Manziels immense fan base now has members inside Clevelands locker room. "We got arguably the best No. 2 in the NFL," said wide receiver Nate Burleson. "Im a Johnny Football fan. Not only was I a fan before he got here, but now hes family because we play for the same team. Ill always be in his corner." Manziel has improved in recent weeks. Hes got a much better grasp on offensive co-ordinator Kyle Shanahans playbook and its tongue-twisting verbiage; some plays contain 17 words. Hes made better decisions with the ball, and hes won over some skeptical teammates with a solid work ethic and humble attitude. Trouble is, Manziel may have damaged his chances to win the starting job before camp with his well-documented partying. The photos of Manziel chugging champagne while floating on an inflatable swan, talking into a phone made of money, and rolling a dollar bill in a bathroom brought him unwanted attention. The Browns were privately concerned about Manziels behaviour and warned him about it. He obliged, but had two recent missteps: being late for a team meeting and flipping his middle finger at the Redskins sideline Monday night on national TV. The gesture, relatively harmless compared to other things than go on during a game, may have reinforced the belief of coach Mike Pettine and his staff that Manziel wasnt prepared mentally or physically to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 7. Sitting and waiting is nothing new for Manziel. He was so far behind when he got to Texas A&M that the Aggies redshirted him as a freshman. It wasnt long, though, before he was the big man on campus and quickly the biggest name in college football, a one-man scrambling highlights machine. Manziel, who has completed 14 of 27 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, said nothing has surprised him so far. "Its exactly what I thought it would be," he said. "I knew it would be a big step, a big learning process. If people would have seen me my first year at A&M they wouldve said no way this kid could get to where Im at today. People dont understand that my first year-and-a-half at A&M I was terrible. "I just continued to try and get better, learn the playbook, got more comfortable around everybody, around the coaches with the system, and then good things happened for me." Pettine said there wont be a "leash" on Hoyer, who will get an opportunity to take the job and run with it. But the Browns difficult early schedule — theyll host New Orleans and Baltimore after facing the Steelers — could make things interesting if theyre 0-3 or 1-2 at the bye week. Manziel isnt the first prominent rookie to take a back seat in Year 1. Hell find his path, and knowing Manziel, it wont be a straight one. "You dont have to come in from your first day of your rookie season and play right away," he said. "Theres no exact guideline to how this process works with young quarterbacks. For me, I need to continue to do what I need to do to get better as a football player, get smarter and learn more, control what I can control and everything will work out fine for me." NOTES: Pettine plans to play his starters most of the first half against St. Louis on Saturday. Pettine is also leaning toward his starters playing in the exhibition finale against Chicago. ... Pettine said WR Josh Gordons pending NFL suspension has weighed on the Pro Bowler. "He wants to get on with it and move forward," Pettine said. "Just being in limbo for so long, it can be draining." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Wholesale Black Friday Shoes . The injury could land Machado on the 15-day disabled list, but its not as serious as it looked on Monday night, when the third baseman crumpled in a heap at the plate after taking an awkward swing in a game against the New York Yankees. Fake Black Friday Shoes .com) - Mike Conley scored 20 points with five assists to help the Memphis Grizzlies remain unbeaten with a 91-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. https://www.shoesblackfriday.com/ .C. -- With a chance to start over and maybe drive in any series he wanted, Juan Pablo Montoya thought long and hard about what mattered most at this stage of his career.BOSTON -- The traditional post-series handshake between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens wasnt the symbol of sportsmanship the NHL might be looking for. Bruins forward Milan Lucic said something to anger Montreals Dale Weise and Alexei Emelin after the Canadiens beat the Bruins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Although no one involved in the exchange would reveal exactly Lucic said, according to reports he threatened to retaliate against them next season. And he isnt sorry for saying it. "Whats said on the ice stays on the ice, and unfortunately that code is broken," Lucic told reporters at the TD Garden on Friday. "Its unfortunate that it blows up to what it is now. Im not the first guy to do it; Im not the last guy to do it. Im not sorry that I did it. Im a guy that plays on emotion, and this is a game of emotions. Sometimes you make decisions out of emotion that might not be the best ones. Thats what it is." The Bruins finished the regular season with the NHLs best record, but their quest for a third trip to the Stanley Cup finals in four seasons ended on Wednesday night with a 3-1 loss to Montreal. After the game, the teams went through what appeared to be the standard postgame handshake line. But Lucics comments still rankled in Montreals locker room afterward, when Weise said, "(The Bruins) had couple guys -- sorry, just one -- that couldnt put it behind them and be a good loser. Milan Lucic had a few things to say to a couple guys." The Canadiens have since moved on to the conference finals against the New York Rangers. The Bruins spent Friday emptying their lockers, and Lucic wasnt backing down a bitt. Black Friday Shoes Deals. "I didnt make the NHL because I accepted losing, or I accepted failure, and I think thats whats gotten me to this point and made me the player that I am," he said. "Like I said, Im not the first guy to do it, and Im sure I wont be the last." Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli also had trouble accepting the loss, saying he still believes he has a roster that can add a championship to its 2011 Stanley Cup title. There wont be a major roster overhaul this summer, he said. "This is a very good team," he said. "Theres some tweaks here and there but its a very good team; strong down the middle, strong in the nets, good character, good core." Reciting the teams accomplishments-- Presidents Trophy, five-game victory over the Detroit Red Wings, and a close series against Montreal -- Chiarelli said he would try not to overreact to the disappointing end to the season. "Its emotional, and its my job to be unemotional about it," he said. "Were not going to make too many changes to this team. But there will be some changes." Lucic, who is signed through the 2015-16 season, will remain, along with centres Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci and defencemen Zdeno Chara, Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug. Jarome Iginla and Shawn Thornton are the teams top unrestricted free agents. "If you look at the guys, most of the guys are still going to be with us next year," Bergeron said. "And I think we have a great group of guys, a great core and we have the experience that you need in playoffs. And I think this year hopefully makes us eager to do it next year." ' ' '