Here comes Johnny, Manziel.
The Cleveland Browns have named Manziel their Week 14 starter against the San Francisco 49ers.
Mike Pettine announced the decision on Tuesday, which was reported earlier in the week by ESPN senior analyst Chris Mortensen.
"Johnny will be our starting quarterback on Sunday," coach Pettine said via the team's official site. "He's been solid in the building over the last couple of weeks, and we are hopeful he takes this opportunity to continue to build on the progress he's made on the field throughout the season. The goal for every game is to go out and win, and Johnny needs to show that he can put us in position to do so during these last four weeks of the season."
Manziel has made three starts this season and has appeared in six games. He was recently demoted to third-string after an off-the-field incident. Veteran starter Josn McCown was lost for the season with a broken collarbone. In his place last week, Austin Davis threw for 230 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in a 37-3 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Manziel has completed 76 of 128 pass attempts for 933 yards with five touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 82.6. The mobile signal-caller has been sacked 14 times and has rushed for 90 yards on 17 attempts.
On Sunday, Manziel will face an improving 49ers defense. According to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers held Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer and Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler to their worse passer ratings of the season in back-to-back weeks.
San Francisco does not have media availability on Tuesday, but players and coaches will surely be asked to comment on the quarterbacking development in Cleveland.
Stay tuned for more on the subject this week on 49ers.com.
