OT: Johnny Manziel

[Hawker]

I am not all that knowledgeable about football but I am a fan. Wow..what a game Heisman winner Johnny Manziel had last night! However, his style of play really reminded my of why I enjoyed Michael Vick in his prime. Which leads to the question; can Manzile play in the NFL with his style of play or does he have to become a pocket passer?

[Climb01742]

Russell Wilson may be a harbinger of whether Manziel can succeed in the NFL. Regardless, watching him is fun!

[rwsaunders]

He doesn't look to be modelled after an NFL QB...mass and height...he would need to be able to throw over the pass rushing beasts and he would need to be able to take the hits. Look at Vick...his injuries have been a direct result of the hits. I'll leave that decision to the NFL scouts, though...he is exciting to watch.

[MattTuck]

If you had the right owner, GM, offensive coordinator and head coach, it is possible. THe biggest problem with a non pocket passer QB in the NFL is the chance for injury. NFL defensive players are bigger and hit harder than college players. Because of this, it is a hard sell to build an entire offense around such a QB.

It is unlikely that he'd be as valuable as a pocket passer QB to a team in terms of compensation.... just because there is more uncertainty built into the team.

[Hawker]

Russell Wilson may be a harbinger of whether Manziel can succeed in the NFL. Regardless, watching him is fun!

Well Mr. Wilson certainly had a good day yesterday. Yep, I do love scrambling quarterbacks. That said...give the Comeback Award to Peyton Manning for sure.

[MattTuck]

rg3 is having total reconstructive surgery on his knee. I hope he comes back as good as he was... but ultimately, this is why building a team around an unconventional QB in the NFL is so risky.

[msl819]

I am not all that knowledgeable about football but I am a fan. Wow..what a game Heisman winner Johnny Manziel had last night! However, his style of play really reminded my of why I enjoyed Michael Vick in his prime. Which leads to the question; can Manzile play in the NFL with his style of play or does he have to become a pocket passer?

My question is how can Manziel handle the remainder of college he has left? Winning the Heisman as a RS Freshman... He has two years in and at least one before he is eligible for the draft. I will be curious to see how his follow up season goes and whether he can as a 20 y/o handle all the praises while still staying hungry and improving. My thought is where the trends are moving in the NFL there will certainly be a spot for him. With JM, or RG3, or any of the mobile QB's who arent built like Cam Newton, the question becomes how many hits can they withstand, because they will be hit. And the more you run around the more you will get hit. Manziel if fast, even in the SEC, but put him on the field with NFL athletes and he will look real normal real fast. He will have to be able to stand in the pocket and fire the ball down field no matter how much he runs. Vick, in his prime, was the only one I saw who made NFL defenders look slow. RG3 is certainly special too. But as 6'0" and sub 200 pounds it wont take many open field hits from NFL defenders running full speed before any of those guys have to either lose time b/c of injury or reconsider how to play the position.

[msl819]

If you had the right owner, GM, offensive coordinator and head coach, it is possible. THe biggest problem with a non pocket passer QB in the NFL is the chance for injury. NFL defensive players are bigger and hit harder than college players. Because of this, it is a hard sell to build an entire offense around such a QB.

It is unlikely that he'd be as valuable as a pocket passer QB to a team in terms of compensation.... just because there is more uncertainty built into the team.

But the NFL is a copy cat league and with the success of the RG3's and Russell Wilson JM will become the type of QB that teams start to covet. I am curious to see how long this trend lasts. To me there is a huge difference b/w Cam Newton who is 6'5" and 250 and JM or RG3. He can take more abuse and deliver some too. RW is more of a passer who runs to extend plays. He is more of a short John Elway in my mind in that regard.

[DukeHorn]

Let's wait and see how he does next year without his tackles (though Matthews may come back). He has great vision but having that line definitely helped his stats.

[vav]

RG3, Wilson, Manziel if he ever makes it, Newton, Vick, etc IMO are very exciting to watch but the chances of success are slim. In their first year, they surprise other teams but when the NFL defensive teams get second looks, things change usually for the worst for the QB.

Eli and Peyton, Brady, Brees, Rodgers and Roethlisberger are arguably the elite for the last 10-12 years ( 10 SB wins ) and what do they share besides SB rings? Pocket passing. They wouldn't run for their lives. Cam Newton resembles Roethlisberger but QBs can't outrun, let alone outhit NFL defensive players. It's not going to happen.