Dick LeBeau expects Johnny Manziel to be Week 1 starter for Cleveland Browns
By Dan Zinski
Last reports from Cleveland said Johnny Manziel was gaining on #1 QB Brian Hoyer but was not yet the starting quarterback. Don’t tell this to Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who said he fully expects Manziel to be the starting QB when Cleveland takes the field week 1 against Pittsburgh.
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LeBeau doesn’t seem to believe there’s any real QB competition in Cleveland at all (via Cleveland.com):
"“I’m expecting (Johnny) Manziel to be the starter,” LeBeau told cleveland.com Monday, a day Manziel earned exclusive first-team reps for the first time in practice. “That’s what I’m expecting. What he did in college is not an accident. He did it often enough against good teams.”"
LeBeau seems very impressed by Manziel’s skills:
"“I think he is going to be a handful for all of us,” said LeBeau, a Pro Football Hall of Famer. “You watch all his games and he created plays, he made plays, he kept plays alive.“He has the ability to see people and the touch with the football to get it in there late in the down. I think he will be successful at this level.”"
Manziel has created plenty of headlines this offseason for his partying and antics, but now the news is just football football football. Manziel appears to be closing the gap with Brian Hoyer in camp, but to hear Dick LeBeau tell it, there’s no gap for him to close.
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