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Cleveland Browns Made Right Call Playing Johnny Manziel Against The Buffalo Bills

By Nick Dudukovich

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You know you were thinking it as the Cleveland Browns’ offense crapped out like an old jalopy with Brian Hoyer taking the snaps against the Buffalo Bills. When was Johnny Manziel going to rip out that ear piece and staring warming up on the sidelines?

Well, it happened, perhaps a bit too late, but none-the-less, coach Mike Pettine made the right call moving ahead with Manziel because the offense was stalling under Hoyer.

Banging on Hoyer isn’t easy. He’s a local kid who’s overcome a lot to even be on an NFL roster. Hoyer has a lot to do with the Browns being 7-5 and in the playoff hunt. But for the successes Hoyer’s enjoyed in 2014, the stats show the St. Ignatius High School alum has been trending downward ever since that huge Thursday Night Football win in Cincinnati.

Nov 30, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills won 26-10. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Hoyer was actually 3-2 during the month of November, but followed up the Cincinnati game with those 30 incomplete passes in a loss to the Texans. He didn’t play much better against the Falcons last week, and by the time Pettine had seen enough of Hoyer’s struggles in Buffalo, not even Manziel could save the game.

In the last three games, Hoyer’s 61-of-120 with one touchdown and six interceptions. That last number hurts, and it’s true, he’s been burned by Josh Gordon running some wrong routes, but a 51 percent completion rate? There’s not sugar coating it: It stinks.

Now that Manziel has played, and will likely be elevated to QB 1, It’s unfair to expect the former Texas A&M star to step in and get the Browns turned around right away. But by pulling Hoyer, the Browns are indicating they’re looking at Manziel to save their season.

It’s also noteworthy to remember that the NFL isn’t kind to rookie quarterbacks. Just look at the rest of Manziel’s draft class: Blake Bortles (2-8), Teddy Bridgewater (3-6) and David Carr (1-11) have all struggled, and have combined for six wins.

Chances are that Manziel will struggle, but he could also spark the Browns back trending in the right direction. That was clear on his first drive, when he engineered that eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive, which culminated in Manziel streaking 10 yards for a touchdown.

For as great as that drive was, Manziel struggled when he had the ball next, fumbling a snap and almost losing a fumble (which was saved by replay review).

If Manziel’s going to succeed, he’ll need the running game to pick back up, because as was the case with Hoyer, the Browns are built to win by throwing the ball 40-50 times per contest.

The Baby Backs mustered just 61 yards on 24 carries, while Isaiah Crowell failed to do anything behind the Alex Mack-less offensive line, averaging 1.8 yards per carry.

For Johnny to be Johnny, the play action has to work, which means the Browns have to run successfully.

Mike Pettine didn’t name a starter in his postgame presser, and he’s probably Hoyer’s biggest advocate in the building.

But he saw Manziel dazzle, and he knows what offensive  coordinator Kyle Shanahan can do with a player of Manziel’s skill set (RGIII). If the offense can get in sync, lookout…Johnny Football time could mean playoff football time in Browns town.

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