National Football League

Joe Thomas: Manziel's commitment 'night and day' from 2014

Published Apr. 29, 2015 8:25 a.m. ET

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Johnny Manziel received a ton of criticism for his perceived lack of work ethic during his rookie year in 2014. Even his own star perennial Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas said Manziel "lost probably a lot of trust" in the locker room by the way he conducted himself during his brief tenure as the Browns starting quarterback last year.

Well, Thomas appears to be coming around when it comes to the controversial quarterback.

"Towards the end of the season, even when he wasn't there, obviously, missing meetings and practice and things like that, it's just little things, and when you're a quarterback it's the little things that are the most important," Thomas said on NFL Network. "I think those were the things that were apparent by the end of the year, and I think he saw them in himself based on the things that he said right after the season and the steps and the actions that he took in January, February and March.

"To see the guy in the building right now is night and day from where he was last year in his commitment, and I think he has a bright future ahead of him."

Manziel was discharged from a treatment facility earlier this month after a 2-1/2-month stay. In a released statement, he said he took "full responsibility for my actions" and added that he intends to "work very hard to regain everyone's trust and respect."

Manziel appears to have turned a corner off the field, but will that translate to success on the field? As a rookie, Manziel completed only 51 percent of his attempts for 175 yards and two interceptions before suffering a season-ending hamstring injury.