5 reasons Johnny Manziel won’t be the Browns’ Week 1 starting QB

The Cleveland Browns had an interesting/frustrating night Monday against the Washington Redskins, as neither Brian Hoyer nor Johnny Manziel could make a strong case to be the team’s Week 1 starting quarterback in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. In fact, it appears more and more like each player is trying to gift the job to the other.

With that being said, though, Hoyer still has the inside track to be the starter, leaving Johnny Manziel to start his pro career on the bench. Here are five reasons why:

1. Did you see the Browns’ second preseason game?

Not that Brian Hoyer was much better (in fact, he looked just as bad if not worse, even though he wasn’t out there long), but it’s increasingly obvious that Manziel has a lot of work to do to become comfortable as a starting quarterback in the NFL. Call it nerves of playing with the first-team offense for the first time, but Manziel was out of sync against Washington, throwing behind a number of receivers who were wide open. It might be a fine silver lining for the offense to have so many receivers open, but it won’t do any good if the quarterback, whoever it is, struggles this mightily.

For what it’s worth, Manziel finished 7 of 16 for 65 yards and one touchdown. Hoyer was just 2 of 6 for 16 yards. It wasn’t pretty.

2. It’s still important for Cleveland to see what Brian Hoyer can do

He has already had time to prove this, yes, but Hoyer still has years of experience that Manziel simply can’t match. Conceivably, that should mean that Hoyer will have an easier time learning from his struggles and preparing to start for when the games actually matter. And before tearing his ACL last season, Hoyer provided a legitimate boost to the team. It would serve the Browns well to find out once and for all what kind of quarterback they actually have in him. Will he take the starting job and never give it up? Will he struggle and lose it to Manziel? Starting him first can remove all the doubt either way.

3. For all of Hoyer’s struggles, Manziel still hasn’t been able to supplant him

What has been most distressing is Manziel’s inability to seize the golden opportunity in front of him. If Manziel even played remotely well on Monday night, the world might be talking about the official beginning to the Johnny Manziel era. Instead, he struggled just as much in a situation that felt pretty standard. Behind the first-team offensive line, Manziel was given plenty of time to find receivers; he just couldn’t get the ball to them. As the coaching staff continues to give Manziel every chance to pull ahead in the quarterback competition, he simply hasn’t taken advantage.

4. It’s obvious Manziel needs time

It’s not just obvious – it’s painfully obvious. Manziel doesn’t have a particularly strong grasp of everything just yet. Plus, after flipping the bird towards the Washington sideline, Manziel could probably spend some time figuring out how to conduct himself on the field. But that’s not even really it, because if he had played well, we’d be laughing that off and chalking it up to a young guy with a competitive attitude that the Browns have sorely needed. Instead, it just compounds Manziel’s struggles and probably shows just how far he is from making an impact – at least a positive one – in the pros.

So in every facet, yes, Manziel does need some time to adjust. Plus, as mentioned above, the Browns open on the road against the Steelers. There might not be a worse matchup for the Browns in terms of where they are at with their quarterbacks, but at least Hoyer offers some glimmer of hope right now. Sort of.

5. There’s simply no harm in letting him sit

The Browns aren’t going to the playoffs this year. However, they’re a young team with a whole lot of promise. Manziel has come into a volatile situation, immediately thrust into a quarterback battle that he can’t win despite getting numerous chances to prove himself. Sometimes it works for rookie quarterbacks to start right away; others could benefit from some time on the bench.

There is no harm in giving Manziel the time to sit back and bide his time, learn the offense and come back in the regular season (whenever that might be; ideally for the Browns, that wouldn’t mean 2014) more prepared than ever. There are certainly growing pains when coming into the NFL, and there is a gigantic ESPN-sized microscope on Manziel at all times. Letting him sit might be the best solution for letting everything calm down around him.