From the start of his playing days at Texas A&M, Manziel developed a cult following. He was easily the most exciting football player in college football, because not even he knew what he was going to do from snap to snap. The only thing that was certain with Manziel, was unpredictability. He mastered the art of improvisation at the quarterback position, making the game more of a magic show. He dazzled with a flair that could rival Houdini. Manziel created masterpieces amongst chaos, breaking the record for total offense in a season in the storied Southeastern Conference (SEC). Game after game Manziel racked up yards and touchdowns galore in what became a Heisman Trophy campaign. Johnny Football was on top of the college football world, becoming the first player to win the Heisman trophy as a freshman. Manziel did what had never been done.
Fast forward to the end of his sophomore season. Manziel decided to declare for the NFL Draft. NFL scouts and analysts begin to dissect every down Johnny Football played as an Aggie. Much like myself, they saw a heavily flawed quarterback who has tremendous athletic ability with very little use of fundamentals. He is an unfinished and unpolished player, thus increasing the risk in drafting him to be your franchise quarterback.
Johnny Manziel is a puzzle more than he is anything else right now. No one is quite certain how exactly to put him together, or how to break him down. For one, who exactly can you compare him to? Is he Michael Vick or RGIII? No, he isn't nearly as fast. Is he Ben Roethlisberger? Absolutely not, he is far too small in stature to draw that comparison. What about Andrew Luck? Wrong again, Manziel will never have the arm that Luck has. Even so, Manziel does possess some of the best assets each of these NFL quarterbacks have. Manziel remains a giant question mark or a humongous wild card, depending on your opinion of Johnny Football.
However Manziel is Johnny Football, not just another QB who isn't ready for the moment. He's more like Clark Kent heading for a phone booth. Manziel seems poised and ready for the bright lights. He attracts fans and is highly marketable. This leads people to believe he has the "it" factor; a false intangible that makes people think he can do more than the game film shows. Some scouts throw out my favorite useless buzzword next; upside. Manziel is flawed but he has tremendous upside. I've always been of the mindset that upside doesn't win games, but it will help you sleep at night. I'm all for players improving and realizing their full potential, but I'd never bet the farm on it. That is unless I work for a team that is starved for a superstar, desperate to sell tickets, and clamoring to be relevant again. Enter the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns are one of the most unspectacular organizations in professional sports. The sun rises and sets each year on an NFL season, and the Browns haven't moved from the spot they are standing in. No casual sports conversation includes the phrase, "You know, this year you really need to look out for Cleveland. The Browns have something going on over there!" The team has been an NFL afterthought for more years than I care to count. One common denominator that could explain their struggles is poor quarterback play over a long period of time.
In a rare moment of brilliance or another in the long line of mental lapses, the Cleveland Browns drafted Johnny Football. Immediately season tickets are being snatched up in Cleveland and Manziel hasn't even put his 2014 NFL Draft cap on his head. At this moment one thought dawned on me...
For the past 4 months there have been hundreds of esteemed sports journalists, beat writers, NFL scouts, and so on, crushing Johnny Manziel and proclaiming that he is the next big disappointment whose game cannot translate to the NFL. What if they're wrong? It wouldn't be the first time they were wrong about a player. What if the naysayers are all Johnny Football needs as motivation to become the savior of the Browns? Few things are as powerful as a coalition of naysayers. In my own life I've been motivated by people telling me I can't.
The truth is Johnny Football cannot exist in the NFL. He needs to mature, and learn a lot about football of the highest order. He'll need to slide and run out of bounds to avoid taking punishment. He'll need to minimize high risk decisions and take what defenses give him on more plays. His footwork will need to improve greatly in the pocket. But mostly, just let the kid grow up a little. I've come full circle on Manziel and now I believe in the player he could become. Johnny Football will succeed the day that he starts saying, "Call me John."
