A lot has been speculating that it is Cleveland's new quarterback, Johnny Manziel, who will be opening up the exhibition opener. But to everyone's surprise, Browns' coach Mike Pettine chose veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer to open up this Saturday's game.
It seems like coach Pettine wants to reserve his Manziel for the bigger games ahead. According to him, the decision to choose Pettine was solely on his performance in the training camp. He said "That was his job. ''He was the one coming into it. We did want to mix the groups up coming into it, as we did, but he's done nothing to have that taken away from him, so he'll be out there with the starters."
Since Manziel and Hoyer are both playing as QB, there has been stiff competition between the both of them. Both has been progressing quite well during the practice. Pettine said "They've both made improvement, and I think they're both doing a great job of playing to their skill sets. It's obviously very different, what they bring to the table. I think Brian's starting to feel very comfortable in the pocket."
Manziel has been doing quite well during the training camp and that he has been showing off his play-making ability during the practice sessions. But the new QB continues to say that he still has a lot to work on.
For coach Pettine "I think we all see what Manziel can do. He makes plays with his feet, but he's been probably better than we thought from in the pocket as well."
Manziel was drafted by the Browns with the 22nd overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was nationally recruited out of high school as a dual-threat quarterback. He broke numerous NCAA Division I FBS and SEC records, which include becoming the first freshman and fifth player in NCAA history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
On January 8, 2014, Manziel announced that he would forgo his junior season in order to enter the 2014 NFL Draft. He was projected to be a first-round pick, and as of January 15, 2014, he has been pegged as a top 5 pick.