Cleveland Browns wide receiver Nate Burleson has insisted that Johnny Manziel will be a success in the NFL despite not being named as the club's starter for the 2014 season.
Brian Hoyer was chosen ahead of Manziel to be the Browns' signal caller for the upcoming campaign after outperforming the 21-year-old during training camp and their pre-season matches.
"Johnny's still the man. He's still a really good quarterback. He's an NFL-quality starting quarterback. Johnny being the number two, as you want to call it, we got arguably the best number two in the NFL," Burleson told the Akron Beacon Journal.
"Johnny will be successful in this league. He'll have his opportunities. Regardless of how many chances he'll get or waves of opportunities he gets, he's going to take advantage of them.
"It's not a bad thing for him to be the number two in week one. He is a rookie, still has a lot to learn and to do as a professional and as a player when it comes to the playbook. He's going to be all right. I'm a Johnny Football fan."
The Browns open their 2014 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 7.
Simon Sinclair
