Month: June 2015

When the Cleveland Browns selected Johnny Manziel in the 2014 NFL Draft, they were well aware of the attention he brought with him. However, they must have felt that his on-field ability was worth the circus “Money Manziel” came with it to make him a first round pick. 

It was well known that Manziel was far from conventional in his play, and as expected, his lack of adjustment to the pro-style offense was exposed a great deal last season. Comfort in the pro-style offense comes with time, but it seems the Browns continue to feel that Manziel is worth the wait because of his big play potential and star quality.

However, we already know star quality does not win football games by itself. Although Manziel’s big play potential was his biggest selling point during the draft process, it probably should have been that very selling point to raise the red flags for teams with potential interest in him. In fact, one of the most defining plays of his college career highlights the lack of feel Manziel has for playing the quarterback position, regardless of system.

Although this was an exciting play to watch, this certainly wasn’t the ideal play A&M had drawn up. First of all, Manziel completely missed #5 Kenric McNeal on the play. All three defensive backs at the top of the screen had dropped to the far left of the end zone leaving no defender to account for McNeal in the middle of the field. At 0:33 in the video above you can see McNeal begin to come across the field and break wide open for what would have been a sure-fire touchdown. However because of Manziel’s compulsion to run, he tucked the ball in less than two seconds of receiving the snap, giving the play no chance to develop. There was absolutely no imminent pressure that could have prompted him to attempt to scramble prematurely as he stood in a very clean pocket. 

Even if there were a reason to run on this play, Manziel showed poor vision as a runner as he ran straight into his right tackle who was being pushed backwards. Manziel chose this route instead of a much safer route made clear by a double team of the left guard and center on the left side Alabama defensive tackle, sealing off a large gaping running lane between #61 and #70, as you can see at 0:34 in the video.

This rushing attempt became even worse as he recklessly carried the ball in traffic and fumbled it as a result, only lucky enough to regain possession. He then made the horrible decision of throwing against the grain when running to the left, although credit must be given to his great athletic ability to allow him to complete that pass.

However, this does not excuse his complete lack of awareness and recklessness with the ball. On this one play alone, he not only showed a compulsion to scramble prematurely and unnecessarily, but he also showed his lack of patience and vision as well as recklessness as both a passer and runner. If Manziel’s tendencies continue to keep him from executing relatively simple plays with clean pockets, it is hard to say he will be able to develop into a legitimate NFL quarterback despite his physical abilities. 

Perhaps Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther wants his defense to savage Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel at least one more time.
Guenther told ESPN that Manziel has a shot to still develop and says he shouldn’t be written off, saying, “Honestly, I think the kid needs more time.”
Guenther’s defense dominated Manziel last year during a 30-0 win.
“Drew Brees did it,” Guenther said. “I know Drew is a little bit thicker than Johnny but about the same height. … I don’t see any reason why he can’t do it up there. [Manziel] was such a high-profile guy out of college and everyone expected what he did at Texas A&M, but it’s a man’s game, it’s a lot different, and it takes time. You have to take your lumps a little bit.”
The Bengals’ defense taunted Manziel during that game last year.
After spending most of the offseason in rehab for substance-abuse issues, Manziel is a backup now behind Josh McCown.
“I think he has good feet, is obviously a threat to run it, and I think in the right system he can be a good player,” Guenther said. “There was so much expected in his first game, and maybe some of that was self-warranted, but it was so much from the fan base that you have to let him make mistakes.”
Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun
 

As a July 15 deadline for a long-term deal approaches, Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver Dez Bryant’s agents met with the team late last week.
Tom Condon and Kim Miale met with the Cowboys, according to ESPN.
If a new deal isn’t struck by July 15, the franchise player would play the season under the franchise tender of $12.823 million.
No deal is imminent.
Bryant has threatened to skip regular-season games if there’s no deal.
That scenario appears to be unlikely.
Bryant has been absent for most of the offseason program.
Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

“Numbers never lie” is a common misconception that NFL fans have bought into for years. It’s why some still cling to the “fact” that Andrew Luck is better than Russell Wilson, or that Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback of this generation despite his lone Super Bowl ring to show for it. Yes, numbers are not only necessary, but crucial when analyzing the quarterback position, but analysts often sell fans on arguments predicated upon a quarterback’s statistics rather than the eye test.    

