Johnny Manziel should start moving forward

Nov 15, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) runs the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Heinz Field. The Steelers won the game, 30-9. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

It is tough to take away many positives when your team loses 30-9 to a division rivals, as the Cleveland Browns did on Sunday to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But while the defense continues to be the league’s worst and the coaches fail to help improve this team, one player did stick out. That would be Johnny Manziel.

I hate to focus on statistics, as they can often be misleading, but Manziel did throw for 372 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. His QBR was only 40.5, but he started to show that he is capable of making big throws and is also more reliable, as opposed to when he would try to force every throw.

The Browns are currently the worst team in the NFL, record-wise, so going back to Josh McCown would not make much sense.

He has already endured enough pain this season, so why put a guy nearing the end of his career back on the field when he is not completely healthy. McCown has nothing to prove, and he would serve better to help mentor Manziel this year and next.

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McCown showed that he is capable of leading this team, but at 2-8 it will be better to see what we have in Manziel while also allowing for development in six games when the final result does not matter much. Let Johnny fail now so he can learn and succeed in the future.

And fail he will, because this team is not built for success. Watching Manziel drop back and get sacked from a three-man rush shows why this team has lost five games in a row.

When he does have time to throw, he must throw to receivers who are shorter than him, although he is the one always drawing attention for his size. I know, small receivers are different than small quarterbacks, but when the Brian Hartline towers over the rest of the group there is an issue.

Dwayne Bowe is above six feet tall, but I think we all know why this is irrelevant.

Throw in the lack of a running game and we have a full-blown dumpster fire on our hands. You know things are bad when the front office tries to trade Joe Thomas in the middle of the season.

So at this point let’s see what Johnny Manziel can do. He draws so much negative criticism when he has very little to do with this 2-8 record. That, or throw an injured McCown on the field until he gets hurt again. With this being the Browns, I honestly have no idea what they will do.