As far as professional football is concerned, in the past few years, there have been some pretty impressive trends. From Tim Tebow and the Wildcat formation to passing on running backs come draft day and immediately starting young quarterbacks fresh out of college, most come and go with time.
Most recently, the madness surrounding Johnny Manziel is yet another example of one of the aforementioned trends.
Sadly for the city of Cleveland and Browns’ fans everywhere, their team’s ownership might have whiffed on yet another opportunity to build a solid team by drafting Johnny Manziel with the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
However, that’s not to say that all is lost for the young quarterback out of Tyler, Texas. Additional chances to shine may very well be on their way at some point in the near future.
In fact, due to a nagging shoulder injury that current Browns starter Josh McCown is struggling to shake, it’s speculated that Manziel could see time during his team’s Week 8 matchup against Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals.
Though multiple ESPN reports have already confirmed McCown will get the start for this week’s game, the idea Manziel might see time against the Cardinals comes from Brown’s head coach Mike Pettine himself: “It’s still truly day to day, we’ll see where he is tomorrow. Quarterbacks typically do some light throwing on Saturdays, but it’s still likely to go right up to the game.”
Through seven weeks of play, the Browns are a measly two and five. Seeing as how McCown has only managed to throw for eight touchdown passes during that time frame, the Browns are clearly in need of an offensive spark.
Obviously, Manziel is an on off-field nuisance with genuine issues and, if being completely honest, a bit of a dice roll with his play on the actual football field. That said, Manziel has seen flashes of Texas A&M brilliance during his brief moments of playing time this year, nabbing three touchdown passes for a total of 381 yards and a passer rating of 98.8.
Older, injured and playing behind the Browns’ offensive line, there’s a fairly good chance Manziel sees time this week against the Cardinals. Needless to say, because of this, McCown should be benched in nearly all fantasy formats.