In the 2013 college football season Johnny Manziel will try to do what Roger Staubach, Ty Detmer, Jason White, Matt Leinart, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford couldn't - defend their Heisman Trophy.
Before then, however, Johnny Football must convince his critics - and perhaps even his fans and teammates - that he hasn't deteriorated into Johnny Goofball.
We all know Manziel's spectacular story. From being the 393rd recruit out of Kerrville Tivy High School to winning the Heisman at Texas A&M after leading the Aggies to an 11-2 record, an upset of eventual National Champion Alabama and a Cotton-Bowl romp over Oklahoma. His performance was stunningly entertaining, with subtle jukes and dramatic jives straight out Xbox he escaped tackles, bought time and wound up with a combined 5,115 yards and 47 touchdowns.
And then came Jan. 5.
(continued from page 1)
Since basically the day after A&M whipped the Sooners in Arlington Manziel's life off the field has been as hectic as one of his scrambles. But not nearly as productive.
From brash Tweets to breaking the law to snubbing peers, Manziel has so far shown he's not mature enough to handle success. And Wednesday morning at 9 - the circus will be carried live on ESPN - he'll get grilled about it when he faces reporters at the SEC's Media Day in Hoover, Ala.
Sure Manziel will be asked about the historic challenge of joining Ohio State running back Archie Griffin (1974-75) as the only player to win consecutive Heismans. But I betcha a nickel some questions arise from his turbulent offseason in which Johnny Football has exploited his Heisman, enjoyed life as a 20-year-old college sophomore, shirked responsibilities and weaved a compelling, disturbing tale in which the face of Aggieland is now a smug smirk.
Jan. 5 - A photo surfaces of Manziel with sparklers and a bottle of champagne at a Dallas bar.
Jan. 11 - OU defensive coordinator Mark Stoops says "If they can keep him out of jail or keep him eligible, he's gonna be pretty good. If they can keep him off Twitter, he might win three or four Heismans."
Jan. 24 - Teams up with trick-shot artist "Dude Perfect" to launch a football into a basketball goal from the top of Kyle Field.
Feb. 17 - Announces at the Davey O'Brien Award in Fort Worth that he's taking online classes to avoid crowds on the College Station campus.
Feb. 22 - His family files a lawsuit on behalf of JMAN2 Enterprises in an attempt to trademark and own "Johnny Football."
(continued from page 2)
March 14 - Pictured shirtless in Cabo during Spring Break, with a Texas Longhorn tattoo on his ribs and a margarita in his hand.
March 23 - Shoves an A&M graduate assistant who yelled at him during a scrimmage at Kyle Field.
March 26 - Announces he's temporarily leaving Twitter, calling it a "distraction."
April 7 - Throws out the first pitch before a Rangers' game in Arlington. The delivery mimics his off-season focus - high and wide.
April 12 - Ends his Twitter boycott and jumps on 105.3 The Fan for the last interview in the history of
RAGE.
May 12 - Shoots 79 at Pebble Beach while on vacation with his family.
May 23 - Story surfaces about his 2012 arrest, subsequent suspension and near-transfer from A&M. After Aggies' head coach Kevin Sumlin intervened, A&M's Dean of Student Life overturned the suspension.
June 1 - Wind-blown and giddy, he Tweets a video of him exclaiming "I always wanted to hit 100 in a boat!"
June 9 - Tweets a pic from Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Miami, where he apologizes to Spurs' fans for being a LeBron fan.
June 16 - After receiving a parking ticket on campus at A&M, he Tweets "Shit like tonight is a reason why I can't wait to leave college station...whenever it may be." He then implores critics to "walk a day in my shoes."
July 13 - Citing dehydration and illness, leaves the Manning Passing Academy a day early. He was there as a camp counselor, but questions arise when photos surface of him partying in Thibodaux, La. the night before his departure. He reportedly apologized to A&M coaches for his behavior at the camp.
July 15 - Pleaded guilty in conjunction with his arrest after a bar fight in 2012. During questioning by police, he produced three different IDs. He is ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and $232 in court costs for the Class B misdemeanor.
To be continued ...
Good read, Richie. Not to nit-pick, but the OU defensive coordinator you quoted is actually Mike Stoops. Mark Stoops is the head coach at Kentucky. Daily reader, keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteTexas fan here, and I LOVE this guy. He doesn't necessarily fit the low profile profile of a great A&M athlete, so the powers that be at A&M are frustrated with him I'm sure. It's kind of crazy that he could have been suspended for the season last year, and then ends up leading them to one of their best seasons ever. It's weird having my team's QB(David Ash) seem more the fit for A&M and the A&M quarterback seeming more Texas-like.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to watching Manziel this season.
The boy is livin' large...good for him! The media ripped Tebow, bc he was not exciting enough & JM is wide right for everyone. Humorous, how under age drinking is the norm at college, but JM gets ridiculed for it. All of the Heisman critics want him to live like Miss America has to do. What a laugher!
