After being coy to the media about who would be under center for Week 9 play, the Cleveland Browns will be starting Johnny Manziel against the Cincinnati Bengals. I’m not sure Johnny will be great or anything, but it’d be so Bengals-y for them to lose I actually think we’ll pull it out. No, the AFC playoffs are once again a possibility for the Chiefs, so we need to be watching and hoping to see a few favorable results for Kansas City’s fortunes. “Our guys will be aware of that, and we have to adjust on the fly”.
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He played as the No. 2 quarterback in two preseason games before an elbow issue sidelined him for the last two; he threw his first career touchdown pass in the season opener, then threw three touchdowns to Travis Benjamin in that Titans game.
McCown played Sunday’s game against Arizona with sore ribs which as of Tuesday were making it hard for him to sleep.
McCown has not been participating in practice and with the Browns playing on a short week head coach Mike Pettine did not want to take a risk. The boys in stripes shut out Manziel’s Browns, holding the quarterback to 10 completions of his 18 attempts. “I’m not concerned about it”, Jackson said.
“I think it was a one-time thing”, Dalton said. You really notice it with his feet in the pocket, he’s not dropping back and looking to turn every dropback pass into a punt return.
“Last night, I was just lying in my bed and I just couldn’t sleep”, he said.
“I think he has done a much better job this year of doing exactly what he has been asked to do, inside and around us”, Browns GM Ray Farmer said at his midseason news conference on Tuesday.
For a full strength team, a trip to take on the 7-0 Cincinnati Bengals on a short week in Cincinnati would have been a tall task.
NO GO, JOE: If things weren’t stormy enough for the Browns, the team engaged in trade talks this week involving eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, the foundation and face of Cleveland’s franchise. He’s since played only in mop-up duty in the last two weeks.
That identity, in the eyes of most football fans outside Cincinnati, is a team that struggles in big games on big stages.
What do we say when the game is on a Thursday? “We’d be halfway through the division and kind of holding serve”. A good performance Thursday could be huge for his confidence as the season wears on. But, the skill sets are decidedly different.
-Pressure. The Steelers defense got constant pressure on Andy Dalton, coming away with 3 sacks. Cornerback Joe Haden and safety Donte Whitner are dealing with the same setback.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) runs away from Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap (96) at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“This team whipped our tails here previous year, so we’ll be ready”, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said.
Manziel made his first career start at home against the Bengals last season and was treated rudely. In reality, it would be nice to answer yes to one of those questions as a building block to find out whether the Browns have a possible starting QB in Manziel for the future.
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Manziel, who won his only start earlier this season when McCown was out with a concussion, remains under investigation by the National Football League for a recent domestic dispute. Could be a coincidence but entering Sunday, Bernard was picking up yards on the ground and through the air for Cincinnati, rushing for 50 yards and a touchdown while also picking up 23 yards in the passing game in Week 7 against the Bills.
