Johnny Manziel masters first impression, has to sustain

Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has been one of the most exciting players in football since he took the field at Texas A&M. So far, in the 2015 season, he has been able to capture the imagination and bring that level of excitement to the NFL by making a pair of first impressions that feel like they are from a movie script.

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First, in relief of Josh McCown, throwing a 54 yard touchdown on his second pass of the game against the Jets passes. Then, his first pass as a starter on against the Titans going 60 yards, both touchdowns to Travis Benjamin. The challenge for Manziel and the Cleveland Browns coaching staff is now reducing the amount of mistakes as well as stretches where the offense was unable to move the football.

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The combined effort for Manziel in his first two drives is 3 of 3 passing for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns and it does not get any better than that. The flip side of the rest of those two games, Manziel has completed 18 of 36 passes for 236 yards as well as 38 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception and the most concerning stat so far, 4 fumbles (2 lost). As great as Manziel started out games, the rest has been simply not good enough.

Some of the blame goes to the running game which was nonexistent in the game against the Jets and was somewhat of a slog that eventually paid off against the Titans. Nothing makes a quarterback’s life easier than being able to count on the running game and being kept out of obvious passing situations to limit exposure and vulnerability.

Whether it is Josh McCown or Manziel under center, defenses are loading up against the run, forcing the quarterback to beat them and there is nothing to suggest that is going to change until one of those quarterbacks makes them change. McCown only played the one drive before suffering a concussion but he threw 8 passes on that drive, completing 5 of them to keep that drive moving. Manziel only completed 8 passes for his entire game against the Titans.

Some of that is simply a matter of snaps. The Browns only ran 47 offensive plays in their win against the Titans; a pitiful number. The Eagles, in their game against the Cowboys, who were absolutely putrid on that side of the ball, ran 55 offensive plays. It is not often that a team can win a game that way and it was not a surprise they needed substantial contributions from the defense and special teams to get it.

Additionally, while the Browns coaching staff is saying the right things and some of the aggressive playcalling says they believe in Manziel, it still feels like he has training wheels, which is not a big surprise given where he is in his development. Nevertheless, the combination of defenses daring Manziel to beat them and the Browns inability to run the football, something has to give when Manziel is playing. Either the Browns have to find ways to run the ball more successfully or they need to create more avenues for success in the passing game.

One potential answer in the passing game has been Travis Benjamin, but opponents are aware of that as well. Benjamin has 3 touchdowns, going for 50, 54, and 60 yards (46% of Manziel’s total pass yardage). Against the Jets, Benjamin beat Antonio Cromartie, who hesitated and was just beaten by his speed. Now, having seen two deep touchdowns against the Titans and a total of 3 in two weeks, all over the top, teams are going to try to counter it.

This is not good news for the Browns on the surface, but if teams are using extra resources to try to stop Benjamin, they should be more vulnerable in other areas and whether running or passing the ball, the Browns and their quarterback have to find those gaps and take advantage to start putting together drives, take more control of field position and just give themselves more opportunities for scoring plays. Along with this, it means other players on the offense have to step up and make plays when the opportunity arises.

The last part of this is Manziel simply needs to improve and make the plays he should. In both games, Manziel’s play declined precipitously after early success. Especially against the Jets, he started relying on his legs a little too much and was not seeing receivers down the field, which allowed him to make a few plays but also opened him up for some big hits and the pair of fumbles, which he lost.

Against the Titans, Manziel did a better job of keeping his options open and seeing the field, which proved important at the end of the game, but he also just missed some throws he should make, which he will be the first to admit. But again, two fumbles. Fortunately, the Browns managed to keep both of them and the opposing quarterback, rookie Marcus Mariota was practically dribbling the ball at times for the Titans.

The good news and ultimately, what is important now is that late in the game, Manziel was able to find his form, saving his best moment for his last pass of the game. On 3^rd and 6, trying to milk the clock, Manziel had a signature moment – the type he became famous for at Texas A&M.

After dropping back, he made a reverse spin move to avoid a hit from Brian Orakpo, rolled out and started attacking the line of scrimmage, looking to have the space to pick up the critical first down to seal the game. Instead, Manziel kept his eyes down the field, stopped and set up making a terrific pass that hit a streaking Travis Benjamin for another 50 yard touchdown.

Head Coach Mike Pettine described it as “Vintange Manziel”. Manziel saved the best play of his career to date for the one that sealed a victory for his team in front of the home crowd and getting them to a 1-1 record – everything the Browns and their fans were hoping they were getting in Manziel. The success and the win should hopefully prove to cement and encourage his development as a quarterback. A tremendous moment and a win for Manziel and the Browns, one, the team and fans should relish, but clearly there is a substantial amount of work to do, both by Manziel and the Browns offense.