Mike freeman of the Bleacher Report had me expecting more Manzielmanic garbage with this article. It said in it's opening that Hoyer should get the Browns through the first five games, then it's Manziel.
But no, it was a very insightful and smart article. Regardless of his opening assertion, most of what he said was fact-based and logical.
I have only a couple issues with this article:
1: Mike says that Jimmy Haslam has a little Jerry Jones in him, and would have a big say in who starts. This is an assumption based on a couple of shaky rumors and misinterpreted public statements. Maybe also on the fact that he fired almost everybody after his first year as owner.
The preponderance of evidence so far says that Jimmy is involved and does have opinions, but defers to his professionals. It's perfectly normal for an owner to say "Let's go get him" after watching a quarterback who many thought would go on the top ten slide into the lower third of the first round.
This had been discussed before, along with everything else. Pettine and Farmer probably just nodded "good idea."
Jimmy said "act like a backup". His coach and GM had already said Hoyer is the starter--big deal.
2: Mike sells Hoyer short. He still thinks of him as a game manager, when in his short stint last season he came from behind and made several long throws. In the Detroit preseason game, the biggest reason Manziel had a much higher completion percentage was because Hoyer was throwing much deeper. Most of Johnny's passes were dumpoffs and shorties.
I could very well be wrong, (and Mike right) about Hoyer as we see to what extent defenses with film on him can shut down what he does best. He could get hammered back down into a game manager (which would still be a win for this team). Right now, I don't think so. Brian Sipe and Kelly Holcomb weren't game managers, and I don't think Hoyer is either.
But Mike was absolutely right about LeBeau's comments and their intent: Johnny Manziel is a bug on the windshield vs. that defense in game one.
Tom Reed is one of my favorites, and here names five Browns who need to make an impression vs. the Redskins. I agree with Crowell, McFadden, Dion Lewis, and Willie Snead. Josh Aubrey?
I don't think so, despite the fact that Pettine mentioned that he was "fighting for a spot". Aubrey is not a pure safety, but a cornerback/safety hyrbrid who can fill a number of roles in nickel and dime defenses.
Tom probably has separate boxes and labels for "cornerbacks" and "safeties", and has decided that if there is an "s" next to Aubrey's name, there isn't room for him. Pettine has a "DB" box, and Aubrey is probably one of the top eight of those.
Nor is Josh strictly a situational guy. He can START at safety. He can cover, and he makes plays.
At least Tom didn't include Charles Johnson on this list. I sure hope it's because common sense says he's a good bet for the roster, rather than another mistake waiting to be made.
Retraction: I underestimated the Steelers. My bad. Laveon Bell is pretty good, especially as a reciever, and I sold the guy short. Archer could be another Eric Metcalf. Their recievers are really good. They'll be running more no-huddle, and incorporating zone-blocking themselves.
However, Castillo and their center aside, I don't know if their offensive line is built for that blocking scheme, they don't have great tackles, and Miller at tight end is really old.
Shazier is a beast on defense, they've got a second-year first-rounder at OLB, a new stud defensive end, and an old decrepid vulnerable secondary and numerous geezers--so this aint no Steel Curtain.
Yeah, without Gordon the Stoolers and their referees could beat the Browns in game one. The refs have a new and improved tool: They can call pass interference on virtually every play. All Ben has to do is throw one near the goal line and the referees will do the rest.
What a crock.
I'm rooting for Rodney Johnsonfield tonight. I think the coaches know what he is and will become, but it seems that nothing he does as a raw de facto rookie player coming off surgery (way ahead of schedule) even registers.
People--even including Doug Dieken (say it aint so!) decry the Gordonless Browns lack of a deep threat when they're looking right at this guy! He's FASTER than Gordon! More explosive out of his breaks, too!
It's like if you're not all of Josh Gordon yet, you're nothing! It's driving me nuts! There he is! Right there! I think I'm the only guy in Cleveland who comprehends that young players usually get better, can see when they are getting better, and yo have the apparently rare genius to think about how good they'll be by game one...game five...etc.
And we SAW this before with Josh! Heckert you idiot! A second rounder for this bumb? Bullcrap he showed "flashes" as a rookie. By the end of his rookie season he was ALREADY one of the best wide recievers in the NFL! And they're talking "if he continues to improve" DUH!
I'm getting too angry...
Clarification: Emotionally I do hope the local underdog Brian Hoyer kicks butt and keeps Johnny on the bench. Intellectually I see it as more likely that Brian will at some point have to pass the baton to this kid who has greatness written all over him.
My opinion that this should not happen in game one, or without cause, is intellectual and not emotional.
This should help: Boxers do all sorts of drills and training by themselves at first. Keep your feet under you. Proper form. Combinations, over and over and over again til they're automatic.
Then they maneuver around the ring with a trainer holding pads. Then they spar. Then they fight.
They see how you'll do when you're "hunting rabbits". You don't know what they're talking about until you get hit really hard. Now you get it: You're Alice in Wonderland!
If you haven't trained enough on all that other stuff, you become a lumbering clod, or a wild windmill. Off balance and stupid. And you get beat up, real bad. Everything you've learned is gone, and you're back on the playground.
If you have trained long enough and hard enough, so that your body remembers what to do even when your brain isn't working right, you'll be ok.
Brian Hoyer is well-trained. Hard-wired. Ready. Johnny Manziel is not. Manziel has more talent, but doesn't belong in the ring with Hoyer yet.
There you go.
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