DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum More Johnny Manziel discussion . . .

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Bro, I think your dislike of Manziel is clouding your thinking. If anything, the press has been really negative in their reports about Manziel. It seems like many reporters and fans want the kid to fail. They don't like him as a person, so they don't like him as a player.

I think we should just let it play out and let the best man win. At this point, it is way too early to say there are conspiracy theories or that Manziel will be handed the job. Way too early for that nonsense, bro.

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They need to play him next game with the 1st unit,so they can get a better looksie.My excitement level sure went up,no doubt about that.

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Mine too. So far, so good.

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I'd guess that they will. Give him the first half to show what he's got, which is conveniently a MNF game

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He's going to make mistakes,but I was really impressed with his poise.The kid took command of the huddle,and has some real spark in him.Hate the 4th and 1 play,but love his throw over the middle,and that big run.Have to admit,he did better than I thought he would.

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Total 180 from the game day thread.

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He's going to make mistakes,but I was really impressed with his poise.The kid took command of the huddle,and has some real spark in him.Hate the 4th and 1 play,but love his throw over the middle,and that big run.Have to admit,he did better than I thought he would.

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Total 180 from the game day thread.

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On @nflnetwork: @DanHellie confirms Johnny Manziel will start for Browns next week vs. Redskins.

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Everytime he runs falls or farts, he acts like he just hurt something. He plays it up for the fans knowing he is on tv. He will be grabbing his knee and oo spontaneously running all over the place 2 mins later. Seen a lot of that at A&M lol

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Really? that will get very annoying ... but Jim Brown did the same thing from what I hear ... so I'll take that trade off

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel has pulled ahead of Brian Hoyer in the quarterback race following his flashy debut in Detroit, according to a report.

Citing a Browns source, ESPN's Bob Holtzman reported that Manziel has overtaken the sixth-year pro in the battle for the starting job after his promising performance in Saturday night's 13-12 loss to the Lions.

A source told cleveland.com that Manziel has the momentum and that the superior talent. They've also been pleased with his leadership and progress since the beginning of camp. If he plays well in Washington on Monday Night Football Aug. 18, he'll be very much in the conversation for that week one start in Pittsburgh.

Displaying some of his Johnny Football style, Manziel competed 7-of-11 attempts (64%) for 63 yards in four series of work with the second-team offense. He also led the Browns with 27 yards on six carries, including a 16-yard scramble after he which he slid like a major leaguer.

Manziel will most likely get the against the Redskins and Robert Griffin III, but Pettine wasn't ready to go there after the game.

"That decision hasn't been made yet,'' said Pettine.

He also declined to say which quarterback won round one of the sweepstakes, but will address the media on a conference call at 4 p.m. Sunday.

"They both did some good things," Pettine said. "They both did some things that more suited their skill set. I think Brian was high on a couple throws. I think he would want those back. He threw a couple of other nice balls in there. I thought Johnny did some nice things from the pocket. When he got out, he created a little bit as well."

Still, it's evident that Manziel will need to get some work in the with the first team offense before the Browns can declare him their man for the opener in Pittsburgh. Pettine plans to make his decision before the third preseason game Aug. 23.

"I just think I need to continue to do what the coaches are asking me to do and continue to learn and go through these situations in these games and try to handle them the best that I can while they're coming at me,'' Manziel said. "I'm sure through these next few weeks there will be adversity that I'll have to overcome.

"At the same time, that's part of this game and I need to continue to try to handle the situations the best I know how and try to put this team and my group – whichever, the ones, the twos, the threes, the fours, whatever it is – try and move the ball down the field and help our team win a game.''

Imagine if Manziel had Pro Bowlers Joe Thomas and Alex Mack blocking for him, and Pro Bowlers Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon catching passes for him, which is conceivable in Washington if Gordon hasn't been suspended yet.

"I feel like we're getting looks with every guy on the team,'' said Manziel, who's already mastered the art of diplomacy. "Guys are doing a really good job and continuing to get more and more comfortable.''

Manziel mustered only one field goal in his four possessions, but watched his best drive fizzle on a Dion Lewis fumble at the Detroit 31 and his final march marred by offensive penalties and a dropped pass by undrafted rookie Willie Snead.

