If fans of the Cleveland Browns are looking for something to get excited about now that the 2015 NFL Draft is over, they'll need to look no further than least year's first-round pick and one-time presumed franchise quarterback, Johnny Manziel.
Since his return from a self-imposed rehab stint, Manziel has gotten nothing but glowing reviews from teammates, with offensive mainstay Joe Thomas dubbing Manziel "night and day from last year" and linebacker Karlos Dansby now indicating that Manziel indeed has taken major steps forward.
"He's (Manziel) focused. He's in here working, grinding every day. And we're right along with him, like I said, 'We have his back,' we never did turn our back on him," Dansby said on the "Jim Rome Show" Tuesday, via FOX Sports. "He just had to go through that learning curve, and he understands now what it takes, and I think he's putting forth the effort. He's grown up right before our eyes."
This is probably great news for the Browns coach staff and fans of the team expecting to enter the 2015 season with veteran journeyman Josh McCown as the presumed starter under center.
While that still seems the most likely outcome, per Dansby, Manziel has made great strides both in his own life and with his teammates in recent days.
"A great impression. A great impression," said Dansby. "Because now we know it was something bigger than he can handle. It was bigger than him, and he figured that out. He made a decision to help him be a better man. And that's all at the end of the day that's all we want, we want him to be the best person he can possibly be, because him being the best he can possibly be is going to be the best player that the Browns can possibly have on the field."
Manziel, per an ESPN report, has even gone so far as to relocate from downtown Cleveland to a quieter golf course community in a suburb west of the city.
While it's good to hear, none of this will mean anything else Manziel is able to make strides on the field. Luckily for him, it shouldn't be difficult to improve on a rookie season that saw him complete just 18 passes for 175 yards and two interceptions.
