NFL notes: Browns QB Johnny Manziel to start, according to report

Quarterback Johnny Manziel will exit the doghouse and return to the starting lineup Sunday when the Browns (2-10) host the San Francisco 49ers (4-8), ESPN reported Monday morning.

Browns coach Mike Pettine said he would decide Monday whether to turn back to Manziel or give Austin Davis his second consecutive start on the heels of Sunday’s 37-3 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium. Last week, Pettine said the organization wanted to see Manziel play again this season.

The Browns have yet to announce the decision.

Manziel spent the past two games on the bench after being punished for his off-field behavior.

The 22nd overall pick in last year’s draft, Manziel was named the starter for the rest of the season Nov. 17 after he passed for a career-high 372 yards two days earlier in a 30-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But Manziel was demoted from starter to third string Nov. 24 after partying during a bye-week break and lying to the coaching staff about it.

Pettine named Davis the starter last week after veteran Josh McCown was placed on injured reserve with a broken collarbone, but the coach added choosing the starting quarterback would be a “weekly thing” for the remainder of the season.

Manziel, 23, is 1-4 as an NFL starter, including 1-2 this season. He has completed 59.4 percent of his passes this year with five touchdowns, two interceptions and a rating of 88.4

Davis, 26, dropped to 3-6 as an NFL starter by losing his starting debut with the Browns on Sunday. He completed 25-of-38 passes for 230 yards with an interception and finished with a rating of 71.2. He lost a fumble on a backward pass and was penalized twice for intentional grounding.

Rams fire offensive coordinator Cignetti

With the Rams’ offense continuing to struggle, coach Jeff Fisher has relieved offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti of his duties.

Cignetti will be replaced by Rob Boras, who had the title of assistant coach/offense while also coaching tight ends.

Boras, 45, was strongly considered for the offensive coordinator position by Fisher during the offseason.

Under Cignetti, the Rams rank 31st in total offense through 12 games and are 32nd in passing offense.

“He’s a good man,” Fisher said. “He worked hard. But we scored 13 points or less in seven of our eight losses. . I’ve never done this kind of thing before. We’re all at fault.’

Throughout his 20 seasons as a head coach in St. Louis and with the Tennessee Titans organization, Fisher has normally been very loyal to members of his coaching staff.

But with the team mired in a five-game losing streak, and outscored 132-54 over that stretch, Fisher felt he had to do something.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco to have surgery on injured knee Tuesday

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco will have surgery Tuesday on his injured left knee, 16 days after suffering season-ending ACL and MCL tears in the Nov. 22 win over the St. Louis Rams.

Coach John Harbaugh said Flacco was in Birmingham, Ala., with renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews going through pre-surgery protocols. His knee is expected to be repaired at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Flacco has been around the team facility in Owings Mills for the past two weeks, waiting for swelling to go down in the knee. While the ACL will be repaired, it’s unclear whether the MCL tear will be allowed to heal on its own or also be surgically repaired.

If the MCL needs to be repaired too, it would add an estimated four-to-six weeks to Flacco’s recovery. That will likely be determined during the surgery.

Harbaugh said right after the injury that it was “probably way early and obviously speculative, but the indications that I’ve been given would be that he would be back for the start of training camp and it wouldn’t be an issue.”

Flacco wrote on Facebook last week that “with help from modern medicine, combined with old-fashioned hard work, I should be good as new.”

Flacco finished the season having completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,791 yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His injury ended a streak of 137 straight starts, the second-longest run by a quarterback to start his career in NFL history.

Peyton Manning to begin throwing on his own this week

Peyton Manning begins his comeback this week. There’s no telling whether it will lead him into the Denver Broncos’ huddle.

Manning will suit up and throw outdoors Wednesday as he takes his first big step back from a torn plantar fascia in his left foot that has sidelined him since mid-November. It’s unlikely, however, that he’ll participate in practice.

“Yeah, I don’t see that,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “That could change. I could tell you on Wednesday that we decided to do some of that, but right now the thought is that we go into kind of a modified small workout personally with him and see where we can be each and every day.”

Manning hasn’t thrown outside since being picked off four times by the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 15, when he had his worst career performance on the same day he became the league’s all-time career leader in passing yards.

The next day, Kubiak named Brock Osweiler the starter and the fourth-year pro has gone 3-0 since, leading the Broncos over Chicago, New England and San Diego to stay three games ahead of the Chiefs in the AFC West.

Kubiak has opened up his playbook with Osweiler under center, calling an assortment of bootlegs, effective run plays and play-action passes with the athletic and more mobile passer who’s almost 15 years younger than Manning, 39.

He had to modify his system for Manning, putting him mostly in the pistol or shotgun, which made it difficult to run the ball – the Broncos averaged 86 yards a game with Manning at quarterback and are running for almost twice that – 161 yards – with Osweiler under center.

Manning, who set NFL records with 55 TD passes and 5,477 yards two years ago, had just nine TD throws and a league-high 17 interceptions when he was replaced by Osweiler, who’s thrown five TD passes and three interceptions.

In other injury news, safety David Bruton Jr. said he has a bruised left knee and sprained medial and posterior collateral ligaments. Bruton was injured late in the fourth quarter of Denver’s 17-3 win over the Chargers. He was starting in place of T.J. Ward, who missed the game with a sprained left ankle and is expected to sit out against the Raiders, too.

Several other players were injured in the game, including tight end Vernon Davis (concussion), linebacker Danny Trevathan (concussion), returner Omar Bolden (hamstring) and running back C.J. Anderson (ankle).

