Cleveland Browns: Johnny Manziel Not Yet Ready To Start

Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel made a handful of noteworthy positive plays and found the end zone in last Thursday’s exhibition game that featured the Browns and the Buffalo Bills. The seas parted, the sick were healed, and some fans of the team were compelled to suggest that Manziel and not Josh McCown should be named the starter for when the Browns open up the regular season on September 13.

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Don’t just pump on the breaks, everybody. Slam on them with the force of a Ronda Rousey knee-strike to the gut.

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Manziel was removed from practice early on Sunday after experiencing some discomfort in the elbow of his throwing arm. That was the second time such an occurrence has taken place this month. It is believed that the second-year pro is merely suffering from what is commonly referred to in National Football League circles as “camp arm,” a non-serious matter that should, in time, no longer be an issue for Manziel.

What it is as of August 24, though, is yet another reminder of the fact that Manziel is not merely attempting to prove his worth to the Browns for the now and the future. Manziel is in the early stages of what would, were he to successfully complete the journey, be a truly remarkable comeback that would make for one helluva story featured on a future ESPN 30 For 30 documentary. This is not your standard professional sports comeback from one poor season that is taking place in northeast Ohio and on NFL fields.

Manziel is still recovering from whatever demons and setbacks led him to voluntarily enter a rehabilitation facility for three months earlier this year.

The 22-year old currently serving as the backup quarterback of the Browns is, by all accounts, in good physical shape. He flashed above-par arm strength on a few throws against the Bills, including one that sailed roughly 45 yards in the air before hitting a wide receiver. It was that play that landed Manziel in SportsCenter highlights and that had some individuals posting on websites such as Twitter that the Heisman Trophy winner who dazzled while at Texas A&M was “back.”

There is a difference between an athlete being in shape and being in “football shape,” and this is the latest obstacle that Manziel will have to overcome as he continues to learn how to be a pro. The stint in rehab has seemingly done wonders for Manziel both as a person and as a football player, but it also cost him months of physical preparation for what was to come during the summer months. Odds are that Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine and his staff likely expected that Manziel would suffer such a setback in August.

It should be pointed out that Manziel is hardly the first quarterback to ever suffer from “camp arm”/”dead arm.” A similar issue affected Blake Bortles of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the final month of his rookie season. It happens. Manziel is not just being put through throwing drills and practice sessions that include “x” amount of reps per week. He is also, for the second consecutive summer, learning a new offense being installed by a different offensive coaching staff, a fact that some who have examined the progress made by Manziel seemingly forget when making evaluations.

The “p” word has become close to unspeakable for members of the Cleveland fan base who have been waiting…and waiting…and waiting for the Browns to have success and maybe, just maybe, actually win a playoff game for the first time in a decade. As understandable as that is, even emotionally-broken fans of the Browns would do well to remember that all that has thus far occurred with Manziel since he left rehab has been part of the process, and this process goes beyond seeing if Manziel can take on the likes of the New York Jets in September 2015.

This process will include Manziel working on his arm strength and his stamina as summer turns into fall and then into winter and another offseason. Add that in that he still has plenty of work to do studying inside of the classroom and film room during midweeks, and Manziel remains a project who needs more time. That he is probably a year behind where he should be today because of his actions in 2014 is a shame, yes, but it is also in the past. Manziel is getting things right in year two, and the hope is that the trend will continue.

The comparisons associating Manziel with Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson have to stop because they are ridiculous and unfair. Luck was, out of college, a special player and a talent that hits the NFL maybe once a decade, and that he replaced Peyton Manning for the Indianapolis Colts was yet another reminder to Cleveland fans that life really isn’t fair a lot of the time. Wilson, meanwhile, was surrounded by talent on both sides of the football right out of the gates, and he did well to take advantage of that good fortune and develop into a starter capable of winning games.

Manziel is not Luck or Aaron Rodgers. Neither are the majority of quarterbacks in the NFL. This does not mean that Manziel cannot get to where the Browns need him to be, perhaps even before 2016. There should, however, be no hurry to get Manziel onto the field during meaningful games over the next couple of months. Pettine and company have already realized this to be true.

Some fans of the Browns need to learn to accept it.

Next: Manziel Shows Progress Against Bills

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