Johnny Manziel

Johnny Manziel has made progress as an NFL quarterback, but many questions remain unanswered.

(AP)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After suffering a concussion in last Sunday's loss in Kansas City, Johnny Manziel's season is over.

So what do we really know about the young quarterback and his future with the Browns?

Not all that much that is definitive.

THE GOOD STUFF

1. At this point a year ago, he was out for the season with a leg injury. Given a chance to start near the end of the 2014 season, he lasted a grand total of six horrid quarters before he was hurt.

2. In those six quarters, the Browns offense managed five (non-penalty) first downs and three points. Manziel was overwhelmed by the speed of the game and under-prepared for the mental demands of being an NFL quarterback.

3. By the end of the 2014 season, there were legitimate reasons to doubt him having any type of NFL future.

4. That has changed. Unless Manziel has some off-field disasters in his personal life, he can be an NFL quarterback. He has gained the confidence of his teammates by putting in the work to learn offenses, blocking schemes and the mental part of the game.

5. Unlike 2014, when Manziel was on the field, his team was lined up correctly. He was in charge of the huddle. He played with some confidence and spirit that was appreciated by his teammates.

6. Until Manziel came to the Browns, he never had a real playbook. He almost never took a snap directly under center. He played a lot of spread offense with plenty of freedom and improvisation in his two seasons at Texas A&M. So he had a lot to learn about the basics of the NFL game. He didn't put in the work to learn it in 2014. He did this season. He even was 21-of-36 passing with a touchdown when not in the shotgun.

7. If the Browns cut Manziel tomorrow, several teams would want him. Not all would consider him a starter, but he is viable NFL quarterback.

8. Manziel made real progress in 2015. But it's also hard to project him as a long-term NFL starter.

THE NEGATIVES

1. For the second year in a row, his season ended with an injury. Coach Mike Pettine mentioned that he didn't want Manziel running "10-12" times a game because of the risk of injury. Manziel rushed for 108 yards in 11 carries in the 17-13 loss to the Chiefs. But he also took several very hard hits.

2. Until the Chiefs game, Manziel was pretty wise about running and avoiding contact. But he was having such trouble with the wind (28 mph gusts) and the cold weather (26 degree wind chill), that his passing suffered. He was 13-of-32, and several of his throws just fluttered. That led to him trying to keep the offense going with his legs.

3. It was disturbing to see Manziel having so much trouble throwing in the windy conditions. This has been an unusually warm and good weather football season for the Browns. That changed Sunday, and Manziel struggled.

4. In his last two games on the road against playoff teams, Manziel was only 32-of-64 passing in Seattle and Kansas City. The Browns offense scored one touchdown in each game. Manziel didn't rattle with the crowd noise. He was in control of the offense in terms of having his teammates set up properly. He just didn't throw often down field, nor was he very accurate.

5. Manziel was 1-of-9 passing for 11 yards when facing the blitz in Kansas City. He was 3-of-9 passing on throws of 11-20 yards in Seattle. He attempted only one throw of at least 20 yards in Seattle. Manziel obviously was hampered by a lack of playmakers, but it's also true that veteran Josh McCown squeezed more out of the offense than Manziel.

6. Manziel's best game was in Pittsburgh in a 30-9 loss. He was 33-of-45 passing for 373 yards. Travis Benjamin dropped one touchdown pass. It appeared Manziel scrambled for a TD, but he was ruled down on the 1-yard line. So the offense could have put up more points in that game. Manziel threw very well from the pocket and stayed out of danger when he did run.

7. Manziel completed only 58 percent of his passes this season. That ranks 32nd in the NFL. It's not good enough.

8. But Manziel never had another game against a good team as he did in Pittsburgh. He was benched for the games against Baltimore and Cincinnati. Pettine was sending Manziel a message about off-field activity with that action. It would have been productive to see Manziel in those games.

9. The off-field parties are a problem for a guy who spent 77 days in a rehabilitation center early in 2014. Pettine talked about "trust issues." Those are real concerns.

10. But from the cold-hearted world of the NFL, the first question is this: "Can Manziel play in the NFL?" The answer is yes, but his role is uncertain.

BOTTOM LINE

1. For the Browns and their fans, the encouraging part of this season is Manziel can no longer be considered a draft disaster. He can play in the NFL for several years if he stays healthy and if he doesn't do something off the field to cause problems.

2. Since we don't know who will be the general manager or coach next season, it's hard to know what is Manziel's future. A new front office may not want to deal with the off-field baggage combined with some obvious holes in his game.

3. The 6-foot Manziel still has problems seeing over the line at times. He is an effective runner, but that makes him vulnerable to injury.

4. When Manziel is playing well, he reminds me of the best of Jeff Garcia. It took years for Garcia to learn how to adapt his scrambling style to the NFL. He first played in Canada before sticking in the NFL at the age of 29 with San Francisco. He then had a 10-year career, including a stop in Cleveland.

5. It's hard to know how fast Manziel can develop or if he has the physical tools to consistently throw from pocket, where about 90 percent of NFL passes are thrown. Then he also has maturity issues.

6. Watching Manziel this season just makes me wish he had played more games. Of course, he's partly to blame for that. He was in the same 2014 quarterback class as Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr. Those three did nothing to torpedo their careers, as Manziel did to a large part in 2014 ... and to a lesser extent this season. His pro career consists of eight starts, six this season. And he's playing for a bad team. It's so difficult to draw any major conclusions about him other than he's not elite ... and he's not a major draft bust.