At this point in the year, Browns fans never have anything to look forward to. Usually some quarterback plucked off the waiver wire in November is starting at this point, so Johnny Manziel's presence is a welcome change.
For now, we sit and watch the Browns lose out, inevitably draft Joey Bosa and ruin his career in the process before it ever really gets off the ground. Perhaps Bosa will share a locker room with fellow Buckeye Terrelle Pryor. Whoever is Cleveland's next GM will have to see more from Pryor before deciding to keep him on the roster, however.
Pryor dressed in last week's win over the 49ers but was not targeted by Manziel. Future former Browns coach Mike Pettine made more of an effort to get Pryor the ball against the Seahawks. Unfortunately, he ripped a play straight from Tim Beck's playbook: a direct snap to Pryor, who faked a pass, and ran into several Seattle defenders on the perimeter for a loss of one yard.
Otherwise, Manziel targeted Pryor twice and the former OSU QB dropped one of them. At least Pryor proved he's almost as functional at wide receiver as Dwayne Bowe.
A Mea Culpa
Apologies for not referencing Christian Bryant and Doug Worthington in this weekly piece until now. As my friend Jimmy – the only remaining Rams fan on the planet – alerted me, both happen to infrequently make plays for St. Louis.
The Rams recently activated Worthington from the practice squad after placing stud defensive end Robert Quinn on injured reserve. You probably missed it, but in Thursday night's game against the Buccaneers, Worthington jumped on a Doug Martin fumble. It was his first recorded stat since 2012 when he was with Washington.
Play of the Week
Kurt Coleman did not pick off a pass for the first time since week nine. His Buckeye teammates, per usual, made strong cases for the week's top play.
Ted Ginn hauled in two touchdowns – a sliding, three-yard catch and one on a significantly easier screen pass. Corey "Philly" Brown had the most impressive TD grab of the game, in my opinion:
Le TD de Corey Brown ! pic.twitter.com/bBgROsE8ny
— NFL France (@NFLFrance) December 20, 2015
How They Fared in Week 15
| Player | Team | Position | Stats/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Adams | Pittsburgh Steelers | OL | Won't play in 2015 but expected to return to team in 2016 |
| Will Allen | Pittsburgh Steelers | S | Team-leading 6 tackles, forced fumble in win over Broncos |
| Michael Bennett | Jacksonville Jaguars | DT | 1 tackle for loss in loss to Falcons |
| Alex Boone | San Francisco 49ers | OL | Out for season due to MCL sprain |
| Philly Brown | Carolina Panthers | WR/KR/PR | 3 receptions, 51 yards, 1 touchdown in win over Giants |
| Christian Bryant | St. Louis Rams | ST/DB | Participated on special teams in win over Bucs |
| Kurt Coleman | Carolina Panthers | S | 13 tackles, 1 for loss, no interceptions in win over Giants |
| Nate Ebner | New England Patriots | DB/ST | 1 tackle in win over Titans |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | Carolina Panthers | WR | 3-yard TD and 14-yard TD in win over Giants |
| Doran Grant | Pittsburgh Steelers | CB | Active, fans clamoring for more of him in win over Broncos |
| Johnathan Hankins | New York Giants | DT | On IR due to torn pectoral muscle |
| Brian Hartline | Cleveland Browns | WR | On IR due to broken collarbone |
| A.J. Hawk | Cincinnati Bengals | LB | 2 tackles in playoff-clinching win over 49ers |
| Boom Herron | Indianapolis Colts | RB | 1 reception, 6 yards in loss to Texans |
| Cameron Heyward | Pittsburgh Steelers | DE | 2 tackles, 1 sack in win over Broncos |
| Carlos Hyde | San Francisco 49ers | RB | Placed on IR due to foot injury |
| Malcolm Jenkins | Philadelphia Eagles | S | 7 tackles in loss to Cardinals |
| James Laurinaitis | St. Louis Rams | LB | 6 tackles in win over Bucs |
| Corey Linsley | Green Bay Packers | C | Active but did not start for Packers in win over Raiders |
| Nick Mangold | New York Jets | C | Coaxed a school girl-like scream out of Ryan Fitzpatrick after win over Cowboys |
| Jake McQuaide | St. Louis Rams | LS | Rams awarded him the "Community player of the week" |
| Jack Mewhort | Indianapolis Colts | OL | Colts offense remains banged up and struggled in loss to Texans |
| Andrew Norwell | Carolina Panthers | OL | No longer among top two at his position in Pro Bowl voting |
| Mike Nugent | Cincinnati Bengals | K | Kicked 1 field goal, 2 extra points in win over 49ers |
| Terrelle Pryor | Cleveland Browns | WR | A direct-snap rush for a 1-yard loss, targeted twice in loss to Seahawks |
| Bradley Roby | Denver Broncos | CB | 5 tackles, 1 stiff arm to the dome in loss to Steelers |
| Ryan Shazier | Pittsburgh Steelers | LB | 6 tackles, 3 passes defended, clutch 4th quarter INT in win over Broncos |
| John Simon | Houston Texans | LB | 3 tackles, 1 sack in win over Colts |
| Devin Smith | New York Jets | WR | On IR due to torn ACL |
| Rod Smith | Dallas Cowboys | RB | Active but did not record a carry in loss to Jets |
| Jake Stoneburner | Miami Dolphins | TE | Active but did not record a catch in loss to Chargers |
| Donte Whitner | Cleveland Browns | S | 5 tackles in loss to Seahawks |
| Doug Worthington | St. Louis Rams | DL | Fumble recovery in win over Buccaneers |
