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Should Cleveland Browns Unleash Johnny Manziel This Preseason?

By Zac Wassink

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If you’re anything like me, you probably think of that famous rant ESPN personality Skip Bayless once made about Tim Tebow whenever you see the phrase “unleash” associated with a young quarterback attempting to find his way in the National Football League.

It would, of course, be unfair to Cleveland Browns QB Johnny Manziel to compare him with Tebow, who is currently attempting to land a spot on the roster of the Philadelphia Eagles. Manziel has, going all the way back to when the two phenoms of different statures made their names in college football, always had better technique and a better arm than Tebow. Tebow’s pocket presence as a pro has become a forgotten trait, in part because it has been so long since anybody not working for the Eagles has seen it.

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Manziel may not stand tall behind an offensive line as do quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger, but it has become a myth spread by detractors of the 22-year old that he cannot hang in the pocket and get the job done with his arm. He proved such assessments to be inaccurate during his days at Texas A&M time and time again, and Manziel has visibly improved this portion of his game in offseason training. Those who have attended training camp sessions of the Browns have witnessed it.

Observers who viewed this past Thursday’s preseason game involving the Browns and Washington Redskins also saw Manziel play in a scheme that had been stripped down to its core by offensive coordinator John DeFilippo. From his first pass from scrimmage, a screen to the left side that was immediately blown up at the line, it was made clear to all watching that Manziel was not going to be given an opportunity to “ball out” when playing against a defense filled with second- and third-string players.

It is easy to understand why DeFilippo, head coach Mike Pettine and the rest of the Cleveland coaching staff would be keen on making things as simple as possible for Manziel on his first night of facing real competition following his horror-show of a first NFL season and an offseason that included a three-month stint in a rehabilitation facility. Along with learning a new offense for the second straight year, Manziel is attempting to regain the confidence and swagger that he had when he was “Johnny Football” in more than name only.

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The Browns did Manziel a favor on Thursday, and the backup quarterback impressed in his limited work. Manziel completed 7 of 11 pass attempts, he made a hot read and delivered an on-target pass when being pursued by an unblocked pass-rusher, he expertly read the coverage before taking off for a 12-yard touchdown run, and he eliminated the mistakes that plagued him in 2014 minus the one occasion that he stared down a receiver before nearly throwing an interception that likely would have been taken to the house for six points.

Those who follow the Browns and also analysts eager to see if Manziel 2.0 is any different from the unprepared rookie of last fall were nevertheless left wanting more. Manziel never came close to airing it out against the Redskins, although one could point to the fact that he was often left scrambling for freedom while playing behind a backup offensive line as one reason for why he did not attempt a deep pass. Starter and veteran Josh McCown only threw a single deep ball against the Redskins, one that resulted in a 35-yard gain via a pass interference call.

The Cleveland coaching staff should already know what the Browns have in McCown. McCown turned 36-years old earlier this summer, he has been all over the map during his NFL career, and he is currently cemented atop the team’s depth chart. It would not be worth even an eye raise if McCown, who officially went 5-5 with a touchdown pass against the Redskins, runs nothing more than a basic offense for the remainder of the preseason. He has little to prove to the Browns this month.

The same cannot be said about Manziel, who is only now offering signs that he is blossoming into a quarterback who deserves to take snaps on Sundays. Manziel is, if anything, a year behind where he should be, largely because of the many miscues he made in his pro and personal lives from the night that he was drafted by the Browns up through the time that he realized that serious changes needed to be made and soon if he was going to salvage a chance of being the franchise savior many advertised him to be on the night of May 8, 2014.

His physical limitations that will serve as hurdles between he and success cannot be denied, but the hot takes some supposed experts have had about Manziel’s lack of arm strength were particularly hilarious for those who watched his every throw in college, and they have only become more humorous over the past month. Manziel has ripped off accurate passes of 50- and 60-yards in length during training camp, and he dazzled fans with the way that he spun the ball at a team scrimmage on August 7. The arm strength was always there.

The question now: Will fans of the Browns and opposing defenses see that arm strength at any point over the next several weeks?

It should reinforced to all of the Manziel faithful out there that McCown is the starting quarterback of the Browns. There is no competition, nor should there be at this point of the process. Manziel is learning, not competing, this summer, but that does not mean that his on-the-field lessons cannot include more than what he was given to work with against the Redskins last week. Pro athletes learn from failures like anybody else, and now is the time for Manziel to make errors that can help him evolve.

The leash will eventually be removed from Manziel unless the Browns deem him to be an absolute failure before he has a chance to implode on the field. Sooner is not always better, and that may be the case in this scenario. Perhaps Manziel was being protected on Thursday due to the elbow soreness he experienced earlier last week. Maybe the Browns want to remind Manziel that he has to learn to crawl as a NFL quarterback before he is allowed to run. Cutting the leash will one day be a must for the Browns if it is to be learned what the club has in Manziel.

Next: Manziel Getting Over Brian Hoyer Mistake

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