Johnny Manziel suffered through a miserable game passing the ball in Week 16 and made a big mistake at the end of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Not surprisingly the Cleveland Browns lost, 17-13.
Manziel finished with just 136 passing yards on 13-of-32 attempts, failing to score through the air and turning the ball over with an interception. He also failed to get the team’s offense lined up to spike the ball at the end of the contest while he looked to the sideline for a play call.
It was, hopefully, a learning experience. The mistake at the end showed he wasn’t prepared and/or didn’t understand the situation — neither of which is a good look for a young signal-caller.
Surprisingly, despite his poor showing, one of the team’s defensive leaders touted Manziel after the game and told reporters the Browns don’t need to go looking for something they already have next year.
“I think we have a starting quarterback for next year,” said veteran safety Donte Whitner, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Anyone who’s seen the things he’s done the last couple of weeks can see we have starting quarterback and he’s only going to get better with a little more time, a little more work.”
Whitner also commented about how excited he and others on the team were about seeing Manziel make plays with his legs after the quarterback led the team with 108 yards on the ground.
“He’s making plays with his legs,” said Whitner. “That’s a defense’s worst nightmare because he can break the pocket and make you miss and get his yards with his legs and throw the ball down field.”
It remains to be seen if the team’s brass feels the same way about Manziel as Whitner does. The veteran safety pointed to Manziel’s developing leadership, compared him to Russell Wilson and Alex Smith and finished by saying “We’re excited about what he’s doing.”
Given the lack of success at the quarterback position the past few decades for Cleveland, the Browns really don’t have anything to lose by rolling the dice with Manziel for one more season. It’s not like the team doesn’t have plenty of other holes to fill on the roster.
Perhaps getting Josh Gordon back next year (if he’s released from his indefinite suspension) and adding another playmaker or two to the offense would allow Manziel to really grow as a passer. One thing’s for sure: He’s giving the team a chance to win games, and it’s likely his game will only continue to grow as he gains experience.