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Tag: Johnny Football

  • Johnny Manziel: Is The Backlash Fair?

    Johnny Manziel: Is The Backlash Fair?

    Johnny “Football” Manziel’s recent behavior has been a gift to every football fan who simply can’t stand the Cleveland Browns quarterback.

    His decision to party in Las Vegas was a point of major contention over the summer.

    Despite his age and the fact that it the NFL offseason was in full swing, certain observers held an indignant stance regarding Manziel’s trip to Sin City.

    The criticism was such that Manziel felt the need to share his playbook on social media in an effort to demonstrate his ability to multitask.

    Unfortunately for Johnny Football, the flames were fanned yet again on Monday.

    The truth of the matter is that he really has no one else to blame for the new round of haterade but himself.

    Late in the third quarter of Monday night’s game versus the Washington Redskins, Manziel raised his middle finger in the direction of his opponents.

    The tense match would end with the Browns falling short in a 24-23 loss.

    Here’s the thing: The quarterback is supposed to be the leader on the field.

    The quarterback sets the tone for the game and the other players often follow. A rookie quarterback is rarely a natural leader. However with the entire NFL and its fans breathing down his neck, a new and highly scrutinized quarterback cannot afford such a “lapse in judgement”.

    That was the description used by Manziel to describe his behavior.

    It’s a hard lesson to learn, but Manziel must realize that this is a professional league that is watched around the world.

    Even though the words exchanged are often of the R-rated variety, the audience rarely ever hears what is said.

    A hand gesture? Yeah, that has staying power.

    It is something that is broadcast on television, will hit the front pages of newspapers, and will circulate throughout social media.

    A moment like that, if Manziel does not step up his game on the field, could end up as the ONLY proof of his presence in the National Football League.

    As such, Manziel must put the criticism of his behavior on the back burner. It’s a fair enough assessment that he behaved poorly.

    With the regular season quickly approaching, Manziel is going to have to roll with the punches (and sacks).

    He’s going to have to get up, dust himself off, and accept that scrutiny is inevitable. He is not expected to be perfect, but he is expected to be a better man that he showed himself to be on Monday.

    If Johnny Football begins to play as well as his supporters believe he is capable of, his “lapse” will be forgiven and forgotten.

  • Johnny Manziel Enjoyed Vegas, But Not Criticism

    Johnny Manziel is a divisive topic for many, even though the NFL rookie has yet to throw the ball once in his first game.

    It seems that he’s behaving like a football star even though he hasn’t earned the right yet.

    This is a large part of the reason Johnny Football found himself under a great deal of scrutiny over a recent trip to Sin City.

    Manziel and some close friends partied it up in Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend. Though the former Texas A&M quarterback didn’t see anything wrong with the trip, others took it as a sign he didn’t take the sport seriously.

    The indignant 21-year-old fired back with an Instagram photo of his Cleveland Browns playbook.

    Manziel insisted it was possible to both be a responsible football player and to enjoy himself at the same time.

    Hooray for multitasking!

    While some might not have been happy with Johnny Football’s Vegas vacation, there are others that were more than thrilled by his trip.

    One Las Vegas executive, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Manziel’s appearances around town were worth millions of dollars in publicity.

    “It was great for Vegas,” said the anonymous executive, “Look at how much media surrounded him since he came to town. He’s been all over ESPN and social media for three days.”

    The source gushed to the Review-Journal that Manziel was “definitely..more famous” than he initially thought and described the young quarterback as a “showman”. The exec added, “People love to follow that kind of guy. He’s Johnny Football…and he’s a nice guy.”

    Manziel introduced himself to the exec and even added his phone number to the thrilled individual’s list of contacts.

    The action suggest that despite what any negative things anyone had to say about his trip, Johnny Manziel will be returning to Las Vegas at some point.

    Image via YouTube

  • Johnny Manziel: Social Media Not Impressed By Him

    Cleveland Browns fans certainly are in the midst of “Mazielmania” following the young quarterback’s selection in the first round.

    NFL pundits are also unarguably impressed with Manziel. Much of the Draft Day discussion prior to his selection was about “Johnny Football”.

    This served to annoy non-“Johnny Football” fans or just fans of football in general who weren’t interested in the hype.

    If you happened to be anywhere near social media on the night of the first draft, the reaction to Manziel leading up to his drafting (and after) wasn’t pretty.

    The longer Manziel had to wait to be picked, the crueler the jokes got. It was clear that many people were not as impressed with the 21-year-old as you’d expect.

    I mean, he did win the Heisman Trophy. He was even the first college freshman in history to do so! Still…haters gonna hate.

