The saga of Johnny Manziel continues, with the latest social media buzz surrounding his recent Las Vegas “money phone” partying pictures. Manziel leaves college as a Heisman trophy winner, but arrives to the NFL with a lot of concerns around his character, focus, and risk potential. While some Manziel fans quickly defend his seemingly regular party life as nothing to be concerned with (even some Browns personnel seem to feel this way, including head coach Mike Pettine), I don’t know if I would be that aloof and confident that “Johnny Football” will have it all figured out just in time for camp this year. All of this partying also comes at a time when the Browns decided to sign Manziel to a long-term and lucrative contract.
A growing number of people, including former Browns QB Brady Quinn, are wondering if Manziel will have the discipline needed to survive, much less excel, at the NFL level. Already arriving with a lot of hype, his physical football talents are clearly there — yet his mental makeup does not show me much discipline and focus. Instead of buckling down and getting in the best physical and mental condition possible, Manziel is a regular fixture in the TMZ news circuit being portrayed as a big partyer. Maybe there’s a reason he dropped so far in the draft, right?
People have long worried about his character, and now the perception of Manziel is that he is quickly enjoying his fame and fortune — even though he hasn’t played a single NFL down to date. While other would-be NFL players would walk across hot coals to play in the league, Manziel gives off the impression that he isn’t very serious about his window of opportunity — a window that shuts very quickly in professional sports (the average NFL career is merely 3.5 years).
Browns Coach Pettine is publicly saying he isn’t very worried, and that his coaching philosophy is not to micromanage. If it were me, I would be feeling the exact opposite – I would be worried, and I would consider micromanaging my first round pick who the Browns have invested millions of dollars in for the next few years.
The prediction here is that even with an abundance of talent, Manziel won’t go far in the NFL if he continues carrying on with his partying social life. The reality is there simply isn’t time to screw around in professional sports, as there is always the “next” star coming up at any time. It’s also commonly recognized by social scientists that past behavior is the best predictor for future behavior, and with the majority of things coming out of the Manziel camp centering around his social life, you have to wonder just how serious and committed he truly is when it comes to getting the most from his God-given talents?
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