Johnny Manziel: Swan Won't Return His Calls

[Spectre]

Good god...

People enjoy this rhetoric/type of fanhood... I ask to those people, how? How is it fun to drive back to this garbage complaining annually? Don't say it isn't fun; you wouldn't be doing it annually if you didn't enjoy it.

Joking about it is the only way I can manage to have fun with it when we've had 2 winning seasons and one playoff appearance in 15 years.

You know what is a lot more fun? Winning. I enjoyed the hell out of this season when I tried to tell myself we were a potential playoff team. Of course, we shit the bed because Hoyer slumped and Manziel wasn't ready (and may never be). We might be a playoff team with Bridgewater.

Would you or Chris prefer if I gave a bland, zero personality breakdown of how we screwed that up and how Manziel looks hopelessly lost instead of dropping a one liner? I could, but sometimes I'd rather joke about this team than perform an autopsy on it. It's less painful.

Personally, I couldn't care less if some people on here don't like a little joking around. Being able to have fun with a joke or sarcasm is just as important to a good message board as hardcore analysis. Sorry if you don't agree.

 

[CommD]

No, if we don't have a real answer at qb, there's not one in this draft imho unless it's a project. Projects don't work in cleveland, so you play JFF. Hope he gets better to the point where he improved drastically or he helps you run the tank.

Not drafting bridgewater is already water under the bridge. We don't need to continue down this path. If any of us were in farmers shoes we would have done the same exact thing if in fact haslam told him to do it. At the end of he day he's the one signing the checks.

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If I were considering playing Manziel next year as a project, I would probably take Dak Prescott in the 2nd or 3rd and roll with him; dump Manziel or let them compete. Better long term chance of success.

 

[Kyrieville]

Dak Prescott? No.

 

[Kyrieville]

Bridge over Manziel seemed so obvious too. Like there is literally nothing Manziel did better from a pure QB standpoint than Bridge did during both of their careers.

This is just so typically Cleveland. It's amazing how this carries on from one regime to the next EVERY SINGLE TIME.

But he beat ALABAMA!

 

[The Voice]

If I were considering playing Manziel next year as a project, I would probably take Dak Prescott in the 2nd or 3rd and roll with him; dump Manziel or let them compete. Better long term chance of success.

If Manziel is as bad as everyone is claiming then it's a win-win. If he's as bad as everyone is saying then we will probably pick 1st overall and not worry about trading up. If he's not as bad as everyone says then he at least has some upside and might be tradable or coachable.


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[CommD]

If Manziel is as bad as everyone is claiming then it's a win-win. If he's as bad as everyone is saying then we will probably pick 1st overall and not worry about trading up. If he's not as bad as everyone says then he at least has some upside and might be tradable or coachable.


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Unfortunately, Mike Pettine does not have the time; he will not survive a quest for the number one overall pick.

 

[The Voice]

Unfortunately, Mike Pettine does not have the time; he will not survive a quest for the number one overall pick.

Oh the only way this is done if it's with full backing of ownership. Otherwise you have to scrap the idea.


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[Susliker23]

Don't post a lot, enjoy reading the commentary and most of my points are usually argued for me by others...with that being said after being able to sit back and watch the entire season ( with the exception of this last game)... The Browns were wrong to start Manziel, he wasn't ready. I am a huge Manziel fan and hope we stick with the kid and afford him the opportunity to go into the off season work hard and come back ready to play at the NFL level.

Unfortunately we already have others
(some members on this board, media, and other stupid 4 letter networks) calling to draft another QB, fire the coach...This just does not breed success or longevity in the NFL as many of you here know. I believe that Manziel was humbled and his lion heart spirit will not allow him to be just some re-tread in this league. I think given another year or 2 to develop he will come in and succeed. Yes there can be a lot said about his shortcomings thus far. But I see something else within him that compels me to believe he WILL indeed be good.... I know there will be those that disagree I just cant stomach another high pick spent on a QB and potentially firing our coach...who with all things considered has done a good job in his rookie year....PS to the older guys who watched the NFL while I was still in diapers, can anyone please explain when the NFL became a "what have you done fore me lately league" what happened to the days of drafting a QB high and giving him a year on the bench and 2-3 years of starting to develop (I.E troy aikman, peyton manning, Brett Favre (who I know was traded to GB)..ect) When did it become such a instant results league? I would appreciate insight on this..Thanks.

 

[Soda]

When did it become such a instant results league? I would appreciate insight on this..Thanks.

Since Twitter...

On the issue of why do we keep doing this... It's all a rhythm. It's something that happens in the same form every year. Browns fans have gotten worse about it since Twitter, as have many other fanbases.

