Browns Players Reportedly Want Johnny Manziel at QB over Josh McCown

Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine made a controversial decision to start Josh McCown at quarterback over Johnny Manziel in Week 3, and after losing to the Oakland Raiders, 27-20, some Browns players are reportedly fed up with the situation.  

According to TMZ, three anonymous members of the Browns offense expressed displeasure with the way the team's quarterbacks have been handled and called for Johnny Football to be named the starter.

Manziel led Cleveland to victory in place of an injured McCown in Week 2, but Pettine decided against sticking with the former Heisman Trophy winner. That didn't sit well with one Browns player in particular, per TMZ [sic]:

"

I love both Johnny and Josh but its f--ked up when you have Johnny come in and play well and [he] has proven to the team that he is the right person for the job. It's frustrating to him and us when you sit a player down when he is playing well. Coach has got to understand you are messing up the chemistry and timing with players, and its f--ked up.

"

Another anonymous Browns player echoed that sentiment and suggested that Pettine doesn't have faith in Manziel despite his Week 2 performance: "The team plays better when [Manziel] is in the game. I play better when he plays. You can't get better unless you play. We won when he played, and coach has got to trust him like he trusts Josh."

A third player was reportedly quite blunt about what Pettine must do with regard to the quarterback situation moving forward: "When Johnny [is] in the game it puts the defense on edge. He doesn't just sit in the pocket, he makes plays. Coach has got to make the change now."

However, McCown still has the support of Pettine, who said he was not considering making a change at quarterback on Tuesday, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins denied there was any split in the locker room regarding the quarterback position:

McCown wasn't necessarily the primary reason for Cleveland's loss to Oakland, as he threw for 341 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, but his mere presence may have made the Browns a defeated team before they even stepped on the field.

According to Nancy Armour of USA Today, McCown is well aware of the crowd support for Johnny Football, but he claims he isn't focused on it:

"Like I said Wednesday, I understand the situation I'm in and it's part of it. He's an exciting young player that I know people want to see play. I understand that. For me, I have to focus on where we are. We had our own problems and own issues just trying to move the ball."

Although wide receiver Mike Evans is a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he has experience playing with both Manziel and McCown. On Sept. 26, he weighed in on the Browns' quarterback situation on Buccaneers Radio Network, courtesy of JoeBucsFan.com:

“I think the world of Josh, but as far as a starting job goes now, Manziel just came off a win. You know, the city’s buzzing about him. Everybody’s buzzing about him, won at home. I don’t know, man. I think they probably should have gave him one more chance [to start]. I mean, he won.”

Cleveland had no such issues moving the ball with Manziel at the helm, as it defeated the Tennessee Titans, 28-14, in Week 2. But Pettine is still reluctant to commit to him.

That was the case last season when he went with Brian Hoyer, and it continues to be the case in 2015.

Pettine will have no choice other than to make a switch at some point if the 1-2 Browns continue to lose, but his stubbornness may ultimately cost the team.

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