Johnny Manziel critic wears orange tie in nod to Browns QB — PHOTO
Johnny Manziel not only led the Browns to a 28-14 win Sunday over the Tennessee Titans, but the Cleveland quarterback also gained the upper hand in his war of words with ESPN analyst Merril Hoge.
Hoge has bashed “Johnny Football” since Cleveland selected him in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, when he called the Heisman Trophy winner “a juvenile punk.” Hoge continued his assault on the former Texas A&M star following his performance in the Browns’ season-opening 31-10 loss to the New York Jets.
“He’s so sloppy fundamentally,” Hoge said. “He was reckless at A&M, he’s reckless in the NFL. … He’s not gotten better in two years.”
Asked about Hoge’s comments Friday, Manziel took them in stride while mocking Hoge’s questionable fashion sense.
“I think Merril Hoge needs to worry about his big neckties more than anything,” Manziel cracked.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter agreed, tweeting, “We’ve been telling him the same thing for years!”
Hoge, who often sports huge Windsor knots in his ties, vowed to dress accordingly if Manziel played well against the Titans. After Manziel threw a pair of key touchdown passes to propel the Browns to victory, his agent, Erik Burkhardt, sent Hoge an emoji on Twitter that featured a winking face giving a kiss.
On Monday, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm posted a picture of Hoge, a former Pittsburgh Steelers running back, wearing Cleveland colors with an orange tie.
“Heads up regarding @merrilhoge neckwear… He said if @JManziel2 played well he would dress accordingly,” Storm wrote.
Hoge even went so far as to say Manziel should “without a doubt” start for the Browns on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.
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