Pelissero: Season may end like it began for Johnny Manziel

Of all the questions about Johnny Manziel coming out of Texas A&M, this was at or near the top of every NFL scout's list:

What happens when Manziel gets chased – and inevitably hit – by bigger, stronger, faster players than he ever faced in college?

His second NFL start ended Sunday with a bone-rattling shot from Carolina Panthers safety Colin Jones, who tattooed Manziel on a designed run around left end late in the first half.

The Browns announced Manziel was questionable to return with a hamstring injury and he didn't take another snap in the 17-13 loss to, finishing 3-of-8 passing for 32 yards.

"Never had anything like this," Manziel said of the injury, "so it's really new to me and really frustrating because I think I've put in two really, really good weeks of practice and really (have been) working extremely hard to get on top of this stuff and I want to be out there with those guys."

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Deposed starter Brian Hoyer took over an offense that managed all of two first downs and about 8½ minutes of possession on the way to a 10-3 halftime deficit.

One of those first downs came on a 28-yard strike up the seam from Manziel to Andrew Hawkins. The other came on a penalty. Twice, the Browns went three-and-out.

The Browns' first drive ended with the (slightly under) 6-foot, 210-pound Manziel trying and failing to turn the corner on a scramble against 320-pound Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. Jones and Linebacker Luke Kuechly both beat Manziel to the spot on the play that finished him off.

Those aren't great signs for a quarterback who always has thrived on his ability to make something out of nothing, even if these final three games never were going to be a final referendum on Manziel's future.

The Browns always figured to take a hard look at their plans for the most important position after the season. Hoyer -- who threw an 81-yard touchdown to Jordan Cameron and an interception in relief Sunday -- can become a free agent in March. He was awful in the three games preceding his benching and probably would've been replaced sooner if Manziel were deemed ready.

Instead, coach Mike Pettine waited until the Browns' playoff hopes hung by a thread to turn to Manziel, who looked like a work in progress to say the least in a shade under six quarters as the starter before Jones' hit and the hamstring ran him off.

"Offensively, not near good enough to win in this league," Pettine said of the Browns' fourth consecutive loss. "We made the one big play, but other than that, we never really seemed to get in much of a rhythm."

Depending on recovery time and what Pettine decides to do next week at Baltimore, the final image of Manziel's rookie season may be a lot like the rest of it: standing on the sideline, towel over his head, watching Hoyer try to lead a rally.

The Browns traded up to take Manziel at No. 22 overall in May's draft. They're unlikely to give up on Manziel based on such limited game action. They're also unlikely to hand him the job entering an offseason where his study (and party) habits figure to be scrutinized more than ever.

"I want to be the guy," Manziel said. "That's what I want to do and that's what I want to be for this organization."

And in the back of everyone's heads will remain the same question about whether Manziel is built to take those shots, or can play fast enough to avoid them.

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Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero