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Before Johnny Manziel was even drafted, everyone was talking about him. Then again with a nickname like “Johnny Football”, it seems unlikely that it wouldn’t garner attention. The attention only seemed to multiply after Manziel won the Heisman trophy thus cementing him permanently in Texas A&M history and permanently in the zeitgeist. Manziel is known as being the “party boy” of the NFL from hanging out with Drake, partying in Vegas, doing the money sign and most recently, a water bottle incident in which Manziel threw a water bottle at a fan who was harassing him.
Manziel was targeted to be one of the fresh faces of the NFL, but the draft started a slight downward slope after being picked 22nd while most mock drafts had him being picked in the top 10. Manziel ended up with the Cleveland Browns where he started only 2 games. Against the Bengals, Cleveland got a shutout and the Carolina Panthers beat the Browns by 4 which lead to a further downward spiral. Manziel didn’t start any other games in the rest of the season, but he certainly wasn’t out of the spotlight either. Once the offseason started, Manziel checked himself into a rehabilitation facility to take care of “personal issues” and was released 10 weeks later, “a changed man”.
One question that is on everyone’s minds though is if Manziel is actually a changed man? Did going to rehab actually help Manziel? While Manziel and the Browns staff are the only ones who have a true answer, it’s never too early to speculate on Manziel. Manziel seemed to be on the right path, staying out of the spotlight until the water bottle incident which started a whole new scandal. After last season, it seems doubtful that he will end up becoming the overnight sensation that ESPN had predicted him to be and all of the evidence is pointing to that.
I hate making comparisons in sports because I like to see each player as their own. However, when I see Manziel, one name comes to mind. Tim Tebow. If Manziel could compare to any other quarterback, Tebow would be my number one choice. First, Tebow and Manziel basically had/have the same amount of celebrity from their success in college along with their Heisman Trophies along with Manning Awards too. Tebow and Manziel are also both cash cows because everyone wants them to endorse their products or wants their name attached to anything and everything. Tebow and Manziel both have unique but very opposite personas that they show to the public which either gives them, fans or haters along with their overwhelming confidence in their own performances. The one thing that is uncertain though is their success in the NFL because at this point, Manziel hasn’t had much and Tebow had some, but it looks like Tebow and Manziel may be getting another chance now.
Johnny Manziel was not ready for the NFL. It’s as simple as that and the other teams took advantage of it. Manziel’s cocky attitude and narcissism only fueled the other players, the media and the public’s hatred for him which ended up swallowing him whole. Manziel did not and maybe still does not understand what it means to be a quarterback in the NFL especially now when quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers exist.
Regardless of comparisons and readiness though, Manziel knows what that he has to improve or he’ll lose his job (as a backup no less). Certainly it seems like Manziel could either go down in flames or he could step up and make a difference. With the way Manziel looked last season and all of the uncertainty with him, I predict a repeat performance of last season, leading to Manziel either being traded, fired or getting another job like Tebow did.
