The Cleveland Browns are not yet ready to hand Johnny Manziel the keys to their franchise, and several of Manziel’s teammates don’t understand what the team is waiting for.
TMZ Sports spoke with several anonymous Browns players this week who all agreed that Manziel should be starting over Josh McCown. One player was quite animated about it.
“I love both Johnny and Josh but its f—ed up when you have Johnny come in and play well and has proven to the team that he is the right person for the job,” he told TMZ. “It’s frustrating to him and us when you sit a player down when he is playing well. Coach has got to understand you are messing up the chemistry and timing with players and its f—ed up.”
McCown threw two interceptions in a surprising 27-20 loss at home to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Manziel led the Browns to a 28-14 win over the Tennessee Titans the previous week with an efficient 172 yards passing, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
“The team plays better when [Manziel] is in the game. I play better when he plays,” another player reportedly told TMZ. “You can’t get better unless you play. We won when he played and coach has got to trust him like he trusts Josh.”
A third player said Manziel keeps defenses on their toes by “making plays” rather than just sitting in the pocket. You have to wonder if one of the aforementioned players was wide receiver Travis Benjamin, who has made some huge plays and caught three touchdown passes from Manziel this season.
If nothing else, Cleveland’s upside is limited with McCown. Browns coach Mike Pettine remained loyal to McCown throughout training camp while Manziel was dealing with these off-field issues, but the team didn’t use the 22nd overall pick on Manziel for nothing. Unless McCown starts winning games, Pettine will have no choice.
