Like with the Chicago Cubs, I honestly feel bad for Cleveland Browns fans, and like the Cubs, I secretly pull for the Browns to make the playoffs each and every year. However, that's happened just once since pro football came back to Cleveland in 1999, and that was in 2002, where the Browns finished the season 9-7 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. That's right - ever since Cleveland welcomed back an NFL team, their Browns have made the playoffs once in fourteen years, and have an overall record of 73-152 (.324) in that span. Not only that, but their team has shown minimal signs of improvement in those fourteen years. In the past five seasons, Cleveland has amassed a record of 23-57 (.288). Sure, one problem has been the division in which they play. Playing alongside fairly recent Super Bowl winners in both Baltimore and Pittsburgh, to go along with the rising Cincinnati Bengals, the Browns have been lucky to finish 2-4 in those six inner-divisional games year in and year out. However, another significant problem has been the team's lack of a quality NFL quarterback. It's been rumored that in the past few years, the Browns have gone through more quarterbacks than Gene Simmons has gone through groupies. This is part of the reason why the city has been so excited about the drafting of former Heisman trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel. The other side of the equation is it appears as if Manziel is one to believe that any publicity is good publicity. Of course, ESPN has made it increasingly difficult for the rookie quarterback, as they've appeared to follow him around like a paranoid stalker follows his shadow. Given the excitement surrounding Manziel and the attention he's brought to the team, it has often appeared as if the organization doesn't know how to handle the situation. This is the most attention the team has gotten since, well, I honestly can't remember such a time.
Not long after drafting Manziel, the Browns appeared to sound confident that they were going to start journeyman quarterback Brian Hoyer at the start of this season. A fellow teammate of his went even so far as to compare him to Tom Brady. Yes, I suppose they both have "o's," "b's," "r's," "a's," and "y's" in their names, so I guess they're pretty much like twins. In any case, it appeared as if Manziel was going to be the definite back-up going into the season, and barring an injury to Hoyer, Manziel would have to wait at least one year before he got a chance to start. Then the pre-season games started. Manziel, from a numbers standpoint, played better than Hoyer in the team's first game. However, Manziel also played against back-ups, so it's not a very fair comparison to make. In any case, media and fans alike started to ask the question, "Who's going to start? Does Manziel have a chance?" Coach Mike Pettine then said he'd make a decision on who would start the first game of the regular season sometime today, following the team's second pre-season game last night. Then, of course, on national television, both quarterbacks stunk up the joint against Washington more so than a truckload of cow dung. Both quarterbacks got time with the first-stringers this game, and while Manziel may have played slightly better than Hoyer, that would be like saying it's more pleasant to listen to Congress than getting a route canal (actually, I may want to reverse those). For the game, Hoyer completed just 2 of 6 pass attempts for 16 yards (2.7 per attempt), for a quarterback rating of 42.4. Manziel completed 7 of 16 passes for 65 yards (4.1 per attempt), for a rating of 76.3. He ran the ball just one time for -1 yard. However, even for as badly as both quarterbacks played, was the pre-season game a complete disaster? No. Last I checked, the team still has 16 regular season games to play. However, are some in the Cleveland media, whom may not be used to receiving so much attention, overreacting to the game? Yes.
One prime example of that is an article ESPN's Pat McManamon released earlier in the day. McManamon, who writes on behalf of the Browns, wrote an article, entitled, "As for the Browns QB spot ... now what?" Yes, just after reading that headline, I offered the guy some cookies and happy-juice. He declined and threw the juice right back in my face.
McManamon starts his article with this:
"What do the Cleveland Browns do after the dismal performance by the two guys competing at starting quarterback?
They can't punt every third down, can't install a single wing in the next two week.
But they have a problem. In Monday night's 24-23 loss to the Washington Redskins, the two guys the team is counting on to win the job did next to nothing to help themselves or their team.
This 'competition' produced a fiasco almost any reasonable expectation -- on national TV no less -- and it left a head coach looking perplexed.
The veteran plays like he's suffocating under the pressure of Johnny Manziel, and the rookie looks like a rookie."
He ended his piece with this:
"Training camp competitions have ruined quarterback, especially in Cleveland. But they are doubly dicey when one of the players has the Q-factor of a Manziel. The holdover feels suffocating pressure, the rookie arrives with fanfare and hoopla. In this case, neither has responded to the pressure. As the competition has droned on and as the incessant attention on the job grew more intense heading into 'Monday Night Football,' the two wilted.
