In a draft without big stars, Johnny Manziel stole the show by being the 22nd overall pick, heading to the Cleveland Browns. Being a first round pick doesn’t make him the starting quarterback, and if no injuries occur between now and week, 1, Brian Hoyer will be the one under center for the Browns this season.
Manziel isn’t a flawless product of college football. This isn’t a definite starter like Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III were when they left the NCAA. Manziel might have been a better player on a collegiate level, but being a showstopper there doesn’t make you anything special in the NFL, with a completely different skill set required to be appreciated.
Owner Jimmy Haslem who is dealing with own set of legal problems isn’t going to decide who is the starting quarterback for the team, but his remarks on Manziel echo and resonate with the staff. Referring to Manziel as a backup and as someone who needs to keep a lower profile with his new NFL gig means that he feels Hoyer should be starting.
Obviously, we have training camp to see and decide for ourselves who is the better quarterback. Hoyer didn’t start last season but after another poor set of performances from Brandon Weeden he took over, won two games and got injured in the third. He isn’t Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but he has an impressive skill set that should put him in the starting position unless his knee injury pops up again, rearing its ugly head.
Manziel has star power and quality, but he has a lot to work on. A combination of rookie head coach and rookie quarterback has worked well for other teams in the past, but it means nothing of the sorts, especially on a team that doesn’t even remember what postseason football looks like.
For Manziel, the best thing probably is to sit back and learn while improving on the things he needs to work on. Not all quarterbacks were born to start right away, and some of the best ones make the most of their opportunities after getting enough time to work on whatever was wrong with them coming out of college.