Rooting for Terrelle Pryor, an abbreviated While We’re Waiting…
August 4, 2015Browns sign RBs Timothy Flanders and Jalen Parmele
August 4, 2015The real question about Johnny Manziel is whether he’s even the best backup quarterback the Cleveland Browns have. It’s a conundrum for the Browns as they look for their best and most strategically advantageous 53-man roster. The only thing worse than a first-round quarterback who isn’t ready to start is a first round quarterback who isn’t even your best backup option on the roster. On a roster with Thad Lewis, Connor Shaw and even Terrelle Pryor, it’s reasonable to wonder if Manziel is even close to the best backup at this stage of his career.
I was very clear in saying what Josh McCown is not. I was equally clear on saying what Connor Shaw was not a year ago after a pretty nice effort against the Baltimore Ravens. Even given those caveats, it’s not embarrassing to say that Connor Shaw deserves consideration in the NFL as a backup quarterback. Thad Lewis is a career backup who also has legitimate value in a league known for its injuries.
And what about Terrelle Pryor? I know nobody wants to talk too much about it, but even Terrelle Pryor is a better backup quarterback candidate than Johnny Manziel right now.
We all know why Terrelle Pryor is switching positions to wide receiver and it’s not because he can’t be a career NFL backup quarterback.
Much like Pryor’s quest for real Sunday success, Johnny Manziel still wants to be a star too. He went to work on himself this off-season and it was a welcome sight, but it doesn’t mean much for his on-field abilities. At least it doesn’t mean much yet. The Cleveland Browns went out and signed Josh McCown because they want to compete as best they can this year. You can bet they barked up other trees as well – probably at least from Philly to St. Louis — in their search for other signal callers. The fact that that search existed at all doesn’t spell good fortune for Johnny Manziel.
I’m not making a prediction or reporting anything other than simple math. If you believe that the Cleveland Browns will try to keep their absolute best 53 then you also believe the pressure is on Johnny Manziel to prove that he can be a capable NFL backup this pre-season and his biggest competition might just be Terrelle Pryor.
“He has to prove that he can contribute to this team,” said Browns general manager Ray Farmer of Pryor. “He has to find a way to demonstrate that he has the skillset necessary to play the role we need him to play. If he can do that and make plays and be productive, he’ll have a chance to make the football team.”
If Terrelle Pryor makes more progress as a receiver than Johnny Manziel does as a quarterback, which player are you keeping? Then factor in the fact that Terrelle Pryor is a very nice third quarterback as Thad Lewis and Connor Shaw battle it out in earnest with Johnny Manziel for the backup quarterback position. Is it really hard to believe that Connor Shaw and Thad Lewis could outperform Johnny Manziel with the twos and threes throughout the pre-season?
Odds are obviously not in favor of the Browns cutting loose a former first round pick as he is about to enter his second season in the league. Still, this is a league that moves quick and seems to move on even quicker. I’m not singing the praises of Tim Tebow, but dude won a playoff game and is completely out of the league now. This is not to say the Browns should sign Tim Tebow, but simply to say that not even Johnny Manziel gets a pass forever.
Obviously, if you believe Jimmy Haslam, there’s almost no chance that Johnny Manziel is going to be cut this year. He continually pointed out how young Manziel is and saying that Manziel doesn’t have to prove it this year as he said the Browns would find out about Manziel over “the next couple of years.” That’s the right thing to say early in training camp, and I have no reason to doubt that’s exactly the way the Browns feel today.
Even in the face of those feelings right now, I can’t help but wonder how the pressure will mount on those who have to win as many football games as possible this year with Josh McCown as the starter as they get to backup quarterbacks. Obviously we’ll see soon in the pre-season, and there’s no reason to get ahead of ourselves too much. Additionally, it’s reasonable to think that guys like Connor Shaw and Thad Lewis are pretty much available at almost any time in this league. But just like that statement is true, there are first round busted quarterbacks that are pretty much available at any time as well. Just ask Tim Tebow.
48 Comments
Tim Tebow’s with the Eagles, and folks are saying he’ll make the team. And I would still sign him if we could.
Otherwise, great points. Keep 2 QBs. I hope Manziel is one of them, but ultimately, I don’t care who they are. Pryor can be a great 3rd option.
This article becomes irrelevant once you write Connor Shaw is a viable option as a back up QB. The only other QB on the roster that could be considered, as opposed to Manziel is Thad Lewis and even that is a stretch.
Edited: I’m not singing the praises of Tim Tebow, but dude won a playoff game against the Steelers and is completely out of the league now.
Shaw proved in one start…on the road…with no first team snaps all year…and zero prep…he’s better than JFF.
JFF is a bum.
Maybe so, but Shaw besting Johnny is like a tallest midget contest (in many ways).
Also, I say keep them both on the roster.
