You really don't think that a personality like Johnny won't sell a ton of jerseys, shirts,etc...not just in Houston but nationwide? Just wait until popular celebs like Lebron, Drake, etc etc are wearing Manziel jerseys. Between the celebs and his new commercials, he already has a ton of cross promotion. That sells additional merch.
I feel ya, SmoothOperator. SEC performance and a bullet workout..... I'm down with daring to be great, but given where the Texans are as a franchise, it's not happening overnight...no need to force anything. We've all had to be extremely patient for the duration ...Let's take some of the uncertainty/downside risk out of there, while being patient a little longer. With all the question marks attached to these cats and no consensus #1 at this point(but with some highly desirous of 1-1), I say we field offers and then trade down for Matthews or Lewan. While probably not popular, we COULD set ourselves up with as much as a couple of extra #1's. I have complete faith in BOB finding us a QB.
Johnny Manziel would be a pick that would be understood even if it didn't workout at this point. The Texans and the Rockets both would have crazy story lines of how both franchises went from boring and unattractive to exciting and sexy.
Of course his PR team is working to improve his image. It worked for LeBron. Hell, even I like LeBron now. But it can't work unless Manziel himself changes. Compare his actions his freshman year to his sophomore year. I think (just humor me here...) it might also have something to do with Manziel growing up. Doing stupid things when you're 19 doesn't necessarily guarantee that you're going to stupid things for the rest of your life. I know this is a crazy theory. I'm not sure if we should draft Manziel or not. But my indecision has nothing to do with the fact that he went to a Rocket game with Arian Foster...
I used to be opposed to the idea of the Texans drafting Manziel. No more. Despite lingering concerns about durability, I'm now on board with us taking him. And take him with the first pick - don't get cute. I never had a problem with his work ethic or his attitude. Barring serious injury, JFF will succeed in the NFL. I'd still be OK with the Texans taking Bridgewater, though. But I'm not a big fan of Clowney. Yeah he's a freak of nature, but his attitude concerns me...I get Mario Williams vibes from him, and not in a good way.
I believe jersey sales goes to the NFL as a group and the owners split the money. Just the same that's chump change. NFL owners as individuals make their big money off of fans coming to games and TV contracts and McNair has no problems in those departments. What Johnny is doing is marketing his brand and putting money in his pocket. Which is smart on his part. If the Texans draft Johnny it will be because of what they believe he can do at the NFL level not because of the amount of jerseys that will be sold...
The only way the Texans get the merchandise revenue is if the stuff is purchased at the team store at Reliant. The rest of merchandise sales are in a big pool that is split amongst the teams. The Texans are not the Jaguars. They will not draft a player for marketing purposes. The Texans sell out every game, are raking in the corporate sponsorships and they own the city's media. Manziel can help elevate a profile of a team sure, but not in ways that McNair is likely to care about.
If only this year's QB class had a QB with the size of Bortles, the mind of Bridgewater, the deep ball of Manziel, and the athleticism of Logan Thomas.....we'd have a QB worth taking with the #1 pick.
But what if Johnny Manziel isn’t a sideshow? What if his exciting brand of football successfully makes the transition to the NFL… and you pass on him? He is very obviously positioned to be the next NFL superstar, a transcendent personality that will elevate the profile of a franchise tremendously. And that’s before he ever throws a pass in the NFL*. I know BOB doesn't give a ripe flip about any of that – and good for him. But can the owner – any owner - ignore it? If Manziel succeeds at the NFL level, he’s going to be the game’s biggest star. I think that important/unimportant element makes him an infinitely fascinating prospect. (* And I recognize that his cult of personality lasts only as long he isn’t a failure – but that only adds to the fascination, IMO.)
Hell hath frozen over. For once I agree with you on something Texans-related. Texans QB-related, to boot. The Texans should roll the dice with Manziel, but be willing to move on from him if he busts quicker than they did with Carr (and Schaub, for that matter).
That's an interesting point. There seems to be only one real reason not to draft Manziel, and the reason is Clowney. Bortles will probably be the guy, but if he sits on the bench his rookie year while Clowney and Manziel are having terrific rookie seasons, that's going to look bad, real bad.
