The Cleveland Browns are doing everything in their power to make sure Johnny Manziel is not a rock star before hitting the field, and they have been working hard to humble him by making it clear he is entering the season as a back up.
Browns general manager Ray Farmer drove home that point again on Tuesday, when he said that Manziel was no different than any other rookie in the league.
“The guy has yet to throw a pass, he’s yet to throw a touchdown, he’s yet to do anything that’s dynamic, other than being drafted — which is a tremendous accomplishment in itself,” Farmer said, via Pro Football Talk.
“It’s more about trying to treat him just like we treat all the other rookies. Give everybody an opportunity to earn their spot, demonstrate they’re worthy of playing, and and coach Pettine being the one to handle who’s actually going to get those reps. But nevertheless, we feel good about treating him the same as all the other rookies and give him an opportunity to demonstrate what his worth is on the field.”
While the Browns are saying all of the right things, the reality of the situation is that Manziel is anything but a regular rookie.
The fan base will be calling for him to take the field and the front office will unlikely be able to ignore those whispers.