like_that;1752662 wrote:I just don't see the point in starting him, if you actually want to help the franchise out. It is such a shortsighted decision imo. How are you going to see what JFF has and how do you expect him to improve if he keeps holding a clipboard for a shitty QB? He needs more snaps to get a feel for the game. How does a mediocre 36 year old journeyman QB improve the chances of this franchise finally figuring out the most elusive position?
What don't you get here and why does this come as a surprise? Pettine is about as conservative as you're going to find in a coach. When Hoyer was pissing down his leg last year and people were screaming for Manziel, he stuck by the veteran until he almost absolutely had no excuse not to play Manziel. He said that McCown was his starter and they planned to bring along JFF "slowly." He's not waivering on that.
I've said this before that, in a perfect world, JFF is your starter so you can evaluate him and see if he has something going forward. I don't think Pettine's in the "evaluating" business. I think he's in the "get as many wins as you can now for job security" business, knowing Haslam's hair trigger history.
Yeah, you, me and just about EVERY other Browns fan thinks it would be smart to play JFF to evaluate him for the "long term" but Pettine is probably much more concerned about the here and now. Regardless of what Haslam says and how easy last years schedule was, if they go from 7-9 to 3-13 with Manziel, his head is probably going to roll.