"The list of things I need to improve on could go on for days, but for me, it was a good start," Manziel said. "You have to start somewhere and you have to set a foundation, and it was good to get my feet wet. I got my first preseason game under my belt and we've got three more heading into the season.''

Operating primarily out of the pistol and read-option, he converted a fourth-and-1 on a keeper and completed a few passes on the move. But arguably his best throw of the night came from under center, when he fired a 14-yard strike to rookie Taylor Gabriel over the middle after a fake.

"I felt comfortable in the pocket,'' Manziel said. "I felt like the offensive line did a great job of holding up for me to be able to deliver that ball when we were supposed to get rid of it. I felt like the ball came out well tonight. I'm still working on getting balls out on time better and really timing things up.''

Manziel, who entered the game midway through the second quarter to a chorus of boos and some cheers, took a few hard shots from defenders eager to get a lick on the Boy Wonder. But he trotted back out onto the field for two more drives after being checked out by the medical team after one hard hit just before the field goal, and scrambled for 16 yards just after absorbing another blow. Overall, Manziel was knocked down at least three times after the throw.

"It's a football game,'' he said. "It's physical. It's part of the game, but I feel really good. I feel great.''

Pettine agreed that the sideline exam was favorable.

"It's nothing serious,'' he said.

Question is, can the under six-foot, 210-pound Manziel run that much every game and stay healthy?

"I want to move the ball down the field,'' he said. "I did as good a job as I could getting down when I needed to get down and there was a fourth down where I was happy to get the first down, happy to move the chains there. When I did get a chance to take off and run around a little bit, I got down to the chains and tried to keep the drive going. That's what it's all about.''

Manziel was stopped for no gain on his first run -- a third-and-1 -- to go three-and-out on his opening drive. But he gained 11 yards on his next two scrambles, including an 8-yarder on which he followed the block of fullback Ray Agnew. On the fourth-and-1 conversion, Manziel had Agnew wide open, but ran instead and barely made the yard around right end.

"I felt like I need to continue to exhaust my progressions a little bit more,'' he said. "There was a time I stepped up in the pocket and the seas kind of parted and the line kind of gave me a good hole to push up and take off. I needed to make a quick decision, either hang in there a second longer and make the throw or take off and luckily I got past the first wave of defensive linemen and got (16) whatever yard gain it was.''

Another time, Manziel felt the heat and took off prematurely, but will undoubtedly be more patient in the pocket with a better supporting cast. Gordon and Miles Austin worked only with the first team and Cameron had the night off because of a shoulder injury.

"Obviously that's not the plan for me to get that many carries every week,'' he said. "At the same time, the more and more I get better at progressions, the more and more I get comfortable with the play calls and the scheme and what we're trying to do and pre-snap looks, the more and more I continue to get better over time and hopefully that will weed out. The times I did take off I felt I got out of bounds, slid and tried to protect myself the best way I could.''

Manziel said all of the right things about winning the starting job, which should play well in the locker room, especially amongst the veterans.

"For me, it's all about getting better,'' he said. "If I'm the guy that puts this team in the best position to win, then we'll see what happens. But if it's not, then I'm here. At the end of the day, what I want is what's best for the Cleveland Browns. Whichever quarterback that is, whichever way I can help this team, that's what I'm all about. I'm not about having to come in, having to do this. I just need to continue to get better as a player, continue to learn, soak everything in from the film and this experience I had tonight and things will play themselves out the way they're supposed to.''

Manziel received a nice endorsement from Thomas, who's seen plenty of young quarterbacks come and go.

"He seemed to handle it really well and you didn't see any silly rookie mistakes that you'd expect out of a first-year quarterback,'' Thomas said.

Manziel wasn't ready to say that his debut gave him the confidence to face the Steelers less than a month from now, but seemed to realize that the speed and magnitude of the game weren't too much for him.

"Luckily for me there's three more games for me to get out there and learn and continue to go through different situations vs. different defenses,'' said Manziel. "I'm still going week to week and just growing up as a quarterback. I guess you guys can say (the Steelers game) is close, but at the same time there are a lot of things that will unfold from now until then that will paint a better picture for us.''