    In the end, Manziel fell outside of the top 20 draft picks (some were aghast when he fell outside of the top 10) and wound up at the Browns.

    It’s anyone’s guess if the young quarterback help turn things around for one of the worst franchises in the sport.

    What I do know is that social media can be a hilarious place on Draft Day when people aren’t impressed.

    Why exactly were so many people mean about Manziel? I have a few theories.

    First there was the endless pundit praise and absolute obsession the commentators had with him being drafted. He was almost literally the ONLY draft pick that was discussed until he was picked.

    It’s as if they didn’t realize that some fans might be concerned with drafted positions that weren’t quarterbacks. Or they didn’t realize that some people either didn’t like or care about “Johnny Football” as much as they did.

    Then there is the resentment this causes. For a guy so hyped by so-called Draft Day experts, it seemed logical to expect him to be snapped up early.

    The failure of this to happen seem to exposure the fact that he was over-hyped in the minds of many. Why should football fans have one unproven player rammed down their throats?

    Finally there’s his destination: Cleveland, Ohio.

    At one point Dallas, Texas looked like a better and more logical destination.

    Despite the decision to make Romo a franchise quarterback, it’s not like he’s led the team anywhere significant. Since the 1990s, the Cowboys haven’t exactly been the team it once was. Still, at least the Cowboys can say it has a winning history.

    The Browns? Their last playoff appearance was in 2002. And don’t ask about their trophy room…

    Maybe Manziel will view this as a foot in the door. After all, if he’s impressive even if his team is not, he may find himself moving onward and upward to a better team.

    He may even win back the respect of some of the very same social media users who were doubting him.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Texas A&M Football: Johnny Manziel Prevails In His Last Game As An Aggie

    The Texas A&M football team may have looked as if they were going to lose early in the game last night, but perhaps that was just a tease for all of the fans.

    Last night’s game was a game of two halves, and while Texas A&M was not able to put up the offense that was expected in the first half, they completely turned the game around in the second half, dominating on the offensive end, and shutting down Duke defensively.

    Johnny Manziel has been in the spotlight throughout the past two years, earning himself a trip to the Heisman ceremony both years.

    Despite his successful season, he did not win this year, but he was among the top six finalists.

    The Heisman candidate of the Texas A&M Aggies certainly showed up in the second half, and gave the team a total of 52 points by the end. They edged Duke in the end with a score of 52-48 in a close, and high scoring game.

    In what is likely to be Johnny Manziel’s last game of college football, he showed up with an impressive performance and threw four touchdown passes, completed 30 of 38 passes for 382 yards and ran for 73 yards and a touchdown.

    As he knew that he may never play another college game, and with an incredible career at Texas A&M, this was clearly an important game for him. Speaking about the game, Johnny Manziel said “I was in a zone I haven’t been in before. Ever. I just wanted this game.”

    While they were forced to come back in the game, it is certainly not the first time that Johnny Football has done it. The Aggies were down 38-17, but with the help of Johnny Manziel, the teams combined to make the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl the highest-scoring game that the bowl has ever had

    Texas A&M advanced to 9-4 on the season with their bowl win, and prevented Duke from winning a bowl again. Duke has not won a bowl game since beating Arkansas 7-6 in the 1961 Cotton Bowl.

    While some people may judge Johnny Manziel’s character and say that he is too cocky as a player, he had positive things to say about Duke over twitter after the game.

    The Texas A&M defense did not stop Duke much, but that didn’t seem to matter once Johnny Manziel started showing what the team was capable of offensively. They have had one of the worst defenses throughout the season, and Texas A&M ranked last in the Southeastern Conference and 105th in the nation in total defense. They were also 88th in the nation in scoring defense.

    Johnny Manziel impressed the fans and everyone else again last night as Texas A&M piled on the points in an impressive comeback win.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Johnny Manziel Humbly Passes Heisman Trophy Torch To Jameis Winston, Gives Advice To Young Star

    Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy last year, and while he made it as one of the top 6 finalists, Jameis Winston won this year’s award in one of the biggest landslides in the history of the award.

    Winston had a commanding lead, and as the quarterback of the No.1 team in the nation, he was predicted by everyone to win the award.

    While he has been criticized for some of his off-the-field antics throughout his career, while at the same time being viewed as a celebrity in some ways.

    In this year’s presentation of the Heisman Trophy, Johnny Manziel had to sit and watch as Jameis Winston accepted the much-deserved award.

    It has been a couple of historic years in Heisman history, as Manziel became the first freshman to win the award, and now Winston has become the second. Jameis Winston is the quarterback of the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles

    As someone who knows what it is like to win the award, and how it can have an effect on a player, Johnny Football had some words of advice for the young quarterback, and other young stars as they begin to enter the spotlight.

