Benny The Jet;1642732 wrote:This is the most browns game ever. 3 field goals to 2. I think west has looked ok, that 2nd o line is awful though. I'm by far not a Manziel fan, but think he did better than Hoyer tonight

vball10set;1642739 wrote:yes he did, but he also played three times as much as Hoyer

IggyPride00;1642758 wrote:It's time to put Hoyer out to pasture.

Let Johnny take his lumps this year so we can be ready to make a move next year.

Every minute Hoyer is on the field is wasting the team and fan bases time as he is not the future.

There needs to be a march on Berea if Pettine refuses to start Johnny next game. Hoyer is borderline unwatchable.

How long is he going to be able to live off the 2 good quarters of play against one of the worst defenses in the league last year (the Vikings)? He was totally pedestrian otherwise.

We have a thoroughbred in #2 that needs to be allowed to run free. At least we will be relevant and watchable.

Hoyer honest to God must have compromising photos of Pettine as his devotion to him and his extremely limited skill set is baffling.

ts1227;1642733 wrote:Just wait until footwedge and Iggy puts their pants back on, cleans up, and comes on here

Pick6;1642736 wrote:lol. well all know you're a Hoyer fan boy. I want whoever is better to start. It's clear who has the potential and Manziel had a better showing than a lot of people thought. Still has some things to work on obviously, but he made plays on his feet (remember when he wouldn't be able to do that in the NFL? lol), almost all of his passes were on point, made some great plays improvising, and even seemed to have a good feel for game awareness.

It's getting clearer as time goes on

Ytowngirlinfla;1642852 wrote:Didn't they already say during the game that JFF is getting the start next week?

Pick6;1642853 wrote:yes, but nothing has been confirmed by the coaching staff.

DeyDurkie5;1642854 wrote:Yes it has.

Pick6;1642855 wrote:link?

as of 13 hours ago..

@Eric_Edholm Follow Mike Pettine says "no decision has been made" about Johnny Manziel starting second preseason game, re: NFL Network report. #Browns

DeyDurkie5;1642858 wrote:He said it during an interview last night during the game

KB0938;1642804 wrote:Because he had a scramble or two against the Lions 2nd team players doesnt mean he'll be able to do that with any consistency against 1st team DE's and LBS lol

Midstate01;1642884 wrote:No he didn't. But he did basically say it last week. Because he said after the first two weeks they'll set a starter for game 3 that will be opening day starter. Sorta hard to do that if you haven't seen the 2nd string guy play a game with the 1s.

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Tim Fuller/USA TODAY SportsJohnny Manziel led the Browns in rushing during the preseason opener against the Lions.
Brian Hoyer started Saturday night's game in Detroit for the Cleveland Browns, but Johnny Manziel made his long-awaited professional debut at the 7:32 mark of the second quarter with the Browns leading 6-3. Pass-catchers Jordan Cameron and Nate Burleson were out of the lineup, but Josh Gordon did play, as did the rest of Cleveland's top offensive unit.
It's a very small sample, but there were some things that I liked (and some things that I didn't like) about what Manziel did in his first game against NFL competition. More importantly, there are some facets to this Browns team that have set Manziel up for success as a rookie whenever it is that he takes over as the starting QB.

[h=3]Cleveland's base offense[/h]With Hoyer in the game, we saw a steady diet of the pistol, play-action, rollouts and Kyle Shanahan's zone running scheme, led by Ben Tate and a few touches from Terrance West. This is clearly what the Browns want to do on offense.
Hoyer -- an underrated athlete in his own right -- executed it all quite well for the most part. Hoyer threw on time with very good anticipation and timing. He threw high at times, especially on deeper throws, but also wasn't helped much by his cast of receivers, outside of Gordon.
Miles Austin dropped what should have been a big gain to put the Browns close to the goal line on Cleveland's third drive. After converting a fourth down on that drive, Cleveland converted its second field goal of the night, although the Browns were extremely fortunate that MarQueis Gray's drop wasn't ruled a fumble and a Lions recovery.
[h=3]Manziel's performance[/h]When Manziel took over behind center, the Browns went three-and-out on their first series. In the pistol for all three plays and behind the first-team offensive line, Manziel abruptly completed his first pass as a professional to Anthony Armstrong, getting the ball quickly out of his hand to the right man and on time. But on back-to-back zone read plays, the latter of which Manziel kept, the Lions defended the plays very well, and stuffed the rookie's first drive as a pro.
After a one-play kneel down drive to end the half, Manziel's third drive started the second half at the Lions' 49-yard line with the game tied. It was a six-play drive that ended in a field goal, with three notable plays. The first was a run by Manziel on first down on which he might have been too quick to take off, which resulted in a 3-yard gain. The next was another run on a first down that was a straight quarterback keeper; he took what was given, and wisely got out of bounds after an 8-yard gain.
The final notable play of the drive was a third-and-5. Manziel hesitated on his first read that would have been an easy first down, and instead dumped the ball to Dion Lewis once he was under pressure, resulting in a mere 3-yard gain.
[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Rick OsentoskiThe Browns rolled Johnny Manziel out to the right and left, and he showed that he is adept in both of these situations.


