Johnny Manziel went to Vegas – who cares?

I was not a huge fan of Johnny Manziel when he was at Texas A&M. I thought the finger-rubbing, “show me the money” routine was arrogant and sought attention for an individual over team accomplishment. And third-hand media reports about his off-the-field activities made me think the guy was kind of an arrogant jackass.

I’m also not convinced the guy is going to be a great NFL QB. Despite going in the first round, you don’t have to look hard to see that he’s undersized, that he’s got kind of a weird foot thing going on when he throws the ball under pressure and that he certainly isn’t going to make it solely as the “prototype” signal caller.

All those cards on the table, the scrutiny this rookie is under has gotten more than a little bit ridiculous.

Oh no. He went to Las Vegas for Memorial Day weekend!?!?!?

Did he skip organized team activities? No – coach Mike Pettine reportedly told him to have a good time.

Did he get arrested? One would think that would have come out by now, given the 24/7 headline making machine that Manziel, for some reason, continues to be, even as he seems to be trying to lessen his time in the spotlight. The last time the national sports media, led by ESPN, has gone this nuts over a QB who had not accomplished anything at the pro level it was … Tim Tebow. Look how that turned out.

I’m still not a fan of who Manziel appears to be as a person – though I think media reports criticizing and questioning his dedication to the pro game are premature and ridiculous. Let’s give the guy at least a training camp, if not a season, to see whether or not he devotes himself on the field and in the classroom enough to make it in the NFL before ripping him for that alleged shortcoming.

But I think I’m going to root for Johnny Football to have at least solid success in the NFL. Here are a couple reasons:

• I think Cleveland deserves a winner. It’s a slightly underrated city. They’ve got some great fans. It’s been years since anyone could take the Browns seriously, but I think football is more interesting when rivalries like Browns/Steelers and Browns/Ravens actually mean something.
• I think Manziel’s naysayers are more ridiculous than he is. The aforementioned media and fan observer types who are already questioning his dedication or citing a pre-camp trip to Las Vegas during which he is missing nothing important as evidence of his jackwagon-ness should wait until there is at least credible evidence of his jackwagon-ness to pounce.
• Most importantly, he could be an interesting personality in a league that, in large part due to Commissioner Roger Goodell, is largely devoid of interesting personalities. If Manziel does become a big deal and he earns the right to strut some of the stuff he did in college, the Manziel-Goodell rows going forward should be things of legend. At a minimum, I love the idea that at least Manziel might cause the Commish a few sleepless nights over the next few years.

Johnny Football has a lot to prove and in some ways his landing in Cleveland means he’s fighting an even steeper climb uphill in order to make it as big as his big personality. But I’ll be watching as closely as the next guy as he tries to make this happen. And if he pulls it off, those who hate him should join those who love him in giving credit where it is deserved.

As I write this, I am kind of coming to terms with the media hype he’s been surrounded by the last few months as his NFL future began to unfold. He’s got a bigger personality than the rather milquetoast Tebow ever had and an interesting arsenal of skills that are in no way traditional, but are far more credible than the former Gator QB.

This is going to be an interesting ride.

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