It’s foolish to hammer a young quarterback over a relief performance.
So, let’s keep perspective on Johnny Manziel’s downhill showing for the Cleveland Browns after Josh McCown left Sunday’s opener against the New York Jets with a concussion.
Manziel came out firing, scrambling 22 yards and sticking the ball on streaking Travis Benjamin for a 54-yard touchdown on his first drive.
But Manziel had a string of missed opportunities and mistakes from there: throwing Andrew Hawkins out of bounds in the end zone, serving an interception on a comeback route with Brian Hartline covered, fumbling twice in the fourth quarter as the Jets put away the decision.