In 2014/15 Drew Brees amassed 4,952 yards – tied with Ben Roethlisberger for most in the NFL, 33 touchdowns, and posted a quarterback rating of 97. Paired with his 17 interceptions, the numbers tell us that Brees had an above average season, when in truth, inconsistency and uncharacteristic turnovers plagued him and the Saints in their disappointing 7-9 season. Although Brees remains a good option at quarterback for any team, last season was certainly not one the future Hall of Famer will recall with fond memories.    

After opening the season throwing a mere three touchdowns to two interceptions in the Saints’ 0-2 start, Brees needed a comeback game quickly. Following two first quarter touchdown drives, the Saints took a 13-0 lead, but the offense was shut out by Minnesota in the third quarter, and only amassed seven points against the NFL’s 14th ranked defense. The next week, Brees’ statistics were incredibly misleading, as New Orleans was beat 38-17 by Dallas on Sunday Night. The Cowboys forced the Saints to punt twice, miss a field goal and went on to intercept Brees before claiming a 24-point lead. After their first points of the night in the third quarter, New Orleans fell behind 31-3. This sent Dallas into a prevent defense, and Brees was able to pad his stats and ultimately compile a statistically impressive 340 yards while losing by 21 points.   

Brees’ struggles continued against the NFL’s 28th ranked pass defense, Tampa Bay, as he threw three interceptions, but still managed to throw for 371 yards – see a trend here? Against Detroit, the Saints had the game in hand up 23-17, but Brees threw an interception that put Detroit on the New Orleans 14 and the Lions won 24-23. His 342 yards and two touchdowns may have looked nice on the stat sheet, but it was his costly mistake that lost the game.    

The next two weeks looked promising for New Orleans, as they moved back to .500 with an impressive win against Green Bay and a gritty win against a decimated Panthers team. Brees’ struggles would soon continue as New Orleans lost the next three in a row.  A 27-24 loss at home to San Francisco put Brees on the hot seat as he threw for two costly interceptions, but it didn’t look that bad, all things considered. The blowout loss to Cincinnati did, and once again Brees’ misleading stat line of 255 yards, a touchdown and a 100.7 quarterback rating bolstered his statistics, but his team fell short by 17 points. Similarly, his 420 yards and three touchdown throws against Baltimore doesn’t look as good when one recognizes New Orleans was forced to play catch up after being down 14 with under three minutes to go.  

Drew Brees is still a future Hall of Famer, and despite a sudden drop in his play, he still performed admirably at times, especially away against Pittsburgh to keep their playoff hopes alive in the weakest division in football. But as mentioned before, 2014/15 was Brees’ most inconsistent season, and the numbers certainly did not lie in this case, as the Saints lost 41-10 the week after, and Brees posted a 69.7 quarterback rating. After following that up with a great performance against the Chicago Bears who mentally checked out after week four, Brees ended the season throwing for 594 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions and lost out on a playoff spot for the second time in three years.  

Clearly last season was not one that properly reflects Brees’ career or overall quarterbacking ability. One can argue that New Orleans’ running game was not efficient enough to support Brees, but they were in the top half of the league at 13th in the NFL. His receiving corps included dangerous weapons such as Marques Colston – sort of, and Jimmy Graham, which is more than what’s provided for some elite quarterbacks who still manage to have success.      

Never once did Brees battle back in a close game to provide the Saints with the late game magic expected of an all-time great. Not only that, but some of the more crucial numbers “didn’t lie” either… His yards per attempt numbers went down, as well as his quarterback rating, touchdown to interception ratio, and overall yardage. In wins, Brees threw 17 touchdowns to seven interceptions in 2014/15 opposed to 2013/14 in which he threw 32 touchdowns to five interceptions. Brees’ numbers were certainly misleading in the sense that they were too good to properly reflect his play, and they were far worse than last season, giving reason for some to believe he may be in decline.    

Hardly anyone wants to see Brees decline, it just seems as though many analysts fail to recognize that he struggled mightily throughout the 2014/15 season. After going game by game, it’s clear that the New Orleans quarterback failed to pile up good numbers in an efficient manner, and maybe it’s not all his fault. What’s certain is that fans hold quarterbacks like Brees to a higher standard, and putting up big numbers is great, but it’s all about how you put them up, and if you win. Let’s be honest with ourselves here: Numbers… absolutely can lie.