It’s Time For the Cleveland Browns to Start Johnny Manziel

By Casey Drottar @cdrottar19 on December 1, 2014

The sun rises, the earth rotates and the Cleveland Browns deal with quarterback controversies. At least, this is how the narrative usually goes. However, this season it certainly looked like things were taking a different route.

Brian Hoyer, who showed promise in the handful of games he played last year before tearing his ACL, was given the starting quarterback gig to open this season. The thought, of course, was he would be gone soon, as the Browns were predicted by many to hand the reigns over to their media darling of a rookie, Johnny Manziel, within weeks of the 2014 season starting.

Surprisingly, though, Hoyer actually played quite well during the first half of the season, leading Cleveland to the unfamiliar territory of playoff contention. Suddenly, there were talks of Hoyer being the long-awaited quarterback of the future. He was no longer viewed as a stopgap, he was someone Cleveland needed to pay. Before you knew it, the calls for Manziel began quieting by the week.

As we wake up today, it’s a completely different scene in Cleveland than it was a few weeks ago. Though the Browns are still sitting in the thick of the playoff race with a 7-5 record, it’s hardly thanks to the play of their veteran quarterback. Hoyer has rarely looked like the man we saw in the first half of the season as of late, trading in his much-appreciated reliability for multiple ill-advised interceptions. Since Cleveland’s surprising rout of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, Hoyer has thrown just one touchdown pass and six interceptions.

Yesterday, Hoyer’s struggles against the Buffalo Bills forced the Browns’ coaches to do something many around the league had been waiting for: they pulled him for Manziel. Immediately, the rookie provided a spark, leading what was an alarmingly dormant offense 80 yards down the field, finishing it off with a ten-yard touchdown run. Cleveland still lost, but nobody’s talking about the score this morning.

Every single member of the Browns was peppered with the same question during the post-game media sessions: “who should start at quarterback now?” Coach Mike Pettine said he was waiting until Wednesday to announce who’ll be starting this coming Sunday, but there shouldn’t be much drama here.

It’s time for the Browns to start Manziel.

Now, this is hardly a guarantee Manziel will instantly be better than Hoyer. Cleveland doesn’t know what they have in him, and though he showed promise yesterday, you can’t just assume he’ll be great simply because he had one quality drive.

However, this isn’t as much about starting Manziel as it is about sitting Hoyer. The journeyman quarterback has been a great story, and seeing him lead the franchise he rooted for as a child was enjoyable at first. At the same time, if the Browns are serious about trying to get to the postseason, the play they’ve been getting from Hoyer is only going to hurt their chances.

Sure, there will be more than a few who would be opposed to sitting Hoyer, claiming Cleveland needs to stick with the horse who brought them here. It’s a valid point, especially for a franchise that hasn’t topped more than five wins since 2007. The problem is, though, there’s weight in this idea — said horse is struggling. Badly.

Yes, Hoyer got them this far, but his struggles are impossible to ignore. Who knows what happened, but the Hoyer we saw in the opening weeks of the season hasn’t been around in a while. He seems jittery in the pocket, he’s making some poor decisions and is outright bad whenever he’s pressured. There’s no way around it; he’s regressing. Hoyer’s key attribute was his ability to take care of the ball. Right now, he’s not showing any of his trademark dependability.

It’s tough to look at how Hoyer has played lately and feel the same confidence in him. At the end of the day, Cleveland’s front office has to ask itself whether or not Hoyer really gives the Browns the best chance to win. At the moment, and really for the past few weeks, the answer is no.

This is the major reason why it should be time to start Manziel, but it’s not the only one.

Let’s face facts; the AFC is incredibly competitive this year. The Browns are 7-5, and said record is good enough for last place in their division. In order to make the playoffs, Cleveland would have to win out. Even then, they may be watching the postseason from home. While the Browns are definitely showing positive signs for the future, their chances for making the playoffs are still pretty slim.

It’s because of this Cleveland needs to take these weeks and see exactly what they have in their rookie quarterback. Again, the Browns have no idea what they’ve got in Manziel, but you can bet they want to see it. They already know Hoyer is a free agent next year. What they don’t know is whether or not Manziel is good enough to give the team the freedom to let Hoyer walk. If Manziel is worth all the hype, the Browns can proceed into the offseason looking to build around him. If not, they can look at other options at quarterback.

While Pettine says the decision won’t be made until Wednesday, it’s tough to believe the call isn’t all but official. How do you put Hoyer back in now? How do you pull him mid-game after three straight weeks of struggles, then start him again under the guise of “he gives us our best shot at a victory”? What happens if they keep Hoyer on the field, only to watch him throw another interception?

It was great to see Hoyer give hope to a long-suffering franchise this year, it really was. However, right now, he’s erasing those memories a little more with every single turnover. Manziel was drafted for a reason, and it’s finally time to see what he’s got.

He may struggle, or he may “wreck this league.” Either way, brace yourselves, NFL fans, the Manziel era is about to begin.

Casey Drottar is a Featured Columnist for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @CDrottar19 or “Like” him on Facebook