Mike Pettine: Johnny Manziel Looked And Played Like A Rookie

Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine said that Johnny Manziel looked and played like a rookie in his first NFL start.

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Johnny Manziel was embarrassed in his first career NFL start, and it was very obvious that he was a rookie throughout the entire game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He made a couple nice throws throughout the game, but also threw two interceptions and was never consistent. Part of the issue was his offensive line allowing pressure much too often, but that cannot be blamed for the majority of Manziel’s poor play.

Head coach Mike Pettine talked about the first career start for Manziel, and he was very blunt and to the point. It’s definitely a learning game for Manziel, and he’ll get more chances to prove himself throughout the last couple games of the season.

Pettine: Manziel looked like a rookie, played like a rookie #Browns
— PatMcManamon (@PatMcManamon) December 14, 2014

Pettine on Manziel: disappointing start, but can't base his future on one game. #Browns
— PatMcManamon (@PatMcManamon) December 14, 2014

Those were the right words to say by Pettine, and he understands that it will take some time for Manziel to get used to the speed of the NFL game. Cleveland’s playoff chances are gone now following that loss, but there is a lot for fans to remain excited about moving forward.

Manziel is a winner, and this isn’t going to sit well with him at all. He doesn’t like to be embarrassed, and he is going to work hard this week to try and bounce back in what is expected to be his second career start next week against the Carolina Panthers. There is plenty of work to be done, but there is no denying the potential that Manziel has to be a legitimate starting quarterback.

Hopefully the city of Cleveland can understand that Manziel is a young quarterback that was forced into a very bad situation in his first start. There is going to be a bit of an adjustment period for Manziel, and this was the first step towards him realizing what he needs to work on to reach his full potential.

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