The reality that Robert Griffin III will have the ability to call audibles in 2013 means that, during his first two NFL seasons, he lacked that power. Which raises an interesting question for the most talked-about NFL rookie since Griffin.
The guy who put the restrictor plate on RGIII was offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. And Shanahan now runs the offense in Cleveland.
So will Johnny Manziel have the power to change plays as a rookie?
It’s not relevant unless and until he plays. And with Manziel posing with Biebs while showing a literal index finger to the world and a figurative middle finger to the Browns, Manziel could be daring the front office to do something about his refusal to tone it down. Like relying on Brian Hoyer when September rolls around.
Once Manziel plays, the question of whether he’ll be able to change the play that was called may not matter, because once the ball is snapped he may decide to go full-on Favre and act like he’s playing “keep away” on a playground.
If Manziel thrives, whether he’s doing so as scripted may matter only to Shanahan. But even if Manziel struggles, the guy who has shown defiance to date of the team’s reported order to go easy on the social media shenanigans may feel empowered to do whatever he wants to do once he’s playing, regardless of whether Shanahan likes it or not.
Ultimately, Manziel is smart. He’s smart enough to know that, no matter what the team says or thinks, they traded from No. 26 to No. 22 because they want him to be their quarterback. And that’s what they’ll getting, exactly the way Manziel wants to be their quarterback.