The only way Johnny Manziel can be a successful NFL quarterback is by dropping his alter-ego, Johnny Football. Finally back on the practice field after an offseason visit at a drug rehabilitation center, Manziel has a new lease on life as well as his NFL future.
Johnny Football
The undeserved moniker, Johnny Football, must symbolize the old Johnny Manziel. Johnny Football wasn’t a pro-ready signal-caller. His Texas A&M highlight reel (which largely resembled a chicken running around with its head cut off) could never translate to the NFL. Johnny Football unabashedly rubbed his “money fingers” together at every opportunity. And Johnny Football partied way too much, whether with Gronk and a harem of bikini-clad ladies in Las Vegas or being photographed with a rolled-up bill in a sketchy bathroom.
Johnny Football’s abysmal rookie season was only overshadowed by a litany of immature off-field antics. Johnny Football was a celebrity, the professional athlete equivalent of Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian. He wasn’t a true NFL quarterback.
But Manziel has the opportunity to leave Johnny Football behind in 2015.
Johnny Manziel
It seems (so far, anyway) that Mr. Manziel has matured since his treatment and has vastly improved his off-field decision-making. He sold his downtown apartment for a quieter life on a golf course. After the first practice of 2015 Manziel declined to talk to the media. And there are reports that Manziel will be under-the-wing of LeBron James’ longtime friend and business partner, Maverick Carter.
Those are all good signs. Manziel needs to keep his head down. He needs to avoid the spotlight rather than seek it. He’s not a celebrity like he was in college. As of right now, he’s teetering on the brink of being an NFL bust. He must work on himself, his maturity, his decision-making, his rehabilitation program, and if he ever wants to have a substantial NFL career he has to put in the most work on the field.
Can Johnny Manziel ever become a successful NFL quarterback?
In short—the jury is still out. But Manziel’s NFL fate rests entirely in his hands.
Here’s the other thing: Johnny Manziel isn’t the most physically gifted quarterback. He doesn’t have the speed of Michael Vick. And he certainly doesn’t have the size of Cam Newton. He can’t be an effective running quarterback like he was at Texas A&M. Manziel needs to aspire to be similar to other undersized quarterbacks like Drew Brees or Russell Wilson. But the way things stand right now: Manziel isn’t worthy of carrying Brees’ or Wilson’s pads to the team bus.
Not only does Manziel need to lock himself in the film room when he’s not on the field, but he must focus on learning the playbook, something that didn’t interest Johnny Football. Other than a handful of designed quarterback running plays, Russell Wilson only scrambles out of pure necessity. Manziel needs to understand that an NFL offense is a methodically designed unit from the blocking assignments of the linemen to the routes of the wide receivers, and if Manziel defaults to running around like a beheaded chicken, he’ll never have on-field success.
Hopefully for the Browns, and Johnny Manziel’s future, Johnny Football is gone forever. And hopefully Mr. Manziel realizes that he won’t get many more mulligans.
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