Johnny Manziel still has to work to do before regaining the confidence of his team-mates, says the Cleveland Browns’ Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas.
“You know, I think he lost probably a lot of trust among the guys on the team last year by the way he handled himself once he became the starter,” Thomas told ESPN. “And I think he had a lot of time to reflect, I’m guessing, after the season was over by the comments he made in the media and by his actions, checking himself into rehab ... I think those were really positive steps.”
Manziel was seen with his family over the Easter weekend, as he continues the rehab program which he voluntarily entered earlier this year in order to address his off-field lifestyle. The Browns fined Manziel after he did not show up for medical treatment towards the end of last season. It was later revealed that Manziel had thrown a party the night before. One team source said that Manziel had been “drunk off his ass”. He is still expected to attend the Browns’ off-season workouts, which start at the end of April.
“I’m hoping when we come back in April, we see a new Johnny and everybody’s blown away with his commitment,” Thomas said. “And I think he’s got the talent, so it’s just a matter of if he commits himself to it, we can have a really good quarterback on our hands.”
Thomas was still cautious about Manziel’s comeback though, and the praise he gave the Browns’ new quarterback, Josh McCown, indicated that the starting job is far from settled.
“Obviously there’s some uncertainty with Johnny right now and that’s why we brought in Josh,” Thomas said. “He’s a guy that if he’s asked to carry the flag this year, he’s going to do a great job. There’s a chance we draft somebody or there’s a chance Johnny comes back and he’s a new person and he’s rededicated to football, and he turns into the great quarterback that we expected when we drafted him in the first round.”
Manziel’s failed to impress in his first NFL season. After a brilliant college career, he was drafted in the first round by the Browns. However, he saw limited playing time and threw two interceptions and no touchdowns, completing just 51.4% of his passes.
