Johnny Manziel was clearly the best quarterback on the Cleveland Browns roster Thursday night, but that does not mean he is inching closer to earning a starting role.
Manziel was one of very few players who shined in an ugly 11-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He completed 10-of-18 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown, including an 11-play, 96-yard drive that ended with a beautiful 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Shane Wynn. Josh McCown, Cleveland’s starter, completed 7-of-10 passes for 57 yards but threw two interceptions. He also took three sacks.
Despite Manziel clearly looking better than McCown, Browns coach Mike Pettine was quick to shoot down any speculation about an uncertain quarterback situation.
“I’m not going to sit here and talk about trying to stir up a quarterback controversy,” he said after the game, per Mary Kay Cabot of Northeast Ohio Media Group. “Josh is firmly the one.”
Given the way Manziel played in his rookie season and the drama that has followed him off the field, the Browns have no interest in rushing the former Texas A&M star. To his credit, Manziel seems to fully comprehend where he stands at the moment. He shot down the notion that he is “putting heat” on McCown.
“That’s definitely not my words I’m going to use, just ‘putting heat’ on Josh,” Manziel said. “I think Josh has done everything right since the day he’s been here. He’s obviously a vet and has a very good understanding of this. Mine and Josh’s relationship right now, I’m trying to learn from him, learn from some of the things he does right and learn from some of the mistakes he does make.
“I think we have a good relationship in that regard. I wouldn’t say putting heat on; I’m just trying to learn from him because there’s a lot still for me to learn.”
Pettine left open the possibility that Manziel could close the gap between him and McCown, but he was quick to point out that Manziel mostly faced a second-string defense. Still, if Manziel continues to make plays when given the opportunity and avoids compromising off-field positions like this, we could see plenty of him in 2015.
