The Loop

Apparently Golf Digest cover boy Johnny Manziel also plays football

December 09, 2014

And all this time we thought Johnny Manziel was just a 7-handicap with a really good publicist.

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OK, we're sort of kidding. But Manziel, the former Heisman Trophy winner who headlined our December Golfers Who Give Back Issue, now has a chance to be something more than the world's most celebrated backup quarterback. According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, Manziel is likely to inherit the Cleveland Browns' starting job from the beleaguered Brian Hoyer, who went 14 for 31 with two interceptions last weekend against the Colts.

At 7-6, the Browns are still in the playoff race, and they think Manziel, who led an 80-yard touchdown the previous week, is their best bet of getting there -- beginning this week against the Bengals. That's good news for Manziel fans, and apparently it's also welcome news for Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, who referred to Manziel as a "midget" in a radio interview on Monday (Manziel is a hair shy of 6-feet tall, which is a perfectly respectable height for people who are not NFL quarterbacks).

Anyway, best of luck to Manziel, although the important thing is to stay healthy. Golf season is only a few months away.