NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Will Johnny Manziel save himself after rehab?

By Dan Salem

facebooktwitterreddit

Johnny Manziel is a fan favorite in the NFL, but after starring in college, he partied his way through a forgettable rookie season with the Cleveland Browns. Can rehab save Johnny’s NFL career? Is there anything to save? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

DAN:

Its been confirmed, Johnny Manziel is receiving treatment to rehabilitate his lifestyle. His party first mentality hit a wall and now he is doing something about it. Haters will scream “I told you so,” others will declare the end of a career that barely started. I’m probably in the minority here, but entering rehab is the best thing to happen to Manziel and his future NFL career.

I don’t think it was possible for expectations to be any higher for Manziel last season. Yet common sense and statistics were the writing on the wall. Most rookie NFL quarterbacks do not play well, if at all. Most rookie NFL quarterbacks take time to adjust to the game, struggling here and there. Manziel’s rookie season on the field was like most.

When Manziel got ‘beat out’ for the starting job last August by Brian Hoyer, it was easy to assume that performance was the primary factor. I think it was something else, preparation and too much partying. Johnny Manziel was less prepared than Hoyer, not ready to lead an offense. Furthermore, the Browns were scared to have a party hard kid leading their team. Can you blame them?

Manziel won the Heisman trophy. Manziel was a first round draft pick. He’s a unique player with a ton of talent. Cue the small violin, playing a song only Johnny can hear. By getting help and ideally embracing sobriety, Manziel can save his NFL career.

The Cleveland Browns want Manziel to be their starting quarterback. They want him to live up to every crazy expectation. But in order to do that, he must be focused. He must work harder than everyone else and want it more. The talent is there. With his life falling back into order, I for one hope the drive to be the best returns as well.

TODD:

More from Cleveland Browns

First, obviously, getting treatment and going to rehab for whatever issues he is dealing with is a great thing for Johnny Manziel as a person.

As far as Johnny on the football field, I’m not sure the returns will be as great as you are hoping for. Just two weeks ago, newly instituted Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot, that he and his staff are “not sure if our starting quarterback is in the building or not.” Hardly a vote of confidence for either Brian Hoyer or Manziel, and this was before the need for rehab even hit news cycles.

The numbers for Manziel last season were atrocious. Beyond that, he doesn’t possess the necessary skills to be an elite signal caller. He doesn’t have a strong arm. He doesn’t throw with overwhelming accuracy. He doesn’t have the frame to take hits when he scrambles.

What it comes down to is Manziel coming out of college was Russell Wilson with better marketing. He probably should have been a third-round pick. And now, in the NFL, he’s like Wilson again without all the intangibles. He’s like Wilson was in the first half of the NFC Championship game against Green Bay. Manziel plays like a permanently concussed Russell Wilson.

Perhaps going to rehab will also rehabilitate his personality and huddle persona. That seems possible, if not quite plausible. If he cleans up his act and his life outside of football, that could certainly have an effect on his confidence and acumen in the pocket and with his teammates. It may also clear his mind and allow him to properly prepare for the job at hand.

Call me a skeptic. I’m more on the side of this being an unlikely outcome though. It is rare that a quarterback learns after the fact to be a leader of men.

Next: Cleveland Browns bolster the Defense in latest Mock Draft

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Cleveland Browns