Johnny Manziel to start against Bengals

Oct 18, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine made official this morning what every knew was a forgone conclusion by confirming that Johnny Manziel will start Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“On the short week we realized that Josh just wasn’t going to be able to get to the point where he could go,” Pettine said of the decision. “Johnny has worked hard to prepare himself. He is excited about his opportunity and we are all looking forward to the challenge we face in a good Bengals football team on Thursday night.”

It will be the second start of the season for Manziel, who thankfully has taken the majority of the practice time the past two weeks with the starters as quarterback Josh McCown has dealt with injuries to his shoulder and ribs.

That preparation should, in theory, help Manziel to avoid a repeat of the last time he faced the Bengals.

Making his first NFL career start last December at home against Cincinnati, Manziel was woefully unprepared for what turned into a 30-0 loss, throwing for just 80 yards while being intercepted twice, sacked three times and finishing with a quarterback rating of 27.3.

McCown believes that the Bengals will see a different Manziel on Thursday night at Paul Brown Stadium.

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“Absolutely, he was here last year so he’s been through two weeks or preparation for this team and on a short week, as well,” McCown said. “He’s drawn from those experiences. Just like any work week, we’ll work well together to make sure we’re both prepared and ready to go so that doesn’t change for us.”

This could be a nice opportunity for Manziel to show that he has truly matured and progressed since last season. Even though the Bengals are undefeated, their pass defense is just 23rd in the league (and they are just 22nd overall on defense), so there should be plays to be made from Manziel and the offense.

In addition, following tomorrow night’s game the Browns will only play once in the next 25 days, so a solid showing from Manziel against the Bengals, combined with a lengthy break, could mean that change is afoot in the quarterback room.