DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Josh McCown continued

If the D doesn't get pressure on Mariota this week, it won't matter if they start swagger the dog because we will get our butts handed to us.

This.

TEN torched TB last week and we're hardly any better as a team then TB. If McCown starts I would assume the vegas line stays the same.

We play differently.

#playlikeabrown?

It is a small sample but when Josh was in last week he did move the team. He is not the answer at qb but he seems to have a handle on how to run this O. That will make a big difference in how this team plays this week. The team likes him and seems to play hard for him. We'll see, time will tell.

There is one thing about this statement that is correct. Given a larger sample, McCown will fail. It's what he does.

Browns WR: Josh McCown ‘the mastermind behind the offense,’ Johnny Manziel not there yet



Written by Jesse Reed
link


It’s not yet known if Josh McCown or Johnny Manziel will start behind center for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. But after comments made by receiver Travis Benjamin, it seems clear which quarterback the players prefer.

McCown has been held out of practice all week while recovering from a concussion suffered on a brutal hit during the team’s first game of the season. While attempting to run the ball in, McCown was blown up near the goal line, whereupon he spun around in the air like a helicopter before slamming back down to earth.

However, the team is hopeful he might still play on Sunday. The test comes on Friday when an independent neurologist will check the quarterback for any residual concussion symptoms. Based on how McCown has handled himself during team meetings, the team is hopeful he won’t miss any time.

“If he’s cleared and practices fully tomorrow, I don’t see, barring anything unforeseen, a reason why we wouldn’t play him,” head coach Mike Pettine said Thursday, via Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal.

All-Pro offensive tackle Joe Thomas isn’t concerned about McCown stepping into the starting role after missing most of the week’s practices leading up to the game. Benjamin shares that sentiment, and he took things a step further when discussing the difference between the 13-year veteran and second-year pro Manziel.

“There is a slight difference because Josh is the mastermind behind the offense,” Benjamin said. “He can change the plays and change the protection. Whereas Johnny, we go in as a receiver group and we know we might see this or that coverage and make sure we correct Johnny.”

Manziel was forced into the starting lineup last weekend when McCown was jettisoned from the action following his helicopter ride. He got things started out with a bang, hitting Benjamin on a 54-yard touchdown strike. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep the positivity going into the second half and finished with a miserable stat line.

He managed to complete just 54.2 percent of his passes (13 of 24) for 182 yards with an interception to go along with his exciting first-half touchdown pass to Benjamin.

Even worse, Manziel was sacked three times and lost two fumbles to bring his turnover total up to three for the game.

Regardless of his struggles against a brutal New York Jets defense, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo made it known that he’s excited about the positive changes the team has seen in Manziel of late.

“If you didn’t notice a change in Johnny Manziel from last year to this year, then I don’t know [what you saw],” DeFilippo said. “I saw him going through his progressions. Did he take off and run when a lane was there? Yeah. Did we get down and was he trying to do too much at times? Probably. I think that just comes with the maturation of understanding situational football.”

The coordinator pointed to Manziel’s physical attributes and noted the team just needs to “keep grooming” the second-year quarterback.

At this point, though, there is no doubt that Cleveland much prefers McCown as the starter.

Even if it were just half a point, which it wasn't, doesn't mean Johnny is not a turd in a punchbowl, either. It could mean he most certainly is, and the other QB is just slightly better.

McCown not cleared; Manziel will start Sunday

Posted by Zac Jackson on September 18, 2015, 11:51 AM EDT
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The Browns announced Friday morning that Johnny Manziel will be their starting quarterback for Sunday’s game vs. the Titans.

Browns coach Mike Pettine said Thursday that veteran starter Josh McCown would probably start if he was cleared by doctors Friday, but before the Browns took the practice field Friday the team released a statement saying that McCown remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol and that Manziel will start.

McCown suffered a concussion while trying to dive into the end zone on the team’s first drive of the season opener. Pettine said Thursday he was “hopeful” McCown would be cleared and that “I don’t see, barring anything unforeseen, a reason why we wouldn’t play him.”

A tweet by Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports Friday indicated that the Browns were surprised that McCown was not cleared.