I love the Tebow “ascending” line. Hopefully he’ll have an ascension on Sunday someday.
http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/nrvs.gif
So to sum up the article what you’re saying is: you haven’t actually watched the 2015 training camp at all and are collecting hits on your website based on the reporting of local Cleveland hacks and your own assumptions and or dislike of Manziel.
Seriously? How do we know he is a bum, you DO recognize that Shanahan completely overhauled the offense in a week to run a read option offense which #2 never ran in college right? Im not dismissing Manziel’s off the field issues but Shanahan should have been charged with attempted murder for that gameplan. It was malicious
since you can’t see downticks anymore, I’ll just let you know that i clicked the button.
Manziel did Zip last yr! If he cant beat out McCown uhh he should look for another career! Or just be a Backup Qb every team needs them.
I did as well. If you watched camp this year, you’d see a very shaky quarterback who used to go by the name of “Johnny Football”. I’m not saying he can’t be the Browns’ backup or heck, maybe even the starter, but right now he’s not making the plays in camp that you would expect from a starter. By all accounts, Josh McCown is light years ahead of him.
…why is that, exactly? What has Connor Shaw done to make you think he can’t be a decent backup? He performed well in the preseason last year and performed admirably against the Ravens in a real game. That’s all we’ve really been able to see from him. Bear in mind, I am NOT saying the opposite. It’s just absurd to throw this article out based on your own personal belief about Shaw that you’re trying to pretend is actually widespread reality.
I love Pryor as the emergency 3rd QB and Shaw on the practice squad to replace the backup if both McCown and Manziel get injured (I think Shaw is still eligible right?)
Pat the article isn’t about whether #2 should start , but rather whether he should even make the team. It is an absurd premise. The Thad lewis’ and Connor Shaw’s of the world will be available via waver at any point in the season. Manziel’s potential upside is worth being patient for.
That aside I would disagree with you about your characterization of Manziel as very shaky. He is completing near 70% and by all (mostly begrudging) accounts has begun to go through progressions and master the offense.
Why do you think Pryor could play QB? He couldn’t at OSU or his other stops in the NFL.
No he is in Philly battling for the starting QB slot.
Pryor as third? Might as well designate the punter as emergency backup.
Would only be for that one game… nothing to worry about.
John, the article is about whether Johnny Manziel is even the best backup QB on the team and whether he should get an automatic roster spot as the backup. That’s a legit question and not a click-bait article. I’ve read accounts of practice that have Manziel looking the shakiest of all four QBs and completing the lowest number of passes, so somewhere between what the two of us are reading is the truth. The main point I’m making is that your original assertion is unfounded… it’s a legit article.
And just on time, JFF has a great day of practice. I think he’ll be fine, and most likely be starting by midseason. Hopefully he takes his job seriously because he knows this is probably his last chance.
Last chance? Tim Tebow is in a training camp this year.
It’s not a bad plan as the team didn’t carry a QB3 last year either. You’d hope by the time that your first 2 quarterbacks were injured that there wouldn’t be much game left.
Tim Tebow isn’t a raging alcoholic for all we know. And again, he’s won a playoff game. He’s no worse than Mark Sanchez or Matt Barkley in my eyes. He’ll surprise people in Philly this year. Its a lock Bradford gets hurt and Sanchez doesn’t instill confidence in anyone.
Exactly. If I’m not mistaken, in the past we used MarQueis Gray in that capacity as well (the TE who was a QB in college at… Minnesota maybe?)
Yessir, correct on all counts there.
That is an unfair characterization of someone trying to redeem their life. He is putting in the work (off the field to fix his issues and reportedly on the field/in the film room thus far).
Tebow was out of the league roster fodder. That didn’t stop the Eagles from giving him another shot. If you prefer, Vince Young was signed by a few teams for “a look” last offseason as well (including the Browns). If you were a big college name, then teams will at least be willing to give you extra looks. What becomes of them is up to the player.
Hey, I like Manziel. It is what it is though. Addicition is incredibly hard to maintain and being an NFL QB is only more difficult because of that. I like the kid, and I think he has talent. I just think this team is most likely his last chance. And he’ll get a good chance this season because if McCown’s career trajectory is any indication, he’ll either be hurt or removed because of bad play.
I shouldn’t have said maintain after addiction, I am an iditot. “Staying clean from addiction is hard to maintain,” I think a lot of us here know someone who had to go thru the trials and tribulations of rehab, its incredibly tough.
I agree with all points except the “last chance” just due to the nature of the NFL and it’s ego coaches who think they are the guy who can fix someone’s play.
The reason I responded tersely the first time was the usage of “raging alcoholic” to identify someone who spent 90 days in rehab and is doing what he can to fight that addiction.
