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Johnny Manziel needs to start walking the walk

BEREA, Ohio — Johnny Manziel said some of the right things Tuesday about his future with the Cleveland Browns.

It shouldn’t be surprising.

Manziel has been saying a lot of right things since he decided to leave Texas A&M and declare for the NFL draft, after which he wound up with the Browns.

Here’s a sampling:

"If you want to be the greatest, you have to prepare like it. That’s why I'm out here trying to be the best player possible. Whether it's in the film room or the weight room, there are days when it's hard, though, when it's a struggle."

And:

“I'm trying to show people I've grown up, and I've learned from my experiences. I feel like you're a stupid person if you continue to make the same wrong decisions. I don't want to hear, 'Oh, anybody in his situation would have been doing the same thing.' I'm 100 percent responsible for my actions.”

And:

“People can call me crazy, and it's not cockiness, [but] I'm going to put myself in [position] to win the Super Bowl every single year.”

And:

“Football and family will always be the most important things in my life. The main thing for me is to play the game with a certain type of passion and a certain type of respect that football deserves. It's a humbling game. It can come and go at the drop of a hat."

Those comments were made by Manziel this past February. He said them as he prepared for the draft with quarterback guru George Whitfield in San Diego, where he lobbied reporters John McLain of the Houston Chronicle and Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to be the first pick of the Houston Texans.

If they sound similar to the comments Manziel made in Berea on Tuesday … well, it’s because they are.

Manziel is very adept with the media. He says many right things.

The problem he’s had in Cleveland is doing them. This is not to say Manziel was a problem off the field in Cleveland. He hasn’t been. He’s been a likable guy who’s gone about his business.

But when he got on the field for his opportunity, he was not prepared. He did not prepare like he was the greatest, and he more or less admitted that Tuesday, when he said he wasn’t ready for the transition to the pros.

It’s to Manziel’s credit that he stood up and took some accountability for what has turned into a lost rookie season.

But he didn’t really take entire credit because he also said he wouldn’t change a thing he’s done since he was drafted. How’d that work out again?

At this point, it’ll be more to Manziel’s credit if he does something about it.

The words have been coming for almost an entire year.

It’s time for actions to follow.