The Cleveland Browns have hired former NFL quarterback Kevin O'Connell to be their new quarterbacks coach, a league source confirmed to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot on Saturday. The source also noted that the team is adding Kurt Roper as a senior offensive assistant to the coaching staff.
Browns hire Johnny Manziel’s pre-draft tutor as quarterbacks coach
The hiring of Kevin O’Connell is potentially a good sign for Manziel’s future in Cleveland.
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This appears to be good news for the future of Johnny Manziel, who worked with O'Connell leading up to the NFL Draft last year. According to Cabot's report, O'Connell not only helped Manziel with his mechanics and breaking down film, but also prepped him on the interview process and accompanied the first-round pick on some pre-draft appearances.
O’Connell had high praise for Manziel in an interview last February with a Houston radio station:
“All the things that make (Tom) Brady and (Peyton) Manning special, Johnny Manziel is capable of doing those things,” he said. “Now it is on him to continue to learn it and apply it to his game. Wherever Johnny goes I think he will be a great pro and I think he is going to work extremely hard to become the best possible player that he can be. I think the sky is the limit.”
Despite Manziel’s immense talent, O’Connell also recognized that he needed to improve his pocket passing and decision-making if he was going to succeed in the NFL.
O’Connell is now tasked with trying to help Manziel make a giant leap next season after his underwhelming rookie campaign. Manziel appeared in five games (two starts), completing 18 of 35 passes for 175 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating of 42.0 was the worst among the 53 quarterbacks that attempted at least 35 passes in 2014. Manziel ended the season on injured reserve, and was fined for missing a treatment session the day before the team’s final game.
The hiring of O’Connell would now seem to suggest that the Browns are committed to giving Manziel every chance to earn the starting quarterback job in 2015, despite his struggles on the field and troubling off-field behavior last season.
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