Hopefully Johnny Manziel is well and making the needed changes to improve his life.
Browns All-Pro offensive tackle Joe Thomas says the quarterback “lost a lot of trust” among his teammates after he named the starter late last season.
Manziel got his first start in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals, going 10-18 for 80 yards and two interceptions in a 30-0 loss.
He finished the season completing 18 of 35 passes for 175 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 29 yards and one rushing touchdown for Cleveland, who have missed the playoffs in each of the last 12 seasons.
“I think he’s going to have to prove to the team that football is important and being the man, being the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, is important, it is his goal, his single goal in his life,” left tackle Thomas told Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. “You know, I think he lost probably a lot of trust among the guys on the team last year by the way he handled himself once he became the starter. And I think he had a lot of time to reflect, I’m guessing, after the season was over by the comments he made in the media and by his actions, checking himself into rehab, . . . I think those were really positive steps.
“I’m hoping when we comes back in April we see a new Johnny and everybody’s blown away with his commitment. And I think he’s got the talent, so it’s just a matter of if he commits himself to it, we can have a really good quarterback on our hands.”
Thomas, an eight-time Pro Bowler and five-time first team AP All-Pro, says it’s Manziel’s actions that will ultimately determine his future with the team.