Manziel, the Browns' first-round pick and the talk of the NFL through the offseason, had barely played through the first 12 weeks. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner had seen a handful of snaps in special situations, but Brian Hoyer's play and the Browns' winning ways with Hoyer had kept him off the field.
But with 12:01 left in the fourth quarter and the Browns in serious need of a spark on offense as they trailed Buffalo 20-3, Manziel got the call. The Browns benched Hoyer, who had just thrown an interception, and Manziel entered.
He didn't disappoint.
His first play was a play action bootleg to the right. He gained three yards. It was his first official NFL run. Then he hit Miles Austin for a 12-yard gain (his first completion), and threw a dart to Josh Gordon for 19.
He threw a pass that should have been intercepted but somehow got through to tight end Jim Dray for a long gain. Then to cap the drive, Manziel hit the final step of his drop, saw a big opening in the middle of the field and took off, diving into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. It was his first NFL score.
Nothing against Hoyer, who has played very well this season, but those interested in seeing what Manziel can do in the NFL had been waiting for that for a long time. And a Browns team that had 14 yards in its previous seven drives, and three points all afternoon, had 80 yards and a score on a quick touchdown drive by Manziel.
The Browns put him in to spark the offense. And he did that. Now that the Browns have gone to that well, it will be tough for them to keep Manziel on the sideline if the offense struggles a bit again in December.
For those who were bummed we hadn't seen more of Manziel this season, Sunday's cameo made it seem worth the wait.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
from Yahoo Sports http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/johnny-manziel-enters--immediately-leads-browns-to-td-205211187.html
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