Saddle up Cleveland. You are in store for a wild ride.
In their third trade of the night, the Cleveland Browns ended up with quarterback Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M.
In the end, the Browns were captivated with Manziel's infectious leadership, cannon of an arm, scrambling ability, and 'it factor,' a two-word phrase head coach Mike Pettine said he looks for the most in a quarterback.
On if the Browns asked him several questions regarding off-field matters, and reassuring the team of his character:
"I think the Browns did a very good job of asking me their due-diligence questions and asking me and seeing what was out of the media or what was heard; what they heard was actually the truth. There was never a time where I lied or shied away from a question. For me, it was go into the situation and be very honest and be very upfront with them, and let my true character show and let them find out who I really am. I think that alleviated some concerns with them."
The trait you often don't hear about with Manziel is vision. Often times it seemed the Johnny Football had eyes in the back of his head, avoiding blitzing defenders while escaping with ease. It was his vision that gave Manziel a 73.5 completion percentage while standing in the pocket, the highest rate in the country.
On if he feels his pocket passing is underrated by some evaluators:
"I feel like I got better this year and got more comfortable in the pocket. I'm growing as a quarterback and continuing to get better as a player. I'm not sitting here today saying I have all of the answers or I'm an all-world player or have it all figured out. For me, I know there's room to grow, in the pocket and just get more comfortable in the pocket in general. There's room for me to grow, and I'm looking forward to closing that gap with a great quarterbacks coach and a great offensive coordinator that can help me there."
For the city of Cleveland, there couldn't have been a more galvanizing selection.
"I'm going to pour my heart out for this team and for this city," Manziel told ESPN.
Manziel enters a franchise where the quarterback position has been more like a revolving door. Already a national celebrity, Manziel's fan base spreads much further than just College Station, Tx. The 2012 Heisman trophy winner boasts over 800,000 followers on both Twitter and Instagram. His arrival in Berea puts the Browns under the national microscope immediately, a welcomed change.
On his knowledge of the Browns history and recent results:
"Obviously, there have been some struggles, but for me, you look at teams around the league that have struggled and a couple years later, they're in contention to do really good things, win playoff games and get to the playoffs. I feel like the pieces they had last year they were a better football team. You have a very good receiver; you have a great offensive line. You have good weapons. You have a great tight end. You have a defense that's really strong, and we also helped our team tonight, picking up a defensive player, as well, earlier in the round. I feel like there is opportunity there for us to grow and be better as a team."
It must be noted that the 21-year-old Manziel will have to compete with Brian Hoyer for the starting position. Aggies teammates raved about Manziel's competitiveness and his college head coach Kevin Sumlin told NFL Network, "His best days are ahead of him."
Manziel will be in Berea tomorrow for his opening press conference.