Now what?
At this point, two options seem the most realistic. One would be to give the job to Hoyer (as poorly as he played) and hope it relaxes him and unites the team behind one guy. Or the Browns can go into the third preseason game and leave it up for grabs and hope somebody actually ... well ... you know ... wins the job.
'Somebody has to be ready,' Pettine said.
Well, somebody has to line up for the first snap.
I honestly agree with McManamon on several points he makes, but also think he needs to take a deep breath and try not to blow the situation out of proportion. The fact of the matter is, especially with star receiver Josh Gordon likely receiving at least a four-game suspension due to a violation of the league's drug and substance abuse policy, the Browns likely won't be going to the playoffs this year (yes, yet again). However, with a fairly stingy defense, Gordon hopefully back for the full season next year, and perhaps an exciting second-year quarterback with a year of learning and maturing under his belt, the Browns could potentially have some hope for the post-season next year (yes, now I'm really starting to sound like Cubs fans, aren't I?). For as poor as the Browns have been record wise, they have been slowly improving. Unfortunately, whether the losses are by the score of 28-10 or 21-17, they're still losses. What the Browns really need to do is make a decision and stick to it. If they feel the best road forward is to give the more experienced Hoyer the starting nod and allow the rookie Manziel to learn for a year (and perhaps integrate him into the offense at times like Atlanta did with Michael Vick in his rookie season), then make that decision. If they want to give the upstart rookie the opening snap and feel it will be better for him (and the team) in the long-run to get a maximum number of reps in his first season, then make that decision. Going back and forth on the decision, however, doesn't help anyone involved. It makes Hoyer uneasy and prevents the offense from finding a good flow and rhythm. While both Hoyer and Manziel were off with their throws last night, there were also some drops - and that can probably be largely attributed to the alternating between quarterbacks and not establishing a certain rhythm in the offense. In my opinion, while the coaches feel Hoyer is probably the best option for the team this year, at least at the start of the season, the spotlight surrounding the team has been mostly due to the presence of Johnny Manziel, and management feels pressure from both the fans and media alike to start the young spark-plug. If that is the case, as tempting as it might be, I'd probably go with the coach's gut over the pressure of fans and the media. Johnny Manziel may be quite exciting, but he is a rookie, has a lot to learn, and won't be ready to face the Steelers in Pittsburgh for the Browns' first game this season. Whichever way the Browns decide to go, however, it likely won't make a huge difference in the team's final record. With Josh Gordon probably out four games, without knowing how effective the running game will be, and without knowing how efficient the quarterback is going to be, while the defense will likely again be solid, the team can't win too many games if the offense does put up points on the board. So, this year, I suggest we take a collective deep sigh, perhaps consume some chill-pills, nod over at Chicago Cubs fans, and, in unison, say with them, "Maybe next year."
http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-browns/post/_/id/7311/as-for-the-browns-qb-spot-now-what
http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/history/year-by-year-results.html
http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400551876
Not long after drafting Manziel, the Browns appeared to sound confident that they were going to start journeyman quarterback Brian Hoyer at the start of this season. A fellow teammate of his went even so far as to compare him to Tom Brady. Yes, I suppose they both have "o's," "b's," "r's," "a's," and "y's" in their names, so I guess they're pretty much like twins. In any case, it appeared as if Manziel was going to be the definite back-up going into the season, and barring an injury to Hoyer, Manziel would have to wait at least one year before he got a chance to start. Then the pre-season games started. Manziel, from a numbers standpoint, played better than Hoyer in the team's first game. However, Manziel also played against back-ups, so it's not a very fair comparison to make. In any case, media and fans alike started to ask the question, "Who's going to start? Does Manziel have a chance?" Coach Mike Pettine then said he'd make a decision on who would start the first game of the regular season sometime today, following the team's second pre-season game last night. Then, of course, on national television, both quarterbacks stunk up the joint against Washington more so than a truckload of cow dung. Both quarterbacks got time with the first-stringers this game, and while Manziel may have played slightly better than Hoyer, that would be like saying it's more pleasant to listen to Congress than getting a route canal (actually, I may want to reverse those). For the game, Hoyer completed just 2 of 6 pass attempts for 16 yards (2.7 per attempt), for a quarterback rating of 42.4. Manziel completed 7 of 16 passes for 65 yards (4.1 per attempt), for a rating of 76.3. He ran the ball just one time for -1 yard. However, even for as badly as both quarterbacks played, was the pre-season game a complete disaster? No. Last I checked, the team still has 16 regular season games to play. However, are some in the Cleveland media, whom may not be used to receiving so much attention, overreacting to the game? Yes.
