Cory’s Corner: Will teams Johnny Manziel-proof themselves?

Johnny Manziel made this social media post on a  recent trip to Las Vegas. If it affects his play remains to be seen.
Johnny Manziel made this social media post on a recent trip to Las Vegas. If it affects his play remains to be seen.

With the explosion of social media in the last few years, many think that sports teams will need to Johnny Manziel-proof themselves.

Or will they?

By now, everyone has caught a glimpse of Manziel’s mini-vacation photos he took in Las Vegas a few months ago. In it was the usual charade of Vegas: scantily clad women in a party atmosphere with Johnny and his friends.

Now I don’t think this is a big deal. Manziel hasn’t thrown a pass in the NFL yet, and he decided to go to Vegas moments after he was issued the Browns playbook.

Yet I was surprised to see and hear about how many people were upset that he wasn’t at home cramming his brain with hot routes, silent counts and hand signals.

First of all, let the players fail before jumping all over them for a decision based on free time.

Taken a step further, what if said player was a veteran? Would Packers fans have a problem if Aaron Rodgers started filling up social media with himself partying in the offseason?

Football players live in a 24/7 media bubble that makes them feel like they are being suffocated. That’s why offensive linemen usually give the most candid quotes, because that group of hard workers hardly ever gets a microphone thrown in his personal space.

Obviously, athletes have to be a little bit more cautious with what they let the world to see. This isn’t high school where you can post a picture of something and only your close friends are going to see it.

But then again, I don’t think it’s fair for athletes to live as hermits. The reason Rodgers is so adored in Green Bay is because he is approachable. He is spotted in the grocery store, restaurants and doing other regular people things. But Packers fans, being in the smallest NFL town, are smart enough not to ruin every public appearance that he makes by splashing it up on social media every time.

What it all comes down to is filtering. Herm Edwards, the ESPN NFL analyst who is outspoken to a fault, had a brief talk at the NFL Rookie Symposium a few years ago. The main thing he said was, “Think twice before you hit send.”

Now, did Manziel have to broadcast that he was living it up in Vegas right after getting drafted to the Browns? Certainly not. But that one decision shouldn’t behoove people to think he won’t be ready come the fall.

First let them fail. And if Manziel fails, well, I guess the Browns might have to consider grounding him from Sin City.

——————

Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: Cory Jennerjohn

——————

15 thoughts on “Cory’s Corner: Will teams Johnny Manziel-proof themselves?

  1. Johnny will never be an elite qb. He is constantly making an azz of himself. The fact that he has to constantly remind people of how great he is lets you know how bad he really is. Rodgers is the complete package and have no fear he won’t be out making an azz of himself anytime soon. Please don’t ever compare, mention, or even write Rodgers name close to this circus show freaks name again. Thank you…

  2. Ugh. No no no. Manziel does not have what it takes to be an elite (or even good) NFL QB without a tremendous work ethic. I don’t care what he does with his time as long as he isn’t bringing negative attention on himself or his team.

    I’ve lived in Texas for 6 years and Houston for the past year. “Johnny Football” does not handle adversity well at all. How is that going to go down when he’s thrown 3 INTs (which all rook QBs do) and has gotten blown up 10 times by a 250 lb LB because of his stupid scrambling? Not well. That’s how.

    I was praying the Vikes took this guy. It would have set them back years. The Browns never get it right.

  3. I don’t think Johnny is all that good. He will have a hard time becoming a star not saying he will not. But no Russel Wilson he will become. Wilson like Rogers stay low. I truely believe that players like Johnny get the attention is because the media hunts them down and they want a story. It is like a brat kid who wants everyone tending to them whenever they cry. Once the kid stops cry wolf no one cares that much. I am not saying they should stop reporting stories but they don’t need the headlines posted so these wet behind the ear kids get the attendion. A lot of this press is coming from the college coaches too. To make something out of nothind I would take a low key Rogers over anyone playing football/baseball/and basketball any day. Their playing makes headlines, the way it should be!

  4. Manzel’s exploits in vegas show a lack of maturity and poor decision making! That’s a bad combination for a supposed Franchise QB to have. Rodgers was in vegas a few year back and had a photo of him taken in a club. But he kept a low profile and didn’t make himself look like a college party animal on Spring Break! Its one of the reasons, I don’t think Manzel will ever be a good Pro QB. From what I hear he is a spoiled rich kid who got everything he ever wanted handed to him. Its exactly that type entitlement that leads to him acting like he does, and its NOT what you want from your Franchise QB.

    Did Rodgers, Brady, Brees, Manning do any of this? Surely they’ve been to Vegas, but they kept it low profile and didn’t act like a college kid on Spring Break!

  5. Is there nowhere on this planet where I can avoid seeing stories about Johnny Manziel?

  6. Manziel’s attitude resembles that of Michael Vick…not caring what anyone else thought of him and convinced he could do it “his” way. Vick wound up in prison. Is Manziel headed down the same path?

    When these players were drafted…Vick, Manziel and JerMichael Finley…I believed they all would benefit from another year in college. Of the three Finley was the only one who ended up in Green Bay and may have enjoyed the most on-field success.

    1. How in the world do you get that Manziel, Vick and Jermichael Finley belong in the same sentence or conversation? They are nothing alike, except that Maybe they would have benefitted from another year in college. Manziel and Vick were 1st rd picks, and neither you nor I would stay in college if they are going to be a 1st rd pick.

      Finley’s only “issue” was saying what he thought out loud, as if that is something wrong?!

      1. For Manziel and Vick, another year in school would have benefited their personal maturity. The choices Vick made, IMO, pointed to his lack of maturity as a person. I see a similar process with Manziel. Just because they were first round choices doesn’t mean they were ready for the NFL.

        The reason I included Finley in there was his maturity as a player. I think he would have benefited from another year of D-I college football at Texas. Vick and Manziel would have as well.

        The “issue” you pointed out with Finley was accurate. He shot his mouth off. That happens.

        1. By Shot his mouth off, you mean exercised Freedom of Speech? Since when is that a crime?

  7. What’s with all the articles being removed? First NFCN standings possibilities.. now Favre non-reunion thoughts? I thought they were both good….

    1. As a note, some of the comments IIRC are missing from What to Expect of Dix/Eddie Murphy, too. Not my concern; I am just happy that this website is around!

      1. Yeah I noticed that too, so its not just the missed article, but also a bunch of comments that were wiped out.

        Got a virus in your system or something Al?

  8. Looking at Manziel, it struck me how much like a Goblin he looked. Money must give the girls bigger ‘beer goggles’ than beer !

Comments are closed.