Johnny Manziel Combine Reaction

Johnny Manziel started off his combine experience by measuring out to be just a quarter of an inch shy of 6 feet. However, if recent memories serve us well, Drew Brees won the Super Bowl in 2009 and Russell Wilson is coming off of a championship as well. Hieght has proven to not be a huge factor and Manziel is not very far off from six feet. Also, given his skill set of being able to buy time with his feet and get out of the pocket, he does not need every inch the way a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning do. Something people seem to gloss over is Manziel’s hand size. He measures in at 9 and 7/8 inches. Those are huge hands and is huge when coming into the NFL with inclement weather that can affect the grip of the ball.

     One thing the Combine did not measure was Manziel’s heart and drive. It is well documented by the Manziel haters that he “parties” too much and has too many extracurricular activities. What those people don’t mention is how he has reached out to Tom Brady and many others to get mentally prepared. And he also showed out at everything he did at the Combine. 

     It is also unfair to fault him for opting out of the throwing drills. If you look at it from a quarterback’s perspective, throwing the ball has a lot to do with timing and a rapport you build with your receivers. Manziel would be throwing to guys he has never played with and that would throw his timing off, specifically on deep balls. Looking at this, haters would just bash him for his inaccuracy. We saw this last season how an elite quarterback like Tom Brady struggled because he couldn’t get his receivers on the same page. That was after an entire training camp and much into the season. Manziel will throw at the A&M Pro Day to his fellow teammates and that is the right thing to do.

     Overall, the Combine definitely helped Manziel’s stock. In my opinion, he should be the number one overall pick. With Houston having a great defense, the offense is the missing piece to them contending. Imagine Manziel slinging it to Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins while handing it off (or running the read option) with Arian Foster! Watch out Indianapolis, there is a threat in the division!

Around the League NFL- February 19, 2014

Ted Wells Report Fallout- The immediate ramification of the report is the firing of Offensive Line coach Jim Turner and long time trainer, Kevin O’Niell. In the report, Turner was exposed as to not stopping the harassment while also adding to it himself. O’Niell was but in bad light because one of his Japanese assistants was also subject to harassment. O’Niell also was uncooperative with the investigators. He had been with the organization for 18 years.

Michael Sam- It is well known by now that Michael Sam has come out openly as gay. How he will be accepted and how it affects his draft stock is yet to be seen. The 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year is a projected 3^rd-5^th round pick. However, the Ted Wells report could not have came out at a better time for him. If he is drafted and makes a team, there will be zero tolerance with any locker room bullying.

Salary Cap- The NFL is looking to increase the salary cap from 123 million in 2013 to 130 million in 2014. This would be monumental for teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers who are in a bind when it comes to their cap. It would also result in more superstars grouping up because teams will have extra money to spend. This could result in more teams with superstar depth, like the Denver Broncos offense. Of course, this also helps teams to retain players, such as the Seattle Seahawks.

Franchise Tag- Teams right now are allowed to franchise tag any one player they wish. They have until March 3^rd, which is prior to the legal tampering period and before free agency officially kicks off at 3 o’clock PM on Tuesday, March 11. Players to watch are Aqib Talib (Patriots), Jimmy Graham (Saints), Greg Hardy (Panthers) and other.

NFL Combine- The NFL Combine will kick off on Saturday, February 22, 2014. Johnny Manziel will not throw at the Combine, but will throw at the A&M Pro Day.

Will Michael Same Be Accepted?

     Get ready football fans, the name Michael Sam will be instilled in your head for a long time. No more talk about Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, etc. Actually, you may not even here about Richard Sherman (as unbelievable as that may sound). In football talk, Michael Sam, who is projected to become the first openly gay player in NFL history, is going to steal headlines.

     The way I see this situation is that it was definitely a good idea to declare his sexuality prior to the draft. Coaches typically know what kind of culture they have in the locker room (except Joe Philbin) and that will help them evaluate Sam. This is the second straight year there is a unique headline stealing the show. Last year, the talk was all about Manti Te'o. Now, the talk is Michael Sam.

     The question becomes, if a team needs a pass rusher, will they avoid Sam because of his sexuality? I think it will be different depending on the team. A team like the Patriots might not care about sexuality because they have a solid structure in tact. A team with a rookie head coach may think twice. The undeniable thing about Sam is that he is talented. That means if he falls too far down draft boards, it would be a bad look on the National Football League.

     Michael Sam himself will have to have very thick skin. In the season following the Incognito-Martin debacle, his reactions to his teammates will be asked about and magnified. He has to know he is a rookie and he will get picked on, the same way Te'o probably got picked on by his teammates in San Diego. The key is to prove your worth on the field and earn respect that way.

