Cleveland Browns coaches obviously have major doubts about Johnny Manziel.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- I'm on record about three things when it comes to Johnny Manziel:
1. I didn't like Manziel as an NFL quarterback before the 2014 draft and wrote it. Then I wrote a column questioning the Browns for making him the 22nd pick immediately after that decision was made.
2. I thought the Browns were right to name Josh McCown the starter this season, and to stick with him.
3. But after the 31-10 loss to Cincinnati, I wrote that I favored playing Manziel. It's not because of any tremendous confidence in Manziel as a starting NFL quarterback. It's because McCown is 36 years old and has been physically pounded this season.
So the Browns are now 2-7. They play in Pittsburgh on Sunday. They have a two-week break after that. McCown has bad ribs, a sore shoulder and who knows what else.
Let him rest and recover. Let Manziel face the Steelers.
Why not?
The Browns coaches disagree. They would prefer a battered and bruised McCown to Manziel. If Manziel does play, it's because McCown can't physically do it.
THE COACHES OPINION
Manziel was 15-of-33 passing for 168 yards and a touchdown. The good stats were no interceptions, no fumbles. The Browns coaches obviously didn't like much of anything they saw on film from Manziel in the 31-10 loss to the Bengals. It was a bad game for most of the team, not just Manziel.
As Profootball Focus wrote:
"His receivers didn't help him by dropping five passes ... three by Taylor Gabriel. But Manziel did little to help himself, vacating clean pockets and bringing his eyes down too quickly to scramble on occasion, leading to unnecessary pressure. There were positives in this game, but still flaws that Manziel must eradicate if he is to get the keys to the offense."
Mike Pettine and the Browns coaches don't want Manziel to turn into a pure pocket passer, but they believe he abandons the pocket too quickly.
"Part of being successful in the NFL is being able to operate from the pocket," Pettine said. "I don't think you can put your quarterback on the run all the time. It's an area of his game we want to develop and have it be complemented by his ability outside the pocket."
Or as offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said: "If there is a play to be made in the pocket, we need to make it. If there is not, then we need to use his God-given ability to make a play outside of the pocket ... if you are in the pocket and he is open, (you) need to deliver it."
LOOKING AT THE FILM
Former NFL player Stephen White did a video study of Manziel's game at Cincinnati.
Writing for SB Nation, White's conclusion was that Manziel missed many open receivers. He had some tape showing a few times when Duke Johnson was wide open in the flat. This requires a short quick throw.
Manziel simply missed the opportunity to deliver the ball into the hands of one of the few Browns players who is athletic enough to produce big yardage.
This happened at least three times.
Too often, Manziel saw a blitz and took off scrambling.
White's video study showed several examples of Manziel simply breaking out of the pocket, turning his back on a large part of the field -- meaning he could not see some wide open receivers.
PLAY CALLING
DeFilippo said there were three plays in the second half where Manziel had a "run/pass" option. In others, he went to the line of scrimmage with the responsibility to make the right call. Read the defense ... run it or pass it.
All three times, Manziel passed.
"Looking back on it," said DeFilippo. "Maybe instead of giving a run/pass option, maybe you just run the football."
In the first half, Isaiah Crowell had nine carries for 42 yards, a respectable performance.
In the second half, Crowell carried the ball once -- for minus-4 yards. No other running back had a rushing attempt.
Is this all the fault of Manziel? Hardly. DeFilippo calls the plays.
HURTING DEVELOPMENT OF OTHERS?
In his SB Nation story, White (a seven-year former NFL defensive lineman) wrote that Manziel's pocket problems hurt the development of Travis Benjamin and Gary Barnidge, two players who are having career years catching the ball this season.
He credited McCown for some of that, as the veteran stays in the pocket and looks for them to get open.
White also wrote: "Maybe the Browns don't care about winning anymore at 2-7. Maybe they don't think much of Benjamin and Barnidge developing anyway. Maybe for them it's more important to give Manziel every opportunity to succeed before they decide to move on.
