Browns Exec VP & Chief Revenue Officer Brent Stehlik last night in an e-mail wrote the Browns were "closing in on 3,000 season ticket sales" since 11:00pm on Thursday night, when the team drafted QB Johnny Manziel (Adam Stern, Staff Writer). In Cleveland, Jodie Valade noted increased ticket sales are "very early indicators of the level of celebrity" Manziel brings to the Browns. Whether there will be "any lasting impact is another matter" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 5/10). Also in Cleveland, Tom Beres noted Manziel already is "having a big economic impact" in the city. Fans were "lining up" outside the Browns' team shop to "get custom-made Manziel jerseys." Some waited "up to an hour and a half" and paid $150 for the jersey. Stehlik said, "I've never seen anything like this. ... My sales team got very little sleep. We went home late, came in early, and our phones have been ringing off the hook" (WKYC.com, 5/9). The PLAIN DEALER's Marvin Fong noted dozens of fans "hit the team shop at First Energy Stadium, to buy jerseys" with Manziel's name (CLEVELAND.com, 5/9).
HASLAM NOT INVOLVED IN PICK: In Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot reported Browns GM Ray Farmer "shot down speculation that owner Jimmy Haslam dictated the Johnny Manziel pick." Farmer during his post-draft press conference said, "I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that Jimmy Haslam at no point demanded, requested, tried to influence the process in any way. He definitely asked questions, he’ll definitely give his opinion of what he thinks and all of those things are fine. But at the end of the day, he trusted the football staff to make the decisions that we thought were the right decisions for this football team" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 5/11). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio wrote if Haslam "truly was going to allow them to go to work, he would have stayed out of the process completely." By "asking questions and making his position known, he undoubtedly sent signals to Farmer about what the owner wanted." Haslam’s presence in the draft room "was a constant reminder that, ultimately, he’s the one in charge" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 5/10).
HOW TO HANDLE THE SPOTLIGHT: Browns coach Mike Pettine said that before Manziel "steps onto the field for his first NFL practice this weekend," the team will "discuss how to handle him." In Akron, Marla Ridenour notes the Browns "have had players who needed handling before." The task of "putting out fires created by" former TE Kellen Winslow "wore out the assistant public relations director assigned to him." The Browns will "have to monitor social media and stay on top of what’s floating in the Internet universe about Manziel so Pettine isn’t blindsided." But that is "just the beginning." An "onslaught is in store that the Browns’ public relations department is not equipped to handle." What used to be "a meaningless rookie minicamp will draw huge media interest on Saturday and Sunday." Manziel’s first training camp practice in late July "will be Goodyear blimp-worthy." The Browns "need a veteran public relations executive to be Manziel’s liaison." He or she "needs to rule with a firm hand, telling Manziel how it works in the NFL and what’s expected of him." There will be "other issues to consider." At training camp, the practice fields at Berea "may not be big enough to handle the crush of fans who will want to catch a glimpse of Manziel and try to get his autograph." The Browns "could practice at FirstEnergy Stadium and probably average 10,000" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 5/12).
ALL THE KING'S MEN: In Miami, Joseph Goodman noted Heat F LeBron James on Friday "showed off his custom-made" Manziel jersey, and on Saturday "spent most of his pregame news conference talking about" Manziel. James and Manziel are both "sponsored by Nike, and Manziel signed with James' marketing firm, LRMR" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 5/11).
