McCown completed 7 of 10 passes for 57 yards and 2 interceptions during 3 offensive series during the first half before the game was turned over to Johnny Manziel for the second half.
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Manziel finished 10 of 18 for 118 yards, but started 9 of 11, led the Browns on a 96-yard touchdown drive and flashed some of that old Johnny Football magic by scrambling to his left, throwing against his body and completing a 37-yard pass.
McCown’s night against the Bills boiled down to the two early interceptions – a throw high off tight end Gary Barnidge’s hands in traffic and a wayward jump ball down the sideline for Andrew Hawkins. McCown threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin, and Johnny Manziel rushed 12 yards for a touchdown against the Redskins. The touchdown toss, by the way, was a handsome one and a ideal pass from Johnny to his receiver Shane Wynn. So is his grip on the Browns’ starting quarterback job. To me, its something that if we get to the season and were not scoring points, then Ill worry about it.. Pettine said it was not the same shoulder on which Bowie had surgery last August. He finally seems willing, or at least more willing, to embrace that as fact.
“That’s definitely not my words I’m going to use, just “putting heat” on Josh. I think Josh has done everything right since the day he’s been here”.
After the game, McCown said he had an X-ray on a crunched finger, but it proved negative. We still have no idea how his arm strength and overall play will be when it gets cold and windy down by the lake. “I am not going to take a seat right here and speak about making an attempt to start out up a quarterback controversy”. Manziel played well against the Bills Thursday and shined by using his playmaking abilities, largely while staying within the confines of the actual offense. Something could change overnight, but I feel like it will be fine.
“I’ve said that before, I’m not into guaranteeing or announcing a game (one) week starter”, Pettine said. “I just know it was sore”, McCown said.
“Would I like to be in there with the ones, sure”, he said. It sounded like there was a real sense of entitlement going on, and maybe that’s still true, but Terrance West showed me something last night against Buffalo. “It’s like watching somebody in the backyard in the ‘Turkey Bowl.’ He’s always had a big fan base because of how he plays the game”. We get very individualized in the preseason.
“I just thought (Manziel) saw the field well”.
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The Cleveland Browns’ second exhibition game against the Buffalo Bills was a painful reminder of preseason football at its worst.
