With Mike Shanahan emerging as a potential head coaching candidate for more than one NFL team over the past week or so, there has been some talk that Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, Mike’s son, could once again join forces with his old man.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Kyle would consider leaving Cleveland this offseason even in a lateral move. Shanahan has apparently not been getting along with the Browns front office.
Does some of that have to do with Johnny Manziel? It could. Cabot notes that the Browns coaching staff likely “felt pressure” to start Manziel this season when Brian Hoyer was struggling. Team personnel and coaches have been experiencing friction, and a source told Cabot that a high-ranking team official even sent a text message from the press box to the sideline this season about play-calling.
From Cabot:
The coaches also may have felt pressure to start Johnny Manziel in the biggest game of the season, with the playoffs on the line. No mandate was given from the front office, but some staffers felt that the higher-ups wanted to see what their No. 22 overall pick could do. Shanahan did his best to bring Manziel up to speed, but it was evident he wasn’t ready to play when he started against the Bengals, and flopped miserably.
Now, it appears that general manager Ray Farmer is willing to give Manziel another shot next year, and not everyone in the building is in agreement that the former Heisman Trophy winner has what it takes to succeed. Browns coach Mike Pettine has said the quarterback situation is “muddy at best” and that the Browns will leave no stone unturned in their bid to fix it.
Given some of the remarks Browns upper management has made about Manziel recently, it would be a stretch to say Cleveland’s brass has committed to Manziel as its starting quarterback for the 2015 season. But if Shanahan is being told what to do and not being given enough freedom, it would make sense that he would rather work under his father.
