Johnny Manziel Era About To Begin In Cleveland As ‘Johnny Football’ Likely To Be Named Starter

The Johnny Manziel era is almost upon us.

After veteran Brian Hoyer led the Cleveland Browns to a 7-5 record, but struggled with inconsistency and accuracy in recent games, the team decided to yank him during what would end up being a 26-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Manziel promptly led the team on an 80-yard touchdown drive, but on the next series was sacked and fumbled into the endzone. The Bills recovered for what appeared to be a touchdown, but on review, referees decided that Manziel’s arm was going forward and ruled it an incomplete pass.

The Browns would get no closer in the costly loss, but it appears that Johnny Manziel may be in for good. Though the Cleveland Browns have yet to announce a decision, many believe that Hoyer is headed to the bench and Manziel will take over the helm for the rest of the season.

“If that is the case and my name is called, then I’ll definitely be ready,” said Manziel, who completed 5 of 8 passes for 63 yards.

As Brendan Porath of SB Nation noted, Hoyer was never envisioned as the long-term solution for the Browns, so his time was numbered from the start:

He wrote:

Despite the team’s (by Browns standards) successful season so far, Hoyer was never going to be the long-term solution in Cleveland. He was a career backup who finally got a shot to start in his hometown, where his No. 1 fan, Mike Lombardi, held personnel power. With only the abominable Brandon Weeden and a ruined Jason Campbell in his way, it was reasonable to at least give him a chance. And Hoyer performed fine in three games in 2013, and well enough this season.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine has all but declared Johnny Manziel the stater.

“The door is definitely open for a change at the quarterback position,” Pettine told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio. “It’s not like we’re just going to go back to Brian.”

Cleveland Brown fans will have to wait just a little bit longer for the Johnny Manziel era to officially begin. Pettine said he will officially announce his starting quarterback on Wednesday.