Ex-Browns GM: Johnny Manziel 'wasted' in traditional offense
Former Cleveland Browns general manger Phil Savage believes that quarterback Johnny Manziel’s talents will be wasted if the team continues to put him in a traditional offense.
Manziel ran a mostly spread offense in college at Texas A&M, where he put up big numbers on his way to a Heisman Trophy during his redshirt freshman year.
"If you were going to pour him into a more traditional style of offense then it was going to be a waste of his ability because his ability is to play backyard football,” Savage told Cleveland.com. "You have to create circumstances where almost artificially you give him those same sorts of pictures and same sorts of reads."
Savage was the Browns general manager for four seasons before being fired at the end of the 2008 season. Savage is now the executive director for the Senior Bowl.
Manziel was drafted with the 22nd pick of the 2014 NFL Draft and made only two starts (both losses) in his rookie season under former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
He completed 18 of 35 passes for 175 yards with two interceptions and ran for 29 yards with a touchdown in five total games before missing parts of the final two games with a hamstring injury.
“He's a first-round pick so there was obvious ability there," Savage said, according to Cleveland.com. "I mean it's not over with yet, but wow. Based on how the season ended, there are more questions now than on the Thursday night they drafted him."
- Scooby Axson
