Johnny Manziel gets first team reps
By Cory Buck
Johnny Manziel is finally getting his chance to play with the Cleveland Browns starters. After starting camp with the second-string and reportedly struggling even in that role, it appears the Browns are at least intrigued enough by Manziel to give him a shot with the big boys, per NFL.com.
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Mike Pettine said the plan was to work Manziel with the 1s soon. From reports out of Berea today is the day. Get him comfort behind that OL
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 4, 2014
Brian Hoyer had been the clear QB1 for training camp up to this point. His decision making and poise was lauded as being miles ahead of that of Manziel. But in the NFL, raw talent goes a long ways and Manziel brings more potential to the position in the long run.
This doesn’t mean that Manziel has ‘won the job’ from Hoyer. On the contrary, it likely means the Browns simply want to get another look at the team under a different quarterback. As we’ve noted in the past, this was the plan all along, which indicates that Manziel working with the first stringers has less to do with his performance and more to do with a pre-defined plan on the part of the coaching staff. Now it’s up to Manziel to seize this opportunity and tip the scales in his favor as he pursues the starting job.