Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel admitted he is struggling in his transition to the NFL. Manziel, whose partying reportedly is a growing concern for the Browns' coaching staff, indicated he is unlikely to be named the starter for Week 1.
Manziel's performance in training camp reportedly has been less then stellar. He didn't sound frustrated, though, and said the struggles in practice were a result of a steep learning curve, something which would take time to overcome.
"It's a process for me," Manziel said Thursday, via ESPN. "It's not something that I should just come in here naturally because I played well in college and just know how to run this offense.
"It's a complete 180 from everything that I've been used to. And it's going to take time. It's a process coming from a spread, air raid system in college to a pro style system that's very unfamiliar [to] me as far as terminology and routes."
Although incumbent starting quarterback Brian Hoyer appears to have a clear lead over the rookie, Manziel shrugged it off and indicated his only concern right now is mastering the playbook.
"I'm not worried about one or the other being ahead right now," Manziel said. "It's me making sure I know what I need to know, getting out there and running the offense and not having any mistakes. Once I go through a couple days with non-mental errors or getting to where I need to be every single time, then I'll feel a lot better. ...
"I'm a rookie. I don't have all this stuff figured out."
As for starting, Manziel said there was no rush to supplant Hoyer.
"I think I'll play whenever these coaches decide that I'm ready," Manziel said. "I don't think there's any rush. For me, it's whenever Coach Pettine, Coach Shanahan and the staff here decide that. I don't think they want to throw me into a situation I'm not ready for or something I can't handle. I don't know if they drafted me necessarily thinking that I should come in and start Week 1. I think they wanted to see where I'm at and how I progress."
Manziel has the chance to impress his coaches Saturday, when he's expected to play in the team scrimmage at the University of Akron.
