In the wake of today’s Johnny Manziel bottle popping incident, the Cleveland Browns have decided to bench their “franchise QB.” This is the third time the Browns have named Manziel their starting QB and then later walk back on that decision. As a professional franchise they have the right to manage their roster as they see fit but at some point the Browns have to be accountable for their poor decisions.
Manziel isn’t the first draft choice that didn’t pan out in Cleveland, 2012 1st-rounders Trent Richardson & Brandon Weeden are no longer on the team and former All-Pro WR Josh Gordon hasn’t played in over 2 years due to suspensions. It’s obvious that something in the Cleveland’s culture breeds dysfunction and until management and ownership take responsibility for their mistakes the franchise won’t turn things around.
Back to Johnny Manziel, its public record that Manziel has had his troubles off the field. Just a few weeks ago he allegedly hit his girlfriend during a roadside argument, in which he admitted t having a few drinks earlier in the day. Nothing came of those allegations and the Cleveland Browns allowed Manziel to remain their starting QB. These types of headlines have been swirling around Manziel since his days at Texas A&M. The flamboyant ‘Johnny Football’ was a star in College Station for his on the field celebrations, play-making ability and superstar lifestyle off of the field.
There were times when Johnny went to hip hop concerts during game weeks or sat court side at NBA games during bowl season. Johnny has been in the spotlight since his time at A&M and every NFL franchise knew that in this age of a 24 hour news cycle, Manziel was king. The Anti-Tebow, an athlete that embraced everything revolving around him and wasn’t afraid to be a rock star first and football player second.
This is where the problems begun. Leading up to the draft warning signs arose and teams shied away from Manzel. He slid in the draft and many of the best NFL analyst wondered why teams were passing on Manziel. For them his talent out-weighed any off-field issues and they were sure that he could put it all together in the right system. The Cleveland Browns felt their system was the one to get the most out of Johnny, they were wrong.
Drafting Manziel was much like dating Amber Rose. When you chose to enter into a relationship with Amber there are a few things that you must be okay with and realize that ‘Amber will be Amber.’ Since her rise into the public eye, Amber has been semi-nude in front of cameras and her twerking has been a part of lure. Having a kid, a husband (temporarily) and high-profile friends hasn’t changed what Amber is at her core. The same can be said for Manziel. Just like you have to be okay with Amber Rose going topless on her IG in support of her ‘Slut Walk,’ you’d have to accept that Manziel will be in the club VIP during his off time. Neither are currently great at anything but both bring an audience to their endeavors. If a blog post ‘Amber Rose Twerking Video’ they know that they’ll instantly spike traffic and the Browns also know that if they name Manziel their starting QB that fans will rush to see if this is when it finally clicks.
If the Browns are truly done with Manziel then they should deactivate him, like RG3 in Washington, and let it be known that they are moving on. They won’t do that though, because they know that Manziel means instant headlines and instant interest. So, ironically the Browns are using Manziel for the same reason that led to him getting benched.
The person that saw Manziel in a club and knew that the video would go viral and that meant money from a blog. That blog knew that an exclusive Manziel video meant clicks and notoriety from the sports world. The Browns, now disgusted that someone else would dare capitalize from the media money machine that is Manziel, decide to bench him to “teach him a lesson.”
The only lesson Manziel is learning is to do his dirt in the shadows because what isn’t profitable to the franchise is grounds for demotion.
The Browns knew what they were getting when they drafted Manziel and are now upset that he is proving to be the person that he’s shown all along. If he has an alchol problem, then send him back to rehab right now, but if it’s just a matter of him getting caught on camera then let him play ball. Johnny may not be the best QB in the league but you’ll never know if you don’t let him play out the rest of the season and benching him for drinking legally on his day off makes no sense.
Johnny will get another opportunity because that’s just how the NFL works for young athletes with talent, but the Browns staff won’t be so lucky. 2-8 records are usually prerequisites for staff changes and the only way that doesn’t happen is if Manziel proves to be the QB of the future. Benching him for a 15 second IG video doesn’t seem to be the way to let him showcase his talents.
The Browns letting TMZ and other media outlets control their roster management can now be added to the list of reasons that their franchise is one of the worst in the NFL.