ReplyDeleteThe kid's a hell of a football player, but also a first class tool. Speaking of class, he apparently has none. Not only has he made an ass of himself, he's put a damn bulls-eye on his back that his team certainly doesn't need. PLUS, if he comes out for the NFL next year -- and that'll be determined how well he plays this coming season -- all of his immature and idiotic behavior will cost him. Someone should rein in this dude -- it seems his parents will not as they made excuses up for him when he acted the fool at the Manning QB camp.
ReplyDeleteNFL? Most Heisman winners that are QB's just don't translate to playing in the big boy league. JM will probably be no different, but could be a heck of an arena league player. If the boy can skate then his chances in the NHL are better than the NFL!
ReplyDeleteSeems like Manziel is heading down the Greg Williams road to irrelevance. Hopefully he will listen to someone before it ends too soon and too tragic.
ReplyDeleteBill2455
What exactly is Johnny doing that is even remotely similar to Greg Williams?
DeleteYou mean Manziel has a no-talent sidekick?!
DeleteSelf-denial, blowing talent instead of setting down and doing hard work. Bill2455
DeleteBecause Johnny has a social life somehow he is a bad guy. He didn't look distracted last season. And when he had more distractions than ever during the lead up to the Cotton Bowl, well we see how that game went.
ReplyDeleteRichie talk about propaganda.
ReplyDeleteA debt of gratitude is in order for your data, it was truly exceptionally helpfull.. international football academy
ReplyDeleteI was just browsing through the internet looking for some information and came across your blog. I am impressed by the information that you have on this blog. It shows how well you understand this subject. Bookmarked this page, will come back for more. http://199.192.25.192/
ReplyDeleteIts a great pleasure reading your post.Its full of information I am looking for and I love to post a comment that "The content of your post is awesome" Great work. https://ngoac.net/highlight/man-un...n-ymeQBY147.html
ReplyDeleteIts a great pleasure reading your post.Its full of information I am looking for and I love to post a comment that "The content of your post is awesome" Great work. https://ngoac.net/highlight/man-united-vs-brighton-hove-albion-ymeQBY147.html
ReplyDeleteI like your post. It is good to see you verbalize from the heart and clarity on this important subject can be easily observed... Tiep Bong Da
ReplyDeleteIt was wondering if I could use this write-up on my other website, I will link it back to your website though.Great Thanks. https://linkw88moinhat.com/tin-tuc/
ReplyDeleteWe are really grateful for your blog post. You will find a lot of approaches after visiting your post. I was exactly searching for. Thanks for such post and please keep it up. Great work. 사설 토토
ReplyDeleteI’m going to read this. I’ll be sure to come back. thanks for sharing. and also This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. this is very nice one and gives indepth information. thanks for this nice article... soccer in Orchard Lake
ReplyDeleteI’m going to read this. I’ll be sure to come back. thanks for sharing. and also This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. this is very nice one and gives indepth information. thanks for this nice article... สูตร บอล ส เต็ ป 2
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog loaded with so many information. Stopping by your blog helped me to get what I was looking for. 해외축구중계
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing us. 바카라 사이트
ReplyDeleteVery efficiently written information. It will be beneficial to anybody who utilizes it, including me. Keep up the good work. For sure i will check out more posts. This site seems to get a good amount of visitors. linkw88moinhat.com
ReplyDeleteI think this is an informative post and it is very useful and knowledgeable. therefore, I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. เว็บพนันบอลดีที่สุด
ReplyDeleteGreat article Lot's of information to Read...Great Man Keep Posting and update to People..Thanks คาสิโนออนไลน์ฟรีเครดิต
ReplyDeleteI would like to say that this blog really convinced me to do it! Thanks, very good post. คาสิโนออนไลน์ แจกเครดิตฟรี
ReplyDeleteExcellent .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…I’m happy to find so many useful info here in the post, we need work out more techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing. คาสิโนออนไลน์ มือถือ
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. อัพเดทข่าวกีฬาก่อนไคร
ReplyDeleteImpressive web site, Distinguished feedback that I can tackle. Im moving forward and may apply to my current job as a pet sitter, which is very enjoyable, but I need to additional expand. Regards. 해외축구중계
ReplyDeleteThe website is looking bit flashy and it catches the visitors eyes. Design is pretty simple and a good user friendly interface. 먹튀검증사이트
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I like this topic.This site has lots of advantage.I found many interesting things from this site. It helps me in many ways.Thanks for posting this again. 토토커뮤니티
ReplyDeleteThe content is utmost interesting! I have completely enjoyed reading your points and have come to the conclusion that you are right about many of them. You are great, and your efforts are outstanding! Situs casino online
ReplyDeleteThis article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. This is very nice one and gives indepth information. Thanks for this nice article. it's time to must know about it best family road trip vehicle for more details.
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. Very interesting to read. I really love to read such a nice article. Thanks! keep rocking. it's time to must know about it beach with toddlers for more details.
ReplyDeleteNice post! This is a very nice blog that I will definitively come back to more times this year! Thanks for informative post. it's time to avail this Corporate And Executive Services in Detroit city for more details.
ReplyDeleteAdmiring the time and effort you put into your blog and detailed information you offer!.. ufa1688
ReplyDeleteFantastic and outstanding and easy to understand content. We are really thankful for you weblog site It’s time to avail this Metro Car Detroit for more details.
ReplyDelete