http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...e-starting-quarterback-building-right-now-not
John DeFilippo: Unsure of QB for '15
BEREA, Ohio -- New Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said Thursday that the team doesn't know who its quarterback for 2015 will be -- or if he's even on the roster.
"We're not sure if our starting quarterback is in the building right now or not," said DeFilippo, who was hired Wednesday to replace Kyle Shanahan. "If he is, great. If he's not, that's great, too."
Coach Mike Pettine said the Browns will continue evaluating the roster and discussing all positions over the next few weeks.
Owner Jimmy Haslam said the Browns are committed to finding a quarterback "who can make us a championship team" and that all options are open for next season's starter.
"We've got to get a quarterback and got to get it fixed," Haslam said.
"You can look at the teams whether they're in the final eight, the final four or the final two, you've got to have a really good quarterback," he added. "And our situation as Coach Pettine says is still muddy and we don't know who our quarterback is going to be next year. What I would say to our fans is we're going to continue to work really hard to find that quarterback who can make us a championship team. We're going to work hard 'til we get a quarterback who can help us win and win consistently, which we've stated since day one is our goal."
Haslam said it's possible the team could re-sign Brian Hoyer, and added that Johnny Manziel needs to "show on and off the field he can be a professional."
"He knows that. Everybody in the organization has told him that," Haslam said. "It'll be up to Flip and Pett to decide whether he can be the kind of quarterback we need him to be. He knows what we expect of him on and off the field, and it's up to him to prove he can do that."
DeFilippo said he knows Manziel from one pre-draft visit and that the two got along well. But he added he's not concerned that he can't pinpoint the starter in January because he went through similar situations as quarterbacks coach in Oakland.
"At this point last year, Derek Carr wasn't in the Oakland Raiders' building," DeFilippo said, adding the Raiders also signed Matt Flynn and Matt Schaub as free agents after January.
"Whoever is in our quarterback room is going to have a clean slate," he said.
DeFilippo said he's ready and eager to work with Manziel.
"He flew out to Oakland and spent a day with him," DeFilippo said. "Can you get an overview on a guy in a day? No. But you can get a grasp of what he thinks and how he's feeling and those things."
The Browns have expressed interest in re-signing Hoyer, agent Joe Linta told ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler on Thursday.
"We've left the door open both ways," said Linta, at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, about his recent correspondence with the Browns.
Hoyer, who led the Browns to a 7-4 record but struggled late in the year, is due to meet with general manager Ray Farmer and DeFilippo in the coming weeks. In 13 starts and one relief appearance, Hoyer threw for 3,326 yards, 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Pettine said Manziel was not a big reason behind Shanahan's resignation.
"I think a lot of people are just putting that out there," Pettine said, "as a possible reason, where he looked at it and said, 'The quarterback situation is not great and this is one of the reasons I want to get out of here.' I won't get into details, but his reason to me, that was not part of it."
Pettine said the idea of forcing Shanahan to honor his contract was not discussed, but the idea of seeking compensation for him was. In the end, the Browns decided it was best to part ways with a coach who did not want to be with the team.
"It was something we didn't want to drag out," Pettine said. "It's very hard to win in the NFL when everybody's into it and they truly want to be there. If you have somebody that just doesn't want to be there, I know it's easy to say, 'He's under contract, hold him to it.' Now there's a dark cloud over your coaching offices."
After becoming the sixth Browns offensive coordinator in six years, DeFilippo said Wednesday that he hopes this is "the last change for these guys for a long time" and doesn't plan to overhaul the playbook terminology.
ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
John DeFilippo: Unsure of QB for '15
BEREA, Ohio -- New Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said Thursday that the team doesn't know who its quarterback for 2015 will be -- or if he's even on the roster.
"We're not sure if our starting quarterback is in the building right now or not," said DeFilippo, who was hired Wednesday to replace Kyle Shanahan. "If he is, great. If he's not, that's great, too."
Coach Mike Pettine said the Browns will continue evaluating the roster and discussing all positions over the next few weeks.
Owner Jimmy Haslam said the Browns are committed to finding a quarterback "who can make us a championship team" and that all options are open for next season's starter.
"We've got to get a quarterback and got to get it fixed," Haslam said.
"You can look at the teams whether they're in the final eight, the final four or the final two, you've got to have a really good quarterback," he added. "And our situation as Coach Pettine says is still muddy and we don't know who our quarterback is going to be next year. What I would say to our fans is we're going to continue to work really hard to find that quarterback who can make us a championship team. We're going to work hard 'til we get a quarterback who can help us win and win consistently, which we've stated since day one is our goal."
Haslam said it's possible the team could re-sign Brian Hoyer, and added that Johnny Manziel needs to "show on and off the field he can be a professional."
"He knows that. Everybody in the organization has told him that," Haslam said. "It'll be up to Flip and Pett to decide whether he can be the kind of quarterback we need him to be. He knows what we expect of him on and off the field, and it's up to him to prove he can do that."
DeFilippo said he knows Manziel from one pre-draft visit and that the two got along well. But he added he's not concerned that he can't pinpoint the starter in January because he went through similar situations as quarterbacks coach in Oakland.
"At this point last year, Derek Carr wasn't in the Oakland Raiders' building," DeFilippo said, adding the Raiders also signed Matt Flynn and Matt Schaub as free agents after January.
"Whoever is in our quarterback room is going to have a clean slate," he said.
DeFilippo said he's ready and eager to work with Manziel.
"He flew out to Oakland and spent a day with him," DeFilippo said. "Can you get an overview on a guy in a day? No. But you can get a grasp of what he thinks and how he's feeling and those things."
The Browns have expressed interest in re-signing Hoyer, agent Joe Linta told ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler on Thursday.
"We've left the door open both ways," said Linta, at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, about his recent correspondence with the Browns.
Hoyer, who led the Browns to a 7-4 record but struggled late in the year, is due to meet with general manager Ray Farmer and DeFilippo in the coming weeks. In 13 starts and one relief appearance, Hoyer threw for 3,326 yards, 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Pettine said Manziel was not a big reason behind Shanahan's resignation.
"I think a lot of people are just putting that out there," Pettine said, "as a possible reason, where he looked at it and said, 'The quarterback situation is not great and this is one of the reasons I want to get out of here.' I won't get into details, but his reason to me, that was not part of it."
Pettine said the idea of forcing Shanahan to honor his contract was not discussed, but the idea of seeking compensation for him was. In the end, the Browns decided it was best to part ways with a coach who did not want to be with the team.
"It was something we didn't want to drag out," Pettine said. "It's very hard to win in the NFL when everybody's into it and they truly want to be there. If you have somebody that just doesn't want to be there, I know it's easy to say, 'He's under contract, hold him to it.' Now there's a dark cloud over your coaching offices."
After becoming the sixth Browns offensive coordinator in six years, DeFilippo said Wednesday that he hopes this is "the last change for these guys for a long time" and doesn't plan to overhaul the playbook terminology.
ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
