The Cleveland Browns named Brian Hoyer their starting quarterback over Johnny Manziel on Wednesday, and many are wondering why head coach Mike Pettine did not wait until the all-important third preseason game to make his decision. If Pettine was choosing a starter based solely on on-field performance, he probably would have.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Manziel has been slowly blowing his shot at the starting job since the Browns drafted him.
Johnny Manziel started losing this job right after the draft when he partied his brains out. Continued losing it right through middle finger
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 20, 2014
Job was there for the taking for Johnny Manziel. He competed against a guy coming off an ACL who's started 4 games and in a new offense
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 20, 2014
People love to chalk Manziel’s behavior up to the fact that he is a 21-year-old kid who is still learning. While that may be true, it doesn’t mean the Browns have overlooked his party-boy antics. Pettine even admitted that he spoke to Manziel about the photo that showed the former Texas A&M star rolling up a bill in front of a bathroom mirror.
By completing just 6-of-17 passes against the Washington Redskins on Monday night, Manziel probably made Pettine’s job easy. He made it even easier when he flipped off the Redskins sideline. Hoyer has completed 8-of-20 pass attempts and has a passer rating of 57.9 through two preseason games, so you really think this is about football? Manziel needs to prove he can grow up before Pettine will hand him the reins.
