Eight Disappointments Haunting The Cleveland Browns Entering Week 1

Aug 18, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) is sacked by Washington Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (91) in the first quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Another September means another new beginning for the Cleveland Browns, as well as the fans of the long-suffering franchise. Will this be season the Orange and Brown right the ship by reaching the playoffs for just the second time since being reborn in 1999?

After the Browns won another draft, with the selection of Justin Gilbert, and then Johnny Manziel, negativity sunk back in with the news Josh Gordon was going to be lost for the year. That storyline spilled into Training Camp, as Gordon participated in drills and played in games with the hope his suspension could be reduced.

Change looked inevitable, until the Browns fumbled and stumbled through the preseason. The offense looked confused, both quarterbacks looked unprepared, and the hammer finally dropped on the Browns star wideout.

There’s still time to change the narrative on 2015, but these are the biggest disappointments heading into Week 1.

The Quarterback Competition That Shouldn’t Have Been

Competition brings out the best in most competitors, but not in Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel. The quarterbacks competed to be the starter through the first two weeks of the preseason and produced alarmingly bad results.

Hoyer completed just 54.5 percent of his passes and didn’t lead a touchdown drive until the third game of the preseason. Manziel was worse, completing 50.8 percent of his passes, while getting receivers Charles Johnson and Travis Benjamin laid out with deep balls in the preseason finale. He did show why his legs are a valuable weapon, but the consensus opinion was that Johnny Football isn’t ready to start the opener.

As both quarterbacks split reps, neither gained enough chemistry with the first-string offense to seize the starting job. The result ended up with Hoyer as the starter by default which will lead to predictable calls for Johnny Football to take over as soon as Hoyer tosses his first interception.