Last Sunday, the Browns sealed a 28-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans when quarterback Johnny Manziel was right on target with a long touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter.
And today, the Browns’ 27-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders at FirstEnergy Stadium was sealed when quarterback Josh McCown’s long pass down the field late in the fourth quarter was short and late, causing it to be intercepted by free safety Charles Woodson, the pride of Fremont Ross High School.
We can talk about all kinds of other reasons for today’s loss, but the skinny is that Manziel made a big play when he had to, and McCown did not. In fact, McCown twice was short on long passes on Cleveland’s final series, as he was off-target on what could have been, and would have been, a 98-yarder for a touchdown on the first play.
It’s the quarterback’s job – his only job, really – to win the game. Many times, that comes down to him making – or not making – a big play in crunch time, when most games are won and lost. Manziel did so last Sunday. McCown did not do so today.
Indeed, that was the difference in both games. It’s as simple as that.
Mike Pettine insists on using McCown because the Browns head coach thinks the veteran gives the team the best chance to win the game. But the opposite was true today, and it will likely continue to be the case all season as long as McCown remains the starter.
McCown has never been successful over a long period of time in the NFL. It is fool’s gold to think he will do so now in the waning years of his career.
Perhaps he was serious or perhaps he was too proud to admit it, but McCown said afterward that he never heard the fans’ chants for Manziel. Regardless, the fans had a right – maybe even a duty — to yell for Manziel. Manziel proved he could steer the Browns to victory down the stretch. McCown proved today he could not.
Sure, McCown had a nice second half. Sure, he helped bring the Browns back from a 27-10 deficit.
That’s all well and good, but in the big picture, none of that matters. This isn’t youth football where trying really hard and doing your best counts for everything.
It counts for nothing in the NFL. This is a bottom-line business – a production-based and results-based business.
Also in that post-game press conference, McCown was very cavalier in saying the Browns just need to “clean up” their problem areas. That’s reprehensible and irresponsible. His teammates and coaches, and the fans, deserve better than that from their quarterback.
No, the Browns just need to win.
And their quarterback needs to make plays when plays need to be made.
All the other talk is for losers, and that’s what the Browns, solely because of what their quarterback did and didn’t do, were today.
