The NFL season is fast approaching and no one is more excited about it than WWE Superstar "The Miz." Born in Parma, Ohio and raised in Cleveland, "The Miz" will tell anyone who will listen about Cleveland area sports. So we let him tell us all about the 2014 Cleveland Browns and what we can expect from their season ... in his opinion, at least:
Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin breaks down the 2014 Cleveland Browns
The WWE Intercontinental Champion is also the world’s most outspoken Browns fan. We asked the Cleveland native to preview their season for us.
Bill Hanstock
Bill Hanstock is a writer, author and Emmy Award-winning producer. He began writing for SB Nation in 2011.
On habitual heartbreak
"As a Cleveland fan, all the rumors are true about us. Every year, we say 'this is our year.' Every year. Last year, I said it. I remember, strategically, going, 'Dude, this is gonna be our year. Brandon Weeden's gonna come through. It's his second year. Rookie year, you're always kinda [so-so]. This year he's gonna get it. It's gonna click with everybody. Josh Gordon, No. 1 receiver; Jordan Cameron, that's a weapon.' We had [Trent Richardson] at the time. 'There's no way this team is not gonna be amazing.' New coach, new regime, we're ready for it.
”Boom. Bust season. Horrible. Rotten. Worst running team, defense was a little good. But then, right afterwards, we fire our coaches again. ‘Oh boy, here we go.’
And the excitement of new beginnings
Johnny's Crash Course
"So now, we come into this season and we get a new coach. I liked him right off the bat. He just seems like a guy [who's] gonna tell [it] like it is. Seems straightforward, seems like a player's kind of coach. And then we went into the Draft, and I was pissed off at first, because I was like, 'We went for a cornerback? No, we need a quarterback.' But then Johnny slid and slid and slid, and we got Johnny Manziel. I was [does finger gestures] doing the money signs all over the place. I was thinking, 'Oh my God, this is great.'
An improved backfield
"Not only [did we do well in the Draft], but we got Ben Tate in free agency. I thought that was a huge, huge pickup. Because Ben Tate, in a Kyle Shanahan offense, [he] will be great. The zone blocking; he's already used to it. Behind Arian Foster, he did great, but he would always seem to be injured.
”We got Terrence West as well. And trust me, I read every single article that comes out in Cleveland, I have friends that work for the Cleveland Browns. I know the ins and outs, and this Terrence West guy is going to be something special. So I think it’s going to be a committee in the backfield. And I think [Isaiah] Crowell is going to do well as well. [He’s going to] be that third guy.
The hype is real!
”It seems to me, from I’ve been hearing [and] what I’ve been reading, that there is a new kind of feel for what the Browns are. They seem like they have more of a positive attitude. That they can win. That they’re going to win. That this is a team they can embody and can go to the playoffs and even to the Super Bowl with. They’re building something really special.
"I think Jordan Cameron [will have a breakout season]. I think he's going to do something really good. I think the running game is going to be awesome. I think picking up Andrew Hawkins is really, really good.
The Era of Johnny Football
”As far as quarterback is concerned, I love the fact that we got Manziel and I love the attention that he brings to Cleveland. Because there is not one team that gets talked about more than Cleveland. And that’s the type of attention that I love.
More Johnny Football
”I think [Brian] Hoyer is going to be the starter in the beginning of the year, and if he starts falling out [of favor], then I think Manziel’s going to [take over] during the break. But if [Hoyer] starts doing well, Manziel’s going to have a whole year to sit there and learn and grasp [the job] and get it. But the fact is, from what I’ve heard, Manziel is getting it really, really fast. He’s going to be something special down the line.
“And I like the stuff he’s doing on social media! People are [grumbling], but I’m like, ‘He’s a kid! Let him be a kid. Let him have fun.’ As long as he [performs] on the field, let him do whatever the hell he wants. He’s loud, he does what he wants and he gets his job done [smiling], just like I’m gonna get the job done on SummerSlam this Sunday, when I take out Dolph Ziggler.”
