The Cleveland Browns lack of offensive success is making it difficult to give them a proper evaluation of quarterback Johnny Manziel.
The team needs to make a decision on how they want to proceed at the quarterback position going into the 2016 season and games like the one against the Seattle Seahawks give them hints of what Manziel might be, but because the supporting cast held him back in a lot of instances, the game made it impossible for anyone to say, yes, he’s the quarterback for this team.
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The Browns gained a total of 230 yards offensively against the Seahawks, which is terrible. It’s even worse when considering the first drive was 80 of those yards, which resulted in their only touchdown.
The hope was that coming out and executing a great first drive for a touchdown would give them some momentum to keep it rolling. Unfortunately, the opening script was about it in terms of an offensive flow.
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Manziel showed any number of good things against the Seahawks. He was outstanding in the first three quarters when it came to navigating the pocket as a passer. At times, he showed patience and comfort waiting for receivers to open up for him to make throws. He also frustrated the Seahawk pass rush by extending plays with his legs, making pass rushers miss and keeping his eyes down the field looking for opportunities.
He got caught getting a little too greedy on a couple plays, especially later in the game, but overall, the Browns had to be happy with what he was able to do within the pocket. And Manziel seemed to be getting a far better feel for what he could and could not get away with in terms of the NFL and dealing with pass rushers.
Throwing the ball, Manziel was able to make some accurate throws from the pocket and on the move, but was often let down by receivers dropping too many passes; about half a dozen in all. Like with his pocket awareness, the end of the game had Manziel force a bad pass into coverage for a meaningless interception.
Manziel genuinely did some good things in this game. There just aren’t enough of them yet to make any definitive case about him going forward as the unquestioned starter for the Browns.
19/32 161 yards, a touchdown and an interception with 2 carries for 17 yards.
That stat line may not do Manziel justice for how well he played, but there isn’t an argument for Manziel as a franchise quarterback buried in there either. There just isn’t enough information.
There are certainly areas where Manziel can improve, but the Seahawks’ game was a great example where the supporting cast held him back. Manziel outplayed his help, which creates a problem for the Browns. A good problem as it means Manziel is progressing but nevertheless a problem.
Against the Seahawks, John Greco went down during the first drive of the game and did not return, leaving them with two backup guards. Austin Pasztor is inconsistent but survivable alone, but the combination of that as well as rookie Cam Erving was a stumbling block for the offense.
Erving is mentally overwhelmed and physically incapable as it currently stands. He can become the player they envisioned when they drafted him, but right now, he is not an NFL-caliber player. Noticeably weaker and heavier when they got him in addition to simply not knowing what to do, every time he plays, regardless of where he plays, it hurts the offense.
The Browns running game was putrid, save one nicely executed run from the offense to Duke Johnson for 39 yards. Beyond that, not including scrambles from Manziel, the Browns ran for just 38 yards on 14 carries.
Dec 20, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
If all of that was not a big enough hindrance for Manziel, Browns’ receivers dropped about half a dozen passes. A couple of them, particularly the one to Marlon Moore, might be defensible, but the sum total killed drives and eliminated opportunities for Manziel to keep working, potentially improving. Even if he was going to make mistakes, they needed to be his to make.
The problem for the Browns is in their remaining 2 games, there is little reason to expect things to improve. If Greco were to join Joel Bitonio on injured reserve, they have players on their practice squad they can sign that could be better than Erving, but will fall short of Greco.
In terms of receivers, the Browns cut Darius Jennings because of Dwayne Bowe’s salary and guaranteed money, even though he was a better option. Unless they plan to cut someone else to bring Jennings back, they are left with few options aside from Travis Benjamin, Gary Barnidge and rookie running back Duke Johnson.
The much hyped experiment, Terrelle Pryor, looked every bit of a quarterback trying to make the transition to receiver. While fans and media were critical of the Browns for releasing Pryor on final cut down day and then were critical of them for bringing him back now, he showed why he was available.
In addition to dropping a pass, Pryor’s slow feet were a problem in terms of getting off the line and creating space. This is something Pryor can and should keep working onto improve, but it is not going to get better in the next 2 games.
Otherwise, they have a special teams ace in Marlon Moore, Taylor Gabriel, Jim Dray and the aforementioned Bowe, who has not looked remotely interested in doing anything this year.
Manziel and the Browns have to go to Kansas City to play one of the best defenses in the league in one of the most difficult homefield advantages in the league followed by hosting Pittsburgh at home.
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Maybe the supporting cast will step up and at least cut down on their mistakes, allowing Manziel to sink or swim on his own merits. More than likely, the Browns are going to be left with anything but a definitive answer on Manziel.
Instead, the team and specifically owner Jimmy Haslam is going to have to decide if he believes in Johnny Manziel, the person, and any progress he’s made on or off the field. Haslam had a substantial impact in picking Manziel, so expecting him to make a purely analytical decision is unrealistic. Almost every decision from the front office to the coaching staff to the first pick of the 2016 NFL Draft may come down to how the Browns decide to proceed with Johnny Manziel.