It's been a business as usual week for Duke Johnson Jr., but he's well aware Sunday will present a whole dose of challenges he's yet to see in the NFL.
ClevelandBrowns.com caught up with Manziel after Friday's practice as he looked ahead to the Browns' trip to Seattle.
CB.com: Walk us through the week of preparation and how much last week's win benefited it.
Manziel: Coming off a good win, I think last week was obviously our best team outing in a couple weeks. We were just trying to break that losing streak a little bit. This week's been good. We obviously know what we're up against. It's a defense we have a lot of respect for, but at the same time we feel like if we come out and execute and don't turn the ball over, we'll be in the game for the duration. I think everybody has been on the same page. I think we've had a good plan going into this week. Now it just comes down to going out and executing it.
CB.com: Looking back at the 49ers game, what were you most proud of what you were able to accomplish?
Manziel: I'm not going to speak in terms of me, it's more of the way we had a 100-yard rusher, rushing for 230. That's something we needed to break the streak of going back to last year. We felt like coming into the year we needed to do it week in and week out to take some pressure off our receivers and off our passing game a little bit. It was just nice to be able to sit back there and have (Isaiah Crowell) and them run wild a little bit.
CB.com: What does that do for the passing game?
Manziel: That opens up so much of our run action, our play-action game. It gets guys like (Brian) Hartline and Gary (Barnidge), when you did see him streaking down the field, wide open. It's a huge part and it all ties in together when you can be really spread out and have a bunch of different varieties. When you have a lot of different weapons and attack a defense in variety of ways, it's nice.
CB.com: How tough is it going to be to replace Hartline in the passing game?
Manziel: He's Mr. Dependable. When you need somebody to be somewhere, Hartline's always there. I'm wishing him the best right now and it's definitely a blow for us. You've got to have the next guy up. Obviously., (Terrelle Pryor) will get in there a little bit more. (Dwayne Bowe) potentially. I have a lot of faith in those guys. They'll step up and play big in his place.
CB.com: What kind of chemistry have you been able to develop with Pryor?
Manziel: It's been good to get him in here running some routes. He's still learning on the fly. He's got a lot of potential and a lot of talent. It's just maximizing it. He's a guy that comes in every day and works really hard. We're seeing improvement from him every week.
CB.com: You seemed to target Taylor Gabriel a bunch when you guys last played together. How big is it to get him back?
Manziel: Gabe's able to really break down some defenses. He's got sneaky speed, so with him and Travis (Benjamin), they have the ability to stretch the defense a lot. It will be nice to have him back. Definitely need to get the ball in his hands.
CB.com: What'd you think of your ability in the pocket against the 49ers?
Manziel: It's been a progress and finding the fine line of being able to feel my surroundings and feel the pocket and making sure I'm not putting myself in a situation where I'm hurting our offensive linemen or putting myself in a bad position on some of those blocks. I think it's gotten better as the season's progressed.
CB.com: There were moments last week where it appeared you had the opportunity to run, but opted to wait and locate a receiver with a pass. Is that something you've improved upon even looking back to your Week 2 start against Tennessee.
Manziel: It's been a progression. I don't know if I've necessarily had to learn it, but it's just keeping my eyes down field and trying to throw the ball downfield and pass first, run second. I think we had a good balance of it last week. Ran it for a couple of first downs, which we always need in the game.
CB.com: What makes Benjamin such a good receiver to adjust on the fly while you're scrambling?
Manziel: Trav has a great feel for the game, being able to find holes in the zone defenses. Whenever he's manned up, for the most part he's going to win one-on-ones. He has a great feel for the game. It's nice to have him always open.
CB.com: How are you approaching this hostile environment you're going to face Sunday in Seattle?
Manziel: You can't shy away from it. We knew going into the beginning of the season this game was on our schedule and was going to be a late December game with them making a playoff push and right in the hunt. It's going to be hostile and it's going to be fun at the same time. They'll come out, they'll be rowdy. It's our job to come out and try and silence them a little bit.
CB.com: Have you thrived on that in the past?
Manziel: Probably a few times. I can remember back to Alabama but this is a different beast. They have a heck of a lot of talent on that side of the ball and that's what makes them as good as they are in my opinion. It will definitely be a challenge for us.
CB.com: What makes their secondary so tough?
Manziel: You look at a guy in Kam Chancellor who can play almost like another linebacker and Earl Thomas, who has the range to cover from hash to hash and hash to sideline. Not to mention (Richard) Sherman, who really takes away a third of the field at times. It will be a challenge. We have to depend on our scheme and technique to try to find holes in the zone they play.
CB.com: What can this team do as a spoiler over the next three weeks?
Manziel: We're in the position where we don't have anything to lose. We're coming out and playing ball and try to knock some of these guys off. That's really all it is. Nothing to lose for us, everything to gain.
