Johnny Manziel Needs to Be Browns Starting QB in 2015
Johnny Manziel had a rough rookie season topped with some off-field issues and a side of injury. The Cleveland Browns were, apparently, not impressed.
I can’t say I blame them.
However, for Manziel, the issue is and was always going to be the amount of time he needed to adapt to life in the NFL, both on and off the field. We all know how talented Manziel is, and we saw it first hand when he won a Heisman Trophy as a freshman at Texas A&M.
The Browns thought enough of his collegiate success to go against largely the popular opinion and take him in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. So what’s all this about them ‘moving on’ from Manziel as a viable starting option?
After 35 pass attempts last year, you’ve seen enough?
As Joe Soriano talked about over at NFL Spin Zone, Manziel’s situation is being handled incredibly poorly in Cleveland, from top to bottom, at least in terms of his on-field development.
The Browns signed Josh McCown this offseason, in theory to help Manziel develop and be an emergency starter if need be. Perhaps the Browns have different plans. Are they really trying to bridge the gap between Manziel and another new quarterback with the addition of McCown?
According to Soriano’s research, that could well be the case. Then there’s this little nugget from ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi, who covers the Browns.
“The Browns aren’t trying to reinvent Manziel. They are, by all appearances, moving on.”
You hate to be overly critical of organizations, and perhaps moving on from Manziel is the right thing to do, but the Browns really do have a serious commitment problem and it’s not just at the quarterback position, though that’s the most prominent example.
These are my thoughts on the situation.
I don’t know what the Browns scouted from Josh McCown last year in Tampa Bay, but it can’t have been glowing. It was good enough for them to give him a contract, but my goodness, for him to supplant last year’s first round pick as a starter?
That seems odd.
The Browns need to do what they have to do to win games, I get that. So if Manziel doesn’t offer the best chance to do so, then by all means, throw McCown in there.
I just don’t think you’re going to see that different of a result in terms of wins and losses.