NFL Off-Season: Top QB Competitions

Jun 12, 2014; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel looks to pass as Brian Hoyer looks on during minicamp at Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Browns
Brian Hoyer vs. Johnny Manziel

What Has Been Said:

Mike Mayock
“You’re talking about a Heisman trophy winner, a guy who has had so many accolades. I love the fact that Pat’s making him work. And Brian Hoyer’s better than people think. Brian Hoyer’s not giving up that job easily. I love the fact that they’re kind of challenging him. Two things happen when you’re challenge. You step up and play at a higher level and the teammates in the locker room respect that. And also Brian Hoyer will work to try and keep that job. The thing that makes [Johnny Manziel] special is his spontaneity, it was the ability to get away, to use his legs to make plays and extend plays. The challenge is trying learn to win from within the pocket.”

Brian Hoyer
“Physically I feel really good. You never want to see someone else doing your job. I feel like I’m ready. I think being in the NFL this long is an advantage because I’ve gone from offense to offense. I have no physical limitations in what I’m doing. I’ve always felt like this is my team when I took over last year and I don’t feel any different now. I push myself to the limit. I study as much as I can and I come out and practice as hard as I can and that’s all I can control. The thing I can control most is how I prepare and how I play and everything else is left up to other people’s decisions. And that’s the kind of business we’re in. When it comes down to it, the best player is going to play. Whoever gives the team the best chance to win, anybody would say the same thing.

Johnny Manziel
“I’m just another rookie. I’m just another guy that comes up just like any other quarterback or any other guy. I haven’t done anything here. Obviously Brian’s been here and has a good grip on the offense. I’ve been learning trial by error and piecing together things and really put everything into form. And for me that doesn’t happen overnight. I feel like there’s a lot of time left. There’s a lot of time to continue to improve and figure this thing out.”

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Prediction:
Everybody knows about Johnny Football, his antics and most importantly: his playing ability. Analysts predicted Manziel going fourth overall to the Browns, however the draft ended up much different than expected. The Browns ended up making a few trades and viola, Johnny Manziel was selected as the 23^rd overall selection. What came as no surprise to us was the comments stated by Head Coach Mike Pettine which said  Manziel would not be the Brown’s starting QB in 2014. Everyone in Cleveland has waited eagerly for a player like Manziel. The amount of resewn jersey’s to include all of the Browns’ QBs has gotten out of hand. I believe with Manziel, the Browns’ are not getting necessarily a franchise QB, however they are getting relative short-term excitement and production (something that is hard to come by in Cleveland). With such receiving talent such as TE Jordan Cameron (over 900 receiving yards in 2013), Josh Gordon (1,646 yards and 9 touchdowns) and recently acquired Miles Austin, the Browns needed a QB to throw to those receivers. As it stands right now Johnny Manziel is not one player at all. In fact in the grand scheme of this draft Johnny Football is two players: a). an absolute bust with improper mechanics and small frame or b). an unstoppable offensive dynamo.

On the boom side, he is fast and incredibly agile. As you have seen in his college days at A&M, Manziel has the ability to start and stop and zoom around defenders with relative ease and composure. Where Manziel is a boom candidate is not only in that he can run, but that he can escape pressure and make plays. Look at the Chick-Fil-A Bowl against Duke. Manziel and the Aggies were down by a 21 point half-time deficit and ended up scoring 35 points to win the football game 52-48 over the Blue Devils. Say what you want about the kid; “he is the next Tim Tebow,” “he’ll never be a proper NFL Quarterback,” “he’s got bust written all over him.” The fact of the matter is that he makes plays. You can not deny his play making ability and the ability to make something out of seemingly nothing. From an owner’s standpoint Manziel is a goldmine. Not only will you get added ticket revenue, but you will get jersey sales and people actually watching your games. At the same time though, I have to admit Manziel has some bust tendencies.

He is not as big as some of the other QBs, which does have its own downsides, however that shouldn’t necessarily define him as a player. Time and time again people have considered height into the equation of future NFL success and I can say that nobody has truly solved the equation quite yet to be making judgements based on size alone. Often we have seen a bit of inappropriate on and off the field behavior that NFL owners will cringe at. However, that is what fuels his competitive drive and spirit and is exactly what Cleveland needs at a time like this.

