The Browns have no choice but to play Johnny Manziel tonight against the Bengals, since starting quarterback Josh McCown is hurt.
But there’s a little more confidence in him this year, or at least some.
Browns coach Mike Pettine admitted to Albert Breer of NFL.com that a year ago, he wasn’t sure Manziel was ever going to grow into an NFL quarterback.
“He’s got some stuff to be cleaned up, but if you’d asked me this a year ago, I would’ve been like, ‘It’s a great mystery; I have no idea where this guy is gonna be.’ And if I were to handicap it, I’d maybe be at 50-50 with this guy, and that’d be generous,” Pettine said. “This year, I’m a lot more confident that if you surround him with the right people, he can be successful.”
Most quarterbacks in the NFL are dependent on the personnel around them, unless you’re a Tom Brady or an Aaron Rodgers. And clearly the Browns don’t have the kind of help to make Manziel look like one of those guys under any circumstances.
Pettine said the biggest on-field change he’s seen in Manziel is a willingness to keep his feet still and let plays develop, rather than taking off at the first hint of trouble.
“He learned, ‘I don’t have to turn every play into a punt return,’ ” Pettine said. “That was a function of two things. One, that was what he was used to doing. And two, when you don’t know what a defense is in and you’re not sure where the ball should go, extend the play until you do know. Now, if I’m confident and I know and I can process quick and get the ball out, then that’s what you want.”
We’ll see tonight if that confidence is warranted, and whether Manziel can show some hint of the excitement he once created.
