Cleveland Browns to shut down Johnny Manziel for a “little bit”
By Thomas Moore
Aug 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) throws a pass during the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns will shut down quarterback Johnny Manziel for a “short while” due to ongoing soreness in the elbow of his throwing arm.
The club had hoped that having a few days off would solve the problem, but after Manziel was unable to throw during practice today the team decided it was better to put the backup quarterback on the sidelines.
Head coach Mike Pettine said an MRI showed no structural damage, but told Northeast Ohio Media Group that the latest injury is a “minor setback. We’re going to be cautious. He went a little too far with it.”
Pettine also said that Manziel “could” play in Saturday’s preseason friendly against Tampa Bay, but since the game doesn’t count and Manziel is not ready to supplant Josh McCown as the team’s starting quarterback, the Browns will take a cautious approach.
“This is something he has been dealing with since high school. We just wanted to confirm that there was nothing structural and that is the case.” – Head coach Mike Pettine on Johnny Manziel
With Manziel on the sidelines, Thad Lewis moves up to the second quarterback slot and Pettine said the Browns will look to add a third quarterback, but whoever that is won’t play on Saturday against Tampa Bay.
On Monday, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo downplayed any concerns about Manziel’s elbow.
“Johnny’s probably got what 30 to 40 percent of the other quarterbacks in the league have right now, sore elbow, sore shoulders. There’s a lot of wear and tear on those guys in terms of their arm,” DeFilippo said. “Those guys have been throwing footballs since they’ve been young guys. I’m not too concerned about it. If Joe Sheehan and the doctors come up to me and say ‘Hey, this is something that’s going to be a chronic issue’ then there’s going to be some concern and we have to watch it but I’m not too concerned about Johnny right now, no. He’s doing fine.”
For the Browns’ and Manziel’s sake we hope that DeFilippo is correct and this is just a case of “camp arm,” and it is encouraging that the MRI did not reveal anything. With the way things go with the Browns, they are going to need more than just McCown at quarterback this year, and Manziel has been making slow, but sure, progress so far in turning himself into an NFL quarterback.
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But former Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch knows a thing or two about sore elbows and offered a cautionary tale about quarterbacks and their elbows.
“When a quarterback takes some time off initially and feels good and then it flares up again, I think that’s cause for a little bit of concern,” Couch told Northeast Ohio Media Group. “(Shutting him down) wouldn’t be a bad idea if he’s going to continue to have these flare-ups,” said Couch. “This is the second one so far in camp. Once the season starts, I think it’ll calm down for him since he’s not going to be the starter. He won’t be throwing. There’s a lot less workload on his arm.”
Manziel has been having a respectable, if not spectacular, preseason as he has completed 17 of 29 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown. While those numbers look OK on the surface, it’s also important to note that Manziel was just four-for-11 for 29 yards when facing pressure against Buffalo, and three of five drives against the Bills ended in punts.
Are you worried about Johnny Manziel’s elbow?