Overall, Manziel felt he operated the offense efficiently for his first time out.

"I tried to be as decisive as I could,'' he said. "There were some things that I obviously missed, which comes with the territory of being precise on these reads and our progressions. When I knew where I wanted to go and got the right look, the ball came out nice and on time and I really tried to put these guys in the best position possible to get a catch and turn upfield and get as many yards after the catch as we can.''

Hoyer managed two field goals in his three series of work, but the second came against the Lions' second-team defense. He completed 6-of-14 attempts for 92 yards, with a long completion of 28 yards to Marquis Gray. En route to a 65.2 rating, he twice overthrew open receivers inside the Lions' 20, and once put a ball in the turf short of the receiver. But he was also plagued by three dropped passes, including one by Austin at the Lions' 5 and one by Gordon in the back of the end zone.

Hoyer's stats would look a lot better if the receivers had hung on, but it was a good first outing coming off the back from his torn anterior cruciate ligament.

"There's definitely a few throws I would've liked to have back and put in a better spot,'' he said. But I also feel like nine months off of an ACL surgery to be able to play and play pretty decent, it's a step forward. You've got to just keep building and keep along that path."

Hoyer will have one more game in which to stave off the No. 22 overall pick, who's come alive over the past eight days.

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If anything, the press has been really negative in their reports about Manziel. It seems like many reporters and fans want the kid to fail. They don't like him as a person, so they don't like him as a player.

I think we should just let it play out and let the best man win. At this point, it is way too early to say there are conspiracy theories or that Manziel will be handed the job. Way too early for that nonsense, bro.

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I agree with the second part but disagree with the first part. Everybody seems to have an opinion on JM but from the former players and coaches I've seen on NFLN and ESPN and on the radio, I think they have been rather fair in their assessment of JM.. I haven't seen anybody say he's a sure fire HoFer, and nobody has said he's a certain bust.. most are in the middle and most toe the line that he is going to make mistakes, he needs some time to develop... now they do tend to disagree on whether they think he should start right away but I think most realize he is going to be the starter at some point..

I was thinking about this after the game last night after watching NFLN for about an hour where 3/4 of it was dedicated to the Browns and 3/4 of that was about JM... I think I finally reached my point where I was tired of hearing about the Browns. I actually wanted to see highlights of some of the other games.

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Report: Manziel pulls ahead of Hoyer

lol

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel has pulled ahead of Brian Hoyer in the quarterback race following his flashy debut in Detroit, according to a report.

Citing a Browns source, ESPN's Bob Holtzman reported that Manziel has overtaken the sixth-year pro in the battle for the starting job after his promising performance in Saturday night's 13-12 loss to the Lions.

A source told cleveland.com that Manziel has the momentum and that the superior talent. They've also been pleased with his leadership and progress since the beginning of camp. If he plays well in Washington on Monday Night Football Aug. 18, he'll be very much in the conversation for that week one start in Pittsburgh.

Displaying some of his Johnny Football style, Manziel competed 7-of-11 attempts (64%) for 63 yards in four series of work with the second-team offense. He also led the Browns with 27 yards on six carries, including a 16-yard scramble after he which he slid like a major leaguer.

Manziel will most likely get the against the Redskins and Robert Griffin III, but Pettine wasn't ready to go there after the game.

"That decision hasn't been made yet,'' said Pettine.

He also declined to say which quarterback won round one of the sweepstakes, but will address the media on a conference call at 4 p.m. Sunday.

"They both did some good things," Pettine said. "They both did some things that more suited their skill set. I think Brian was high on a couple throws. I think he would want those back. He threw a couple of other nice balls in there. I thought Johnny did some nice things from the pocket. When he got out, he created a little bit as well."

Still, it's evident that Manziel will need to get some work in the with the first team offense before the Browns can declare him their man for the opener in Pittsburgh. Pettine plans to make his decision before the third preseason game Aug. 23.

"I just think I need to continue to do what the coaches are asking me to do and continue to learn and go through these situations in these games and try to handle them the best that I can while they're coming at me,'' Manziel said. "I'm sure through these next few weeks there will be adversity that I'll have to overcome.

