Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel replaced Brian Hoyer with roughly 12 minutes to go against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Manziel quickly took the team 80 yards and capped the drive off with a 10-yard scoring run for the team's first touchdown of the day..
Dspite Hoyer's solid play earlier this season, Cleveland now has a real quarterback controversy on its hands.
So how did Johnny Football feel out there in his first game since September and what will the Browns do going forward?
"Very nervous getting in there for the first time in a live game setting," Manziel said. "It's been a long time, since Week 4 of the preseason."
Coach Mike Pettine will publicly announce a starter on Wednesday for the team's Dec. 7 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
"That's obviously up to Coach Pettine and some higher people than me in this organization," Manziel said. "But if that's the case and my name is called, I'll definitely be ready."
A schism at quarterback usually has the ability to divide a locker room. But to the Browns' credit, no one is taking sides and digging in the trenches. There will be no "Game of Thrones" like war for power in this organization.
"People were waiting to see what he can do in an NFL game and so there was a lot of excitement when he got in the game," left tackle Joe Thomas said. "I don't really care who's back there. I just want to win, so whether it's Johnny or Brian, it doesn't matter. I know each guy has his own skillset that he does really well and if it's going to be Johnny, I hope he leads us to a lot of victories. I can't pretend to know anything about quarterback play, so it's better if I don't evaluate the decision."
The Browns (7-5) are in the thick of the playoff hunt, despite Hoyer having thrown six interceptions and just one touchdown in his last three games. The Browns invested a first-round pick in Manziel and many want to see what the former Heisman Trophy winner is capable of at the highest level.
Manziel believes his impressive play can carry over to the rest of the season should he be named the starter thanks to support from his teammates.
"They came up to me, making sure I was locked in." Manziel said. "They were encouraging me and rallied around me for that little bit. So if I were the guy going forward you want to carry that a little bit. I'm very thankful for those guys."
