Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills: 5 things to watch

Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) and quarterback Josh McCown (13) on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of preseason NFL football game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

There is nowhere to go but down for starting quarterback Josh McCown after going a perfect five-for-five and leading a touchdown drive in his one series against the Redskins. It will be nice to see McCown for more than one series to see how his timing is with the wide receivers.

The Bills should also pose a stiffer test defensively than Washington did, so we want to see how McCown holds up when things get hot in the pocket.

Once McCown is done for the night, the starters will reportedly be in for about 20-25 plays, it will be important for Johnny Manziel to build off his performance from the opening game.

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While Manziel is in no way a threat to start at quarterback unless McCown gets injured, Manziel needs to not take a step back in his progression toward becoming a competent NFL quarterback. It’s a sign of how low the bar fell for Manziel that his game against Washington was hailed as anything other than average at best.

“Just progress. Really that’s it. Do better than last week. We scored once last week. Let’s get in twice this week,” Manziel said when asked about what he wants from tonight’s game. “We want to be efficient getting in and out of the huddle, in and out of our shifts, in and out of our motions, everything. I think we just want to be quick.”

Average at best is a good start, now it is time for Manziel to keep building on that foundation.

Next: Stop the run