Retired Pro Bowl running back Eddie George is blasting rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel as someone who seems to be “more wrapped up in being a celebrity than being in his playbook.”
George’s criticisms of Manziel come on the heels of news the Cleveland Browns recently drafted signal-caller spent his recent Memorial Day weekend partying in Las Vegas with notorious New England Patriots’ party-boy Rob Gronkowski instead of trying to put himself ahead of the NFL curve by spending time mastering his team’s offense.
“You can’t be a franchise quarterback from Vegas,” added George, long regarded as one of the hardest workers to ever play at the NFL level. “I’m sorry. He’s more into celebrity than his craft.”
It’s not the first time the 21-year-old former Texas A&M star and Heisman Trophy winner has heard such whispers regarding his perceived commitment to the game. After the Memorial Day blistering he took on social media, Manziel responded by posting a photo of his Browns’ playbook online, adding he finds there are enough hours in the day to both study his playbook and go out and have a good time.
Adding to all the drama, however, are reports Manziel somewhat struggled during team OTAs last week, throwing at least three interceptions during one practice, two of which were returned for touchdowns by teammates Donte Whitner and Joe Haden on what were described as “lame duck throws.”
Selected No. 22 in the first-round by the Browns, Manziel is expected to compete with Brian Hoyer for the team’s opening day starter’s spot. At A&M, Manziel not only showed he could handle the pressure of being in charge of an offense, but excelled at it as few others ever have at the collegiate level.
Manziel averaged more than 3,900 passing yards over his two seasons in College Station to go along with an average of 32 passing touchdowns. Manziel also rushed for an average of more than 1,000 yards in each of those seasons and also scored 15 rushing TDs. Suring his 2012 Heisman winning season, he finished with 1,410 yards on the ground and 21 scores.
