Johnny Manziel's Highlights and Postgame Comments from Browns vs. Lions

The Johnny Football era may be coming to the NFL a bit earlier than anyone expected.

All indications coming into training camp were that Brian Hoyer would start the regular season as the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns, with Johnny Manziel serving as his backup for at least the early portion of the season. 

Here's what Bob Holtzman of ESPN tweeted two weeks ago:

But the tide may be turning in Manziel's favor. On Saturday night, he went 7-of-11 for 63 yards through the air, and he also carried the ball six times for another 27 yards. It wasn't the most glittering display, but Manziel managed to avoid making any glaring mistakes and didn't turn the ball over.

Here are his highlights on the evening:

His competition, Hoyer, certainly didn't separate himself, finishing 6-of-14 passing for 92 yards. Like Manziel, he failed to account for any scores or turnovers. But truly, neither player really demanded he be the starter with his performance Saturday night.

Here's how Manziel appraised his performance:

And it's starting to appear as though—through practices and his performance Saturday night—Manziel is winning over the coaching staff and the veterans in the locker room. Here's what Holtzman reported Saturday night:

Peter Schrager of Fox Sports took the temperature of the locker room:

So did Peter King of MMQB.com:

Let's be honest—Hoyer's chances of keeping the starting gig were always pretty slim. He was going to have to dramatically outplay Manziel to keep Johnny Football off the field. Just ask Kyle Orton back in 2011, when Tim Tebow was waiting on the bench and eventually stole the starting role for the Denver Broncos.

Manziel is one of the most publicized athletes in NFL history, and he hasn't even played a snap in the regular season yet. He was a first-round pick. He's a dynamic and exciting player to watch, capable of making darting, dashing and exhilarating plays with his feet.

Quite simply, as long as he's on the bench, fans will clamor to see him in action. And in turn, Hoyer will face insane scrutiny. It's always been a lose-lose situation for him unless he absolutely shined in the preseason while Manziel floundered.

After one game, that simply hasn't been the case, though the road to the regular season is long and will likely have plenty of twists and turns along the way. And there are few who question that Hoyer would bring more stability. 

But is stability what the Browns really need? This is a team in transition that will be playing without its best player, Josh Gordon, for a chunk of the regular season, if not for the entire regular season. The Browns also have a new coaching staff in place. Nobody is realistically expecting a playoff berth this season.

So why not see what Johnny Football can do? Why not give him a trial by fire? Why not take the wild and crazy ride with him?

Leon Halip/Getty Images

The fans will love it. The media, both local and national, will love it. If Manziel is as dynamic as he was at Texas A&M right off the bat in the NFL, his teammates will love it.

For an organization that has generally offered a poor product since being recreated in 1999, the chance to inject some excitement and personality with Johnny Football makes perfect sense. And if he continues to play well and impress his teammates, why not give him the chance to start?

More and more, it appears Manziel will get that chance immediately. Like it or not, Johnny Football's time in the spotlight will likely be upon us in September.