With a successful win under his belt, Johnny Manziel is hoping to keep the momentum moving against the Seattle Seahawks. Manziel is gaining confidence as questions remain around his NFL future and time with the Cleveland Browns. However, the better the quarterback continues to play, the more the Browns might favor him in 2016. After an impressive win in Week 14, Manziel is at least winning over teammates.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport is reporting that it is very likely both head coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer are fired at the end of the year. Now the pressure is on for the players to make sure they are not the next to go. Manziel will be first on the questioning list as he was favored under the Farmer regime, but might not be if someone new comes in. Manziel controls his future as teammates are starting to buy into his success on the field.
That guy's a baller," Travis Benjamin said, via ESPN.com. "He's becoming what a lot of people don't want to see him become and that's a true quarterback. He's throwing the football from the pocket, but he can also break out of there and throw the football, so I want to continue to see Johnny continue to get better and better and I want to see him lead this offense and lead this football team. There are some people that are skeptical, some people that probably don't want to see that, but I do."
Tight end Gary Barnidge was told the media that the more playing time Manziel gets, the better he becomes on the field. For now, Manziel will get all the playing time there is with three games left in the regular season. There are people making the case that the Browns should try and trade the quarterback. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are the best options, but for now the Browns are benefiting with him than without him.
"Every time I've been behind center and gotten a chance to make another start, I feel more confident," Manziel said, NFL.com. "I feel that I'm able to go through my reads. I'm able to slow down all the protection stuff and make sure we have a guy on a guy and able to sit back there and know you're protected. For me personally, it's continue to try and progress."
Getting a win in Week 15 will not be easy. The Browns face the Seattle Seahawks and will be without Brian Hartline who suffered a broken collarbone and is done for the year. With Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel also injured, the receiving corps is weak. Barnidge and Benjamin are the best available at the moment while Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson have picked things up in the run game. If Manziel can at least play well against the Seahawks, that will be a win in itself.