The NFL has seen it’s share of booms and busts. (Everyone remembers the unfortunate ballad of Ryan Lief). With Johnny Manziel, he has to much to lose in the NFL. Although he may be 6’1″, 207 pounds, he is one of the most talented QBs in this year’s draft. For starters, Manziel runs a 4.68 40-yard dash time, 31.5″ vertical leap, and can shuttle in 4.05. Looking at his playing style though is where Johnathan Football separates himself from the rest of the pack. He’s fast, but it is how he uses that speed to his advantage that really makes him a worthwhile QB. For instance, because he is a dual-threat QB, he has the ability to tuck it and run if persuaded. However, as the NFL becomes smarter and smarter about the read option offense, the use of dual threat QBs will start to get less and less as well. For the time being though, if pressured in the pocket, Manziel can use his nimble and agile body to avoid defenders and throw a strike down the field. I will admit that Manziel is a gamble, he is. But they don’t call the NFL ‘The Big Show’ and they don’t call Johnny Manziel ‘Johnny Football’ for nothing.

Johnny Football was an absolute beast in college football ever since he started his first game at A&M. During his freshman season, Manziel was a scoring dynamo, passing for 3,706 yards, 26 touchdowns on just nine interceptions and a 68.0 completion percentage while rushing for an astonishing 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns on 201 attempts (an insane 7.01 yards per carry). His performance in 2012 earned him the Heisman trophy, the only Freshman to do so in NCAA history. Next season in 2013 Manziel was admittedly not as dominant as his freshman season, particularly in the running game, however he was able to work on and improve his passing game exponentially. In 2013, Manziel passed for a healthy 4,114 yards and monstrous 39 touchdowns on a 69.9 completion percentage (completed 300 out of 429 pass attempts) while adding 759 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns from scrimmage. Manziel’s season was tough to say the least, however in big games against ranked Alabama, Auburn, Vanderbilt and Duke, Manziel played extremely well, passing for an average of 401.25 yards, 4.25 touchdowns and a 73.95% completion while adding 57.5 yards per game on the ground. The stats speak for themselves, the question is whether or not he can sustain it against NFL defenses. Only time will tell.

In picking JF2K14 (Johnny Football 2014), some may argue Manziel will drag the Browns down, however I believe that Manziel’s leadership and tenacity/passion for the game will help them rise above. Manziel is technically a pocket passer by design, however where he excels most is outside of the pocket. When looking at Manziel from the outside looking in; great and perhaps a bit underrated arm strength, not that of Bortles or Carr where they can bomb footballs down field, but he can still throw it medium range with great accuracy and speed. What is great about Manziel is his great accuracy in the pocket, but also his undeniable ability to complete passes on the run and in high pressure situations. Because he has the magic touch, throws under pressure and across his body can be made with relative ease by Manziel. His throwing motion is compact, but he uses all of his genuine arm motion when slinging the football.

In the long run, the Browns are perhaps more set up than we actually realize. They already have a solid franchise QB in Brian Hoyer who is waiting to shine. The Browns have already showed that Hoyer is the starter and that Manziel is the automatic backup. What Manziel has to do from here is work extremely hard on his footwork, his throwing mechanics and overall being NFL-tough mentally and physically. What he also must do is be lucky; something that Manziel already has on tap. Regardless of what he does in training camp, Manziel is most likely going to be benched for the first week of the season. What Manziel needs to do is be patient and hope that Hoyer slips up in order to get that starting job. The Browns made a good choice in taking Manziel not only for his scoring potential but also as a good motivator for Hoyer to do better.

For those not familiar with Hoyer, join the club, not many people do. He started out his career as a undrafted free agent out of Michigan State. As a Spartan, Hoyer was able to pass for an average of 2,564.5 yards per season, 55.15% completion and 29 total touchdowns. After Michigan State, he went undrafted and signed with the Patriots. He then bounced around numerous teams before landing himself in Cleveland where he actually got a chance to start last season. He did pretty well too, averaging 295 yards per game with five touchdowns in those two games that he did start before tearing his ACL against Buffalo. I think that Hoyer will and should probably be the starting in 2014. Had he not injured his knee last year, Hoyer probably could have lead this Cleveland team to a decent record. I see this season being Hoyer’s time to shine. After being a journeyman for so long, I think that 2014 is when Hoyer really establishes himself as a starting QB in the National Football League. As for Manziel, he’ll be watching from the bench for most of the season. Only reason I see for the Browns to change to Manziel is if Hoyer’s production goes down and the Browns aren’t winning any games. I think with Manziel’s supreme running ability, the Browns coaching staff could turn to him later on in the season in order to make up for a lack of offense. It is all in due time however, and ultimately, a decision to be made as the season unfolds.