NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the New Orleans Saints have expressed interest in ex Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. The FA qb has not taken a snap since the 2015 season and has been involved in numerous off field incidents that we have detailed here on BSO. According to Ian, Manziel and Saints head coach Sean Payton had breakfast during Super Bowl week and discussed a return to the game.
Interesting that a quarterback with proven poor play, a history of poor behavior, and off field issues is getting interest. Yet, a quarterback that has taken a team to a Super Bowl with no off field issues can’t get a call. Hmmm…more on that in a moment.
Sources: #Saints coach Sean Payton & Johnny Manziel were spotted together Super Bowl week, at breakfast. They discussed a return to football
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 23, 2017
FA QB Johnny Manziel has kept a low-profile as he trains for a return. #Saints coach Sean Payton appears to have taken an interest in him.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 23, 2017
The #Saints still need a backup QB. Payton could make the most of Manziel’s talent. Drew Brees would be a perfect mentor. A lot makes sense.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 23, 2017
This is all very interesting and at the same time typical and a reflection of a problem we have in society at large. How do we determine who is afforded opportunities/second chances and who is not? In this case for Manziel, it’s beyond a second chance at this point. Manziel has been involved in a domestic abuse allegation, alcohol and substance abuse issues, and general reckless behavior. On top of that when we last saw him in the league he was not very good. He of the under 57% completion percentage and 74 quarterback rating.
Contrast Manziel with Colin Kaepernick who when we last saw him in the league completed 59% of his passes, threw for 16 TDs against only 4 interceptions on a dreadful 49ers team. Oh and by the way Kap has never been involved in any off the field issues involving law enforcement. Did we mention Kap took a team to the SuperBowl in 2012 and back to the NFC Championship game in 2013? Seems like someone you might consider as a backup, right? In the NFL, unfortunately not. Seems as though teams in the league would rather call guys like Manziel. Why is that?
Undoubtedly you will hear from teams, the league and some in the media that this is due to Kap’s poor play. We just discussed his play last season. If team’s are willing to bring in Manziel, and guys like Mike Glennon and Josh McCown who have proven they can’t play the position well, that argument doesn’t hold up. They may also say, Kap can only play in a read option system and the NFL is too sophisticated for that. Nonsense. Every quarterback in the NFL plays in a “system.” The smart team’s and coaches design plays around what their quarterback’s do best. Drew Brees is a short in stature qb, Payton and his offense often move the pocket to give Brees better sight lines and throwing lanes. Tom Brady doesn’t throw deep seems and out routes particularly well. How many deep seems and deep outs do the Pat’s run? Why are the majority of his throws quick hitch, short throws to small receivers in space? Are those not systems?
You might also hear, Kap is a distraction and team’s don’t want to deal with that. Who is a bigger distraction than Johnny “I Like to Party” Manziel? What about Kap makes him a distraction? Right, that whole protesting the anthem thing. But what distraction did it actually cause? Kap brought light to issues this country likes to sweep under the rug and ignore or pretend doesn’t exist. He exercised his right to protest, which is allowed by this country’s constitution. Kap not only protested but put his own money behind it helping the poor, children, elderly, and minorities.
It has nothing to do with his “inability to play well” or that Kap is a “distraction.” Kap made a political statement, and his politics do not mesh with the largely white, male, wealthy, conservative demographic that make up NFL ownership and another segment of the NFL community minus the wealth, by and large. Think about that. Equality, justice, and ending police brutality against minorities are things that come into conflict with the beliefs of NFL owners and some members of the extended NFL community.
To be clear I have no issue with Manziel getting another chance to turn his life around. Everyone deserves chances. Key word, everyone. Rapoport uses an interesting phrase in his second tweet, asserting that Manziel has kept a “low profile” while he trains for a return. The NFL and its teams value conformity and compliance above all, except money of course. When keeping a “low profile” means you can’t speak out or protest injustices in your own country we are too far gone.
Also, to be fair, Rapoport did not mention Kap in these series of tweets and has always been consistent and fair when discussing Kap. I am simply paying attention to the word choice when discussing Manziel and the larger context of the NFL and how the league prefers its players to comport themselves, politically.
In his final tweet on the subject Rapoport talks of Payton making the most of Manziel’s talent and Brees being the perfect mentor. Seems that’s all Johnny needs to turn it all around. Hopefully he’s successful. But what about Kap, whose life doesn’t need turning around? By all accounts he’s doing well. He’s just a talented, engaged, civic minded, quarterback looking for a job.