Johnny Manziel will start the Browns’ second preseason game, against Washington. Unless he doesn’t.
NFL Media had both sides covered, via a weekend report that Manziel would start and a more recent report from Ian Rapoport that Manziel wouldn’t. Coach Mike Pettine has now announced that, indeed, Brian Hoyer will get the start.
“It’s just something right now where we are comfortable with Brian going out there to start the game,” Pettine said. “I think it’s a little overblown as to who the starter is going to be. The key component, as I’ve stated earlier this week, is that we are going to balance the reps. We will play it a little by ear as it goes on, we haven’t truly decided as far as the rotation but the goal is, for when we look at the stat sheet at halftime, that they both have the same amount of repetitions and hopefully they both get a good amount of work.”
Even if Pettine thinks it’s overblown, the Browns realize that people want to know. So they issued a one-issue press release regarding the move.
The more important press release will come after Monday night’s game. Pettine is expected to announce the Week One starter at some point before the third preseason game.
We’ll get ahead of the curve by reporting that it will be Manziel. And that it will be Hoyer.