Well, he was wasn’t he? He was getting loaded before a Ravens game at the end of the year and was late. Im glad he’s trying to stay clean! I think he’s talented, but needs a little time to grow mentally and professionally. McCown is the perfect guy to do that for 6 games. Im hoping Johnny’s starting by the middle to end of October.
hi PAT … manziel makes the team this year regardless of what he does in camp.
too much invested in him at this point. i think the little man may surprise some people before the season is over … he is sober & focused.
You had phrased it in more of a present tense phrase, but that is semantics at this point. You have qualified your position and it is understandable. Yes, no doubt he needs to stay clean and mature both emotionally and professionally.
If Manziel earns the starting role in October, then we are all the better for it because Pettine has shown he will not give anyone a spot, they will have to earn it.
Hi TB, I agree with you, and I know that you are always very optimistic about the future of the Browns. I don’t even think that is a bad thing, I think it’s good to have some folks around here who see the team through orange-tinted glasses.
As for Johnny, I think he makes the team almost certainly… all I’m saying is that it’s valid to have an article that ponders otherwise and thinks about whether it’s really good for the Browns to keep him on the roster IF he ends up being outplayed by Shaw and/or Lewis. That’s not a click-bait article, that’s an interesting proposition to explore.
I don’t believe in keeping a player because of what you have already invested in him… I believe in sunk cost. Whatever the Browns have invested to this point is moot. You need to make decisions based on what is best for your team right now and in the future. If the coaches don’t think Manziel has a future in this league by the time final cuts are due, they shouldn’t hold on to Manziel simply because of how high he was drafted, how much he is owed, or even how much time they’ve invested in him. Keep the backup QB who you DO believe can do the job. Now again, I don’t actually think this is the decision they will need to make. I think Manziel will ultimately show enough to be kept on as the backup QB. I’m just speaking in theoretical language.
Sorry about the “bluntness” I suppose. But it seems we agree, so that’s always a good thing on the internet!
i guess i should have added : too much invested in him at this point “and i know we’ve haven’t seen the best of what he can do”‘.
positive ? … yes i’m positive & i was biding my time before i posted over here again because : even with the tuff schedule & as silly as it sounds , i am predicting the browns will win the afc north this year at 9-7.
the steelers & ravens will be down just a tick & the browns are going to surprise some people …
… no , i did not fall & hit my head.
9-7 seems a little low to me for the AFC North division winner, but I can honestly see a scenario where the Browns go 10-6 or maybe even 11-5. Here’s what I think is possible and how they can get there:
1) The defense is an absolutely dominant top-5 defense
2) The running game is excellent
3) Special teams gives us more than last year
4) Josh McCown (or Johnny Manziel) limit turnovers, complete enough third downs to keep the chains moving, and perform well in the red zone.
Every season there are a couple of teams who catch some breaks and make the playoffs. It feels like the Browns are so overly due for a season like that.
hmmm … in his 3 seasons at OSU he was 33-6 as a starter , threw 57 td’s vs 26 int’s , ran for 19 td’s & even caught 2 td’s … that would be pretty good in my book.
good post … the additions of shelton , erving , bowe , hartline , starks , t.williams , d.johnson & punter andy lee are going to be a contributing factor.
most experts & browns fans are saying 4 or 5 wins … mostly because of the schedule & the QB situation. i’m not buyin’ it.
Yeah that seems absurd to me that experts or Browns fans would predict that low. This team clearly got better in the offseason. I even think Xavier Cooper and Malcolm Johnson will be nice contributors in smaller, clearly-defined roles.
Strange, I was at camp and didn’t see that at all. Granted it was a day when all the snaps were into the shotgun but he hit everything and dare I say it…went through progressions.
Love this post
To be fair, Vegas still has them at 6. So 5-8…pretty safe bets..
True, Vegas is not bullish on the Browns and I have my reservations as well, but when you look at it from the perspective that this team won 7 games last season, could easily have won more, basically lost nothing, and added more talent in the offseason, it seems silly to predict 6 wins for them. Josh Gordon was more of a hindrance than a help when he returned for the final 6 games. Injuries crushed us later in the season at multiple positions: ILB [Dansby], DL [Taylor, Hughes, A. Bryant], S [Gipson], C [Mack], TE [Cameron]. There is more depth now to help cover the injuries and we (hopefully) are not quite so unlucky there. In my mind, the only sure-loss on our schedule is playing the Seahawks in Seattle. The Broncos could be scary, but we’re playing them in Cleveland and who knows maybe this is the year that Peyton Manning finally shows serious decline.
https://twitter.com/RuiterWrongFAN/status/630525784197758976 Welcome to reality.
Yeah… You sure got me there Deuceman. Except that I’ve been predicting and expecting Manziel as the backup. Doesn’t mean Shaw couldn’t perform well as a backup too.
Shaw is behind Thad Lewis…..THAD LEWIS.
I do agree with you on Pryor as emergency QB. It allows for more roster flexibility. Shaw on the practice squad is fine. He has very limited skills, IMO.