     With that being said, I would not be surprised if there was some sort of episode similar to that down in Miami this past season. But until we know where Sam will be playing next year, be ready to hear endless talk about him. More than Sherman. More than Manziel. He is officially under the microscope.

Post Super Bowl Assessment of Peyton Manning

     Peyton Manning had his head bowed down, hiding the look of despair on his face. Only two teams in NFL history had ever suffered bigger defeats on the largest stage in pro football. Well, technically only one other team because the biggest blowout was the Denver Broncos in 1989 at the hands of the great Joe Montana. Then there was a 36-point drubbing of the Patriots by the 1985 Bears, thanks in large part to that legendary defense. And at third place? The 2013 Denver Broncos, tied with the 1992 Buffalo Bills who were beat down by the man who was calling the game for the Broncos, Troy Aikman and the Dallas Cowboys. Each team lost by 35 points.

Joe Montana vs. the Broncos. The 49ers won this Super Bowl 55-10, the biggest blowout in Super Bowl history

     It really is a sick feeling to see Manning suffer such a gut-wrenching defeat, especially because he is such a fan favorite and one of the classiest, if not the classiest players in NFL history. After all Manning has gone through and how hard he works, I really hoped he could win last night.  Heck, the morning after the Super Bowl, Yahoo Sports’ headline is not the Seattle Seahawks defense. It is not the disappearance of the Broncos offense. It is a headline praising Manning as it reads “Super Bowl XLVIII was a nightmare for Peyton Manning, but what he did in defeat showed his true mettle.” Everybody wants Manning to be great, because as a person, it is hard to find somebody better. But the same people that were ready to crown him champion even before kickoff, need to be fair in assessing the loss.

     There were a lot of people last night, solely rooting for the Broncos to see Peyton Manning rise up and capture the moment. To silence all of his naysayers. To once and for all, put to bed his struggles in big moments. I was one of them. And as gracious in defeat as Manning is, I don’t think it is fair to say that the loss didn’t hurt him a little bit. Let’s take a look at the cold hard facts.

     Manning is now 11-12 in the postseason. Those 12 losses are the single most losses by any quarterback in NFL history.  In his three Super Bowl, he has thrown 4 interception, two of which have been returned for touchdowns (Tracy Porter’s game-sealing, and Malcolm Smith of the Seahawks). In the lone Super Bowl he won, he had more interceptions than touchdowns in that postseason run and the guy opposing him in the big game is now a third-string quarterback for the Washington Redskins who posted a QBR of 7.1, Rex Grossman. Speaking of QBR, the lowest QBR since that of Rex Grossman was posted by Manning last night, a lowly 24.4. Manning is 1-2 in the Super Bowl.

     On the flip side, Manning has been extraordinary in the regular season, capturing 5 MVP trophies and having records such as most touchdown passes (55), most yards (5,477) and also led his team to most touchdowns and points by any offense in NFL history. There is little doubt that Manning will own every major career passing record by the time he hangs his helmet. The problem with all that is that when a guy plays at that high of a level, he is held to a higher standard. In this era, there have only been two guys like that. Manning and Tom Brady.

     Tom Brady is 18-8 in the playoffs. When people say that it is an amazing feat that Manning has even been in 23 playoff games, they should not forget that Brady has been in 26 and he has played three less years than Manning! Brady is 3-2 in Super Bowls, losing both to the New York Giants. In five Super Bowls, Brady only has two total interceptions, zero returned for touchdowns.

     So when assessing Peyton Manning’s legacy long term, it is hard for me to put him in front of Brady, a guy who also has a higher total wining percentage and rarely has ever had the weapons that Manning has consistently had. It is also annoying when people say that my assessment is biased or that I make it all about the rings. That is far from the truth. I said before the game that if Manning won, to me he would cross Brady. Obviously this would have been Manning’s second ring to Brady’s three so it isn’t about the rings. It is about the total package. It is about circumstances, as Kurt Warner said before the game And if I were biased, I would not say Manning could be better than Brady. In fact, I still believe he can be. Manning’s career is not over. Neither is Brady’s. They both still have room to climb and distance themselves from any other guy in history.

     So yes, Manning writing letters to players that retire, or asking Richard Sherman how his ankle is after defeat, or talking with Ray Lewis in the locker room after a playoff defeat is all very nice and classy. It is something that a guy like Brady does not necessarily always do. Brady is known for talking trash to Sherman, Terrell Suggs, and getting fired up and taunting the New York Jets’ sideline. That is not to say Brady is not classy. But maybe not up to Manning’s level.

     So if somebody wants to say that Manning is the classiest or smartest quarterback in NFL history, I have no problem with that. If you want to add greatest regular season quarterback ever, go right ahead. But to say overall he is placed ahead of Brady or Joe Montana (widely regarded the greatest) would not be fair. 

                      Not yet.