"At the same time, that's part of this game and I need to continue to try to handle the situations the best I know how and try to put this team and my group – whichever, the ones, the twos, the threes, the fours, whatever it is – try and move the ball down the field and help our team win a game.''

Imagine if Manziel had Pro Bowlers Joe Thomas and Alex Mack blocking for him, and Pro Bowlers Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon catching passes for him, which is conceivable in Washington if Gordon hasn't been suspended yet.

"I feel like we're getting looks with every guy on the team,'' said Manziel, who's already mastered the art of diplomacy. "Guys are doing a really good job and continuing to get more and more comfortable.''

Manziel mustered only one field goal in his four possessions, but watched his best drive fizzle on a Dion Lewis fumble at the Detroit 31 and his final march marred by offensive penalties and a dropped pass by undrafted rookie Willie Snead.

"The list of things I need to improve on could go on for days, but for me, it was a good start," Manziel said. "You have to start somewhere and you have to set a foundation, and it was good to get my feet wet. I got my first preseason game under my belt and we've got three more heading into the season.''

Operating primarily out of the pistol and read-option, he converted a fourth-and-1 on a keeper and completed a few passes on the move. But arguably his best throw of the night came from under center, when he fired a 14-yard strike to rookie Taylor Gabriel over the middle after a fake.

"I felt comfortable in the pocket,'' Manziel said. "I felt like the offensive line did a great job of holding up for me to be able to deliver that ball when we were supposed to get rid of it. I felt like the ball came out well tonight. I'm still working on getting balls out on time better and really timing things up.''

Manziel, who entered the game midway through the second quarter to a chorus of boos and some cheers, took a few hard shots from defenders eager to get a lick on the Boy Wonder. But he trotted back out onto the field for two more drives after being checked out by the medical team after one hard hit just before the field goal, and scrambled for 16 yards just after absorbing another blow. Overall, Manziel was knocked down at least three times after the throw.

"It's a football game,'' he said. "It's physical. It's part of the game, but I feel really good. I feel great.''

Pettine agreed that the sideline exam was favorable.

"It's nothing serious,'' he said.

Question is, can the under six-foot, 210-pound Manziel run that much every game and stay healthy?

"I want to move the ball down the field,'' he said. "I did as good a job as I could getting down when I needed to get down and there was a fourth down where I was happy to get the first down, happy to move the chains there. When I did get a chance to take off and run around a little bit, I got down to the chains and tried to keep the drive going. That's what it's all about.''

Manziel was stopped for no gain on his first run -- a third-and-1 -- to go three-and-out on his opening drive. But he gained 11 yards on his next two scrambles, including an 8-yarder on which he followed the block of fullback Ray Agnew. On the fourth-and-1 conversion, Manziel had Agnew wide open, but ran instead and barely made the yard around right end.

"I felt like I need to continue to exhaust my progressions a little bit more,'' he said. "There was a time I stepped up in the pocket and the seas kind of parted and the line kind of gave me a good hole to push up and take off. I needed to make a quick decision, either hang in there a second longer and make the throw or take off and luckily I got past the first wave of defensive linemen and got (16) whatever yard gain it was.''

Another time, Manziel felt the heat and took off prematurely, but will undoubtedly be more patient in the pocket with a better supporting cast. Gordon and Miles Austin worked only with the first team and Cameron had the night off because of a shoulder injury.

"Obviously that's not the plan for me to get that many carries every week,'' he said. "At the same time, the more and more I get better at progressions, the more and more I get comfortable with the play calls and the scheme and what we're trying to do and pre-snap looks, the more and more I continue to get better over time and hopefully that will weed out. The times I did take off I felt I got out of bounds, slid and tried to protect myself the best way I could.''

Manziel said all of the right things about winning the starting job, which should play well in the locker room, especially amongst the veterans.

"For me, it's all about getting better,'' he said. "If I'm the guy that puts this team in the best position to win, then we'll see what happens. But if it's not, then I'm here. At the end of the day, what I want is what's best for the Cleveland Browns. Whichever quarterback that is, whichever way I can help this team, that's what I'm all about. I'm not about having to come in, having to do this. I just need to continue to get better as a player, continue to learn, soak everything in from the film and this experience I had tonight and things will play themselves out the way they're supposed to.''

