(Update: Cleveland Browns Head Coach Mike Pettine has named Johnny Manziel the starting quarterback for the rest of the season. We now update this post from Sunday afternoon, in which I made a strong take for Pettine to do exactly that)
Johnny Manziel passed for a career-high 372 yards with a touchdown and an interception, today but given how horribly one-dimensional the Cleveland Browns were on offense, it didn’t matter.
The Pittsburgh Steelers sacked Johnny Manziel six times. The Browns, who have lost five straight, ran for just 15 yards and were penalized 11 times for 159 yards. Cleveland, now 2-8 for the 2015 season, are just 2-13 in their last 15 games under coach Mike Pettine.
Manziel started today, only because Pettine had no other choice. With this team going nowhere, and not reaching the playoffs, it’s time to make Johnny Manziel the full time starter.
It appears Pettine doesn’t exactly love Manziel, and that the coaches don’t really believe he is their guy right now.
Well, it’s time for them to get over that. Yes, Johnny Manziel is a polarizing figure, but you need to put your feelings aside and see what you have or don’t have for the future.
The CBS Morning Show On Quarterback Situation in Cleveland:
AMY TRASK: (Mike Pettine) is doing a disservice to the organization. This team is s 2-7. It is not advancing to the playoffs. And yet Pettine seems absolutely, positively opposed to playing Johnny Manziel unless an injury to Josh McCown dictates that he must, which is the case today. Beyond that, I sense when Pettine speaks of Manziel, a palpable disdain in his words and tone of voice. He’s not allowing this organization to see, by playing Manziel consistently, what Manziel may or may not able to do in the League.
LONDON FLETCHER: At this point in the season, if you say, ‘Hey, Josh McCown is the best player at the position, but we’re going to start Johnny Manziel just to see (what we have).’ It sends the wrong message. Players want to win football games. It changes the dynamic in the locker room if you (take out) a quarterback who is playing well for you.
CHRIS SIMMS: Mike Pettine is old school. And it’s not like Johnny Manziel has won the Medal of Honor for the way he has conducted himself in the first two years of his NFL career either… That team really loves Josh McCown. He’s been in that offense with John DeFilippo. And people have to remember, Johnny Manziel hasn’t been able to practice all year with that elbow issue.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel:
“The question of course remains for the Browns why hasn’t Johnny Manziel been named the unquestioned starter as the season starts to slip away and they start to look toward the future? My understanding is Mike Pettine simply does not believe that Manziel has earned the job yet. He wants to make sure that if Johnny does become the starter it’s because only of his play on the field, not because of some sort of what-if notion. I talked to a couple of Browns sources and they are in agreement: no one is saying right now Manziel needs to be the starter. I asked a source what if Manziel plays well today, could he earn the job? What I was told was maybe, maybe if he is incredibly lights out.”
More from NFLN
– “He has to deserve to start – he has to play well enough to continue to start. But they do need to find out is he the guy for the future. You drafted him number 22 [overall] for a reason. You have to find out if that investment will pay off.” – Steve Mariucci on Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel
– “He doesn’t make the easy plays and he doesn’t read the field the way you want a franchise quarterback to read the field. You have to make the easy throws – he doesn’t do that. He makes some special throws but you just can’t live in that world.” – Kurt Warner on Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
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