Soon to be ex-Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel, who is slowly ruining his life out step at a time. (Source: Ron Schwane/AP)
Yep, it is going to be another story about Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. If you do not watch ESPN, then you are missing out on the nearly constant coverage of Manziel’s NFL career, if you can even call it a career. They would have you think that he is making the Browns relevant in the NFL again, something not accomplished since Derek Anderson led Cleveland to a 10-6 record and just missing a postseason berth way back in 2007. Since then, Cleveland has had double digit losses in seven of the past eight seasons since that 10-6 year. Brady Quinn, Seneca Wallace, Colt McCoy, Brandon Weeden, Thad Lewis, Bruce Gradkowski, Ken Dorsey, Jason Campbell, Jake Delhomme, Connor Shaw, and Brian Hoyer have all started at least once for the Browns in that timeframe, which tells you something about the QB situation in Cleveland. No, but Johnny Manziel was drafted in 2014 and Browns fans wanted to see him as the starter, so badly that they drove Hoyer out of town. Hoyer’s record in the 16 games he started for the Browns? 10-6, so it is apparent why Cleveland fans were so vocal about wanting Manziel to take the starting job away from Hoyer. Hoyer is now a Houston Texan and had a pretty decent season, excluding that putrid performance in the Wild Card game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Manziel has been hyped by the media ever since his high school days at Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas, where his skills as a dual-threat quarterback made him a legend, leading fans to give him the moniker we all know him as in ‘Johnny Football.’ Manziel was recruited by both major programs, like the Baylor Bears and the Stanford Cardinal, and small programs, like the Rice Owls and the Wyoming Cowboys. He committed to play for the Oregon Ducks before changing his mind and choosing the Texas A&M Aggies. Ducks coach Chip Kelly was probably not thrilled with the change, but considering he also recruited a quarterback named Marcus Mariota, he probably thought it was okay. By the time his freshman season concluded, Manziel became the first freshman ever to win the Heisman Trophy and got the Aggies back on the national stage. His sophomore season did not provide the same sparks that his freshman year, so Manziel decided to go pro. The Browns selected him with the 22nd overall pick, and here we are with Manziel on the Browns and ESPN loving every minute of it.
Former Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow got the same amount of media coverage Johnny Manziel has gotten, but he has been the complete opposite of Manziel. (Source: The Associated Press)
ESPN is primarily the major problem as to why the public loathe Johnny Football. If you know ESPN like I do, they will latch on to a team or player and never shut up about them. 2014 alone saw Derek Jeter’s final season in baseball, Alex Rodriguez suspended for the entire season, the final season of LeBron James as a member of the Miami Heat, and the Kentucky Wildcats make a stunning run to the NCAA Tournament Championship Game. Anything Yankees, LeBron, or Southeastern Conference sports will automatically get intense coverage, even if there are other teams or players doing far better than them. Manziel’s flashy personality, coupled with being a star quarterback in the SEC was perfect for ESPN to fawn over for countless amounts of hours. The potential of Manziel being the savior for the pitiful Browns, who have had only two winning seasons since returning to Cleveland in 1999 and one lone postseason appearance in 2002, was icing on the ESPN coverage cake. The instant connection to former Florida Gator and Denver Bronco Tim Tebow instantly came about. Remember Tim Tebow? The quarterback who led Florida to two national championships and was drafted 25th overall by Denver in 2010 only to fizzle out of the NFL by 2013? ESPN could not get enough of the guy, to the point where it was endless coverage whether Tebow was make the practice squad of both the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. However, like Manziel now, the constant coverage led Bronco fans to actively campaigning for Tebow to start over Kyle Orton. That ended in 2012 when the Broncos signed Peyton Manning. Smart decision on their part.
We are now in a situation where, rather than discuss how likely Manziel’s NFL career is close to the end, we are forced to look at his off-the-field problems. Apparently, dating back to his Aggie days, Manziel has always had some problems with the law. Disorderly conduct, failure to identify, and presenting a fictitious license were the charges he faced before his first game for Texas A&M. Getting kicked out of the Manning Passing Academy, getting kicked out of a fraternity party at the University of Texas, and the questioning of whether Manziel accepted money in exchange for signed memorabilia were many troubles Manziel faced in college. 2015 saw Manziel enter rehab for alcohol addiction, only for video to surface of him partying in November. 2016 has seen Manziel try to get into Las Vegas with a fake blonde wig and sunglasses after he was diagnosed with a concussion, neglect to show up to the Cleveland facility to get concussion tests, his agent and marketing agency both dropping him as a client, and, perhaps the most damning, an investigation regarding domestic violence claims from Manziel’s ex-girlfriend. All these problems have occurred in just a three and a half year span, which is absolutely insane for just one guy. That being said, Manziel is part of the NFL, where being a responsible adult comes heavily into play. There have been countless times where players have come into legal problems and have paid the price for those transgressions. Remember Ray Rice? He has been essentially blackballed by the NFL and is now considered toxic to most teams. Of course, you have the exceptions, like former Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy, who was found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, which led to Carolina washing their hands of Hardy, only for the Dallas Cowboys to snatch him up and give him another shot.
Manziel has been in the media spotlight for his whole college career and now his NFL career and is being treated as if he is the next Joe Montana or something. The endless debates regarding Manziel is at a point where it becomes comical how much coverage he gets, which is pretty intense when you consider Manziel is still a 23-year old kid. Tim Tebow got the same media treatment when he was breaking out in the NFL, except it became quickly apparent that, when teams figured out Tebow’s style of play, he became the mediocre quarterback we know now. Manziel has had the same brief flashes of brilliance like Tebow, except there is more highlights of Manziel the terrible quarterback than Manziel the skilled quarterback. Tebow was the good Christian player who never did a negative thing off the field while Manziel is the party boy who is in a complete freefall. When your father says that he will not live to see his 24th birthday, the alarms should be blaring at full volume. Manziel has yet to hear those alarms, because he knows the media loves every minute of his antics, so why stop?
orr sports 