Johnny Manziel, a.k.a Johnny Football, is a personality the game has never seen before. But his recent actions and current situation with the Clevelend Browns make him an easy target for critics, to say the least. He has a lot to learn, as he's already gotten himself in trouble with the Brown's organization. Can Manziel overcome his childishness or will he be forever tainted by his frat-boy attitude?
Manziel started out as a back-up quarterback behind Ryan Tannehill at Texas A&M (fins up), as he was redshirted for his freshman season in 2011. When Tannehill (fins up, again) left for the NFL after that 2011 season, Manziel came in and scooped up the starting job as the Aggies quarterback.
The rest is history...
He torched college football in 2012 and captured the attention of millions for his outstanding playmaking ability and his off-the-field antics. People loved him, people hated him. Regardless, his on-the-field playmaking abilities won him a Heisman trophy, rightfully so.
This was his 2012 Heisman trophy winning season statistics:
295/434 on 68% completion rate, 3,706 passing yards on 26 TD and 9 INT, 155.3 passer rating, 201 rushing attempts on 1,410 yards thus 7 yards per carry with 21 rushing touchdowns.
I could get into how good that is by comparing his numbers to past Heisman winners but that's an entire other entity that I will delve into at another time (maybe).
After that spectacular 2012 season, Manziel decided to stay at A&M for one more season. In 2013 he torched college football again...some say he had a better season in 2013 than he did in 2012. He was the best player in college football two years in a row, anyone who knows the game knows that. But the Heisman trophy in 2013 was given to a crab-thief by the name of Jameis Winston. To prove he was the best, take a look at this chart listing the 2013 Heisman trophy finalists numbers.
Manziel has it. And by it I mean the ability to make football look easy.
However, despite his insane football abilities, it seems that what he has on the field, he lacks off the field. Half of the persona of Johnny Football comes from his off the field actions. He has been in quite a few incidents away from the game. In 2012, Manziel tried to stop a fight between a friend and a random person. After the police arrived, Manziel was arrested for showing the cop his fake ID. This was before he even played a single college football game. During the 2013 offseason, Manziel overslept at the Manning Passing Academy and ended up bailing early. He also tweeted he that he couldn't wait to leave A&M after receiving a parking ticket. He was then seen with a Texas Longhorn tattoo on his abdomen and he was kicked out of a University of Texas frat party. And to top it all off, he was being investigated for receiving illegal payments for signing autographs.
This, combined with his spectacular football abilities, is the real reason Manziel has become more of a celebrity than a football player.
At 20 years old, Manziel is doing what every man dreams of. Playing sports with his bro's, being frat, and getting paid. How could I hate on that?
Despite my personal opinions, people do hate on that. People who gave him a free pass in college are no longer giving it to him anymore in the NFL.
Manziel was drafted 22 overall by the Cleveland Brown's. Since he's been in the NFL, his off the field actions have greatly outweighed his on the field ones (so far). He lost the starting job to Brian Hoyer (who?) and was seen making obscene gestures to the sidelines one game this preseason.
Right now, he is a villain. And that is a fact.
The real question is, can Manziel get his priorities in tact before he destroys his chances in the NFL? Only time will tell.
As Harvey Dent says it, "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain"
And although this quote doesn't directly apply to Manziel, the underlying message does. It's something he should keep in mind before he gets into his next bar fight, or before he says something obnoxious, or before he gets arrested, or before he does Molly at the Kentucky Derby (hey, Wes!).
Come on, Johnny Football. Start playing football and get your act together or before you know it your career will look something like that of Tim Tebow.
