Cleveland Browns: Johnny Manziel would 'pour his heart out' for the Dawg Pound
Johnny Manziel is on the cover of ESPN the Magazine's 2013 college football issue with the catchy headline 'Twelve hours Inside the Golf Club-throwing, Grandma Tickling, Fame-Loving (and Hating) Life of Johnny Manziel.' As the NFL Scouting Combine next week in Indianapolis approaches with the first round of the draft on May 8 not far behind, Manziel is out to convince teams, owners, coaches and general managers that his wild side is more legend, or at least history, than what motivates him now. The Browns are among the teams he is out to impress. In particular, the Texas native is out to convince the brain trust of the Houston Texans to use the first pick of the draft on him, and to that end, he is putting himself through nine-hour workouts five days a week with unorthodox quarterback guru George Whitfield, Jr., who also has worked with the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, Panthers' Cam Newton and Colts' Andrew Luck. Whitfield, apparently, does not waste his time with the Spergon Wynns of the football world. 'I want (the Texans) to say absolutely, without a doubt, with 100 percent certainty, that I'm who they want,' Manziel told the Houston Chronicle and Fort Worth Star Telegram recently during a break in his workout. 'I want everybody from the janitor at Reliant Stadium to the front office executive assistant all the way up to (owner) Bob McNair to say, 'This kid is 100 percent, can't miss. This is who we want being the face of our program. We want the Texas kid staying in Texas and leading the Texans.'' But just in case the Texans pass on him, and the Rams and Jaguars do as well, the young man trying to prove 'Johnny Football' is more a media creation than who he really is wants the Browns to know he would work as hard for them as he would work for the Texans if Houston doesn't make his dream come true. 'If something happens, and it's the Cleveland Browns, I'm going to pour my heart out for the Dawg Pound and try to win a Super Bowl for Cleveland,' he said. 'I don't care if they've had 20 starting quarterbacks since 1999. I'm going to be the 21st and the guy that brought them the Super Bowl.' The simple fact Manziel knows the Browns have had exactly 20 starting quarterbacks since 1999 proves he has done his homework. Reportedly, the Browns are infatuated with him and might be willing to bundle 2014 and future draft picks in a package to send to Houston for the first pick of the draft. The Combine will provide Manziel with his first opportunity to prove to the NFL he will be dedicated to the team that drafts him, not just on Sundays but in his preparation as well. Some reports have questioned Manziel's commitment. It is worth noting he reportedly had an opportunity to earn $350,000 for an appearance on radio row at the Super Bowl, but he turned it down to work with Whitfield. 'Johnny Manziel is the guy that — whether it's Houston, Jacksonville, Cleveland or Oakland — you'll have to drag off that field before I stop playing for those guys,' Manziel said. 'Those are my teammates. Those are my brothers from now on. I'm going to fight until there's no time left on the clock. That's Johnny Manziel. 'Football and family will always be the most important things in my life. The main thing for me is to play the game with a certain type of passion and a certain type of respect that football deserves. It's a humbling game. It can come and go at the drop of a hat.' But what about all the craziness and what Manziel said were 'goofball decisions?' They included a profane tweet, a picture on TMZ of Manziel with a bottle of Dom Perignon, a tweeted picture of casino-floor cash, an arrest for involvement in a fight and an autograph session that led to Manziel being suspended for the first half of the Aggies' 2013 opener. 'I was a kid who made some goofball decisions,' Manziel told the Chronicle. 'That's been part of my journey. Maybe it's part of the whole Johnny Football deal that I'm trying to get away from. I'm trying to show people I've grown up, and I've learned from my experiences. I feel like you're a stupid person if you continue to make the same wrong decisions. I don't want to hear, 'Oh, anybody in his situation would have been doing the same thing.' I'm 100 percent responsible for my actions. 'I want (NFL personnel at the Combine) to know who I really am. I'm going to try to let people know who I really am deep down in my core and that I'm not the guy who does whatever is portrayed on the Internet. People can call me crazy, and it's not cockiness (but), I'm going to put myself in (position) to win the Super Bowl every single year. A 5-10 guy (Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson) just won the Super Bowl in his second year in the NFL. That's unreal. I want to be the first rookie to win the Super Bowl.' Manziel is expected to measure 6-foot, 210 pounds at the Combine.
About the Author
Jeff has covered the Cleveland Browns since 1981. He also covers the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League and the Cleveland Gladiators in the Arena Football League. Reach the author at jschudel@news-herald.com or follow Jeff on Twitter:@jsbrownsinsider.
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