Johnny Manziel Throws TD, Continues Progress Against Bills

There is no quarterback controversy hovering over the Cleveland Browns. Repeat this until you have it committed it to memory, and then do so a couple of more times just to make sure it has stuck.

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Things did not quite go as Browns head coach Mike Pettine had intended leading up to Thursday night’s encounter with the Buffalo Bills. His original plan was for veteran journeyman quarterback Josh McCown to get in some solid reps with the first-team Cleveland offense against the highly-rated defense of the Bills throughout the first quarter before McCown would turn things over to Johnny Manziel. Manziel would then, in that scenario, play for at least two whole quarters if not up through the end of the game.

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Want to make the football gods laugh? Tell them your plans, apparently.

The defenses of the Browns and the Bills stole the show during what was, for the casual fan, a terribly boring 30 minutes of National Football League “action” that included two ugly interceptions tossed by McCown, Cleveland running back Terrance West shuffling his feet in the backfield too much for his own good, and a pair of field goals from either side that resulted in a 3-3 halftime score. Even his biggest detractors were calling for Manziel to enter the action following the break if for no other reason than to break up the monotony.

The phenom formerly known as Johnny Football took the field after the opening kickoff of the second half, and he showed progress in multiple aspects of his game for the second consecutive Thursday.

Just as he did against the Washington Redskins a week ago, Manziel spotted a clear opening in the defense before making a sprint for yardage, this time on his first play from scrimmage. The 22-year old did well on a pre-snap read to correctly change a play in favor of a hand off to the previously mentioned West. He noticed that the box was filled with eight defenders before electing to throw a screen pass to Taylor Gabriel that gained the Browns ten yards.

From there, however, the offense of the Browns reverted to the ultra-safe scheme that failed to captivate the hearts and minds of fans on the night of August 13. The drive stalled on third down when Manziel rolled out of the pocket to avoid an unblocked IK Enemkpali but was unable to hit his target; not that it mattered, as Michael Bowie was flagged for illegal use of hands on the play.

Things did not at all go smoothly for Manziel and his teammates the next drive, a three-and-out that ended when Buffalo head coach sent the house on third down and sacked the second-year pro quarterback for a loss of 14 yards. Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden, calling the game on ESPN, joked as the final seconds of the third quarter ticked away that neither team was again going to score before the end of the evening. Fans posting on Twitter claimed that they were calling it a night.

Then came what are, to date, the two best plays of Manziel’s brief NFL career.

A play-action pass was called on a 2nd-and-6 from the Cleveland 42-yard line at a time when the Browns desperately needed such a play. Manziel rolled to his left and, while he did not step into the throw when on the move, he managed to square his shoulders down the field and toss a 44-yard pass to Darius Jennings for a pickup of 37 yards.

Before the words “Johnny Football” could begin trending on Twitter, Manziel took a 2nd-and-10 snap from the Buffalo 22. He faked a hand off, took several steps up into the pocket, positioned his body and then launched a perfect spiral that beat a defender and hit Shane Wynn directly in the numbers for a touchdown.

In total, the drive went 96 yards in 11 plays, it ate up 5:04 minutes of clock, and it resulted in a touchdown.

There was one bit of Manziel magic to be had as he tried to lead the Browns back from a one-point deficit with 45 seconds left on the clock. Manziel, attempting to pull a rabbit out of the hat on a 3rd-and-15, rolled away from a would-be tackler and then scrambled toward the line of scrimmage while keeping his eyes down the field. Manziel set his body and fired a 17-yard strike across the field to E.J. Bibbs for a first down.

The play was called back when rookie offensive tackle Cameron Erving was flagged for taking too far a journey down the field, and the rally died a death.

Box score numbers make it seem as if Pettine and his staff would have to consider giving Manziel some work with the first-team before the Browns are away to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 29. McCown completed 7 of 10 attempts for 57 yards, and he tossed a pair of interceptions without finding the end zone a single time. Manziel, meanwhile, connected on 10 of 18 passes for 118 yards and a score, he did not turn the ball over minus the final drive of the game, and he would have had a few more completions if not for some shaky hands from receivers who may not make the final roster.

Stats lie, and all would be wise to remember that. Manziel unofficially stared down receivers on two occasions (not screen/short passes) that could have led to costly mistakes. His pre-snap reads were poor on a few plays, and one such instance gave the Bills a free shot at Manziel for an easy sack. Manziel’s technique is getting better with each half of exhibition football that he plays this summer, but he remains a work in progress.

In short: The depth chart of the Browns should be no different tomorrow than it was on Thursday morning.

Manziel is improving. Those who would say otherwise either don’t know football, don’t know what to look for when watching or have already chosen their opinions of the one-time Heisman Trophy winner. Manziel is not yet ready to take a first-team offense against a first-team defense when it matters. He may not be ready for that day until 2016. Those looking to panic over the QB situation of the Browns after eight quarters of preseason football should remember that neither Brian Hoyer nor Manziel got it right last August.

This is all a process for the now and the future of the Browns. That it is benefiting Manziel is proof that the plan is working.

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