Signs of Johnny Manziel's struggles evident in poor practice outings

Even before Johnny Manziel struggled mightily against the Bengals last week, the performance he put on in practice the week leading up to the Cincinnati game was very similar -- and panic could set in even the rookie doesn't start to show signs of improvement.

Johnny Manziel’s ugly debut outing last week prompted no shortage of concern within the Browns organization given how historically bad it was. While it remains a very small sample size, when coupled with his troubling outings at practice, has certainly caused some alarm with a hope that he can take a step forward at Carolina.

Sources said the same erratic and at times non-existent footwork he displayed in his starting debut, the hyper-activity in the pocket, the poor decision-making and the overall overwhelmed nature of his performance was very similar to what he displayed in practice all week. He appeared outwardly nervous and unsure, as was the case in practice as well once he was named the starter.

One source estimated the 2014 first-round pick completed maybe 40 percent of his passes in practice leading up to his first start, and there was considerable angst about whether that would transpire on Sunday, or whether the bigger stage would bring something better out of the youngster.

With things so bad in his debut, the Browns are trying to instill more fundamental pocket work in the game plan this week, sources said, with fewer read-option looks or plays that would lead directly into Manziel taking off running. The hope is to slow him down a little and get him playing the position more soundly and traditionally, without sapping his athleticism.

Johnny Manziel's performance on the field and in practice have some ready to panic. (Getty Images)

He was a little better in practice this past week, sources said, but not exponentially so, and is working on not giving away so much with his eyes and locking on to options, particularly big receiver Josh Gordon. At Texas A&M, he could get away with throwing jump balls to 6-5 receiver Mike Evans with regularity, but overshot teammates Sunday and the Bengals defense had far too easy a time determining where the ball would be going.

While it may not be time to panic just yet, sources said if that opening performance is indicative of what transpires in the final two weeks, then panic could set in much sooner than would be the norm in these situations. Working in Manziel’s favor is the fact that owner Jimmy Haslam was a primary reason he was selected by the team.