At the start of the week, the Cleveland Browns named Johnny Manziel the starting quarterback following a concussion suffered by Josh McCown. The quarterback came into the Week 1 game late and tossed his first touchdown pass, earning the start over the veteran. However, the Browns' confidence in Manziel is not as high as originally assumed as McCown will return to the starting job following clearance by the league's concussion protocol.
UPDATE: ESPN reports: "Johnny Manziel will start at QB for Browns Sunday against Titans. Josh McCown remains in NFL's concussion protocol."
According to NFL Media's Steve Wyche, if McCown is healthy, he will start at quarterback regardless of when that happens and how many practices he has under his belt. Head coach Mike Pettine told the media that if cleared, there is no reason why McCown would not be the starting quarterback against the Tennessee Titans. Pettine said that McCown is familiar with the basic plan installed into the offense in the preseason and he has plenty of confidence he can execute just fine when called upon.
"When you over-install for the opener," Pettine said via NFL.com, "and you're playing similar defensive styles Week 1 to Week 2 ... there's a lot of plays up that are up for this plan that he's already gotten multiple reps on, whether it was last week or even toward the end of training camp. When we game plan for the first quarter of the season and started to work some of that stuff late in training camp, it carries over."
Manziel has had his moments so far this year. The touchdown pass was a positive while the other turnovers against the Jets did not help build his case to start. McCown has been the favorite since getting signed by the Browns and that will remain true once he is healthy. The question is now whether or not the rest of the offense can help him get better.
The Browns' season could not have started worse and the quarterbacks were only one part of the problem. A struggling offensive line did not help Isaiah Crowell or Duke Johnson have much of an impact in the game while Dwayne Bowe sitting out hurt the wide receiver rotation. Pettine was critical of the line earlier in the week as they will remain the biggest x-factor for offensive improvement.
Bowe told the media that he is hopeful he can play Week 2 against the Titans after a hamstring injury has kept him limited in practice. Heading into the season, Bowe was expected to be a leading wide receiver for the team and the Browns desperately need him to continue on that path. The injury has certainly not hurt the veteran's confidence.
"I'm a big red zone threat," Bowe said, via Cleveland.com. "Even big-play downs. (Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo) knows it. Our team knows it and my duty's to get out there and prove it and that's what I intend to do."
