No matter how Johnny Manziel played yesterday, you knew the reaction was going to be SO EXTREME DUDE! Manziel was abominable, so now all the “he’s a total bust” and “he’ll never play at this level” hot takes are streaming in. Had Johnny Manziel thrown for 300+ yards and 4 TDs and the Cleveland Browns won, then we’d all be subjected to “he’s the new Russell Wilson, RIGHT NOW!” type of hot takes.
Fox Announcer Joe Buck took time out of his calling a NFL game two time zones away to rip Manziel (video here). NBC’s Peter King seemed to have cracked some mysterious code that no other NFL scout could. King claims to have the blueprint which all opposing Defensive Coordinators can now copy.
Enjoy these hot takes from the NFL Network:
“I haven’t seen [Johnny Manziel] grow at all. I expected this period where he got a chance to sit and watch Brian Hoyer, I thought he would grow from what he did in college…I haven’t seen growth from Johnny Manziel.” – LaDainian Tomlinson on Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel who was 10/18 for 80 yards and two interceptions
– “[Johnny Manziel] did some things that were really, not only rookie like, but very undisciplined. He’s got a long way to go. Two more games…he’s got to be better.” – Steve Mariucci on Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel
– “All of this is learning tape for Johnny Manziel. We are going to find out can he retain it, does he learn from it and will he not make the mistakes again? The problem that I have with Johnny Manziel is he’s a playmaker. Some of those plays are in his DNA.” – Marshall Faulk on Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel
– “We saw the same things from Johnny Manziel that we saw in college. He likes to force the ball, especially when he gets pressured. He’s going to give the defense an opportunity for an interception. Going forward he has to learn to play better from the pocket and manage the game a little better.” – LaDainian Tomlinson on Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel
And these Johnny Manziel hot takes from CBS Sports:
Steve Beuerlein: It’s what most of us expected to see. ‘Johnny Football’ was looking like a guy who has never played real football at this level. He does not look comfortable in the pocket… I think it’s going to be a very rough finish to the year for Johnny Manziel. His offseason is going to be very key for him because he has to realize that he is not as good as he thinks he is. He has to get stronger. He has to get smarter. He has to get better all around.
Rich Gannon: He struggled yesterday. It looked like it was going too fast for him. There was confusion. There were breakdowns. I didn’t think the protection was all that good… He made some really poor decisions – poor reads and poor throws. I wasn’t surprised he struggled.
Boomer Esiason: I think he should start next week. The fact of the matter is, he was nervous. We all saw that and we’ve all had our first starts. I think back to my rookie year. I had four starts. I was basically a disaster, just like he was but maybe not quite as bad… It’s obvious that he is a guy that is more pomp and circumstance than he is substance. He has to work this offseason on the fundamentals. He has to learn the game, learn his offense, learn how to read defense. Somehow he has to find the poise that it takes to be a pocket-passer in the NFL.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on KOZN 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2