After giving him a chance to prove himself the rest of the season, the Browns have now taken that chance away from Johnny Manziel.
The team announced that Josh McCown would return to the starting lineup this week, and the Manziel would be the third quarterback behind Austin Davis, after video emerged of him partying over the bye week.
Pettine said after consulting with his coaching staff, and talking to General Manager Ray Farmer and owner Jimmy Haslam, he told the players involved of his decision.
“Everyone in this organization wants what is best for Johnny just like we do for every player in our locker room,” Pettine said in a statement from the team. “I’m especially disappointed in his actions and behavior because he has been working very hard. The improvements from last year to this year have been tremendous but he still has to consistently demonstrate that he has gained a good understanding of what it takes to be successful at the quarterback position on this level. It goes well beyond the field.
“We are going to continue to support him in every way possible, but at this point, we’ve decided it’s best to go with Josh as the starter going forward.”
McCown has been hurt lately, but that’s not really why they went to Manziel, since their season was shot and they had a former first-rounder they weren’t sure was ready to play.
They still don’t know.
