Perhaps you’ve noticed that Johnny Football’s gotten a lot of media attention this offseason whether he’s wanted it or not. You win the Heisman in an unprecedented fashion and getting Tebow-ized by ESPN and its ilk comes with the territory. Manziel’s obviously having a tough time coping with his newfound celebrity status – he’s a 20-year old who’s not fully mature, so it’s not exactly surprising. Life under a media microscope ain’t easy, especially when you don’t yet have the money to insulate yourself from the public (assuming you want to do so, of course).
Then, again, he is headed towards a major pay day soon, so it’s not as if I’m crying in my beer over Manziel. Still, we may have hit the moment when the finger wagging has jumped the shark.
ESPN radio personality Paul Finebaum says Johnny Manziel is becoming less likeable every day…
Finebaum said, “When you say what he did the other day. When you say, ‘Walk in my shoes’ and you’re the Heisman Trophy winner and you have the world in front of you, that’s unacceptable. We’re reasonable people here. You can look past a lot of silly things, but I’m having a hard time looking past that.”
Boy, you’d think the kid poisoned a couple of trees, or something.
The interesting thing to watch with Manziel this season is how he copes with this critical attention to everything he says. Can he block that out when he’s on the field? If not, the Finebaums of the world are going to have a field day.
Get The Picture 
It’s hard to agree with PAWWWWWL, but even a broken clock is right 2 times a day. I’m sure Herschel had some of the same issues that Johnny F is dealing with right now, but he never lashed out in the media when given the chance. He should have kept it to himself and gone about his business, but in the days of social media, no one keeps what they really think to themselves anymore.
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I have ti agree with this, and I hate to be in FBomb’s foxhole, but Manziel acts much less mature than a 20 year old to me. He actually makes the lawmakers look smart by having the legal drinking age at 21. Unquestionably he stepped into a rather big spotlight in the past 10 months, but he is near the bottom on handling it well. He is very exciting but I am not sure how good he really is yet, I have only seen him play two games and watched some highlights. If he doesn’t do well from now on iI fear it will be an epic crash. Tebow has been very solid and impressive in handling his NFL shortcomings, don’t think that would be the case with Manzie…..even if he were 30.
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Johnny F seems to be well on his way to a major league flame-out if someone doesn’t get to him.
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I agree, but let’s be realistic, it’s a different time. When Herschel won, you didn’t (or maybe you did, but it wasn’t the same coverage) have ESPN:U,2,News, etc. running 24 hours trying to fill content. You didn’t have almost instant broadcast of any event, newsworthy or not. And while he can be at fault for posting stuff to social media, he can’t stop everyone around him with a smarthphone and FB, Twitter, YouTube acct from throwing logs on the fire.
Honestly, if A&M cared about their golden goose, they’d have a SID person or media consultant working directly with him and shut down any of his social media accounts from personal use for a while.
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That’s a fair proposal, but am I the only one who sees a player from a well-to-do family enjoying himself w/o arrest and because he can afford to attend big events? The media is chewing him up with innuendoes and social consequence hyperbole. Now we are all waiting like judgemental vultures poised for his demise as has been projected by the media.
Enough already.
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I agree w/ that. The media has gotten out of control w/ its scrutiny. Smacks heavily of schadenfreude, despite the talking heads’ insistence that they only want the best for him. I’m sure their “advice” is growing tiresome to Manziel.
Still, though, “walk a day in my shoes?” Cry me a fucking river, Manziel. Personally, I wouldn’t care if he got caught blowing rails off a hooker’s ass. But for God’s sake, don’t be a whiny little bitch; that’s just inexcusable.
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Manziel would do well to watch and memorize the words and sentiments of LeBron’s post game 7 interview with Doris Burke. LeBron’s graciousness, humility and thankfulness were on display. He could have called out the haters, he could have pulled the “walk a mile in my shoes line” – he didn’t.
As public figure, no matter how picked on you feel, how unfair the media scrutiny seems to be, or how much you dislike deserved or undeserved criticism, it really does you no good to complain publicly about it. You cannot win, the media and general public will not let you win and the trials of your life in the public eye seem trivial when compared to those of others.
