The world got a brief taste of glory two weeks ago.
Johnny Manziel was brought in by the Cleveland Browns to relieve the painfully average Brian Hoyer after Hoyer threw his second pick in the 4th quarter and the Browns were down 20-3.
Predictably, Manziel easily took them down the field and scored the team's first touchdown.
The hole was too big for Johnny to win that one, but it was a sign of hope for an offense that time after time fails a defense that tops the league in interceptions.
Then the team inexplicably chose to make Johnny sit another week. The Browns almost won against a good Colts team, thanks to two defensive touchdowns. Hoyer threw two picks, and they lost by a point.
Nobody is denying that it is Johnny Football time now.
Cleveland luckily had LeBron James’ return to the Cavs and the emergence of rookie superstar Joe Harris to hold the city’s fans off until this point.
But Cleveland is ready for its real star to take the field. Magnifying this momentous occasion for the city is the fact that the game will be at home against the in-state rival Bengals.
"As a fan who saw Frank Ryan leave the field for Bill Nelson, then saw Nelson depart for Mike Phipps and Phipps for Sipe, I think this is one of those defining days for Browns' fans," said Northeast Ohio native and radio host Hugh Hewitt in an email to the Washington Free Beacon. "Going to be a great era."
All the haters who said Johnny’s off-the-field lifestyle would be a distraction or that he would be disruptive as a backup on the sideline have been proven wrong.
"I'm just staying in my own lane trying to get better … Brian was named the starter and I was named the backup, and now I need to play my role of the backup and that's that," Johnny said earlier in the season.
Meanwhile, fans eager to profess their love for Johnny have been causing 20 person riots at clubs in the city's downtown.
I visited Cleveland earlier this year, and it is on the rebound. Both of its stadiums have undergone major improvements. The city will host the Republican National Convention in 2016.
Clevelanders are ready for a winner, and Johnny Football is starting this Sunday.
Vegas has the Browns favored by only one point. A better American than I would be booking the next flight out.