Johnny Manziel say his first regular-season action against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday and it was no impactful to put it lightly. However, it was enough to make the Baltimore Ravens believe that it could happen again when they play the Browns in Week 3, causing the team to prepare for all situations. Manziel might have seen his first bit of playing time, but that does not mean the Cleveland Browns are working him in to being the starter sooner rather than later as Brian Hoyer notes he is not concerned about his job security.
Manziel has three plays to his name so far in his NFL career. He handed the ball off twice and made one pas that was dropped by Ray Agew. He was promptly taken off the field and replaced again by Hoyer who secured the win over the Saints. The veteran quarterback told the media that he is certainly all for putting Manziel into games if it means getting the win in the end.
"If it's going to help us win, I'm all for it," Hoyer said via NFL Media's Aditi Kinkhabwala. "I think as a competitor and as a quarterback, when there's only one of you on the field, it's hard for you to get taken off. But I think for me, I was mentally able to stay in it. I think a lot of guys might not be able to handle that, and I think because they were up front with me, (offensive coordinator) Kyle (Shanahan) was up front with me, and said, 'Look, we may do it. We may not. If we need to use it, we might.' I think that helped me."
Hoyer might not have had his most consistent game in Week 2, but he did lead the Browns on a game-winning drive to set up a field goal with time expiring. He is not exactly working with a roster of playmakers as injuries have run through the offense so it is expected that he keeps his job as the starting quarterback despite Manziel seeing playing time.
The Ravens are preparing for Manziel in Week 3 no matter what the Cleveland depth chart says. Head coach John Harbaugh told media that they anticipate seeing Manziel at some point in Sunday's game. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Saints said the same thing and the result was three plays by the quarterback. Is that Mike Pettine's plan? The Browns could be playing this so teams prepare for the read-option and then get Hoyer instead who threw for 204 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans. Fans should not expect to Manziel anymore than they have the previous two weeks for the time being.
