We all know that Johnny Manziel spent too much time partying and not enough time working during his two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, but it’s always interesting to hear the perspective of his former teammates.
Former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson, who was with the Browns during Manziel’s rookie offseason in 2014, told “The Ken Carmen Show with Anthony Lima” recently that Manziel’s poor work ethic became evident immediately.
“I saw somewhat of a lack of dedication. I saw a guy that would rush out of the facility to go enjoy the fruits of his labor and the friendships that he had,” Burleson explained, as transcribed by Josh Edwards of 247Sports.com. “I would see a guy coming in that did not study the playbook as much as he should and struggle in the classroom and then adversely struggle on the field. That was one thing that I quickly realized, when I first got there, they handed out iPads. It’s the new generation so I studied on the iPad but I also asked the coach for the paper playbook.”
According to Burleson, the iPads were set up so that coaches could see when players had logged in to study the playbook. During his short time with the team, Burleson said he learned that Manziel was not putting in work on the weekends.
“I heard that Johnny wasn’t opening up his iPad on the weekend because everything is tracked,” he added. “You log in and coaches know when you are looking at your iPad. I knew then that the dedication wasn’t there. Was I disappointed? Definitely.”
Burelson went on to recall how Manziel “dropped jaws” in practice with his athletic ability, comparing him to Russell Wilson from a skill standpoint. Of course, it was the focus that was always lacking with the former Texas A&M star.
Manziel has said he is working toward an NFL comeback, and one recent report we heard made it seem like he is staying on the right path. While he’s still just 24, the odds will always be stacked against Manziel. He destroyed what could have been an exciting NFL career.
