Johnny Manziel's Teammates Discuss QB's Rookie Season in ESPN Interview

The Cleveland Browns traded up to select Johnny Manziel in the first round of last year's NFL draft in the hopes he would become a franchise quarterback. One year in, there are more questions than answers for everybody in the organization, including his teammates.

Jeremy Fowler and Pat McManamon of ESPN took a deep dive into the situation after a season where Johnny Football struggled in limited action. The overarching theme from those who discussed the issue was the idea he was unprepared when given opportunities and enjoyed the nightlife too much.

One source involved in the Browns' draft planning told ESPN that shouldn't have been a surprise.

"During the draft process, not one person interviewed by the team said he was going to grow up," the source said. "You can't blame Johnny. This is who he is. The team knew that."

An unnamed player put it more bluntly, stating Manziel's entire rookie campaign was a "100 percent joke."

Browns cornerback Joe Haden isn't ready to give up on the former Heisman Trophy winner, though. He's willing to give the quarterback another opportunity after a forgettable first year in the league.

"People make mistakes," he told ESPN. "I'm all about giving second chances."

The report also examined how the feelings toward Manziel were all performance-based. Most felt he was a good person otherwise:

"

None of his teammates talked about disliking Manziel personally. In fact, a "good guy" theme is prevalent with him. Some players vouch for his work ethic. Left guard Joel Bitonio said "you can tell" Manziel wants to be good and "works his tail off" in the weight room.

"

Tight end Jordan Cameron is just hoping everything clicks for the Texas A&M product before it's too late.

"He's competitive," he told Fowler and McManamon. "So I'm hoping that competitive nature will get him past all the other stuff. Hopefully he does, and hopefully he figures it out."

It's also noted that when the Browns gave Manziel the chance to play, teammates were forced to correct calls in the huddle frequently because he was either totally unprepared or made mistakes when relaying the information:

"

Several sources said Manziel either didn't know the plays in the huddle or didn't call them correctly. The Browns tried to get him comfortable by using shotgun and pistol formations on about 80 percent of his downs and by simplifying the offense.

"

When the dust settled at season's end, Manziel had appeared in five games. He completed barely over 50 percent of his 35 throws with no touchdowns and two interceptions. His only score came on the ground against the Buffalo Bills.

Looking ahead, the ESPN report points out new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo didn't make any type of commitment to the popular signal-caller. "We're not sure if our starting quarterback is in the building or not," he said.

The overall feeling is that Manziel either has to make a concerted effort to change his ways heading into next season or the end could already be near.

"What Johnny has to understand is [if] he has another year like he just had, he's not going to be famous anymore," an NFL team exec told ESPN. "LeBron James is going to lose his number."

Ultimately, the story is much the same as it was one year ago. The talent is there for Manziel to make an impact at the NFL level. Whether he will ever mature enough to take the job as seriously as the best players do is a major question mark.

It certainly didn't happen as a rookie.