Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel is still learning the rules of the NFL. One of the unwritten rules: Don’t throw your receivers into traffic. He violated that one on Thursday night when the Browns faced the Chicago Bears. In the second quarter, Manziel threw a toss to wide receiver Charles Johnson, who was absolutely rocked by Bears’ rookie defensive back Marcus Trice.
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Manziel finished the drive by throwing a touchdown pass, so it wasn’t all bad. Still, if he keeps throwing balls like that one, he’ll end up with a team of headless horsemen — or receivers. Johnson lost his helmet on the play.
Manziel is set to backup Brian Hoyer, who finished his preseason with a nice touchdown drive. Still, even Adam Schefter agrees, the Browns are going to have a tough time keeping Manziel off the field. He’s just so electrifying.
Plays like this serve as a caveat. He threw ball poorly and in a way that jeopardized his receiver. People are forgiving when it’s a player they’ve never heard of, but if it were the regular season and that was Josh Gordon, then Manziel might have gotten an earful.
Check out the hit and the touchdown below: