Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel is facing an uphill battle to be the team's starting quarterback, and it isn't all based on his reputation for partying and getting into trouble.
Browns head coach Mike Pettine called Manziel a "polarizing" player, and hinted that Manziel's performance during OTAs wasn't starting caliber.
"I've got to see it," Pettine said. "I know some of those snaps were low. I'd have to see the tape, see what [quarterbacks coach] Kevin [O'Connell] and Flip [offensive coordinator John DeFilippo] have to say. Usually my eyes are elsewhere than the snap."
Manziel was arguably the most hyped rookie of the 2014 draft class, and he flopped miserably when he got his chance to play. He started just two games and appeared in five; in those opportunities he threw two interceptions against zero touchdowns and completed barely more than 50 percent of his passes before getting hurt.
Stories came out that Manziel was ill-prepared on a weekly basis, and that, combined with the immense pressure to succeed, made his road even tougher.
"People either want him to succeed in a big way or want him to fail in a big way," Pettine said. "That adds to the pressure he's under."
The Browns coaching staff is also smitten with veteran Josh McCown, signed to a three-year, $14 million deal this offseason. McCown did not endear himself to Buccaneers fans last season during a miserable 2-14 campaign in which he failed more than once to hold off Mike Glennon as the starter. He has apparently been everything Cleveland has hoped for through OTAs.
"Until you feel you've found what you would call a long-term solution [at quarterback], I don't think we could have done any better than bringing in a guy like Josh McCown," Pettine said last week.
"To me, time will tell, but there's so much that he does behind the scenes that people just can't appreciate from everything you talk about - leadership, all the intangible stuff. He's truly a team guy. He's all about winning football games."
[ESPN]
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