Is Johnny Manziel The Future Of Cleveland Football?

Sean Taylor

December 15, 2015

CLEVELAND, OH — Johnny Manziel, a.k.a. Johnny Football, led the Cleveland Browns to a 24-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

It was his second career victory as he overcame an early interception to throw a touchdown pass that eventually put the Browns two scores ahead. He threw for 270 yards on 21/31 passing, but it was a day in which the Cleveland rushing game exploded, rushing for a combined 230 yards and 2 TDs.

The game by and large revealed what Manziel is at this point: a physically gifted athlete who can pilot a team successfully as long as he is not asked to do too much. He showed flashes of brilliant escapability and made one poor decision, throwing late over the middle across his body for his one interception. The Browns running game was strong and the defense stifling; Manziel contributed to the win and more importantly, minimized his mistakes.

The Browns will be faced with a tough decision: keep a flawed player and human in Johnny Manziel and make him the quarterback you build around, or trade him while his value is still relatively high and take your chance on another quarterback prospect (yet again), while running the risk that he figures it out with another team. It’s an interesting question, one in which the jobs of the GM, coaching staffs, and players hang in the balance. What are they to do?

Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports

On the one hand, does it make sense for the Browns to heavily invest in a 23-year-old with a track record of off-the-field issues, one who has responded flippantly to responsibility being handed to him in the (recent) past?

The answer is no.

He has not shown a mastery of the offense, he still often makes mistakes, and his slight frame, small stature and penchant for scrambling all over the field make him a likely candidate for injury. The best course of action may indeed be to trade Manziel while he still offers the illusion of unrealized potential (say, to the Dallas Cowboys — trading for Manziel is a Jerry Jones move if there ever was one), get a nice player/draft pick for an otherwise maddening piece and draft a more reliable quarterback.

Andrew Weber, USA Today Sports

On the other hand, the Browns have already stood by Manziel this long. All the shenanigans of this season, all the turmoil in the offseason, all the inconsistent play on the field, and yet here he is, the Browns’ starting quarter back once again. He’s developed an undeniable rapport with emerging offensive threats Gary Barnidge and Travis Benjamin, while offering an element of speed and elusiveness that probably won’t be seen in the next few drafts, at least not at the quarterback position. He can be an effective quarterback. Will he, particularly on this incarnation of the Browns, is highly debatable. At this point, Manziel will have a few more games to audition; with his future, and perhaps the fate of the Browns for the next few years, hanging on his performance.