DETROIT — Johnny Manziel’s biggest achievement Saturday night was making a Browns-Lions preseason game interesting.
Manziel didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, or even clarify Cleveland’s quarterback situation, but his much-anticipated NFL debut in a 13-12 exhibition loss at Ford Field was certainly never boring.
Working exclusively with the second-string offense against Detroit’s backup defense, Manziel completed 7 of 11 passes for 63 yards and rushed six times for 27 yards while leading Cleveland to a field goal in four full possessions in relief of Brian Hoyer.
That might not sound like much, but Manziel definitely showed flashes of the scrambling, let-it-fly style that won him a Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M two years ago and made him the most intriguing prospect in this year’s NFL Draft.
“The list of things I need to improve on could go on for days, but for me, it was a good start,” Manziel said. “You have to start somewhere and you have to set a foundation, and it was good to get my feet wet.”
Manziel also showed the downside to his style, appearing to injure his ribs in the third quarter when he took a shot to the midsection after releasing a pass at the end of his second possession.
But Manziel shook off the pain and returned for two more drives. One ended with a Dion Lewis fumble and the other on a third-down incompletion after the mostly hostile crowd of 53,384 cranked up the volume as if it were a playoff game.
“It’s football,” Manziel said when asked if he was hurting. “It’s physical and part of the game, but I feel really good. I feel great.”
Manziel’s stint was certainly more compelling than the three possessions by Hoyer, the veteran incumbent and his competition for the starting job.
Looking tentative at times on his surgically repaired knee, Hoyer completed six of his 14 passes for 92 yards while directing a pair of field-goal drives.
Hoyer wasn’t helped by his butter-fingered receivers (Miles Austin and the soon-to-be-suspended Josh Gordon each dropped passes), but Tom Brady’s former backup also stalled Cleveland’s first two drives with high, incomplete passes on third downs.
Mike Pettine, Rex Ryan’s former defensive coordinator with the Jets who also was making his NFL debut as a head coach, was poker-faced about the game’s impact on his quarterback decision.
“They both did some good things and both did some things that suited their skill set,” said Pettine, who also disputed an NFL Network report that he plans to start Manziel next week at the Redskins.
Pettine had frustrated the crowd and a national TV audience by sticking with Hoyer well into the second quarter. When Pettine finally granted everyone’s wish with 7:32 left before halftime, it took a while for Manziel to get warmed up.
His first series went three-and-out after Manziel was stopped for no gain on a third-and-1 option carry, and then a long drive by Lions backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky led to a Manziel kneel-down before halftime.
Manziel created the most excitement of his night with a fourth-down conversion on his third possession. He only gained 1 yard, but brought the crowd to its feet when he passed up two open receivers, avoided a sack and hugged the sideline for the first down.
Afterward, Manziel looked relieved to be talking about football again instead of his various well-chronicled offseason leisure activities.
“It was fun being back on the field, running around and throwing the ball again,” Manziel said. “It was nice.”