Will Browns show some spark?

Next two games will say a lot about the newest coaching regime

‘Tis the season Browns pack it in Fa la la la la, la la la la. Where they’re now is where they’ve been Fa la la la la, la la la la.

The Browns game against the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 21 in Charlotte, N.C., and the curtain closer Dec. 28 in Baltimore will be the true indicators of whether things are any different under the current leadership than they were under regimes in the history section of the Browns’ media guide. Last week, the Browns played the Bengals with all the fire of a candle in a hurricane in a 30-0 loss, even though a victory would have left them in the middle of the playoff race. Now their playoff chances are infinitesimal and the teams they face in the last two weeks are fighting for their playoff lives.

The Browns lost their last four games in 2010, their last six in 2011, their last three in 2012 and their last seven in 2013. They are on a threegame losing streak now and are 1-3 against the Panthers.

The Browns at 7-7 have won more games than in any season since they finished 10-6 in 2007.

They have a chance for only their third winning record in 16 years. They have never finished 8-8.

“The message to the team was pretty simple,” head coach Mike Pettine said. “This week represents another opportunity to get a win in the National Football League. Those opportunities, you don’t get that many of them. You train for a long time for 16 opportunities in a regular season, and this is one that is just as important as any other. There’s no better feeling than winning, and we need to get that feeling back.”

Effort in the last two games, even in defeat, would be improvement over last week.

The wind down to the end of this season has a different twist because Johnny Manziel will make his second career start in Carolina and his third in Baltimore. The match against the Panthers will put Manziel against Cam Newton, a running quarterback like Manziel who is five inches taller and 40 pounds heavier than the Browns’ rookie.

Never in college or high school did Manziel have to rebound from a beatdown like the one he experienced against the Bengals. He completed 10 of 18 passes for 80 yards, threw two interceptions and was sacked twice. Just about every other player played poorly, but the brightest light was on Manziel and it will be again.

“For us to go out and lay an egg, offensively, it was tough,” Manziel said. “Nobody wants that, but at the same time, one game doesn’t define you as a player. Really, what defines you is how you bounce back from that and what you do in the following weeks.

“I’ve come in here and prepared the same way that I did last week. I felt there was nothing wrong in my preparation last week. When it came down to it, we just didn’t play well enough to win.”

Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is looking for Manziel to improve his timing routes and be ready to throw the ball before the receiver makes his break on certain patterns. A pass intended for Andrew Hawkins was intercepted last week because Manziel waited too long for him to get open.

“Through experience, it’s something you coach all the time,” Shanahan said. “You try to get quarterbacks to understand the timing of the play. Try to read with their feet. Try to let it go in the right timing; take a hitch and let it rip.

“Usually when you take that second hitch, it’s time to check it down. Really, if you’re taking a third hitch, you’re usually getting drilled by that time. It happens to a lot of guys. They want to make sure they see it perfect, and he took an extra one on his interception. The man travels faster than the ball. I think he learned from that because he saw what happened, and hopefully he’ll be better with that this week.”

The Panthers have 11 interceptions and 18 forced fumbles.

Gipson on IR

With two games remaining and the Browns unlikely to make the playoffs, safety Tashaun Gipson was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 20. Linebacker Scott Solomon was activated from the practice squad to fill his roster spot.

Gipson was injured Nov. 23 in Atlanta. He missed the last three games but still shares the NFL lead with six interceptions.

Solomon, 6-foot-3, 260 pounds, was a seventh-round draft pick by the Tennessee Titans in 2011. He played college football at Rice. He played a total of 20 games for the Titans, Jets and Buccaneers.

Pettine