I know this is horribly-timed as I'm sure most would prefer *any* other QB right now (and rightfully so)... but after watching nearly non-stop Manziel coverage this weekend (and good lord, it's only going to get worse - his next game is on ESPN), it's clear the NFL/ESPN, et al, have found their heir apparent to Tim Tebow and we are going to get Johnny Manziel shoved down our throats this year... I'm curious if people wished the guy getting the lion's share of the coverage was a Texan? And I’m not asking from the perspective of talent; whether he’d make the team better/worse… but rather, would you want your favorite team to be a part of that circus? Would you prefer to be the team that everyone is talking about… before they inevitably grow sick of you? Would you want a larger than life personality dominating coverage? Personally, I was all for it. I thought it would have been fascinating to live in the bubble; it’d be fun to see/hear the Texans be the talk/focus of the NFL. I have no opinion about whether it would have made us a better team… I just thought it’d be fun to, for once, be the center of the sports world.
I think I would have felt better about possibilities for this team going forward had they drafted either Manziel or Bridgewater. I wasn't sold on Bortles (sorry, Remii). This is a QB's league more than ever right now, it seems. Even more so if they're going to continue to call pass interference on every other play.
If his talent was anywhere near the hype, I'd be all for it, but I'd want nothing to do with a Tebow circus and that's what it is.
I was equally intrigued by the idea of Maniel and Clowney. My ideal scenario was to get them both. It actually started to look like a possibility as JFF began to slide. In other words, I was 'intensely curious' to see what JFF could do. I can't honestly say I held any particular BELIEF one way or the other as to what he would do, just that I was very curious to see, and HOPED it would be both very successful AND with the Texans. Now that he is with Cleveland, I don't much care any more. But if he does turn out to be the next big thing, and Clowney is just meh like Mario Williams, then yeah, Rick Smith will have to go bye-bye. Actually, I take that back - I think we have seen enough of Rick Smith regardless. Him need go bye bye.
I wanted the Texans to trade up and get both of them, but that bathroom photo makes me glad they didn't. I think it's highly (no pun intended) likely that Manziel is going to have to crash and burn before he wises up.
Whoa! Slow down... You're taking this down a different path than i intended... I'm specifically wondering how people would react to being part of the Manziel three-ring circus; the constant media overload and focus...
It's impossible to separate how one feels about him as a player from how one would feel about the media overload and focus. For example, if we had Peyton Manning in his prime and the media was all over him 24/7, that would be one thing, if we had Tebow and the media was all over him 24/7, that's a totally different situation.
For me, the answer is yes. I wish the Texans, or Houston for that matter, had a guy who got major coverage from the national media. We haven't had that from the Rockets, Astros or Texans in a long time. I'm not even saying that guy has to be Manziel. If Watt got it that'd be cool.
The way it currently is, with a lot of his attention being criticism of poor decisions off the field? No, wouldn't want that. If we're talking about the "Tebow" type hype, then it would only be worth it of he panned out. Wouldn't want to have a ton of attention only to have the guy bust. Tim Tebow busting will be remembered more than Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen busting. I wouldn't want to be remembered as the team that drafted THAT guy. At least Denver negated some of the embarrassment by getting Manning and getting rid of Tebow quickly. I don't think the Texans would be so lucky if they drafted JFF and he flopped.
Peyton Manning receives a lot of coverage, obviously - but nowhere near as much as Johhny Manziel is getting right now. Even in his prime, ESPN didn't cover him the way they're covering Manziel. They key is being a lightning rod of dissenting opinions; ESPN thrives on milking that. Everyone generally likes Peyton Manning, if they give the boring oak a second thought (which is rarely beyond the NFL season). Part of the equation is dealing with the hype absent of any proof that he'll be good/bad.
Don't fans always complain about how the national media never shows the Texans love? Well with Manziel we would be all over national media. So you would think fans would want that.
Well yeah, the only real parallel to Manziel is Tebow, and they have a lot in common. If I thought for a second that Manziel was going to be even an above average NFL QB, I'd have supported trading back into the first round for him and I wouldn't have cared about the ridiculous hype and coverage. That said, since I don't think there is much chance of him being an above average QB, the circus just makes a bad pick worse IMO.
If Manziel did good, espn would paint him as a celebrity separate from Houston and say stuff like "imagine how x team would've been if they drafted him." If Manziel did bad, espn would crap on our fanbase the second we started booing him or calling for a replacement. BOB would be crapped on for putting him out there too early or not protecting him enough.
Except you are talking about trading for Manziel, this is a moot point now. I think most wouldn't mind the circus if it meant quality play at the QB position and wins.
ESPN wouldn't be shoving Johnny down our throats if people didn't want to watch him. Johnny is exciting and fun to watch and I wish he was a Texan. I'm not looking forward to the Texans season this year.