Is this a legit threat towards Johnny Manziel, or a plea for the former Heisman winner to take his offseason seriously.
Cleveland Browns GM Ray Farmer addressed the organization during his end of season exit interviews with the media. From the onset, Farmer made it clear that he believes Johnny Maniel can be a quality starter in the NFL, but he won’t hesitate to draft another quarterback in the first round.
“I would tell you that the words don’t mean anything. I’m not a big word guy. It’s all about action,” Farmer told reporters Tuesday. “That’s really where we’re at, and that’s for everybody. I think that’s what all of our players and coaches and staff and everybody associated with this organization want to see. That’s what our fans want to see. It’s about action.”
Asked if the team would hesitate to draft another first-round passer, Farmer said Monday, point blank: “I would not.”
The GM, though, still believes Manziel can make good on the tidal wave of hype that trails him constantly.
“I do think he can develop into a solid starter in this league, yes,” said Farmer. “I think that the sample size available is like you said, small. I’d say to that end, we all gotta be patient. I think there’s an opportunity for the guy to make changes. It’s up to him if he’s going to make those changes, but I think the talent is in his body to accomplish that.”
When asked if Manziel developing into a solid starter would be enough, Farmer believes only a few teams are blessed with special signal callers.
“I don’t know how many elite starters exist. In my mind I’d say there’s no more than maybe four or five in the league at any one point in time,” Farmer said. “If that’s the case, then the vast majority of the league plays with guys that are not elite starters. That classification in my mind is a very small class, when you use the word ‘elite.'”