Johnny Manziel made his long-awaited Cleveland Browns debut on Sunday, coming off the bench to score a touchdown and infuse some life into a listless offense in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. It seems he played well enough to have head coach Mike Pettine considering making the change a permanent one.
Johnny Manziel could take over as Browns starter
Mike Pettine said he’s strongly considering making a change at quarterback after Manziel’s impressive showing against Buffalo.
Pettine told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio -- rather emphatically -- that Manziel could start over Brian Hoyer Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
“The door is definitely open for a change at the quarterback position,” Pettine said. “It’s not like we’re just going to go back to Brian. This has been a cumulative thing, where discussions about a change at quarterback have been more and more lively. We’ll evaluate both quarterbacks and have a decision soon.”
Manziel entered the game on Sunday after Hoyer’s second interception led to a Bills field goal and a 20-3 deficit in the fourth quarter. Manziel immediately showed why he was taken as a first-round draft pick, going 4-of-5 on his first drive and capping it with a 10-yard touchdown run. He finished the day 5-of-8 for 63 yards and two rushes for 13 yards.
Johnny Football
Hoyer, who won the job out of camp and looked good in the season’s early going, has regressed over the last month. In his last four games, two of which the Browns lost, he has one touchdown, six interceptions and a 53.1 completion percentage.
“Obviously you never want to see someone else doing your job, but it’s the coach’s decision,” an upset Hoyer told Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer after the game. “Yeah, no doubt (I was shocked). I mean this is my team and I’ve always felt that way.”
It may not be his team for much longer.
★★★
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