49ers’ Joe Staley says team must stick together in final games

Just ask the acres of empty seats at Lack of Energy Stadium.

Tyler native Johnny Manziel picked up the second win of his young National Football League career on Sunday as the Browns beat the 49ers 24 to 10.

It’s only the sideshows that attract us now.

Back to remarks by Staley and Ahmad, will you speak to those two guys specifically?

Johnny Manziel returned a changed quarterback.

Isn’t he cute? How long can he keep this up?

The 49ers offense was invisible, totaling barely 100 yards after three quarters thanks to way too many sacks allowed and no running game.

He’s in, he’s out, he’s back in, he’s back out. By narrowly escaping with a victory over a sub-par Bears team that included a missed chip shot by their struggling field goal kicker and a lucky long pass by Gabbert in overtime, San Francisco thought they were good enough to gloss over a team that won just two less games than them.

He shot through a hole at right guard for 50 yards on the first play of the Browns’ second possession to set up his first touchdown, a one-yard run on the right side.

Manziel regretted not only his decision but the outburst, which came after he tried to throw across his body and over the middle and was picked off by 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt.

-RUNNING DEFENSE: B. The 49ers were without their best runner, Carlos Hyde, who on Saturday was put on injured reserve with a foot injury. The best thing that can happen for him is for Manziel to fail and the team to drop the next three games by pretty convincing margins. I’m able to slow down all the protection stuff and make sure we have a guy on a guy and able to sit back there and know you’re protected.

San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Corey Lemonier (96) grabs the face mask of Cleveland Browns q …

“His patience on the first play of the game was outstanding”, Pettine said.

Manziel’s next test will be stiffer than the 49er’s defense when the Browns play the Seahawks on Sunday.

The Browns’ final two opponents, Kansas City and Pittsburgh, are both 8-5 and vying for a playoff spot. However, when McCown was healthy the next week, Manziel got benched, and he didn’t start again until Week 9.

“I’m still standing here and breathing, so that’s a good thing”, Gabbert said. Ownership and management has been sending out a vibe that the Chicago victory proves the team is heading in the right direction. So it’s in there.

Following a promise to the coaches that he would not embarrass or be a distraction over the bye week to the organization that spent a first-round pick on him in the 2014 NFL Draft, Manziel’s weekend partying was documented in a profanity-laced video that surfaced on social media.

Manziel will have solidified his hold on the position, moving forward into next season.

Looked at through a different lens, Manziel can be seen as a rookie – a player who’s only played in 12 games, starting just six of them, playing in an unstable situation with a coach who isn’t totally ready to commit to him.

The ball, as is so often the case, is in Manziel’s court. “I know the number is starting to climb, but for me, these mean a lot to me”.