Browns to start Johnny Manziel at Bengals

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A day away from battling the undefeated , the wandering are turning the offense over to .With veteran pa ser battling a painful rib injury, coach Mike Pettine said Wednesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio that Manziel would get the starting nod. NFL Media's Rand Getlin first had the news of the ' plans to start Manziel.McCown said Tuesday it would take for his ribs to heal, per Mary Kay Cabot  Pedro Martinez Jersey of The Plain Dealer. The 36-year-old pa ser wouldn't say if his ribs were broken, but McCown -- who's had -- about suiting up Thursday. McCown did not practice Tuesday night, to Cabot.Manziel played a handful of snaps in relief of McCown at the end to the , his first on-field action since guiding the to a over the in Week 2.Manziel was given a full week to prepare for Tenne see, but Thursday's task is a tall order for the second-year pa ser: Rolling into Cincinnati to face an AFC heavyweight on a short week.Teams typically stage a practice and a walkthrough before Thursday night tilts, barely enough time for Manziel to get a handle on the game plan. That's the world of a backup quarterback, though.The positive for the is the fine work of first-year coordinator John DeFilippo, who has milked solid performances out of McCown and Manziel when most wrote off both quarterbacks before the season.Still, Manziel's critical second campaign now takes a challenging turn. The are shorthanded on offense and a wild me s on defense. Rolling out an inexperienced pa ser doesn't help. Unlike last year's fellow rookie starters -- , and -- Johnny has barely seen the field.While some might wonder if Manziel is being thrown into the fire at the worst po sible time, this also represents a prime opportunity to shift perceptions about his up-and-down career on the national stage.It's your move, Johnny.  Tim Tebow Jersey