If there was not a quarterback debate for the Cleveland Browns, there certainly is one now. The Browns showed very little improvement in their loss to the New York Jets on Sunday as the biggest headline of the game was the appearance of Johnny Manziel. After a lackluster rookie season and an elbow injury during the preseason, Manziel made his debut following an injury to Josh McCown and now there are questions as to who gets the Week 2 start.
McCown was knocked out of the game on Sunday after he dove head first into the endzone during the team's opening drive. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, McCown suffered a concussion and must now undergo NFL protocol before he can be cleared to play Week 2. The bigger story was the appearance of Manziel as the quarterback tossed his first NFL touchdown that went 54 yards on a route to Travis Benjamin. However, that was the only highlight Manziel produced.
The quarterback cannot be completely blamed for the Browns' loss. He was merely just one part of an overall poor performance, but his three turnovers did not help. According to ESPN.com, the Browns have five turnovers, twelve penalties and a defense that gave up 154 yards rushing. The offense simply did not step up and everything appeared out of sync. Now on top of needing to improve in Week 2, they have a debate about who starts at quarterback.
"But hopefully whatever happened to Josh he'll be ready next week and we'll be feeling really good going into the next game," left tackle Joe Thomas said, via Cleveland.com. "And if not, if it's going to be Johnny, then we'll be feeling really good about him because he's going to have a whole week of preparation under his belt. I think you can see the growth that he's made this year versus last year already and if he can build on that, if he's the guy we can do really well with him.''
If Manziel or McCown are going to be successful this season, they need the rest of the offense to respond. While the Browns have downplayed the idea of needing running back help, it was the two quarterbacks that led the team in rushing. Duke Johnson finished with 22 yards while Isaiah Crowell added 20 yards. The team acquired Robert Turbin from the Seattle Seahawks, but he is out with an ankle injury until further notice.
Another big issue for the Browns was the injury to Dwayne Bowe who was inactive with a hamstring problem. Benjamin along with Brian Hartline and Andrew Hawkins led the team in receiving yards. Bowe is expected to be a top target for the team. Earlier in the week, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo criticized the receiver and said they needed more from the veteran.
"I told Dwayne we expect more out of him," DeFilippo said, via the Akron Beacon Journal. "It was disappointing that he got hurt so early, and it's not all his fault that he hasn't been on the field. ... But at the same time, we need Dwayne to come along here and be a big part of what we're doing."