One prime example of that is an article ESPN's Pat McManamon released earlier in the day. McManamon, who writes on behalf of the Browns, wrote an article, entitled, "As for the Browns QB spot ... now what?" Yes, just after reading that headline, I offered the guy some cookies and happy-juice. He declined and threw the juice right back in my face.
McManamon starts his article with this:
"What do the Cleveland Browns do after the dismal performance by the two guys competing at starting quarterback?
They can't punt every third down, can't install a single wing in the next two week.
But they have a problem. In Monday night's 24-23 loss to the Washington Redskins, the two guys the team is counting on to win the job did next to nothing to help themselves or their team.
This 'competition' produced a fiasco almost any reasonable expectation -- on national TV no less -- and it left a head coach looking perplexed.
The veteran plays like he's suffocating under the pressure of Johnny Manziel, and the rookie looks like a rookie."
He ended his piece with this:
"Training camp competitions have ruined quarterback, especially in Cleveland. But they are doubly dicey when one of the players has the Q-factor of a Manziel. The holdover feels suffocating pressure, the rookie arrives with fanfare and hoopla. In this case, neither has responded to the pressure. As the competition has droned on and as the incessant attention on the job grew more intense heading into 'Monday Night Football,' the two wilted.
Now what?
At this point, two options seem the most realistic. One would be to give the job to Hoyer (as poorly as he played) and hope it relaxes him and unites the team behind one guy. Or the Browns can go into the third preseason game and leave it up for grabs and hope somebody actually ... well ... you know ... wins the job.
'Somebody has to be ready,' Pettine said.
Well, somebody has to line up for the first snap.
I honestly agree with McManamon on several points he makes, but also think he needs to take a deep breath and try not to blow the situation out of proportion. The fact of the matter is, especially with star receiver Josh Gordon likely receiving at least a four-game suspension due to a violation of the league's drug and substance abuse policy, the Browns likely won't be going to the playoffs this year (yes, yet again). However, with a fairly stingy defense, Gordon hopefully back for the full season next year, and perhaps an exciting second-year quarterback with a year of learning and maturing under his belt, the Browns could potentially have some hope for the post-season next year (yes, now I'm really starting to sound like Cubs fans, aren't I?). For as poor as the Browns have been record wise, they have been slowly improving. Unfortunately, whether the losses are by the score of 28-10 or 21-17, they're still losses. What the Browns really need to do is make a decision and stick to it. If they feel the best road forward is to give the more experienced Hoyer the starting nod and allow the rookie Manziel to learn for a year (and perhaps integrate him into the offense at times like Atlanta did with Michael Vick in his rookie season), then make that decision. If they want to give the upstart rookie the opening snap and feel it will be better for him (and the team) in the long-run to get a maximum number of reps in his first season, then make that decision. Going back and forth on the decision, however, doesn't help anyone involved. It makes Hoyer uneasy and prevents the offense from finding a good flow and rhythm. While both Hoyer and Manziel were off with their throws last night, there were also some drops - and that can probably be largely attributed to the alternating between quarterbacks and not establishing a certain rhythm in the offense. In my opinion, while the coaches feel Hoyer is probably the best option for the team this year, at least at the start of the season, the spotlight surrounding the team has been mostly due to the presence of Johnny Manziel, and management feels pressure from both the fans and media alike to start the young spark-plug. If that is the case, as tempting as it might be, I'd probably go with the coach's gut over the pressure of fans and the media. Johnny Manziel may be quite exciting, but he is a rookie, has a lot to learn, and won't be ready to face the Steelers in Pittsburgh for the Browns' first game this season. Whichever way the Browns decide to go, however, it likely won't make a huge difference in the team's final record. With Josh Gordon probably out four games, without knowing how effective the running game will be, and without knowing how efficient the quarterback is going to be, while the defense will likely again be solid, the team can't win too many games if the offense does put up points on the board. So, this year, I suggest we take a collective deep sigh, perhaps consume some chill-pills, nod over at Chicago Cubs fans, and, in unison, say with them, "Maybe next year."
http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-browns/post/_/id/7311/as-for-the-browns-qb-spot-now-what
http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/history/year-by-year-results.html
http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400551876
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