Cleveland Browns keep Johnny Manziel on bench in favor of Austin Davis
Mike Pettine must not have truly meant it last week when he said Johnny Manziel's demotion was not a "dead end" for the second-year quarterback with the Cleveland Browns, because he bypassed a chance to show it.
With veteran Josh McCown's season over with a broken collarbone, Pettine had a choice between Manziel and journeyman backup Austin Davis to be the Browns' starter. For the sake of the Browns' immediate and long-term plans, it really shouldn't have been much of a decision.
That Pettine opted for Davis, who started a handful of games for the St. Louis Rams last year, over his 2014 first-round pick in Manziel shows that the coach wasn't truly making a decision in the Browns' best football interests.
And for once, this should have been a football decision when it came to Manziel, unlike last week when the quarterback was demoted from starter to third-string for reportedly lying to the coaching staff about his bye-week antics,
Pettine praised Davis when the team announced the decision Wednesday.
"Austin took advantage of his opportunity on Monday night. He was prepared, played well and put us in position to win," Pettine said in a statement released by the team. "He's been great in the quarterback room all season and he has earned the right to start on Sunday. We expect him to play well."
Pettine's decision comes as his job security could be determined by winning games over the final five weeks of the season (four of the Browns' last five opponents currently have winning records).
The coach might not be able to trust Manziel off the field, but he needs to trust him on it.
In his limited opportunities in relief of McCown this season, Manziel has shown significant on-field progress from his disastrous rookie year. And with the Browns likely to be picking high in the draft next year, they need to know if they need to invest yet another first-rounder in a quarterback.
Maybe this decision to go with Davis over Manziel for Sunday's game at the Cincinnati Bengals is further punishment for Manziel, and maybe Pettine will pick his quarterback on a week-to-week basis. But with the Browns' effectively season over, what good is that doing anyone?
At some point, Pettine might have to go back to Manziel. "This is a weekly thing," he told reporters on Wednesday.
If and when he does, the quarterback must realize this could be his last chance with the Browns. He needs to play like he did in a September start against the Tennessee Titans, or in his last game, when he threw for 372 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But mostly, he needs to show that he can give Pettine - and the organization - reason to trust him.