BEREA, Ohio - When it comes to Johnny Manziel's weekend activities and the TMZ cameras that track them, Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine said Tuesday that he "won't micromanage" his players.
But when it comes to this week's mandatory minicamp, neither Manziel nor incumbent starting quarterback Brian Hoyer will be made available to the media.
So, we won't hear from Manziel about getting photographed while floating in a pool on an inflatable swan, getting drafted by the San Diego Padres or the ongoing competition in which he's currently trailing Hoyer, who's been in the NFL since 2009. Both are big boys, but neither will talk.
During Tuesday's minicamp practice, it didn't appear that Manziel and Hoyer talked to each other. At all.
As for his reasoning for keeping his quarterbacks from discussing the competition -- or anything else going on in their lives -- before the team's veterans are released for summer vacation, Pettine said, "They've been made available. I don't think the message will be that different than it was before."
Manziel was made available for football questions once through the team's three weeks of OTA practices.
Hoyer, who tore his ACL during his third start last October, still hasn't been cleared for full-speed, 11-on-11 work. That's given Manziel plenty of opportunities to play with the top unit through the nine OTA practices he attended and, now, in this week's minicamp.
"I don't think (Hoyer) is losing ground," Pettine said. "I think he's frustrated, saying 'My unit is the No. 1 and I'm not there. He begrudgingly understands why we're doing it. He is the ultimate competitor."
Pettine said Hoyer is getting rid of the ball faster when he's in than Manziel is, something "that's a very common thing" for a rookie to get used to in adjusting to the speed of the NFL.
"It's rare to have a guy coming out of college making those throws...anticipating the receiver's break, whereas Brian understands the windows in the NFL where you have to throw the ball and I think the younger quarterbacks are kind of finding out how tight the windows are in the NFL."
The team's rookies will be around for approximately two more weeks, through the NFL's annual rookie symposium. Training camp will start in late July, leaving Manziel more vacation time in between.
Over the last three weekends, Manziel has been photographed in Las Vegas, Los Angeles (where he attended a NFL Players Association-sanctioned event) and last week in Austin, where he appeared to be drinking a bottle of champagne while floating on an inflatable swan. Pettine said he told Manziel before his Memorial Day trip to Las Vegas that he didn't need to check in with him every time he leaves town and said he trusts that Manziel will make responsible decisions.
"I'm not concerned," Pettine said. "I'd be concerned if it became criminal or affected his job."
Pettine joked about some of the team's coaching staff perhaps partaking in a beverage or two last weekend and said that if some of the team's other players were followed like Manziel is, "you'd get some very similar pictures. I don't know about an inflatable swan."
It seems that in and out of practice, Manziel is just trying to stay afloat.
For now, we'll have to take his coach's word for it.
