The Cleveland Browns are once again stuck making quarterback decisions. The team had been trying to avoid this issue when they acquired Josh McCown in the offseason and immediately named him the starting quarterback. The veteran was expected to stabilize the offense and while things were going well, a concussion in the first game of the season put Johnny Manziel and now it appears things will stay that way for at least another week.
According to head coach Mike Pettine via the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the team will start Manziel Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans. Manziel entered the game in the first quarter following the injury to McCown and threw his first touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin. He then became a turnover machine, but the Browns have enough confidence to make him the guy going forward.
According to NFL.com, McCown is still undergoing concussion protocol and has not been cleared to play which is a big reason why Manziel will be the starter. If McCown were to be cleared by the middle of the week there is no telling what Cleveland will do, but for now the ball is in the hands of Manziel. The quarterback has been dealing with elbow issues, but made it clear he is fine.
"There were just a few bites here and there, just a little bit of tightness," Manziel said, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. "But other than that, for the majority, to go all the way through the game, it really didn't bother me that much."
The quarterback gave a lopsided performance in Week 1, but remains confident he can fix the issues. If the Browns are going to beat the Titans, everyone must do a better job contributing. Dwayne Bowe was out with a hamstring injury. His status is unknown at this time. Benjamin became a clear favorite for the offense after he led the team in receiving yards while Brian Hartline underwhelmed as well. The team is going to need the receivers to step up.
The same can be said for the run game which is waiting on Robert Turbin to get healthy. Duke Johnson had some moments of greatness while Isaiah Crowell did not impress as the starting back. The Browns put their faith in these two after trading Terrance West and need more in the ground game.