Why Johnny Manziel Should Be Cleveland’s Starting QB

Let me start out this article by saying that I am a diehard Cleveland Browns fan and I will be for life.

Just to give you an idea of this fandom I have for my team, here’s a quick story about the photo above. I went out and bought that jersey in Times Square in NYC on my first payday Friday at my first job post grad. I changed in the bathroom and wore it around work all day because it was “casual Friday.”

I grew up cheering for the Brownies and even “attended” many games in the DAWG POUND via my mother’s womb. So you can say we go back pretty FARR 😉

As a team, we have gone through 23 quarterbacks in my 23 years of life.

The most recent? Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.

Here’s my case for why Manziel deserves to be the starter, after just two preseason games:

1. Josh McCowan is downright awful. Sorry, but someone has to say it. Literally terrible. Old. He threw two interceptions in his dismal preseason performance.

2. Johnny Manziel has matured. He has learned from his lessons, and is continually learning.

3. He brings a competitive fire, an ability to scramble and excitement to the fans and the front office.

4. Cleveland had a solid run game last season and adds upon it this season with Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson (*great under the radar fantasy RB pick up*) and Terrance West. Johnny is a running QB, and one of the best of ’em.

5. Throughout the preseason, Manziel has gone 17 for 20 for 160 passing yards and a touchdown.

6. Most importantly, the game has appeared to slow down for him. He’s making better decisions on and off the field. He looks more poised in the pocket. And he wants to win.

The issue may be that his temporary long term elbow soreness may be caused from his throwing motion and could result in longer term issues.

“He does change his arm angle a lot, and quarterbacks that tend to drop their elbow on some throws will have a tendency for this to happen,” Pettine said earlier Monday during an interview with ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike.

The team believes that rest and maintenance can take care of the issue and the Browns expect Johnny Manziel to play on Saturday in the third preseason game in Tampa.

Now it’s time for the Browns to make the right decision and start their first round draft pick, now and for the rest of the season. It’s what the people want.

And that’s not just me saying it! 😉

-Morgan

Best Towns for Sports in the United States

For starters, this is one of those articles that everyone will want to hate on when they realize their city was not included on such a prestigious list. However, if you want to play with the BIG dogs, you better be able to hang with the BIG dogs.

Thus, I give you the best towns for sports in the U.S.:

 

5. New York

Oh Jay Z, how much we love you. The lyrics “in New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothin’ you can’t do, now you’re in New York” perfectly explain what can be done in New York: Everything. If you are a big sports fan, New York is the ultimate place for you to live. They have every type of sports team, and have hosted some pretty big name games (ie Super Bowl XLVIII.) New York is absolutely a city to visit if you are wanting the full experience. Plus, New York has THE Yankees.

 

4. Boston

Boston is home to Fenway Park, which is another historical stadium that needs to be acknowledged (no wonder Elle and Emmett wanted to get married there.) Since the stadium has come under new ownership it is even more beautiful and breathtaking than ever. Boston is fortunate to be home to many sports teams as well, including football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. And I guess it should be acknowledged that since they won the most recent Super Bowl, the Patriots need to be celebrated and recognized for being a fabulous city for sports (even if they came home to minimal support.)

 

3. San Francisco Bay Area

Talk about an abundance of sports teams, the Bay Area has it all. They have anything from collegiate sports to professional, and basketball to baseball to football, and everything in between. Bleacher Report worded it perfectly when they said, “if you can’t find a team or sport to follow in the Bay Area, you’ve got a problem.” The great atmosphere along with the beautiful establishments, make for a great time to be had when attending any event. Plus, out of all these cities, the weather in California is hard to beat. We cannot go without saying that most stadiums are located within walking distance to an abundance of bars. And if that doesn’t make you happy, then I don’t know what will.

 

2. Chicago

Chicago hits almost every base when it comes to sports teams (see what I did there.) They have a basketball team, a football team, a hockey team, a soccer team, and two baseball teams! Of course we can’t go without mentioning Wrigley Field, which is one of the most historic baseball fields in the nation, even though the place probably resembles one of those grimy hole-in-the-wall bars you partied your way through college at. Another notable thing that make Chicago stand out from the crowd is their loyalty when it comes to their fans. According to a study done in 2013, the Bears have some of the most loyal fans in the nation. On another note, who doesn’t love visiting the bean!

 

1. Seattle

Aside from Pete Carrol’s foolish (sorry Pete, I STILL LOVE YOU) call to NOT hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch during the last play of Super Bowl 49 (TO WIN THE FREAKIN’ GAME – sorry, still bitter,) Seattle obviously is the #1 best sports town in the United States, and not just because I am from there. Seattle has many things to offer the most avid sports fan: the Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Sonics (RIP), and the list goes on. While Seattle teams may not consistently rack up one championship after another, their fan base is as consistent as they come.  And can we talk for one second about how cute Russell Wilson is?!

– Alexa