The Cleveland Browns took a big risk when they selected Johnny Manziel in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and to say it backfired would be an understatement. While Manziel has repeatedly acknowledged that he made mistakes during his NFL career, he thinks the Browns should have seen some of them coming.
In an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” Wednesday, Manziel spoke about how difficult it was for him to grasp Cleveland’s pro-style offense after he ran the spread at Texas A&M. Had the Browns done more research, Manziel thinks they would have known he was not an X’s and O’s guy.
"If Cleveland did any of their homework they would have known I wasn't a guy who came in every day and watch film. I wasn't a guy who really knew the X's and O's of football." – Johnny Manziel on @dpshow
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) April 4, 2018
One thing to clarify, Johnny said he didn't know X's and O's in large part because his offense at Texas A&M was so different than what the Browns were running. I'm sure he's not alone in that regard. https://t.co/eEXW3a0ubc
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) April 4, 2018
Johnny Manziel tells @dpshow that he didn't understand pro offense coming out of Texas A&M's spread and there was no one in the Browns quarterback room to help him.
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) April 4, 2018
Here is the full context of the remarks:
Here are Johnny Manziel's full comments on what Browns should've known about him before the Draft on @dpshow. I think you have to judge his remarks in context of what he was trying to say. https://t.co/cesXt1O8fb
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) April 4, 2018
It sounds like Manziel is placing some blame on the Browns for him becoming a draft bust, which isn’t the best look. While Manziel may not have received adequate schooling in Cleveland, let’s not forget the times he went MIA after throwing parties and the team had to send people out looking for him. Not grasping the offense was the least of his problems.
If Manziel wants an NFL team to give him another chance, he had better prove his study habits and commitment to understanding offenses has improved. Otherwise, it won’t matter how open and honest he has been about his past.
