Johnny Manziel is hitting his stride. The Cleveland Browns quarterback led the team to their first win of the season thanks to two touchdown passes to Travis Benjamin. The quarterback looked the part of a starter as he went 8 for 15 for 172 yards plus no interceptions on the night. However, just because Manziel won a game does not mean the Browns are ready to give him the start in Week 3.
Manziel earned the start due to Josh McCown not being cleared following a concussion. However, the second the veteran is healthy he will resume the starting job regardless of the performance put forth by Manziel. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports the Browns are still confident in McCown's abilities and want the veteran to return as the starter once he is healthy. Rapoport writes that while the Cleveland front office is thrilled at the improvement by Manziel both on and off the field, they are still favoring McCown simply because he looked so strong in camp. Manziel is not stressed about the decision moving forward.
"I've come a long way from that point on Jan. 17," Manziel said, via ESPN.com. "So to be sitting here today and just have an ultimate turnaround from what it was in the first two starts I had last year, personally it feels awesome. I think I'm getting better, still missed some things that I'm going to be hard on myself about tomorrow."
ESPN's Pat McManamon makes the case to keep Manziel in the starting spot despite the health of McCown. While the quarterback certainly made his mistakes, it would almost hurt his growth to keep taking him out in favor of a veteran that is clearly not a long-term option for the Browns moving forward. While the move to keep Manziel under center would certainly hurt what Cleveland did in the preseason, but the quarterback is doing what it takes to win and showing that he has the potential. If Cleveland really wants to develop him for the future, allowing him to remain under center is the best option.
One of the reasons Manziel was able to stay success was the improvement in the run game. Isaiah Crowell added 72 yards and a touchdown while Duke Johnson had 43 yards. Both running backs looked much better after a disappointing Week 1 showing. Robert Turbin remains out with an ankle injury, but could return in Week 3 which would only help the offense even more.