The Broncos hope to get back edge rusher DeMarcus Ware (back) and run-stuffer Sylvester Williams (ankle) this week.

AP Exclusive: Chiefs’ Charles vows to be back next season

When he planted his right foot and his knee buckled beneath him, the first thing that went through Jamaal Charles’ mind was that it couldn’t possibly be something serious.

Not a torn ligament. Not again.

Then, the star running back for the Kansas City Chiefs was hit with reality. For the second time in five seasons, one of the most dynamic players in the NFL had torn the ACL in his knee. He was done for the year, and faced the prospect of another round of grueling rehabilitation.

Just as his team’s season was spiraling out of control.

“Even then, I was just chill,” Charles said. “I just wanted to get the surgery done and get back on my feet again. I want to be ready for the start of next season. I want to play.”

The Chiefs do not allow injured players to speak to reporters at their facility, but Charles agreed to discuss his surgery, recovery and the road back with The Associated Press.

The play that ruined his season was about as innocuous as they come.

After taking a handoff from Alex Smith in Week 5 against Chicago, the four-time Pro Bowler darted forward. He planted his right foot and tried to go left, where a hole was opening up, and his right knee seemed to collapse. He fell face-first into the turf at Arrowhead Stadium, which was suddenly as quiet as a funeral parlor.

“It wasn’t something I was even thinking about,” Charles said of an ACL injury. “I was just thinking about getting an MRI and seeing if it was a sprain or something.”

The NFL is a cruel sport, though. So while Charles had taken countless hits since tearing the ACL in his left knee at Detroit in 2011, and almost every time popped right back up, it was a play that didn’t even involve contact that took him down.

And robbed Charles of another year of his prime.

After recovering from his first knee injury, he came back to run for a career-best 1,509 yards. The following year, he ran for a career-high 12 touchdowns. And last season, he went over 1,000 yards rushing for the third straight season despite some nagging bumps and bruises.

This year was off to a steady start, too. Until the game against Chicago.

There are differences between the first knee injury and this one, Charles said. The rehab from his first made both legs stronger, and that has given him a better base to begin his recovery this time. He is also right-handed, so his right leg is naturally a bit stronger.

But nothing is more important than his outlook. He was emotionally distraught when he got hurt in the second game of the 2011 season, nervous and uncertain about the future. But he’s gone through this process once, and that has left him in better spirits.

“It’s easier,” he explained, “just because I know what I know.”

That doesn’t mean this recovery isn’t without challenges.

There were difficult days after he was operated on by Dr. James Andrews, and every workout is painful. Then there are those who argue his injury was a blessing for a Chiefs team that lost five of its first six games. Without Charles on the field, coach Andy Reid has become more creative on offense and they have won six straight after Sunday’s win in Oakland.

“That’s OK,” Charles said. “I’m not worrying about what anybody says. What they were doing when I was there, they could still be doing it.”

Besides, Charles said, “it ain’t me. It’s Coach Reid’s system. I’m just a part of it.”

Indeed, Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware have become fantasy football must-haves while they fill in for Charles, and both journeymen credit him for helping them learn the ropes.

“I’m happy for their success,” Charles said. “I knew if we got on the same page, we’d be winning. I feel like they’re all clicking on the same page.”

But it’s difficult to watch the sudden success from afar. Charles basically spends his time rehabbing his knee, playing video games – “Destiny” is his title du jour – and spending time with his family, all while wishing he could contribute on the field.

Charles turns 30 next season, ancient for running backs in the modern NFL. But his shiftiness means he rarely takes shots squarely, so he doesn’t have the wear and tear of many others at his position. And the fact he’s missed most of two seasons because of knee injuries means, assuming he fully recovers from this one, he could have a few good years left.

In other words, Charles intends to earn the $5.75 million in salary and bonuses he is due next season, part of a contract extension signed with Kansas City prior to last season.

“That’s the goal,” he said. I had 11 (games) left in the season when I did it, so it’s a lot of time to come back from it. The way I’m moving, I’ll be back before the season starts. I want to be back. I want to play. I want to be out there again.”

Quick kicks

Lawyers for the NFL Players Association have told a federal appeals court that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was making a “sweeping grab for power” in the “Deflategate” controversy. The lawyers made the claim in papers filed with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. Oral arguments are scheduled for March. The appeals court is hearing the National Football League’s appeal of a judge’s ruling that nullified the league’s four-game suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The union has asked the court to uphold the lower court’s decision.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano says he expects quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to play this weekend against Jacksonville with a fractured rib and a sore neck. The 40-year-old quarterback left Sunday night’s 45-10 loss at Pittsburgh complaining of neck and shoulder pain. He had X-rays after the game and was checked again Monday, when Pagano described the bone fracture as “mild.” If Hasselbeck can’t play, Indy (6-6) would go with backup Charlie Whitehurst against the Jaguars.

Ravens rookie tight end Nick Boyle received a four-game suspension from the NFL for violating the league policy on performance enhancing substances. Boyle will miss the remainder of the regular season. Drafted in the fifth round out of Delaware, Boyle has 18 catches for 153 yards. Many athletes, including former Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis, received suspensions in the past after testing positive for Adderall, a drug normally used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ravens coach John Harbaugh would not disclose the substance that led to Boyle’s suspension, but said, “It’s pretty common, (a drug) you read about all the time with guys. … It wasn’t steroids or anything like that.”