Cleveland Browns: Hoyer Starts, Manziel Finishes

Today, Cleveland Browns’ Head Coach Mike Pettine decided to name Brian Hoyer the team’s opening day starting Quarterback. This decision might disappoint some of the Browns faithful but it was the right thing to do.  Johnny Manziel, although he played a little better than Hoyer during their two preseason games, simply is not ready to start.

Manziel was a very good college Quarterback and I believe he will be a good professional QB, but he still has a way to go before becoming a full time starter in the NFL. He needs to become more comfortable with the playbook. Learning the playbook is not just understanding the terminology and the layout of the “X’s and O’s”; it involves knowing the personnel groups, formations, options, protections, alignments, hot reads, check downs and more. Manziel must also learn NFL defenses, his keys, stunt and blitz recognition, disguises and much, much more.  Manziel needs time to digest it all.

Those people (fans, reporters and analysts) that were pushing so hard for Manziel to start were not seeing the “big picture. It appears they just want to see “rock star” Johnny Manziel on the field, even if it isn’t in his best interest. Mike Pettine made the right decision. Hoyer gives the Browns their best chance of winning and it gives Johnny Manziel time to hone his craft.

Starting Johnny Manziel against the Pittsburgh Steelers would be downright cruel. The Dick LeBeau led Steelers Defense is tough, disciplined and very sophisticated. They disguise well and they hit hard.  There are reasons why LeBeau has only lost twice to rookie Quarterbacks in his long career and I don’t think Johnny Manziel is ready for the things LeBeau would throw at him.

The second and third weeks aren’t any better. The New Orleans Saints with their defensive architect, Rob Ryan, and the Baltimore Ravens with Dan Pees guiding their Defense roll into FirstEnergy Stadium in consecutive weeks. Both teams would be poised to give Johnny “Football” a very unpleasant and painful welcome.

Although Brian Hoyer has been a career back up, he is currently the best option on the Browns roster. Because Cleveland’s Defense is among the best in the NFL, they will keep the team in games. Hoyer will not be asked to “take the team on his back” and to win the game, but he will be asked to be efficient, to protect the ball and to do nothing to lose the game.

Hopefully the decision to start Hoyer against Pittsburgh ends the pervasive chatter and endless debates (especially on the NFL Network) about Johnny Manziel and the likelihood that he will start the first game of the season. He will not, unless Hoyer is injured or, for some other reason, cannot start.

Being named the starting Quarterback against the Steelers, however, is not, and should not be viewed as, an endorsement of Hoyer. If I read the various comments in press conferences and interviews correctly, Coach Pettine did not seem to be overwhelmed by either Quarterback’s performance.

The starting role for Hoyer appears to be temporary; the result of Manziel not being ready, not the result of Hoyer winning the job. Coach Pettine apparently “held his nose and swallowed” when he made the decision. Unless Hoyer plays “lights out” and wins at least one of those games, look for Manziel to start when the team travels to Tennessee on October 5.

It would be a surprise if Johnny Manziel wasn’t already “penciled in” to start in Tennessee and it would be equally surprising if Hoyer doesn’t realize that. “Johnny Manziel is a first round pick and that makes him more valuable to the team than Brian Hoyer. The Browns are paying Manziel more than it is paying Hoyer; this makes Manziel the greater investment and the team rightfully wants a good return on that investment.  Finally, Manziel is a marketing marvel with tons of marketing “up side” for the Browns and it is needless to say that very few members of the “Dog Pound” will stand in line to get a Brian Hoyer jersey.

The plan seems to be set. Hoyer will “carry the water” until the “Bye”; after that, it will be Manziel. The hope for Hoyer is to pull off a miracle and beats both the Steelers and Ravens or get lots of film “in the can.”