    Speaking toward the future generation of college football stars, he said “Live it up. Enjoy it. Continue to be yourself, and don’t let anybody change you. You’re going to have to adapt to how life is going to be after this.”

    In addition to Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston, Andre Williams, Jordan Lynch, Tre Mason, and AJ McCarron were all among the top 6 players competing for the award.

    The man who has become known as simply “Johnny Football” by fans all over the country did not have the success with the Texas A&M Aggies that he would have liked, and as a result they are stuck playing against Duke in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia on December 31. A list of the full college bowl schedule can be seen here.

    Like Johnny Manziel and a few others that have come before him, Jameis Winston also faced some troubles that were not football related when he was accused of raping another student in an incident that occurred in December of 2012. The investigation was brought to the attention of the media recently, although he was not charged with the crime.

    As a third-year junior, Johnny Manziel can declare for the draft after this season, and it would be a huge surprise if he doesn’t. He will be one of the most scrutinized players going into the draft, and whether his wild style of play is able to translate into the professional league will also be put into question.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngCOQb_5COw

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Johnny Manziel Is Among Finalists For Heisman Trophy

    Once again, Johnny Manziel has secured himself a trip to New York, and is listed among the top finalists for the Heisman Trophy. He is an outstanding player that he is quick on his feet, and has a strong arm, a very threatening quarterback for any defense to face.

    One of the best quarterbacks in the league, and in the SEC, Manziel elevates himself on another level during some games, reminding fans of quarterbacks such as Cam Newton or Russell Wilson.

    He is certainly not the favorite to win the award this year, but there is always the chance of him pulling a major upset. The man who has become known as simply “Johnny Football,” joins Jameis Winston, AJ McCarron, Tre Mason, Andre Williams and Jordan Lynch as the six Heisman finalists. It is only the second time in history that the committee has been unable to eliminate the number of finalists down to five, showing how competitive the league has been this year.

    Yesterday was a big day for the post-season of college football, as the schedule of the college bowls was announced as well, telling everyone where their favorite teams would be heading including Johnny Manziel’s Texas A&M Aggies. Texas A&M will be plaiyng against Duke in the Chick-fil-A bowl on December 31st at 8 p.m.

    Jameis Winston is certainly the favorite to win the award, however Johnny Manziel has had a wildly succcesful season as well. He won the Heisman Trophy last season, and has actually been putting up more impressive numbers this season surprisingly.

    Over the 2013 season, Manziel has thrown for 3,732 yards, 33 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, while completing 69 percent of his passes. He also ran for 7 touchdowns throughout the season, and provided impressive rushing yards in each game.

    Johnny Manziel may not have beaten Alabama this year as he was able to last year, but he came very close in an incredibly exciting game that went down to the final minutes, and went in favor of the Tide, 49-42. Weeks later, he led a blowout of Vanderbilt, but in the last few games of the season they struggled to win, and hurt the team’s chances of going to a better bowl.

    Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy last year, and while it is not won by the same player two years in a row often, it has been done before. It is not likely that he will win, but he has certainly made the case for himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the league, and put up even more impressive statistics than when he won the award in 2012.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Johnny Manziel Leads Texas A&M In Rout Of Vanderbilt

    Johnny Manziel, like most weeks this season, has led the Texas A&M Aggies to another impressive victory. This week, they faced off against Vanderbilt, in the first match-up for the two schools. The man known to many as simply “Johnny Football” for his excellent skills, led the Aggies to a 56-24 victory on Saturday.

    Texas A&M defeated #1 ranked Alabama last season, and almost did it again this season, in a tough battle that went down to the final minutes. Manziel is one of the top players in college football, and already won the Hesiman Trophy after last season. He is only a sophomore, but will likely be drafted after another successful season with the team.

    There was also a small amount of doubt that Manziel would even play in their game yesterday, due to a recent injury that he had suffered. The coach had expressed doubts about his playing ability, but it seemed as if Johnny had always intended to play. He said that he was always planning to play and said, “It would take a lot to keep me off the field and away from these guys. They count on me and they expect me to be there.”

    Not only is Manziel an outstanding player on the field, but he has become well-known for his actions off the field as well. He was featured on the jumbotron during their rout of Vanderbilt in a segment that had him stating that he would most like to party with the now infamous actor Charlie Sheen and New England Patriots tight end, Rob Gronkowski.

    He also added Tiger Woods to the mix, in a video that was later uploaded to Youtube. At only 20-years-old, Manziel was making headlines during the off-season, due to the way in which he spent his off hours, enjoying the night life with celebs such as Lebron James and Drake.