The Browns mounted a nine-play drive on the next series, which was the longest of the evening with Manziel at quarterback. On first down, Manziel made his best throw of the night off play-action, with an excellent fake and throw to Taylor Gabriel in a tight window for a first down, showing off a big arm and strong throwing mechanics in the pocket. On a third-and-8 play later in the drive, he got quick pressure to his right, saw there wasn't a spy in the middle of the field and took off immediately, picking up 18 yards while showing obvious explosive running traits.
After picking up that first down, the Browns ran a play-action out of the I formation. Manziel rolled to his left with plenty of time, and put it on Willie Snead a little late which resulted in a catch out of bounds. This showed off Manziel's accuracy while rolling to his left, but he has to be quicker; that should improve.
Later, on fourth-and-very short, the Browns ran another play-action with 22 personnel. Here, we saw the one play of "Johnny being Johnny." He easily could have dumped it to Ray Agnew for the first down, but instead held the ball trying to create a big play, before finally scrambling for the first down. On the next play, Lewis fumbled a straight handoff, which the Lions recovered. There wasn't a specific play that stood out on Manziel's final drive, but it became pretty apparent that he was then playing with a sub-standard group of receivers for the most part.
Overall, in a rather simplified offense that clearly will have a ton of pistol and read option principles, Manziel performed admirably. He showed that he can throw from different platforms, on the move to his left or right and when his feet are not set, while demonstrating a very lively arm that was quite accurate in this game. These are great traits to have at this level, but the Browns' playcallers rarely asked him to make difficult throws or reads. This shouldn't be looked at as a negative at this point of Manziel's development; overall, he looked quite comfortable.
As the game went on, Manziel's teammates did little to help his cause. It also has to be noted that he protected his body very well, which is something he must do in the regular season. Will that keep up? We shall see, but Saturday night was promising with his slides and getting out of bounds when he was a ball carrier.
[h=3]Why he's set up for success[/h]Few seem to be talking about it, but I expect this Browns defense to be very good, and certainly improved at all three levels. In fact, I would not be surprised if it was among the best defenses in the NFL this year. Cleveland's first-string defense was very impressive in this game, and the Browns' depth should be a real strength on this side of the ball, as well.
As demonstrated by players such as Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson, a stifling, opportunistic defense and a strong running game can be a rookie quarterback's best friends. As I discussed in my post on the NFL's top offensive lines, the Browns also have one of the league's best front fives.
So while the receivers are far from ideal in Cleveland right now, the rest of the supporting cast is quite strong for Manziel. Whenever it is that he takes over as the Browns' starting quarterback, the pieces are in place for him to be successful right away. This preseason opener was a solid start.

Con_Alma;1642898 wrote:Head Coach Mike Pettine has shot down the ESPN report that gave Manziel the edge in QB play over Hoyer in last night's pre-season game.

Con_Alma;1642904 wrote:That's Coach Pettine's point, don't ya' think?

DeyDurkie5;1642894 wrote:Yes he did

Con_Alma;1642911 wrote:My interpretation is that the Coach is trying to dampen the credibility of someone trying to create buzz based on their opinion after the first pre-season game. He has no obligation to respond to such a thing but he chose to do so...probably had a reason for doing so.

HelloAgain;1642914 wrote:So ESPN shouldn't have someone analyze a QB competition after watching both play?