Johnny Manziel Admits He Has NFL Learning Curve, Brian Hoyer Could Steal Starting Job
Johnny Manziel admits that there will likely be some bumps along the way as he transitions from college football superstar to NFL rookie.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback said this week at training camp that he has a bit of a learning curve to get adjusted to the NFL.
“It’s a process for me,” Manziel said Thursday. “It’s not something that I should just come in here naturally because I played well in college and just know how to run this offense.
“It’s a complete 180 from everything that I’ve been used to. And it’s going to take time. It’s a process coming from a spread, air raid system in college to a pro style system that’s very unfamiliar [to] me as far as terminology and routes.”
This comes amid reports that Brian Hoyer is outperforming Manziel on the field.
Head coach Mike Pettine told the Chronicle Telegram that Hoyer is still the number one quarterback.
“Well, they’re going to compete, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re going to take equal time with the ones. Brian is the starting quarterback right now, we can still evaluate Johnny’s reps regardless of who he’s out there with. I think a lot will be made of, wait a minute, he hasn’t been with the (ones). To me, it’s something that we can still evaluate, give him a specific grade based on his footwork, how he called the play, what he read during that play — all the stuff that’s in his control.”
But Johnny Manziel said he’s not worried about any of that right now, just focusing on running the offense and avoiding errors.
“I’m a rookie,” he said. “I don’t have all this stuff figured out. I don’t know the ins and outs and every little nook and cranny. Sometimes there’s a little twist on a play and you can go in there and forget to say it in the huddle — and from that it changes the whole dynamic.”
Johnny Manziel doesn’t have much longer before he learns where he stands. Pettine said he intends to name the starting quarterback by the third preseason game this year.
