Johnny Manziel is expected to start for the Cleveland Browns in Week 10, but still has a long way to go before he's the team's full-time starter, according to Browns head coach Mike Pettine.
Johnny Manziel needs to play ‘lights out’ to prove he’s a starter
Browns head coach Mike Pettine thinks that Johnny Manziel would have to play ‘incredibly lights out’ on Sunday to prove he’s ready to be the team’s full-time starter.
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With Josh McCown dealing with a rib injury, Manziel will make his third start of the season, but if McCown was able to go, he would still be the Browns starter. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Manziel still has a long way to go before he convinces Pettine that he’s ready to be the Browns starter.
“Pettine simply does not believe that Manziel has earned the job yet,” Rapoport said on NFL GameDay on Sunday morning. “He wants to make sure that if Johnny does become the starter it’s only because of his play on the field.”
In two starts and appearances in five games in 2015, Manziel has completed 43 of 83 passes for 561 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. McCown has completed 165 of 254 passes for 1,897 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions in seven starts.
“We’ve said all along that Josh McCown started the season as our No. 1 quarterback, and he’s been out due to injury and potentially coming back,” Pettine said on Tuesday. “I get the call for ‘Hey, why not [start Manziel]?’ but we’re tasked as coaches to put the roster out there that’s going to give us the best opportunity to win.”
The problem for Manziel, according to former NFL defensive end Stephen White, is that he hasn’t been seeing the field very well and has missed open receivers when they’re there. Pettine has also pointed to that as a problem.
Pettine on Manziel: "He's proven that he can and he's getting better, but NFL QB's, the throws that are there, you have to take." #Browns
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) November 10, 2015 It's possible that Manziel could still win the job, but according to Rapoport, he would have to play "incredibly lights out" on Sunday to send McCown to the bench. The Browns are set to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, who are No. 26 in the NFL in pass defense and No. 22 in total defense.
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