Manziel missed the final two preseason games with the elbow issues but was pressed into duty last week when McCown was forced out. He threw his first career touchdown pass on his first drive but turned the ball over three times in the second half of what became a 31-10 loss to the Jets.

Manziel started two games last December. Austin Davis, signed last week as the team’s third quarterback, will be the backup Sunday after not being active for last week’s game.

The weird thing is McCown didn't even look like he really hit his head on the play.

This is just an excuse to start Manziel, nothing more

McCown did get his head hit, but Haslam wants to see what we got in Johnny

If there's no hope of a future ... everything is blown up again

Say what you will... but concussion protocol was put in place to take the coach's and owners decisions out of the picture. Just saying.

Agreed.

Don't they even have a totally independent dr. on the field to diagnose?

Thanks Ytown. But the conspiracies will continue with the Manziel haters.

Really, Dawg? Sometimes things are just what they seem to be...

Not sure. I would think so. Also I would think an independent Dr. would have to clear a player to practice or play. The hate for Manziel here is outrageous.

I think Benjamin doesn't know what "mastermind" means.

and yet, that still makes this say that much more:


"“There is a slight difference because Josh is the mastermind behind the offense,” Benjamin said. “He can change the plays and change the protection. Whereas Johnny, we go in as a receiver group and we know we might see this or that coverage and make sure we correct Johnny.”"

I'll also mention the OLINE!!!.....Dline-LB's-RB's-D-Backs-WR's-TE's-Center-Punter-Kicker-Special Teams-Coaches-and everyone else on this team I didn't mention better be ready to play ball. Because they all gave up last week and hung JM out to dry.

Yes. It is not good that we will be playing a QB that has guys who don't know what mastermind means helping him make adjustments.

Mariota is probably more advanced than Manziel at this point and he's only been in the NFL since May.

I agree, if the rest of the team plays the way they did last week, Manziel will take the biggest hit for it, but there won't be much he could do with that.

Another example of facts interfering with the thread ...

Consider too that Mariota has been declared the starter since May and has taken all the 1st team reps in OTAs, training camp and the preseason, whereas Manziel's first 1st team reps was in the game last week.

And I'd say there were very good reasons for that.

There was no way they were gonna clear mccown after the hit and then his head bouncing off the dirt the way it did in just a few days. I really had no doubt at all that he would be benched and it had nothing to do with Haslam nor Manziel.

Manziel was in the league all of 2014.

I only made the comment I did as a consideration when attempting to compare them at this point, for this game.

In a different offense.

Got it. But Manziel's accumulation of experience after being in the league for this long should at least equal Mariota being the unquestioned starter for five months.

Except for the reps with the one's.

but he was killing the mental reps.......

Hopefully.

Mariota looks 100 times better than Manziel did last year at this time and 50 times better than Manziel does right now (granted with 2nd team reps I know)

As I said, Mariota has had all the first team reps in the off season. JF has had some last year in a different offense and has only last week's game and this week with the first team.

All other things being equal, Mariota should look better right now.

Remember that we also looked really good against TB. I think they are far and away the worst team in the league this year.

I'm very excited about the game Sunday do see how our defense rebounds, offense looks with JM getting the reps with the starters all week, and if Mariota can have another great game (hopefully not).

I do understand this.

However, JFF has had a years head start at studying NFL defenses, learning to go through his progressions and the speed of the game. Those are all critical things that all rookie QB's coming into the league must learn and study.

I'm not as sold as some are that we can garner an opinion of Mariota based on one game. But there are some things JFF should be ahead on simply based on NFL coaching and learning the things a QB from the spread needs to adapt to in the NFL.

I believe Sunday will give us an indicator as to the learning curve of the two QB's in some areas in that regard.

That's the entire point, things are not equal. Manziel dropped a giant turd his rookie year and is just now getting a handle on things he should already know.

As my doctor told me when I'd missed taking my blood pressure, missed checking my blood sugar and forgotten to take some of my heart meds... there's nothing you can do about that now, but there's a lot you can do starting now and going forward.

We can continue to wax on about his behavior last season. But he can't change that now. I'm sure he wishes he could. So that leaves only what he can do starting now and going forward.

To keep harping back on what he did last year is similar to yer old lady bringing up your failures of the past into current discussions.