    After a surprising loss to Auburn last week, Johnny Manziel was able to bounce back and throw for 305 yards and four touchdowns in less than three quarters. They jumped to an explosive 28-0 lead, before allowing Vanderbilt to come back, but their comeback was simply much too late, and the Aggies continued to add on more points.

    Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, and after a great start to the 2013 season, he is looking to earn that honor once again.

    Image via Youtube

  • Johnny Manziel Shines Against Alabama, Despite Loss

    Johnny Manziel has become quite the elite player in college football and is one of the best according to some people. Yesterday, the ultimate showdown took place between SEC offenses when the Texas A&M Aggies took on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Manziel, Texas A&M’s quarterback is able to get it done in the air and on the ground, and in yesterday’s game, he threw for 464 yards and ran for 98 yards. The Aggies ultimately lost the game in the end, but put up an incredible fight from start to finish. The final score was 49-42 in favor of Alabama.

    Alabama seemed to have no answer for Manziel throughout the game, and the only thing that they could do was retaliate with touchdowns of their own. The defense of both teams was almost not present, while both quarterbacks are also very elite players and like to rack up as many touchdowns as possible. This game was a rematch of the game that they played last year in which A&M pulled off the victory. In last year’s match A&M jumped ahead 20-0, and delivered Alabama their only loss of the season. This year was much of the same, although Alabama was able to hang on and win this one. They were finally safe from the unstoppable play of Manziel when Alabama’s quarterback AJ McCarron took a knee to end the game, leaving Manziel with nothing more to do, according to ABC News.

    The tough play of Johnny Manziel has even earned himself the nickname of Johnny Football. He has been known to get a bit too cocky at times too though, and received a penalty for excessive celebration earlier this season against Rice. He was also one of the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy last year.

    Alabama soon found that the only solution to stopping Manziel was to keep him off the field and keep their offense on the field for as long as possible. They were executing the strategy of “best defense is a good offense” in this case, hoping to see the aggressive play of Manziel as little as possible. AJ McCarron was quoted saying that “With the type of offense A&M has, you have to eat up some clock and pound the ball.” This seemed to be the only thing that Alabama could do in order to stop him, and it eventually worked. McCarron passed for 334 yards in Alabama’s win.

    Manziel was virtually unstoppable for much of the game, setting records for passing yards and total offensive yards. He set the single-game school record for passing yards and put up the second-most total offensive yards in a game (562), second only to his own total (576) against Louisiana Tech last year, states ESPN.

    Image via Youtube

  • Johnny Manziel Will Take the Field, Says Attorney

    Johnny “Football” Manziel will be taking the field as the Texas A&M quarterback this fall, despite the cascade of potential NCAA violations he’s facing.

    At least if his attorney is to be believed.

    Jim Darnell, an attorney specializing in NCAA infractions hired by the Manziel family, says that the beleaguered football star is “cooperating with [the current investigation against him]. We think when all this comes out on the other end, he’ll be the starting quarterback for the Aggies against Rice.” Manziel is currently facing losing his eligibility to play because he allegedly signed a lot of autographs for a lot of money.

    For those who need to be brought up to speed: Manziel is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, the first “freshman” to win the award (“freshman” is used loosely—Manziel was a college sophomore when he received the award, though he was only in his first year of actually playing college football). Manziel has been a lightning rod for criticism since receiving the prize. Last spring, he only attended classes online, not wanting to be a “distraction” to his classmates. He has also been seen hobnobbing with various celebrities, getting kicked out of frat parties at the University of Texas, and going on Twitter-rants about getting parking tickets. He was also dismissed from the Manning family’s QB academy for being too hung-over to perform his duties.

    Some have dismissed his antics as those of a young man surprised by celebrity and struggling to cope. Others have assumed that his behavior stems from a lifetime of small-pond stardom and upper-middle-class entitlement (his parents bought him a Mercedes in high school).

    His latest and perhaps greatest threat to football success stems from the allegation that he’s taken thousands of dollars from sports memorabilia brokers for autographs, as first reported by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.” According to NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.1, “accepting money for promoting or advertising the commercial sale of a product or service” is prohibited, and a player can face being rendered ineligible to play if he or she does so. The 2013-14 season will be Manziel’s final season if he declares for the 2014 NFL draft, so if the NCAA finds that he is guilty of selling his name for profit, he’s likely seen his final snap as a college quarterback.

    The worst part of this? He allegedly sold $7,500 in autographs to get new rims for his car. Now there’s a guy who knows smart spending.