Manziel received a nice endorsement from Thomas, who's seen plenty of young quarterbacks come and go.

"He seemed to handle it really well and you didn't see any silly rookie mistakes that you'd expect out of a first-year quarterback,'' Thomas said.

Manziel wasn't ready to say that his debut gave him the confidence to face the Steelers less than a month from now, but seemed to realize that the speed and magnitude of the game weren't too much for him.

"Luckily for me there's three more games for me to get out there and learn and continue to go through different situations vs. different defenses,'' said Manziel. "I'm still going week to week and just growing up as a quarterback. I guess you guys can say (the Steelers game) is close, but at the same time there are a lot of things that will unfold from now until then that will paint a better picture for us.''

Overall, Manziel felt he operated the offense efficiently for his first time out.

"I tried to be as decisive as I could,'' he said. "There were some things that I obviously missed, which comes with the territory of being precise on these reads and our progressions. When I knew where I wanted to go and got the right look, the ball came out nice and on time and I really tried to put these guys in the best position possible to get a catch and turn upfield and get as many yards after the catch as we can.''

Hoyer managed two field goals in his three series of work, but the second came against the Lions' second-team defense. He completed 6-of-14 attempts for 92 yards, with a long completion of 28 yards to Marquis Gray. En route to a 65.2 rating, he twice overthrew open receivers inside the Lions' 20, and once put a ball in the turf short of the receiver. But he was also plagued by three dropped passes, including one by Austin at the Lions' 5 and one by Gordon in the back of the end zone.

Hoyer's stats would look a lot better if the receivers had hung on, but it was a good first outing coming off the back from his torn anterior cruciate ligament.

"There's definitely a few throws I would've liked to have back and put in a better spot,'' he said. But I also feel like nine months off of an ACL surgery to be able to play and play pretty decent, it's a step forward. You've got to just keep building and keep along that path."

Hoyer will have one more game in which to stave off the No. 22 overall pick, who's come alive over the past eight days.

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http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2014/08/johnny_manziel_has_pulled_ahea.html#incart_2box

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Pretty sure coach said before last night that Manziel would probably start game two... maybe not, but thought I read that somewhere.

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Report: Manziel pulls ahead of Hoyer

lol

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel has pulled ahead of Brian Hoyer in the quarterback race following his flashy debut in Detroit, according to a report.

Citing a Browns source, ESPN's Bob Holtzman reported that Manziel has overtaken the sixth-year pro in the battle for the starting job after his promising performance in Saturday night's 13-12 loss to the Lions.

A source told cleveland.com that Manziel has the momentum and that the superior talent. They've also been pleased with his leadership and progress since the beginning of camp. If he plays well in Washington on Monday Night Football Aug. 18, he'll be very much in the conversation for that week one start in Pittsburgh.

Displaying some of his Johnny Football style, Manziel competed 7-of-11 attempts (64%) for 63 yards in four series of work with the second-team offense. He also led the Browns with 27 yards on six carries, including a 16-yard scramble after he which he slid like a major leaguer.

Manziel will most likely get the against the Redskins and Robert Griffin III, but Pettine wasn't ready to go there after the game.

"That decision hasn't been made yet,'' said Pettine.

He also declined to say which quarterback won round one of the sweepstakes, but will address the media on a conference call at 4 p.m. Sunday.

"They both did some good things," Pettine said. "They both did some things that more suited their skill set. I think Brian was high on a couple throws. I think he would want those back. He threw a couple of other nice balls in there. I thought Johnny did some nice things from the pocket. When he got out, he created a little bit as well."

Still, it's evident that Manziel will need to get some work in the with the first team offense before the Browns can declare him their man for the opener in Pittsburgh. Pettine plans to make his decision before the third preseason game Aug. 23.

"I just think I need to continue to do what the coaches are asking me to do and continue to learn and go through these situations in these games and try to handle them the best that I can while they're coming at me,'' Manziel said. "I'm sure through these next few weeks there will be adversity that I'll have to overcome.

