Johnny Manziel Appears More Than Ready to Replace Brian Hoyer

Like the last pump of lighter fluid squeezed onto a smoldering trash fire, I submit to you a GIF of Johnny Manziel appearing to plead his case for the starting position in Cleveland.

The moment came after a critical Brian Hoyer incompletion during Sunday's 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Hoyer overthrew a wide-open Josh Gordon streaking down the sideline and missed what would've been a pivotal touchdown.

This errant throw, combined with a season's worth of playing silent witness to Hoyer's almost impressively inconsistent play, appeared to get to Manziel. The ever-present, always watching Johnny Football Cam recorded the backup quarterback as he appeared to mutter something to himself after the play.

BroBible.com's Jorge Alonso crafted a GIF of the incident and believes Manziel might have uttered the words, "I would've f-----g hit him."

BroBible.com

This looks to be about the shape of things. Manziel, working over what appears to be a hacky sack of Big League Chew, does appear frustrated in his sideline beanie. And he's not wrong to be.

After taking over for Hoyer and jump-starting the floundering Browns offense with a touchdown scramble against the Buffalo Bills in Week 13, the former Heisman winner has tasted blood. He has a small but tangible NFL accomplishment to hang his hat on, and his desire for more is building.

Then again, all of this is predicated on our estimable lip-reading abilities. If "NFL Bad Lip Reading" taught us anything, it's that there's a whole host of things Manziel could have said.

Some alternative phrases: 

"I wouldn't fuzzy hit it."

"I wouldn't find the imp."

"I wouldn't fund the hit."

"I would've founded Tinder."

As for the future of the Browns offense, a change at the quarterback position is all but inevitable, if not past due. Granted, Browns head coach Mike Pettine said after Sunday's loss that making a long-term change hasn't crossed his mind.

"I haven't even thought about it," Pettine said, via Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot. "It's something we'll get together and discuss at some point. It's too fresh after this one to think forward."

Indeed, the man who one week ago pulled his starter for the rookie backup says he hasn't thought about a long-term change at the quarterback position. So we're clear on that.

Pettine's lies myopia notwithstanding, there will, in all likelihood, be a change in Cleveland. Hoyer will be a free agent at season's end, meaning Manziel will eventually get his starting nod, barring the team pulling in a wily, free-agent veteran to further groom its Heisman Trophy-winning backup (an extremely terrifying and Pettine-esque move).

We'll see how this all plays out, but if the Browns want the chance to claw their way to the top of a tough AFC North division, they might consider opening the mystery box and putting their most intriguing offensive weapon on the field.

Follow Dan on Twitter for more sports and pop culture filigree.

Follow @Dr_Carson_