Johnny Manziel has addressed an embarrassing incident last night in which he flipped the middle finger toward the Redskins bench in the midst of a rough performance in his second game of preseason action.
After exciting Browns fans in the first game with his scrambling, Manziel struggled with the pass vs. Washington. He ended his night completing seven of his 16 passes for just 65 yards, although one of those passes went for a touchdown. He couldn't generate anything with his legs either, rushing just once for negative yardage.
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The frustration seemed to get to Manziel, evidenced by him flipping off the Redskins bench. After receiving backlash, Manziel addressed the gesture.
"Many words were exchanged with me throughout the entirety of the game, week after week. I should have been smarter. It's a Monday Night Football game, and the cameras were probably on me. So I just need to be smart about that," Manziel said.
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Redskins pass rusher Brian Orakpo also talked about the middle finger, stressing there were no hard feelings toward the rookie.
"It was hilarious. We were messing with him a little bit, just saying this ain't college and stuff like that. We were having a little fun. Manziel flipped us off. It was something funny. We were all laughing on the sidelines," Orakpo said.
It's unclear whether Manziel's inability to control his anger will cost him in the race to be Cleveland's Week 1 starting quarterback. Brian Hoyer didn't play much vs. Washington, and completed just two passes.
Browns head coach Mike Pettine had hoped to declare a starter by Tuesday or Wednesday, and while there's still time, a decision doesn't seem to be coming soon.
"I think all options are on the table," Pettine said. "We'll see. We're a work in progress."
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