"At the same time, that's part of this game and I need to continue to try to handle the situations the best I know how and try to put this team and my group – whichever, the ones, the twos, the threes, the fours, whatever it is – try and move the ball down the field and help our team win a game.''

Imagine if Manziel had Pro Bowlers Joe Thomas and Alex Mack blocking for him, and Pro Bowlers Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon catching passes for him, which is conceivable in Washington if Gordon hasn't been suspended yet.

"I feel like we're getting looks with every guy on the team,'' said Manziel, who's already mastered the art of diplomacy. "Guys are doing a really good job and continuing to get more and more comfortable.''

Manziel mustered only one field goal in his four possessions, but watched his best drive fizzle on a Dion Lewis fumble at the Detroit 31 and his final march marred by offensive penalties and a dropped pass by undrafted rookie Willie Snead.

"The list of things I need to improve on could go on for days, but for me, it was a good start," Manziel said. "You have to start somewhere and you have to set a foundation, and it was good to get my feet wet. I got my first preseason game under my belt and we've got three more heading into the season.''

Operating primarily out of the pistol and read-option, he converted a fourth-and-1 on a keeper and completed a few passes on the move. But arguably his best throw of the night came from under center, when he fired a 14-yard strike to rookie Taylor Gabriel over the middle after a fake.

"I felt comfortable in the pocket,'' Manziel said. "I felt like the offensive line did a great job of holding up for me to be able to deliver that ball when we were supposed to get rid of it. I felt like the ball came out well tonight. I'm still working on getting balls out on time better and really timing things up.''

Manziel, who entered the game midway through the second quarter to a chorus of boos and some cheers, took a few hard shots from defenders eager to get a lick on the Boy Wonder. But he trotted back out onto the field for two more drives after being checked out by the medical team after one hard hit just before the field goal, and scrambled for 16 yards just after absorbing another blow. Overall, Manziel was knocked down at least three times after the throw.

"It's a football game,'' he said. "It's physical. It's part of the game, but I feel really good. I feel great.''

Pettine agreed that the sideline exam was favorable.

"It's nothing serious,'' he said.

Question is, can the under six-foot, 210-pound Manziel run that much every game and stay healthy?

"I want to move the ball down the field,'' he said. "I did as good a job as I could getting down when I needed to get down and there was a fourth down where I was happy to get the first down, happy to move the chains there. When I did get a chance to take off and run around a little bit, I got down to the chains and tried to keep the drive going. That's what it's all about.''

Manziel was stopped for no gain on his first run -- a third-and-1 -- to go three-and-out on his opening drive. But he gained 11 yards on his next two scrambles, including an 8-yarder on which he followed the block of fullback Ray Agnew. On the fourth-and-1 conversion, Manziel had Agnew wide open, but ran instead and barely made the yard around right end.

"I felt like I need to continue to exhaust my progressions a little bit more,'' he said. "There was a time I stepped up in the pocket and the seas kind of parted and the line kind of gave me a good hole to push up and take off. I needed to make a quick decision, either hang in there a second longer and make the throw or take off and luckily I got past the first wave of defensive linemen and got (16) whatever yard gain it was.''

Another time, Manziel felt the heat and took off prematurely, but will undoubtedly be more patient in the pocket with a better supporting cast. Gordon and Miles Austin worked only with the first team and Cameron had the night off because of a shoulder injury.

"Obviously that's not the plan for me to get that many carries every week,'' he said. "At the same time, the more and more I get better at progressions, the more and more I get comfortable with the play calls and the scheme and what we're trying to do and pre-snap looks, the more and more I continue to get better over time and hopefully that will weed out. The times I did take off I felt I got out of bounds, slid and tried to protect myself the best way I could.''

Manziel said all of the right things about winning the starting job, which should play well in the locker room, especially amongst the veterans.

"For me, it's all about getting better,'' he said. "If I'm the guy that puts this team in the best position to win, then we'll see what happens. But if it's not, then I'm here. At the end of the day, what I want is what's best for the Cleveland Browns. Whichever quarterback that is, whichever way I can help this team, that's what I'm all about. I'm not about having to come in, having to do this. I just need to continue to get better as a player, continue to learn, soak everything in from the film and this experience I had tonight and things will play themselves out the way they're supposed to.''

