Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine announced on Tuesday that Josh McCown is out for the remainder of the season with a broken collarbone. And once again, the same question is on the minds of NFL fans.
Is it Johnny Football time?
Johnny Manziel was demoted to third string for Monday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens after a video showed him partying it up during the bye week. Pettine stuck to his guns after McCown got hurt and put Austin Davis into the game. Davis helped the Browns tie the game at 27 late in the fourth quarter with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin. So what does Pettine do now?
“We’ll watch the tape and discuss that (Tuesday),” he said after the loss to Baltimore, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “I’m not prepared to answer that just yet.”
In other words, Pettine can’t rule out the possibility of Manziel being punished for just one game. Browns fans — the same ones who were very, very disgruntled after their team lost on a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown — could be heard chanting “Johnny! Johnny!” after McCown went down, but Pettine didn’t cave. That doesn’t mean the front office won’t force him to going forward.
There are only so many chances the Browns can give Manziel. While one reporter anticipates that the team will part ways with the 22-year-old after the season, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports says the Browns are not done with Manziel. The former Texas A&M star may have lied about the party video, but Cleveland drafted him in the first round last year and is desperate to satisfy a disgusted fan base.
My gut tells me the Browns will give Manziel a second — err, third … err, fourth … err, I’ve lost count — chance. Will that chance come this season? We wouldn’t be surprised.