The reality of it is the voices that are loud enough for the team/media to hear have been doing the same shit for far too long. This fan-base thinks very highly of itself and it's football acumen. This is a group of folks who relentlessly booed Bill Belichick the season after he led them to the playoffs and have been harsh with the mistakes of players while at the game for the duration of First Energy Stadium's existence. Couple that with inebriation and consistent losing and you get a toxic place. The factory of sadness is depressing; however, we're not allowing anyone a fair shot to pull the Browns out of the spiral.

 

[SixPACK]

Good post @susliker23 ..post more often.

I am definitely not on the fire Pettine bandwagon. He needs to make smarter choices but he is not a complete dumbfuck. As for the QB, I believe if Manziel practices/works hard enough on the off season we give him a shot. If he shows he is putting almost everyday to learn the playbook, work on his mechanics, learn to pass first, run last, then you go into next season thinking it's him. But if he doesn't study it, doesn't put in the effort before the draft, you have to go a different route. He is no longer a kid and if all he wants is to be a celebrity, we need a QB here that is mature and knows the game like the back of his hand. If that means giving up the 1st's & a 2nd, then so be it.

Just sucks we might be in this situation again next year. So crazy.

 

[caf]

The Browns were wrong to start Manziel, he wasn't ready.

The thing is though, they didn't want to start Manziel. They did everything in their power to stick with Hoyer. But they really had no choice after that Indianapolis game. The defense scored two touchdowns, as well as other turnovers in Indiana territory. The offense got one first down the entire second half. All the three and outs and the resulting great field position for the Colts were what did us in. They really had no choice but to turn to Manziel.

what happened to the days of drafting a QB high and giving him a year on the bench and 2-3 years of starting to develop (I.E troy aikman, peyton manning, Brett Favre (who I know was traded to GB)..ect) When did it become such a instant results league? I would appreciate insight on this..Thanks.

Those days aren't necessarily gone. Aaron Rodgers sat. However, I think it's unfair to compare Johnny Manziel to Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning. Both those guys are 6'4''/6'5'' and pocket passers. Brett Favre would be the better comparison. But even in that respect, it's a tough comparison due to hindsight. Sure Favre panned out... but he won in spite of his style of play, not necessarily because of it.

The issue with Johnny is that every question mark he had coming out of college ... are still big question marks. He had the entire offseason, and a majority of the season to learn the playbook, work on his short comings, and progress as a quarterback. And to be honest, he looked worse than I expected. And I wasn't expecting much at all, having little faith in Manziel from the start.

I mean look at Manziel's first start against Cincinnati. They ran 38 offensive plays all game. Their average this season is 64 plays per game. That means they ran 40% less offensive plays than their average this season. 40%!!!! damn near half a game!

That's stupid bad.

 

[Phills14]

So LaCanfora did his usual Tuesday hit on Baskin and Phelps today and they pressed him on the article about Manziel looking bad in practice completing an estimated 40%.

LaCanfora said it's not as much of a work ethic problem as it is a problem of sticking with the plays. The complaint was he continues to bail early from the play and go off script. We see that on Sundays. He makes 1 read then readjust himself in the pocket or tucks and runs.

That kind of behavior got him a D1 scholarship, the starting gig at A&M and the Heisman so it has been wildly successful for him thus far. If what LaCanfora is says is true, the question is will he accept the coaching and play designs in order to translate to the NFL or will he continue to go off script and fail at this level?

 

[Soda]

@Phills14 the one thing I haven't seen from Manziel is evidence of him being legitimately dumb. Yeah, he's made questionable decisions off the field as a rookie; however, that doesn't make him dumb. It makes him immature for certain..

I think he'll (if he hasn't already), see the issue and understand what he needs to do to fix it. I just don't know if: A) He has the ability to change his nature; and B) Has the physical traits to be the type of QB he needs to be.

 

[Phills14]

@Soda I'm not implying Manziel is dumb. Far from it. Actually I think he's a bright kid who makes an awful lot of dumb choices. There is a difference.

In order for him to succeed in the NFL he can't be Johnny Football. He has to be John Manziel. He has to grow up and use that brain of his to read defenses. Know the plays inside and out. Know what will work vs the defensive front and what won't. Change plays at the line. Throw to the hot receivers. THEN if all else fails he can break into Johnny Football. But it should always be the last resort. Unfortunately for him, the Johnny Football stuff has made him successful up until this point so it'll be hard for him to flip that switch IMO.

 

[Soda]

@Phills14 I don't think you were implying anything. Didn't mean for it to sound like that, I was just responding.

I just think that Johnny is smart enough to be able to have a self-realization to understand the issues he's having. What I'm worried about is the 2 things: 1) can he change is nature? and; 2) is he physically capable of being more of a traditional QB who isn't always looking to escape the pocket?