It’s not everyday you see a NFL head coach set a deadline for himself to make decisions, especially on who's going to quarterback his team. But Browns rookie head coach Mike Pettine set the third game of the preseason as his deadline to decide whether he’s rolling with six-year vet Brian Hoyer or rookie Johnny Manziel for the 2014 season.
Maybe Pettine is hoping Manziel’s offseason performance will translate to training camp.
I thought Pettine was going to stick to his guns and let the two signal callers fight it out in camp, but by announcing to the world that he’s making his decision five days before camp even starts, Brian Hoyer better get hyped to hold a clipboard.
Place your bets now, gentle readers. Johnny F' Football will be the Browns' Week One starter.
For all of their offensive weapons, Cleveland was going to have to lean on their defense anyway to win games. The Browns have invested heavily in their linebacking corps with Paul Kruger and Karlos Dansby, and I'm still buying into the hype for Kiki Mingo. With Donte Whitner joining Joe Haden in the secondary, Cleveland has a defense fit for a learning quarterback.
As a result, the Browns can afford Manziel's inevitable turnovers and a learning curve that is likely to be steep. Their main concern is keeping him upright because he's spent plenty of time this off-season on his back.
Cleveland in 2014 is looking a lot like Washington did in 2012.
New Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is no stranger to throwing a talented rookie into the fire to start a season. Hopefully Manziel doesn't suffer the same fate as Shanahan's last starter.
Manziel brings a balletic elusiveness to the field, while Griffin brings raw athleticism; while RG3 would get hit head on, Manziel has a knack for ducking the big hit.
I’m leery to lend support to the idea that JFF will be a competent NFL starter, but I’m all in for Manziel at week one like RG3 was in for week one last year. Let's just hope it doesn't end up the same way.
When you have stars, you let them be stars.