Johnny Manziel flips off Washington Redskins bench (GIF)

If you need a hint as to what ESPN and NFL Network will be talking about for the rest of tonight and tomorrow here’s a clue: it involves and rookie quarterback and an awkward finger.

After an incomplete pass, NFL cameras caught Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel throwing a hand-gesture toward the Washington Redskins bench and I can promise you that this wasn’t the ‘money sign’ hand gesture he made famous at Texas A&M.

Cue the overreactions.

Due to his past, Manziel will be heavily criticized for this. We’ll hear from several networks and writers what we’ve heard prior to the 2014 NFL Draft: he’s immature, has some growing up to do, etc. etc.

Oddly enough, Manziel may have put himself in a fortunate situation. For every person that’ll spend several moments debating Manziel’s intentions and pointing out how his immaturity has carried over from his college career, it’ll mean they aren’t talking about his on-the-field performance which is turning out to be a pretty poor showing.

Heading into the fourth quarter, Manziel has completed 7 passes out of 15 for a total of 65 yards and 1 touchdown, equating to a passer rating of 76.3. He’s also been sacked three times. In comparison to his previous preseason game, Manziel has regressed and this poor performance may push him a step back in the current Browns quarterback race.

In comparison, no quarterback has been good in this game, from Manziel to Robert Griffin III to Brian Hoyer, but for the media’s golden child, tonight’s efforts will be a huge topic of discussion until the next time Manziel takes the field.

Oh… and he’ll probably be fined $10K for this.

GIF Courtesy of Twitter User @CJZero