"All I know is that judging from this game, Manziel isn't close to being ready for a full-time starting job, not when he's trying to use his legs rather than his head to throw the football ... Manziel wasn't failing his PHD dissertation, he was failing QB 101."
THE QUARTERBACK QUESTION:
1. McCown stays in the pocket, sometimes to his own physical danger. That's why he takes so many hits. He is trying to help his blockers by staying in one spot -- and his receivers by giving them time to get open.
2. The coaches and veteran players love McCown because he knows the offense. He is a pure, no-nonsense football player. They know his limitations, but they can trust him. He's been in the NFL for 13 years and the experience shows.
3. There was frustration because the Browns are trying to put the ball in the hands of Johnson as a receiver. The rookie has caught 90 percent of the passes thrown to him. Manziel simply missed an open Johnson, or quickly scrambled in the wrong direction.
4. To be fair to Manziel, this was only his fourth NFL start. He wasted much of last season with poor decisions when it came to his life off the field -- and work ethic in practice and the film room. Common sense tells you that he's not going to come close to McCown in terms of football IQ as it relates to the NFL game.
5. You can break down the tape of several of McCown's games and it probably would not look very good. But he's having a very solid season, 11 TD passes compared to four interceptions, a 95.2 rating. A big issue for McCown is fumbling. He leads the NFL with nine fumbles, and six have been recovered by the other team. He has turned the ball over 10 times in seven games.
6. A very disturbing stat for Manziel is that he's completing only 51.8 percent of his passes. That's the lowest percentage of any NFL player throwing at least 50 times this season. Since coming to the Browns, accuracy has been an issue in practices, etc.
7. Manziel was unfairly criticized for his comment about "faith throws." Every quarterback makes them. It's throwing a pass to a spot where the receiver is supposed to be -- before the receiver arrives there. It's a quick pass and it has to be accurate. But it's not just throwing the ball up and whispering a prayer to the football gods, as some suggested.
8. I'd play Manziel this week, and I'd play him for several weeks to see if he improves. But I'm not Mike Pettine and his coaches who have reason to be worried about their jobs -- having lost 12-of-14 games dating back to last season.
ABOUT THE BROWNS:
1. I received a few emails about how could the Browns cut Robert Turbin so fast -- given they cut Terrelle Pryor to claim an injured Turbin from the waiver wire. Well, Pryor has tried out with several teams, and no one signed him. So the Browns apparently made the right decision to cut the former Ohio State quarterback.
2. Two of the fumbles charged to McCown were on handoffs to Turbin in the 34-20 loss to Arizona. The Browns lost one of those, and the coaches believed Turbin was at fault for both plays. Now, they will look at Glenn Winston, who has been with the team since 2014. Isaiah Crowell will start, but it's possible Winston will see some action.
3. The more I see of Duke Johnson, the more I wonder if he'd be best as a slot receiver.
4. Rookie Ibraheim Campbell played well at safety in the loss at Cincinnati. He has been on the field a lot in the last two games, filling in for injured safeties Donte Whitner and Jordan Poyer. Whitner is still out, Poyer is back. The coaches have been impressed with Campbell.
5. The coaches also are high on rookie Charles Gaines, who is coming back from a hamstring injury. I would not be surprised to see him on the field ahead of Justin Gilbert when the Browns look for extra defensive backs in passing situations.
6. I lost track of Brian Hoyer, so I looked up the former Browns QB who is now starting for Houston. Hoyer has a 2-4 record as starter. His numbers are good: 13 TD passes compared to 3 interceptions, a 97.4 rating.
7. Former Browns RB Terrance West was cut by Tennessee and is now on the practice squad with Baltimore.
8. A very good documentary on the early days of pro football is BEFORE THE LEAGUE. It will be carried on Time-Warner Cable (Channel 311) on Tuesday and Wednesday, starting both nights at 8 p.m.
