The Cleveland Browns were hoping for some kind of breakout game from Austin Davis. Head coach Mike Pettine noted that the quarterback deserved a chance to get the start after Josh McCown was ruled out for the year, but that did not pay off for Cleveland who managed just three points in the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Does that mean Johnny Manziel could be back under center for Week 14?
Davis went 25 of 38 for 230 yards and one interception on the day. He was also sacked three times. It did not help that he got just 68 yards on the ground while several receivers like Gary Barnidge and Travis Benjamin went down with injuries. In what has been a miserable year for the Browns, the quarterback battle has certainly not helped things and now many wonder if Manziel will get another chance to redeem himself and prove he can be a factor for the future.
"We'll make that decision [Monday]," Pettine said, via ESPN.com. "Get a chance to watch the tape and we'll all circle back, circle up on it and see where we are with it."
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the door is not closed on Manziel. The Browns are likely to let him get back on the field at least one more game to see what he holds in terms of the future. The Browns must address the quarterback position once again this offseason knowing that they need a long-term fix to the continuing problem. That could come in the form of trades for players like Matthew Stafford or Colin Kaepernick or it could be drafting another rookie. Manziel's performance they last few weeks can determine that as Pettine told the media that they are constantly evaluating for the future.
Injuries did not help Davis' case for trying to get a win. The team started the day with Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel, Dwayne Bowe and Terrelle Pryor all inactive. That left him with very few healthy players. Travis Benjamin then exited the game after injuring his shoulder and not returning for the second half of the season. Gary Barnidge also went down. Frustration was notably high. Brian Hartline admits this year has been frustrating, but when asked to elaborate he said no in order to "keep his job." Jimmy Haslam also denied requests for interviews.
"We are evaluated every day, whether we are evaluating ourselves or whether it is coming from (Haslam)," Pettine said, via ESPN.com.
