Winner: Johnny Manziel, Quarterback, Cleveland Browns
After Thursday night's game against the Buffalo Bills, we still have no idea whether Manziel is going to make it as a quarterback in the NFL. He still gets happy feet in the pocket. He still looks to run initially when the pocket breaks down. And he still doesn't have that second read. Manziel, in all of his glory, is the same quarterback we saw play for Texas A&M.
And even with a lackluster group of receivers, he still looked better than anything else the Browns had to throw out there in the team's second preseason game. Showing flashes of the athleticism we saw at College Station, Manziel also had a nice spin on the ball against Buffalo. It wasn't pretty, but he did get the job done. The second-year quarterback completed 10-of-18 passes for 118 yards and a score while adding 19 rushing yards on three attempts. If nothing else, Manziel's performance had to catch the eyes of a coaching staff that saw an absolute dumpster fire on offense prior to him entering the game in the third quarter.
Loser: Josh McCown, Quarterback, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland put up a total of 98 yards in three first-half possessions with McCown under center. If that's not bad enough, two of those possessions ended in an interception. Overall, this veteran free-agent signing completed 7-of-10 passes for 57 yards and two interceptions.
While head coach Mike Pettine made it clear that McCown was still the guy, it's hard to imagine him coming away impressed by what the veteran did on Thursday night. Another preseason performance like this, and we could very well be looking at a quarterback controversy in Cleveland.
Winner: Jeremy Ross, Wide Receiver, Detroit Lions
Based off what we saw from Ross Thursday night against Washington, there's a good chance he will enter the regular season as the Lions' No. 3 receiver. The third-year player from CAL caught all four passes thrown in his direction for 59 yards, including a second-quarter touchdown. When he's been on the field, all Ross has done is make plays. This bodes well for him moving forward.
Loser: Robert Griffin III, Quarterback, Washington Redskins
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden should be the real loser here. It was apparent to those of us watching at home that RGIII wasn't receiving the necessary protection to stay upright against a swarming Lions defense on Thursday night. Instead of pulling the injury-plagued quarterback after being sacked three times on seven dropbacks, Gruden and company kept RGIII in the game—a decision that resulted in RGIII getting injured.
While the injuries this former Heisman winner suffered were not serious, it speaks to the inability of the chief decision-makers in Washington to actually protect its starting quarterback. If this were any other team in the NFL, the starter would have been pulled. It's a meaningless preseason game with a horrendous offensive line protecting an injury-plagued quarterback. Give me a break.
Winner: Matt Jones, Running Back, Washington Redskins
It's a pretty safe bet that this massive running back will be Alfred Morris primary backup. Following up what has been a tremendous training camp for the rookie third-round pick, Jones 44 put up yards and a score on eight attempts, including the 24-yard run you can watch above. He has a rare combination of agility and power—something that will fit well in the Redskins offensive system, especially if the team decides to go read-option more often this season. While Morris is the primary back here, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jones receive his fair share of touches as a rookie.
Loser: Matt Cassel, Quarterback, Buffalo Bills
He didnt play Thursday night after starting Buffalo's preseason opener last week. While we shouldn't read too much into this, it's apparent that Rex Ryan and company wanted to get a first-hand view of Tyrod Taylor under center. If Taylor had performed poorly, Cassel would have been a winner here. He didn't...
Winner: Tyrod Taylor, Quarterback, Buffalo Bills
Even without his top-four running backs and most of his top receivers, Taylor did a tremendous job in his first start of this preseason. Showing a solid ability in the pocket, some pretty darn good accuray and elite-level running ability, Taylor simply has the look of a starting quarterback—at least in comparison to the other quarterbacks on the roster.
The fifth-year pro from Virginia Tech completed 7-of-10 passes for 65 yards while adding 41 rushing yards on four attempts. He also moved the Bills down the field in two of his three possessions, which came on the heels of two touchdown-scoring drives last week. With EJ Manuel seemingly the Bills third quarterback at this point, the competition is between Taylor and Cassel. At this point, it's readily apparent that Taylor is in the lead to start Week 1.