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Draft Johnny Manziel Based On Skills, Not Dollar Bills
BY ROB PHILLIPS on JANUARY 12, 2014
This message isn’t really for the Cowboys, who already have a nine-figure sum devoted to the sport’s most important position for as long as Tony Romo’s bad back holds up.
This message is for perpetually terrible teams with bored fans and blah mainstream appeal without a franchise quarterback who sells tickets, jerseys, and best of all, and hope.
To the Browns, Jaguars, Raiders, Bucs, et al: don’t draft Johnny Manziel because you believe he’ll make you money. Draft him because you believe he’ll win you football games.
I keep seeing and hearing comments that Manziel is a marketing dream for a ghost town like Jacksonville, which outsources one home game a year to another country and can’t fill its own stadium the other seven games. Even the Texans, a much more stable organization that endured an unprecedented 14-game losing streak after a 2-0 start, might see an attractive Texas tie-in to Johnny Football with Reliant Stadium only 90 miles from Kyle Field in College Station.
Be careful, Bob McNair. Think hard, Shahid Khan. Don’t put on your GM hat just because you see dollar signs. Don’t plot a five-year course for your franchise based solely on endorsements and “JFF” t-shirts.
Most teams know better, but the NFL is, above all, an $11 billion business. Manziel offers a unique package: Pro Bowl potential with a built-in, LeBron-approved brand.
Now comes the real question: can he play?
Oh, hell yeah he can. He’s a 190-pound Tasmanian Devil – the only guy who’s ever scrambled around a collapsing pocket for five seconds, performed a running Karate Kid crane kick into his left guard’s butt, bounced off, rolled left and lofted a 25-yard touchdown pass.
That play, and that collective final college performance against Duke on New Year’s Eve, encapsulated the Johnny Football legend: the Romo-like improvisation, the Vick-like elusiveness, the Brady-like competitive spirit. He won over a lot of critics, including me, for his leadership during A&M’s epic comeback and his under-the-radar behavior all season following an embarrassing Heisman Trophy victory lap.
But, for all his pros, many cons encircle Manziel. Questions remain about his arm strength and his attitude. Can he make all the throws into tighter windows? Is he more interested in being Broadway John?
I’m no scout, but I have watched every Texas A&M game for the last two years. Size is my biggest concern. The comparisons to Russell Wilson are only partially accurate; there’s a big difference between “height” and “frame.” Wilson’s built like a truck. Manziel has shoulders like a stockbrocker. He’s frail, and he won’t be able to outrun linebackers like he did in the SEC. Like RG3, he must learn to stay in the pocket more than he’d like, which re-raises the arm strength question.
Teddy Bridgewater appears to be the NFL Draft’s most ready quarterback. Blake Bortles is the current “it” prospect. But Manziel is the most intriguing player in years.
How high will a team take him?
The decision must be based on skills, not dollar bills.
BY ROB PHILLIPS on JANUARY 12, 2014
This message isn’t really for the Cowboys, who already have a nine-figure sum devoted to the sport’s most important position for as long as Tony Romo’s bad back holds up.
This message is for perpetually terrible teams with bored fans and blah mainstream appeal without a franchise quarterback who sells tickets, jerseys, and best of all, and hope.
To the Browns, Jaguars, Raiders, Bucs, et al: don’t draft Johnny Manziel because you believe he’ll make you money. Draft him because you believe he’ll win you football games.
I keep seeing and hearing comments that Manziel is a marketing dream for a ghost town like Jacksonville, which outsources one home game a year to another country and can’t fill its own stadium the other seven games. Even the Texans, a much more stable organization that endured an unprecedented 14-game losing streak after a 2-0 start, might see an attractive Texas tie-in to Johnny Football with Reliant Stadium only 90 miles from Kyle Field in College Station.
Be careful, Bob McNair. Think hard, Shahid Khan. Don’t put on your GM hat just because you see dollar signs. Don’t plot a five-year course for your franchise based solely on endorsements and “JFF” t-shirts.
Most teams know better, but the NFL is, above all, an $11 billion business. Manziel offers a unique package: Pro Bowl potential with a built-in, LeBron-approved brand.
Now comes the real question: can he play?
Oh, hell yeah he can. He’s a 190-pound Tasmanian Devil – the only guy who’s ever scrambled around a collapsing pocket for five seconds, performed a running Karate Kid crane kick into his left guard’s butt, bounced off, rolled left and lofted a 25-yard touchdown pass.
That play, and that collective final college performance against Duke on New Year’s Eve, encapsulated the Johnny Football legend: the Romo-like improvisation, the Vick-like elusiveness, the Brady-like competitive spirit. He won over a lot of critics, including me, for his leadership during A&M’s epic comeback and his under-the-radar behavior all season following an embarrassing Heisman Trophy victory lap.
But, for all his pros, many cons encircle Manziel. Questions remain about his arm strength and his attitude. Can he make all the throws into tighter windows? Is he more interested in being Broadway John?
I’m no scout, but I have watched every Texas A&M game for the last two years. Size is my biggest concern. The comparisons to Russell Wilson are only partially accurate; there’s a big difference between “height” and “frame.” Wilson’s built like a truck. Manziel has shoulders like a stockbrocker. He’s frail, and he won’t be able to outrun linebackers like he did in the SEC. Like RG3, he must learn to stay in the pocket more than he’d like, which re-raises the arm strength question.
Teddy Bridgewater appears to be the NFL Draft’s most ready quarterback. Blake Bortles is the current “it” prospect. But Manziel is the most intriguing player in years.
How high will a team take him?
The decision must be based on skills, not dollar bills.
