In a perfect world, the Browns would be starting Johnny Manziel at quarterback for Sunday’s game at St. Louis against the Rams.
 
That’s what would be best for the team, both short- and long-term.
 
It would give the Browns the best chance to win – current starter Josh McCown is a miserable 2-14 in his last 16 games, which is jaw-dropping statistic since a quarterback’s one and only job is to win the game – and it would give them a chance to see if Manziel can be the franchise quarterback the team was hoping he could be when they selected him at No. 22 overall in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
 
McCown is 36 years old and in his 13th NFL season. He’s at least very near the end of his career, if not already at it.
 
With that, then, he is not the team’s future – and not even its present – and so, with the Browns at 2-4 and getting into the meat of their schedule, and with McCown incredibly taking two consecutive sacks at the start of overtime last Sunday against the Denver Broncos when only nine yards was needed to get into field-goal range, this question begs to be asked: Why in the world is he still starting?
 
But McCown won’t be benched in favor of Manziel or anyone else, but especially Manziel, because head coach Mike Pettine never wanted the Browns to draft him in the first place. He is pushing back against General Manager Ray Farmer, with whom he has had many issues for a long time. Farmer drafted Manziel and desperately wants him to play.
 
So because of that, the good of the team is being put to the side so Pettine and Farmer can throw volleys back and back at one another in their little spitting match.
 
But perhaps it doesn’t really matter anyway because, for the umpteenth time, Manziel has gotten himself into the throes of controversy because of some incident with his girlfriend on the interstate.
 
In that way, then, Farmer’s hands are somewhat tied in wanting Manziel to play. Can he be trusted to behave himself and prepare like he should?
 
It wouldn’t matter anyway, because Pettine, as mentioned, doesn’t like Manziel and didn’t want him, so he wouldn’t play him even if there were no off-the-field issues.
 
It’s a vicious cycle of negativity built on massive egos, poor talent evaluation and bad coaching.
 
Each of those problems can kill teams by themselves, slowly but surely, and together, they are instant death.
 
That explains why the Browns are where they’re at, which is, yet again, on the road to nowhere.
 
The fans deserve so much more than that.
 
And, as we’ve already detailed this week, so does team owner Jimmy Haslam, who is footing the bill for all of this tomfoolery.