Johnny Manziel Replaces Injured Josh McCown: Twitter Reacts to Browns QB

Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel replaced Josh McCown in the first quarter of Sunday's Week 1 game against the New York Jets. 

McCown led an impressive 17-play drive on the team's opening possession but fumbled while diving for the end zone and suffered a concussion on the play. That led to Manziel being thrust into duty against a tough Jets secondary headlined by superstar cornerback Darrelle Revis.

A poor all-around performance contributed to the Browns' 31-10 loss at MetLife Stadium, but Manziel did have three turnovers of his own to contribute to yet another horrendous season opener for Cleveland.

Twitter was, of course, aflame with reaction, as Manziel had a team-high 35 yards rushing on five carries to go with 13-of-24 passing for 184 yards, a touchdown and an interception. CBS Sports had a fitting makeshift meme on the ready:

Jets head coach Todd Bowles spoke before the contest about dealing with Manziel's skill set.

"Obviously he brings a different element to the game, but if he gets in we'll deal with that when we cross it," said Bowles, per ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini.

The Browns defense stuffed New York on a 4th-and-1 the play before Manziel took over at his own 45-yard line. His first pass was a 13-yard completion to tight end Jim Dray.

Then Manziel made some magic happen, converting a 3rd-and-19 with a 54-yard touchdown strike to Travis Benjamin, who beat Antonio Cromartie on a deep pattern. NFL Network's Jeff Darlington had the footage of the beautiful throw:

NFL Fantasy Football lamented the lack of roto implications:

Will Brinson of CBSSports.com weighed in on Manziel's performance, calling to mind the film They Live:

In the second quarter, Manziel drove the Browns to a field goal, though he missed Andrew Hawkins on a potential TD pass while scrambling on the possession. Chris B. Brown of Grantland offered his analysis on Manziel's outing during the opening half:

Once New York started pulling away, Bowles sent the house at Manziel, the Jets locked down Cleveland's limited receiving corps on the back end and the made Manziel's job almost impossible.

ESPN's Pat McManamon highlighted how poor the Browns were to start the 2015 campaign:

Skip Bayless of ESPN, a notable Manziel proponent, had a particularly strong reaction to the lackluster play of Manziel's supporting cast:

On a couple of nice Manziel scrambles, Cleveland committed penalties to wipe out the big gains. ESPN's Trey Wingo expressed concern over Manziel's durability:

Renowned radio personality Colin Cowherd had a harsher assessment of Manziel's outing:

Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reports the concussion McCown suffered is "not bad," so Browns coach Mike Pettine may turn back to the veteran signal-caller for Week 2's matchup against Tennessee if he's healthy.

Manziel himself deemed his rookie year a "disaster." The 2015 campaign got off to a better start for him individually, though it's still early and there wasn't much room for Manziel to fall further. He also struggled with ball security, which is a big no-no for a prospective franchise QB.

Time will tell if Cleveland's receiving corps and skill players complement Manziel well enough for sustainable success. The former Heisman Trophy winner and brilliant improviser also must prove he can get it done from the pocket on a consistent basis.

At least for now, there were flashes of brilliance that could lead Browns fans to be hopeful about his future. While he has come a long way from his maiden pro season, it's also clear that Manziel has a long way to go before he's anointed Cleveland's savior under center.