Manziel received a nice endorsement from Thomas, who's seen plenty of young quarterbacks come and go.

"He seemed to handle it really well and you didn't see any silly rookie mistakes that you'd expect out of a first-year quarterback,'' Thomas said.

Manziel wasn't ready to say that his debut gave him the confidence to face the Steelers less than a month from now, but seemed to realize that the speed and magnitude of the game weren't too much for him.

"Luckily for me there's three more games for me to get out there and learn and continue to go through different situations vs. different defenses,'' said Manziel. "I'm still going week to week and just growing up as a quarterback. I guess you guys can say (the Steelers game) is close, but at the same time there are a lot of things that will unfold from now until then that will paint a better picture for us.''

Overall, Manziel felt he operated the offense efficiently for his first time out.

"I tried to be as decisive as I could,'' he said. "There were some things that I obviously missed, which comes with the territory of being precise on these reads and our progressions. When I knew where I wanted to go and got the right look, the ball came out nice and on time and I really tried to put these guys in the best position possible to get a catch and turn upfield and get as many yards after the catch as we can.''

Hoyer managed two field goals in his three series of work, but the second came against the Lions' second-team defense. He completed 6-of-14 attempts for 92 yards, with a long completion of 28 yards to Marquis Gray. En route to a 65.2 rating, he twice overthrew open receivers inside the Lions' 20, and once put a ball in the turf short of the receiver. But he was also plagued by three dropped passes, including one by Austin at the Lions' 5 and one by Gordon in the back of the end zone.

Hoyer's stats would look a lot better if the receivers had hung on, but it was a good first outing coming off the back from his torn anterior cruciate ligament.

"There's definitely a few throws I would've liked to have back and put in a better spot,'' he said. But I also feel like nine months off of an ACL surgery to be able to play and play pretty decent, it's a step forward. You've got to just keep building and keep along that path."

Hoyer will have one more game in which to stave off the No. 22 overall pick, who's come alive over the past eight days.

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http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2014/08/johnny_manziel_has_pulled_ahea.html#incart_2box

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I just can't stand Mary Kay... Pretty sure coach said before last night that Manziel would probably start game two... maybe not, but thought I read that somewhere.

Mary Kay is just looking for a headline to get readers...

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She said Campbell was a franchise QB, right?

I think whatever cred she had at that time completely evaporated.

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Yeah, and she explained that it was because her father was proud of her for being the Browns beat writer for the newspaper. Whatever. My wife, who is not particularly knowledgeable of Browns football, could write better stuff and sound more convincing than Mary Kay. She should probably change her name to Mary Jane Cabot because she's obviously smoking something.

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Not going to get into a pissing match with you over it Ytown, we get along too well... BUT have you been reading all of her articles lately? She's done everything she can to talk up JFF and down play Hoyer. She's trying to hitch her wagon to JFF's rising star and it's sickening. I know a lot of the media hype is about JFF, but she's a local reporter and I expect more from her than to be just another hoople-head.

I don't care who starts, I just want a fair competition and the best man to win based solely on the competition; not media induced hysteria. I have pretty much disliked her since she took over for Tony with Hey Mary Kay... she's a dolt.

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Maybe Mary Kay thinks JFF will be as good as Campbell!

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I see what you did there.

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Not going to get into a pissing match with you over it Ytown, we get along too well... BUT have you been reading all of her articles lately? She's done everything she can to talk up JFF and down play Hoyer. She's trying to hitch her wagon to JFF's rising star and it's sickening. I know a lot of the media hype is about JFF, but she's a local reporter and I expect more from her than to be just another hoople-head.

I don't care who starts, I just want a fair competition and the best man to win based solely on the competition; not media induced hysteria. I have pretty much disliked her since she took over for Tony with Hey Mary Kay... she's a dolt.

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So what is bad reporting about that? She reported what someone else reported, quoting a Browns source. That happens all the time among sports reporters.

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Frankly, to me, she continues a rich tradition of black-eyed sports-writers in Cleveland.

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