The winding list of would-be franchise quarterbacks in Cleveland exemplifies the difficulty in finding the right mesh of talent and character to be an NFL signal-caller.
After spending the past four seasons with Matthew Stafford in Detroit, new Browns wide receiver Nate Burleson believes that Johnny Manziel possesses similar traits to the Lions' franchise quarterback.
"The one thing they are quite comfortable in is that they are quietly cocky, which is a great characteristic to have at the quarterback position," Burleson said at a charity softball game in Detroit, per ESPN.com. "You want to walk in the huddle and know that the guy throwing you the ball, you're, like, he's the best.
"Johnny has that. Matt has that. We'll see what happens..."
The Stafford-Manziel comparison goes a little further than Burleson's point regarding mentality. However, given their history, Browns fans would likely take a quarterback with Stafford's production (17,457 yards in five seasons with 109 touchdowns and 73 interceptions).
Despite Manziel's fame, Burleson said he has done exactly what the coaching staff has asked him to do: act like a rookie.
"From what I've seen (he is)," Burleson said. "Outside looking in, everybody has their misconceptions about him. He's acting like a rookie should, which is don't say nothing.
"But I know what he's thinking. I know he's like, 'I'm the man.' He's supposed to think that. Now he's not acting like that. He's not walking around with his chest out. Rookies don't do that. He understands the role he's in. But I can tell he knows how good he is, and he should be. He's a talented dude."
*The latest "Around The League Podcast" picks the best receiver group in the NFL, and goes deep previewing the season with Bucky Brooks. *