Just follow the advice of our good friend Merle Haggard:
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Fair enough – it clearly was a different time with Herschel, but you didn’t see Timmy Tebow as the 1st sophomore to win the Most Overhyped Award in Sports go off the deep end. JM has some growing up to do if he doesn’t want to become a distraction in a season that offers a lot of promise to Aggie Nation.
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Hershel was a GEORGIA boy. Johnny is not. These sudden fame guys from nowhere do not need to be playing CF. Send him to the Pros.. right now.
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Paul Finebaum: “I’m sad to say, I think he’s trending towards becoming a punch line.”
Well, you oughta know, dipshit.
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I’m not in the camp that think Manziel is headed for a big payday. He’s a 6’0 200 lb QB with questionable arm strength and diva attitude. These are not the things that most NFL clubs want in a early round draft choice. He will certainly get a chance but more likely in the 4th round or after.
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I agree. He hasn’t demonstrated the ability to throw the ball downfield or especially the deep out, back shoulder throw like someone else who plays QB in the SEC. Murray’s throw on the last real possession in the bowl game where he hits TK on 3rd down with an across-the-field deep out may have been one of the best throws all season. Just beautiful.
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Have you looked at the SF QB executing the spread and running with his feet in the SB? Manziel is just a short copy. He’s a Vick-type QB and he will be sought highly if he keeps it together for two more seasons. We will keep finding phantom inadequacies in his passing while owners will be lickin’ their chops. Hell, he is adjudged as the best football player in the land. Haven’t heard anything to the contrary.
So why are we trying to join the media in chewing him up in his collegiate prime??
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He’s has a red shirt year, so he can declare for the draft after this season.
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Ballsy, I gotta disagree. Manziel doesn’t have the arm of Vick and anyway, how well has Vick really done as a pro? The NFL game now needs a 6’5″ QB with a rocket arm and enough elusiveness to extend a pass play–that’s it. They don’t want a QB to be the leading ground gainer. First, he won’t last the whole season. Second, the job of the QB in the NFL is to get the ball to the right player in the right situation (hand off to a RB, pass to a WR or TE or RB, etc.) and get the right play called at the line–not run the ball. I’m predicting Manziel falls back to earth this season, takes A&M with him and ends up being a 3rd rounder at best. And that “best player in the nation” business is malarkey. The Heisman has become an example of what is wrong with football awards–the best player almost never wins. If the A&M CB doesn’t break on that ball at the goal-line (or if Bama called nothing but runs) Bama wins the game and Manziel doesn’t win the Heisman, probably doesn’t even make it to NY.
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The offense he’s in doesn’t require him to throw the deep out or to survey the field. He has his 1-3 reads and then is told to make things happen with his feet. He may be the best college player in the land although I would build my team around either McCarron, Murray or Tahj Boyd. He doesn’t have the size or arm strength of Kaepernick or RG3.
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He sure doesn’t, along with about 60-70 other Pro QBs. I stated that the NFL owners will be smacking their lips to get him and I will stand behind that.
Mayor, 🙂 , a friendly bet can be made on that draft round prediction. You name the point in the draft and I’ll take everything above that. A friendly bet should always have a recipient other than the bettors. You name that recipient. Lets say just past nine bucks?
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I’ll tell you what. YOU name the point in the draft and I’ll take everything below that. Gotta be in the first round, though, based on your assertions above. 🙂
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THIS is why I never watch anything on ESPN other than a game. I don’t have to keep up with Manziel’s utterings or FBomb’s analysis of them.
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ESPN?
After he won the Heisman Yahoo was doing reports on who he was dating. I was like WTF, who really gives a rat’s a** who the heisman winner is dating. I have zero problem with reports and articles about him that are actually about football, but it is just retarded to see so many pointless articles. I think there was even one about his schedule and how he was taking online classes…
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We all know Fbomb is in Bama’s back pocket. His criticism of Manziel is part of the process to distract Manziel from focusing on Bama’s visit to College Station.
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I firmly agree with this. He is part of the Bama “Process”. It is no surprise that when Saban began to really focus on plucking recruits out of Georgia 3 years ago, Finebaum began his crusade against Coach Richt. I thought at the time he was trolling for UGA fans to call the show. In hindsight, it was an attempt to tear down CMR and aid Bama’s recruiting. I dare say it worked on some level.
