BEREA: Johnny Manziel’s critics have compiled long lists of reasons explaining why they believe he’ll never become a successful starting quarterback in the NFL.
Among the factors are his myriad off-field issues, lack of prototypical size, propensity for fleeing the pocket prematurely instead of operating from it and recurring elbow tendinitis.
Manziel took a small step toward defying the doubters Nov. 15 by throwing for a career-high 372 yards and posting a passer rating of 95.8 in a 30-9 loss at Pittsburgh. Two days later, Browns coach Mike Pettine named Manziel the team’s starting quarterback for what was supposed to be the rest of the season.
But Manziel squandered the opportunity and provided the skeptics with fuel when he partied during a bye-week break, then lied to the Browns about it. Frustrated by the violation of trust, Pettine stripped Manziel of the starting job Nov. 24 and kept him on the bench for the next two games.
Now the 5-foot-11¾, 210-pound Manziel is back in the driver’s seat. In the wake of a 37-3 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in which quarterback Austin Davis made his starting debut for the Browns, Pettine decided to give Manziel a chance to redeem himself.
He’ll start when the Browns (2-10) host the San Francisco 49ers (4-8) at 1 p.m. Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium. An opportunity for Manziel to silence his critics is there for the taking yet again.
“He’s becoming what a lot of people don’t want to see him become and that’s a true quarterback,” Browns strong safety Donte Whitner said. “He’s throwing the football from the pocket, but he can also break out of there and throw the football. So I want to continue to see Johnny continue to get better and better, and I want to see him lead this offense and lead this football team.
“I think everybody wants to see that. There are some people that are skeptical, some people that probably don’t want to see that, but I do. Hopefully, he can go out and show that this weekend.”
The Browns plan to start Manziel not just against the 49ers, but for all four of their remaining games this season, provided he doesn’t do something off the field to lose another opportunity.
“I think Johnny has learned a hard lesson. I really do,” offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said. “I think these last couple weeks were really hard on him just from being around him every day. He didn’t take it out on anybody other than himself. He wasn’t a Debbie Downer around the facility or anything like that. I think he really learned his lesson this go around that you have to act like an NFL quarterback and there are other things to being an NFL quarterback than just playing the position.
“We are going to see how Johnny handles this last situation. I will be honest, there is some pressure on him to do what he says he is going to do. There is no doubt about it. We are going to hold him accountable to his word. I think we have in the past, and we are going to continue to do that.”
With the NFL’s worst record, the Browns enter the last quarter of the season in position to draft No. 1 overall next year. A potential overhaul of the coaching staff and front office after this season exists, too. Although there’s a valid argument for picking a quarterback early no matter what Manziel does in this final stretch, perhaps he could dissuade whoever will be running the Browns next year from taking such a route. There’s also a possibility Manziel could be auditioning for other suitors should the Browns choose to move on from him.
“I have to play and obviously they want to see what they have in me, and the only way they can do that is to put me on the field on Sunday,” said Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in last year’s draft. “So I’m excited to get these starts for the remainder of the season and put my total [to nine] starts over the past couple of years.”
Nine starts isn’t a huge sample size, but Pettine has said it would give the Browns a good sense of what they have in Manziel, and DeFilippo’s feelings on the subject are even stronger.
“I think that is a good body of work,” DeFilippo said. “To say that it could give us a final conclusion, we take it week to week, but I think so, yes.”
Manziel is 1-4 as an NFL starter, including 1-2 this season. He has completed 59.4 percent of his passes this year with five touchdowns, two interceptions and a rating of 88.4. Last season, he completed 51.4 percent of his passes with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a rating of 42. Then he spent more than 10 weeks in the offseason in an inpatient rehabilitation facility specializing in alcohol and drug addiction treatment.
Personal problems aside, Manziel, 23, believes he has made strides every time he has played.
“I’ve shown improvement, at least in my eyes,” he said. “I mean, there’s going to be people that maybe think what they think. But every time I’ve gone out, I’ve felt more comfortable and felt better prepared than I did the last time I was on the field, so I don’t expect that to be any different [Sunday].”
He must be prepared this weekend if he wants to help the Browns snap their seven-game losing streak. The 49ers have the league’s 28th-ranked defense (395.1 yards allowed per game), but the unit has been playing better lately under defensive coordinator Eric Mangini, head coach of the Browns from 2009-10.
“We are going to see what they do to take Johnny away,” DeFilippo said. “They are a zone football team, so there are going to be eyes on Johnny the whole time. This is not a man football team. This is a zone football team. I think they are going to try a wide rush. Teams have done that in the past. We may have to climb up in the pocket and get outside.”
No matter what Mangini throws at Manziel, the former Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M University is aiming to show he can bounce back from his demotion.
“I put that behind me, and I’m moving forward and really focusing on this San Francisco game plan and trying to go out and win, trying to go out and put up more than three or 10 or 17 points or whatever we’ve put up in the last few games,” Manziel said. “We need to perform better offensively.”
Manziel’s teammates have faith he’ll deliver.
“He has superior athletic ability,” said Terrelle Pryor, who’ll likely make his NFL regular-season debut as a wide receiver. “He can run around obviously, and he showed in the Pittsburgh game he can throw the ball, too, real good. I think Johnny’s going to get the ball out, and if he has to make a play, he’s going to do what he does. He makes plays, extends plays, and I’ll be there to help him along with the other receivers and the tight ends.”
Added Whitner: “I expect Johnny to go out there and have a fantastic game. I watched him in practice [Friday]. He’s taking charge of the offense. Based on different coverages, he’s telling guys where he wants them and where he’s going to deliver the football and what he sees in certain coverages and just getting smarter as a football player, learning how to use his legs and not turning the football over.”
DeFilippo said Manziel’s reaction to his latest opportunity will be telling.
“I disagree with people that say they don’t think Johnny can be a quarterback in this league,” DeFilippo said. “ ... I hope his chip on his shoulder is more so to try to prove everyone wrong.”