Manziel’s benching costs him chance to shine Monday night

Manziel had been named the Browns’ starter after he threw for 372 yards in a 30-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 15.

This was going to be his big night, the main attraction under the bright lights.

Coming out of college only Reggie Bush had more social media hype than the famed Johnny football. He said was ready to play Monday.

It was supposed to be fun and festive 20th season in the National Football League for the Ravens, but there’s been little fun since Week 1 and Festivus nearly certainly won’t be celebrated in Baltimore after Week 17.

With starter Johnny Manziel now relegated to being the team’s third-string quarterback for what appears to be the remainder of the season, Josh McCown has nobody standing in his way.

But Manziel spent part of his bye week partying – even though the team had laid out a zero-tolerance policy for any off-field missteps, not to mention the quarterback said he planned to spend his week off relaxing.

Cleveland are bottom of the AFC North, sitting at 2-8, the Browns’ wins come over the Tennessee Titans and their opponents this week, the Ravens, as they seek to end a five-game losing streak.

Will the Browns ask Manziel, 22, to go back to rehab or urge him to do so?

Manziel had promised Pettine and other coaches he would behave during the time off, and Pettine said the second-year quarterback violated “trust and accountability” with his actions. I don’t think anyone will be more proud than I am. “But when you’re a parent, you know the concept of tough love is usually the best”.

“But sometimes you’ve got to take a step back to take a few forward”. Manziel is next on the depth chart and that could mean he doesn’t get to put on his uniform.

“You have a vision of what you want the team to look like, how you want them to handle themselves when they’re out of the building”, he said. “One of the things I really respect about Coach Pettine is, since he’s gotten the job, he’s been holding the players accountable”.

On the other hand, DeFilippo said “there’s no doubt in my mind Johnny’s going to bounce back”, leaving the door open for Manziel to play again in the last six games of the season.

This is their first appearance in seven years, and Cleveland players are relishing it. But like Baltimore, the Browns are also dealing with injuries to their offense with receivers Taylor Gabriel and Andrew Hawkins both out with concussions, while reserve guard Joel Bitonio (ankle) is listed as questionable. “He knows what kind of player he is, and to see it pay off for him in a moment like this is just incredibly rewarding for him and for all of us, too – his coaches”. We’ve seen the Browns take it to the Ravens in years past despite the Ravens being a much better team, and we’ve seen the Ravens beat up the Browns like they are the younger brother. With the franchise quarterback out for the rest of the year with a torn ACL and MCL, the Ravens turn to backup Matt Schaub for the season’s final stretch. The veteran signed with Baltimore in March and is savoring the chance to show he can still perform. Whether you’ve played two years, 12 years, 18 [years], you have to prove every day that you still can do it and you can play at a high level and compete.