The job description for the Browns' quarterback is a modest one and must be embraced, not challenged. He must be willing to play within the structure of a conservative game plan. He must be content to “live for another down” and not try something daring to make a play by himself.
This is why the Browns signed Josh McCown, a 13-year NFL veteran who has played for six teams, and why McCown has been virtually anointed the starting quarterback without even the hint of a “competition” in training camp.
It is why Johnny Manziel – tortured enough by his own personal recovery from an unspecified substance abuse problem – is a fish out of water in his second season with the Browns.
Owners should expect the McCown of 2014, not the one who played under Marc Trestman in Chicago. The Browns want him to be a game manager and that doesn't lend itself to fantasy production.