Josh McCown has made it through the NFL's concussion protocol, and is expected to be back under center for the Browns this week when they take on the Raiders, according to ClevelandBrowns.com. McCown left the Browns' opener in the first quarter after he dove for a touchdown, only to be spun like a helicopter in midair by two Jets defenders.
Johnny Manziel took his place and quickly launched a long touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin, but regressed back to his turnover-prone ways in a 31-10 loss. In Week 2, Manziel showed some improvement in Week 2; he only managed 172 yards through the air on 15 attempts vs. the Titans, but he was not picked off and he didn't lose either of his two fumbles vs. the Titans. He also connected on two more long-range bombs to Benjamin, who clearly has developed an early rapport with Johnny Football.
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Head coach Mike Pettine is deferring to McCown's veteran status and perceived "stability" by returning to him, but it's a mistake. The Browns' skill players are clearly inferior to those of their division rivals, and their defense, while improved, is still a work in progress. This is a team without much hope of reaching the postseason, and even if Pettine doesn't want to accept that, he should recognize that there's more upside with the lottery ticket that Manziel is.
McCown seems like a "game manager," but in reality he's about as turnover-prone as Manziel is. McCown has thrown 59 picks and 61 touchdowns, so he gives as good as he gets. His record as a starter is 17-33, and he was horrific in Tampa Bay last season, going 1-11 and losing his job to Mike Glennon. His appeal is based off a five-week stretch with the Bears in which he started four games and threw nine touchdown passes.
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During that span he had Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery at his disposal, with Martellus Bennett at tight end, and Matt Forte as a running back. He also had noted quarterback whisperer Marc Trestman guiding the offense. Without those elements, McCown is ordinary at best. Manziel has mostly looked subpar, and may be a worse option than McCown at this moment. The problem is the McCown will certainly not be their guy in two to three years. Manziel might be, and they won't know what they have unless he shows them.
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