The Johnny Manziel era in Cleveland might officially begin soon as reports indicated that the rookie quarterback will likely start for the Browns, and hometown basketball hero LeBron James expressed support to "Johnny Football."
Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, had his first significant appearance for the Browns on Sunday when he replaced Brian Hoyer in the fourth quarter of their 26-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Manziel completed 5-of-8 passes for 63 yards and also rushed for 13 yards, scoring a driving touchdown to the delight of Browns' fans who have been waiting for the rookie QB to get his opportunity to shine.
For James, Manziel did enough to earn a starting spot for the Browns in their upcoming game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Cleveland.
"He's ready to go," James said of Manziel via ESPN. "But he's still learning. He's a rookie, he's still learning. If Coach [Mike Pettine] is ready for him, to give him the nod, he'll be ready to go, but he's going to have some bumps and bruises just like any other rookie quarterback would have, any other player in the NFL or in professional sports. But I'm one of his biggest supporters."
But as expected, Hoyer disagreed with James and other Browns fans, saying that he still deserves to start for Cleveland in their next game, pointing out that he managed to lead the team to a 7-5 start despite struggling in their last three games.
"We're 7-5," said Hoyer, who had just one touchdown against six interceptions in his last three games. "That just doesn't happen by luck. It was hard-earned and we've worked to get where we're at. And we're still in it."
Coach Pettine declined to reveal his cards in a recent interview, saying that he is not ready to make a decision, but he reiterated that Manziel made a serious case to get his first NFL start after his performance on Sunday.
"We believe that competition is a cornerstone of what we do," Pettine said. "I said earlier in the year that quarterback would not be an exception, except that we'd be much more patient there. We do look at the body of work. But I think given the play recently at that position that it's time to discuss it."
