The Cleveland Browns quarterback competition is not the only headline during the team's training camp, but it is all anyone can talk about. With Johnny Manziel having no issues making waves off the field, is he doing the same on it? Are the Browns as committed to Brian Hoyer as previously stated? Despite inconsistencies in the team's first scrimmage of 2014, head coach Mike Pettine is predicting big things for the rookie.
Manziel worked with the second team during the scrimmage. He went 3-of-3 for 14 yards passing while adding another 14 yards rushing. He avoided turnovers while also engineering a 17-play, 63-yard drive. Of course there were some downs to his play. Wide receiver Charles Johnson dropped a would-be touchdown pass from the rookie and he failed to put the offense in the redzone at any point. However, Pettine liked what he saw from the quarterback and so did the fans who cheered for him like he truly was the franchise quarterback.
"I saw what you guys saw," Pettine said, via NFL.com. "He had a couple nice runs, made some nice throws. When most quarterbacks would step out of bounds, he had two completions there. When camp began, Brian was the No. 1 because we had to have someone out there with the ones, but they were truly competing against each other. At some point, we will mix the units. It's all part of our evaluation process."
Is it only a matter of time before Manziel is starting the season? Hoyer was brought back with the intentions of a stop-gap quarterback while a rookie develops under him. However, if Manziel starts to show a bit of primes, the Browns could easily just jump to him being the permanent starter. With or without Manziel as the No. 1 quarterback, the Browns offense still needs a lot of work.
Overall, the entire unit struggled. The Browns might be downplaying the absence of Josh Gordon, but it is clear not having the No. 1 wide receiver is forcing difficult adjustments. Johnson was supposed to help replace Gordon, but he had more drops than catches. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, no one looked to be on the same page with either quarterback. They are in desperate need of Nate Burleson and Miles Austin stepping up, while Jordon Cameron is set to be the x-factor in the offense. There is plenty to read about regarding the Browns and their preseason moves and not all of it surrounds Manziel and Hoyer.
