Two words will be murmured around the Ravens halls this week.
Johnny Football.
Brian Hoyer is the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback, and he's been a solid one in his five Browns starts. He engineered a game-winning 85-yard field-goal drive Sunday against the Saints.
But highly entertaining Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel is also in the mix, and could enter Sunday's game against the Ravens at any time.
"Absolutely, we anticipate Manziel, certainly," Head Coach John Harbaugh said Monday.
Manziel took his first three NFL snaps in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.
He handed off once in the third quarter and immediately left the game, acting almost like a decoy. Manziel handed off again on his next snap one series later.
He stayed on the field for one more play on that drive and attempted his first pass. It was a very Manziel-like play, as he rolled out of the pocket and seemed to improvise when flipping a pass to the sideline. It was dropped by fullback Ray Agnew as he was hit.
That was all the action Manziel got, so it doesn't appear that he'll be a big part of the game plan. Still, he's somebody the Ravens at least have to be aware of.
Manziel was drafted No. 22 overall by the Browns in May's draft. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner has become Cleveland's poster boy, but was beat out for the starting job by Hoyer.
Hoyer hasn't been statistically spectacular, but he's played clean football for the Browns so far this season.
He completed 19 of 31 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers in Week 1. Then he followed up by completing 24 of 40 passes for 204 yards and another touchdown against the Saints. He hasn't thrown an interception yet.
Hoyer won all three games he started for the Browns last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He has a 4-1 total record as Cleveland's starter.
"He's the best quarterback they've had in a number of years. He's playing great," Harbaugh said. "Then they've got Johnny Manziel also as part of their arsenal. It's something to contend with for sure, both of those guys."