As far as Manziel goes, I will be highly surprised if he doesn’t go through a dramatic sophomore slump this year. He seems to be very distracted. Compare his extracurriculars to what we know about the work Aaron Murray is putting in. Who do you think is more ready to tackle the upcoming season?
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It should be said Senator, that Manziel’s family is supposedly quite well off. So this comment, “especially when you don’t yet have the money to insulate yourself from the public (assuming you want to do so, of course)” doesn’t seem accurate. He’s, or at least his family, has got the money to sit front row at Heat games, drive a Benz, take pictures holding a stack of cash, etc. He’s not your normal poor college kid, and he flaunts that fact repeatedly. If he wanted to be insulated from the public, he could likely easily do so. But he doesn’t, and the media portrayal of him is starting to seem a lot like a standard rich kid spoiled brat.
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So is it wrong to be a very vocal Christian, like Tebow, or to live the average college kid life? The media seems to say both.
If a kid gives coach speakish talk, they get pissed that he won’t “really” say anything. If he actually shows a little personality, one way or the other, well then he’s some kind of shithead for it.
This is one of the many reasons why sports news should stick to sports.
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I’ve thought flame out was a real possibility this year. JM has definitely enjoyed the lime light and all it brings, like many of us would.
Interestingly it’s Finebaum and his peers (and Bobo and Richt) that pushed JM to this point. They stroke his ego, bring him on their shows, tell him how great he is without any sort of regard to how it will effect a 20 year old who’s balls have barely dropped. Then, when his ego blows up or he says somethiing stupid like he did, they’re the first ones to pounce on him and say what a terrible person he has become.
Fuck Finnebaum and the rest of the idiots in the sports media/sports talk world.
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Not sure I understand the Bobo Richt connection. Unless you are implying that they have lost control of the reigning Heisman winner, then it is certainly correct to assign blame to them.
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What?
Richt and Bobo have “pounced” on Johnny and called him names?
In what world?
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like others I hate to agree with Paul on the weather let alone sports but he’s right here. Dude has the world by the nuts, who among us would NOT trade places with him in a split second? Brother, I’d love to walk a mile in your shoes… hell how’s this, you can have mine and I’ll take yours. An even swap ain’t no swindle right?
He’s turned into a spoiled little sh*t is what he’s making himself out to look like. The measure of whether or not a young man is ready for this type of spotlight is how he responds to it, and you guys are right… so far he’s failing miserably and looks to be headed for a major meltdown like Maurice Clarett.
And on the Bulldog side of things… don’t make me no nevermind… don’t hurt my feelings one skinny little bit.
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That’s ridiculous. All the reports you are judging him on are twisted by the media so as to paint him like Joe Namath was concerning his friends. He’s not heading for shit or anything else. Think how all these gossipy snips will play if he doesn’t beat Bama again, if he doesn’t win the Heisman again, if he doesn’t enjoy the great year again because opponents will now coach specifically toward stopping him, if he…………some of you must be able to complete more predictive downfalls that the media hasn’t thought of yet and are churning the life of a Sophomore CFB QB to sell their story.
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I wouldn’t mind walking in his shoes just for the leg he’s getting. At least I hope so.
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“I don’t hate Johnny Manziel. I just hate that he seems determined to take a great story and turn it into a cautionary tale.” Mark Bradley….It doesn’t happen often but I agree with Bradley
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If it were a popularity election, I would still vote Manziel over Pawwwl FBomb, who is Satan’s butt-boy. FBomb is still upset about last year’s game. I can’t believe he will be allowed to pollute the SEC network, a full time commercial for Bammer
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Still bothers me that Johnny Football isn’t on campus taking courses…however, I wish that they had on-line courses when I was in school….I sure wouldn’t have graduated with a 2.078 GPA…the ladies I dated were all at least good for a 2.5…Snake out
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They didn’t put that GPA on your diploma. Your diploma is as good as mine or anyone else’s with a higher average. My son’s average wasn’t much better and he and I are proud of his degree from Cal Poly. Spread’um while you got’um, Snake. No friggin’ regrets.
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