Well, that was brief. Last week, Johnny Manziel was named the Browns' starter for the rest of the season. Now, he's been buried on the depth chart, dropping down to third-string.
And why? Because Manziel responded to that promotion by testing Cleveland's front office once again. The quarterback was caught on social media partying in Austin, Texas, last weekend, an explicit betrayal of the behavior he was expected to uphold as the starting quarterback.
On its own, that might seem like a small detail. But given Manziel's rampant off-the-field issues, including a stint in rehab and an alleged domestic violence incident earlier this season, it's clear the Browns are sick of Manziel's side-show.
When he was named the starter, the reasoning made sense: Cleveland invested a lot in Manziel, namely a first-round pick. With the playoffs far out of reach, it only made sense for the Browns to see if they could squeeze any return out of that investment.
Flash forward one week, and coach Mike Pettine said he was "disappointed" in Manziel's behavior during the weekend. Later in the day, the team released this statement:
"Josh McCown will be the starting quarterback on Monday night against the Ravens. I informed the quarterbacks of that decision after I sat down and spoke with Johnny, Flip (John DeFilippo) and Kevin (O'Connell) after practice today," Pettine said. "Johnny will be the third quarterback. I've spoken to Ray (Farmer) and Jimmy (Haslam) to inform them of my decision, and they are in full support."
Translation: The Browns are done with Johnny Football.
Who knows what happens with Manziel from here on out -- he'd be tough to trade for anything of value in return -- but it doesn't look like Cleveland is willing to give anymore of its time under-center to a player who repeatedly betrays his second, third and fourth chances.
Expect the Johnny Manziel show to be on the move this offseason.
