Mike Pettine Leaves Door Cracked For Johnny Manziel
Dec 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Browns were really let down by a disasterous rookie season by quarterback Johnny Manziel. The Browns expected rookie mistakes but they also expected him to prepare as much as he could for when his number was called. But that wasn’t the case many 0f his teammates came out in the media to express how they didn’t trust him anymore.
Then this offseason, Manziel has been nothing but a professional after a stint in alcohol rehab. Listening to the players those around the organization, Maziel seems to have earned back a portion of the trust the organization lost in him. Of all people, Manziel seems to have really earned back some trust from head coach Mike Pettine.
Josh McCown isn’t exactly the best of options so Pettine won’t rule Manziel out starting just yet. Cleveland.com reported Pettine as saying, “I wouldn’t rule it out [Manziel starting], but if I had to say ‘will Josh McCown likely be our day one starter’ to answer that question, I would say he would likely be, but I don’t want to say he is,” said Pettine. “I don’t want to guarantee it.”
Pettine did admitt that there is still some separation between McCown and Manziel. He said, “I would say there is [separation]. Josh’s skillset is very different than Johnny’s. … Having been with Flip (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo) before, he’s that much further ahead.”
Pettine has to trust McCown at least a little more now but Manziel is talented and can make a jump in camp. So Pettine is smart to leave the door cracked in case Manziel is what the Browns thought he was when the drafted him this year. It’s all up to Manziel to force his way through the cracked door.