Johnny Football has been hungrily eyeing the Browns’ starting job since the day he was drafted. Despite not being named the starter and being the backup in training camp, he may be closing in on his goal.
Before drafting Johnny Manziel (aka Johnny Football) in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, head coach Mike Pettine declared Brian Hoyer the team’s starting QB heading into the season. However, in July, with a clear competition brewing between the veteran Hoyer and the highly touted Johnny Football, Pettine decided that he would name his official starting QB before the third preseason game.
After several days of training camp with only limited reps with the first team, Manziel managed to gain a lot of ground in QB preparation and according to observers has gained a lot of ground on Hoyer in the last few days of practice
While Hoyer is a veteran that teammate Joe Thomas has gone so far as to compare to Tom Brady, Manziel is a former Heisman trophy winner and one of the most decorated QBs in NCAA history. He impressed scouts with his athleticism and great arm, drawing comparisons to Superbowl winning QB Russel Wilson.
Manziel was drafted by the Browns with the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft after an unexpected fall. While some scouts thought he was a Top 5 talent, others thought he might only amount to a late-round draft pick.
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