Pettine’s mouth gets him in more trouble

By MARY KAY CABOT

The Plain Dealer

BEREA

The San Francisco 49ers aren’t the only ones mad at Mike Pettine — also known as Blunt Force Trauma — this week.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett ripped the Browns coach on Friday for saying this week that quarterback Russell Wilson is not in the top tier of quarterbacks.

In the process, Bennett took a huge swipe at Johnny Manziel, who will go up against the Seahawks’ No. 2 ranked defense on Sunday.

“Obviously he’s not good at picking quarterbacks,” Bennett said during an interview on 710 ESPN Seattle, via espn.com. “Maybe he doesn’t know what elite is. I think that Russell Wilson is very elite. He’s been to two Super Bowls. It’s only his fourth year. I don’t think a lot of guys can say that.

“There’s a lot of guys with a lot of passing yards that haven’t had any success and don’t even go to the playoffs, like Philip Rivers and guys like that. Drew Brees hasn’t been to the playoffs in two years. So Russell Wilson is definitely an elite quarterback, and he can lead a team. ... I think Russell Wilson has done a great job of proving that he is up there at the top tier of players.”

If Bennett tries to make his point on the field, Manziel could be in for it. Bennett leads the team with 8.5 sacks and is tied for first with 23 quarterback hits.

Pettine, who had a banner week with controversial quotes, wasn’t ready to rank Wilson up there with the top four quarterbacks in the NFL -- despite the fact he’s on the hottest four-game streak of any NFL quarterback since 1960.

“Would you put him up there with the guys that can transcend their supporting cast – the (Tom) Bradys, Aaron Rodgers, (Drew) Brees, (Ben) Roethlisberger, the ones that you would consider the two, three, four elite guys?’’ said Pettine. “But he has certainly played himself into that next tier.”

The same day, Pettine ruffled the 49ers’ feathers when he suggested they didn’t come out with the same desire as the Browns during Cleveland’s 24-10 victory on Sunday.

On Thursday, 49ers offensive coordinator Geep Chryst shot back at Pettine, accusing him of trying to make himself look good by criticizing the Niners.

“Well he’s shining his star saying that ‘Even though we lost seven in a row, look how we showed up. We’re a team that fights and does not quit,’ “ Chryst said, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “I do know if they had 10’s across the board on all the things he cited, and we were at 1 across the board, then I don’t think they would’ve had a field goal blocked.

“I don’t think they would’ve had [an interception], which is critical to the game. I don’t think they would’ve had a fumble. I don’t think they would’ve allowed a punt to come back [36 yards].”

Pettine also said this week Browns will give the 8-5 Seahawks everything they’ve got on Sunday.

“We know that this is a formidable opponent in one of the most hostile environments in the league,’’ he said. “We’re going to go up there and cut it loose. We’re going to have a great deal of respect for them, but we’re not going to be intimidated by them. We’re going to travel out there and play a good football game.”

The 3-10 Browns had better hope they can back up Pettine’s big talk this week.