DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Manziel continued

I dont give a damn if he was in rehab for coke, alcohol or being a chronic masterbator, it isn't anyone's business but his own.

JeremyinAkron™‏@JeremyinAkron
Got a DM that Johnny was out drinking at Townhall. Just got a second DM from someone working there that he's doing shots right now...

Hayden Grove ‏@H_Grove 12h 12 hours ago Cleveland, OH
Source at TownHall: Browns QB Johnny Manziel was here earlier this evening. Was wearing thick glasses for low profile.Was picked up. #Browns



Why on earth would he go out to a club/bar last night? If this is true, perhaps he's trying to get released

My guess? He doesn't care anymore an is likely trying to get released. I'd want out of this hell hole too. Cowboys will pick him up in a heartbeat where just about everyone in Texas will love him.

And his employers...

Arch, I can't say who would take a chance on him, but the NFL has no shortage of teams willing to take on a "trouble child". I think this FO had an idea of Manziel's problems and thought they could mitigate them. Since then it appears they under estimated those problems.

Win some lose some

If he is out drinking, he wants to get released.. which i dont blame him..

Let's just say that doesn't fly in most careers. Mine included. If my boss tells me I can't wear flip flops on Tuesdays I can choose to not wear flip flops on Tuesdays or find another line of employment...no matter how much I disagree or ridiculous I think it is (mind you, the Browns telling him to lay low stay out of the spotlight, don't party or get high/drunk is NOT some ridiculous stipulation for somebody with Johnny's history). It's not that hard to follow rules. Nor is it that hard to be a respectable human being and not lie about it after you got caught.

Employers have a right to know what their employees are up to. Even if you're on "your time" you're still a representative of the company. Not only that but (as in the Browns case) what you do in your "off time" can be a detriment to you as a person...which can hurt the company if it affects you to the point you are not able to produce for them as desired. If that's the case then you become more of a headache than you're worth and they have reason to relieve you from your duties.

IMO the Browns have given Johnny about 23415 2nd chances already and are going above and beyond to continue to try and help him as a person in an effort to salvage the debacle that was their investment drafting him in the first place. My guess is IF he continues down the path he's on he won't be on the team next season, and I'd fully support that.

I can't find any reports he was out drinking again

Let's just say that doesn't fly in most careers. Mine included. If my boss tells me I can't wear flip flops on Tuesdays I can choose to not wear flip flops on Tuesdays or find another line of employment...no matter how much I disagree or ridiculous I think it is (mind you, the Browns telling him to lay low stay out of the spotlight, don't party or get high/drunk is NOT some ridiculous stipulation for somebody with Johnny's history). It's not that hard to follow rules. Nor is it that hard to be a respectable human being and not lie about it after you got caught.

Employers have a right to know what their employees are up to. Even if you're on "your time" you're still a representative of the company. Not only that but (as in the Browns case) what you do in your "off time" can be a detriment to you as a person...which can hurt the company if it affects you to the point you are not able to produce for them as desired. If that's the case then you become more of a headache than you're worth and they have reason to relieve you from your duties.

IMO the Browns have given Johnny about 23415 2nd chances already and are going above and beyond to continue to try and help him as a person in an effort to salvage the debacle that was their investment drafting him in the first place. My guess is IF he continues down the path he's on he won't be on the team next season, and I'd fully support that.

If the rule is dress (act) professionally for work and you wear flip flops the boss will tell you that that is not acceptable. You however continue to wear flip flops. Eventually you will receive some kind of punishment - a suspension (or demotion to 3rd string).

The same day you get suspended, someone else happens to wear flip flops to the office. They however only get a verbal warning and not suspended. Why? Because they haven't demonstrated a continual disregard to the rule over and over.

Does this explain why the rules seem different for Johnny and why past behavior does play a role?

That's also them telling you that you can or can't do something IN your workplace. As an employer you actually have no legal ground to stand on unless that person is actively representing your company.

So, in Manziel's case, his popularity gives him a different set of rules?

Manziel is a small piece in a failed organization (it's not HIS fault we drafted him, with his character being pretty publicly known).

If he (or to the last post Gordon) can add value on the football team, I'd start both of them next year. 2-8 is garbage, I could careless about the character of these idiots. They're millionaire's playing a game. And at this point, not playing it very well.

I'm with triple, character (outside of being a murder or wife/child abuser) is irrelevant to me - I want guys who can win. There is no roster in the NFL that has all what would be considered high character guys, just as is true in a normal work environment.

Then why stop there? If it's win at all costs then who cares if they abuse somebody in the privacy of their home? As long as they can run real fast and score TDs on Sunday right? I mean that's apparently the only thing that's important.

Then why stop there? If it's win at all costs then who cares if they abuse somebody in the privacy of their home? As long as they can run real fast and score TDs on Sunday right? I mean that's apparently the only thing that's important.

Right, and the rule for Johnny isn't different from anyone else's on the team. The rule isn't don't drink, it is act professionally.

Completely disagree there. I want nothing to do with either one of them. Life is more important than winning football games. Sometimes it's about doing things the right way, and setting the culture/expectations so that people can flourish as human beings first in hopes that it eventually translates into wins later (big picture here). But I'd rather go 0-16 with guys like Joe Thomas who come to work and do things the right way than go 16-0 with chumps like Gordon, Manziel or Greg Hardy. JMO obviously.

Jon Gruden on Johnny Manziel: 'Hopefully this awakens him; if you stay with him, you'll be glad you did'

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- ESPN analyst Jon Gruden, in town for Monday night's game between the Browns and Ravens, hopes that Johnny Manziel's demotion to third string quarterback marks the beginning of his NFL career and not the end.

"If he wants to be a great quarterback and realize his potential, let this be the day he gets awakened,'' Gruden told cleveland.com Saturday night before giving a Chalk Talk to high school players and coaches at Dick's Sporting Goods in Mentor. "He's an inactive quarterback. He's on a 2-8 team. There's a lot of disappointment and frustration and he's the headline of it.''

Gruden, who spent about three days with Manziel before the start of training camp in July, tried to help him get his mind right before his second pro season.

"We grinded pretty hard,'' he said. "We went straight at it. We were right out in the open. One day I think we played golf. We talked about some deep and philosophical things. It was very unusual for me, but I care about him. I care about his family. I want to see him realize his potential. So far obviously I haven't succeeded."

Gruden emerged from his time with Manziel -- initiated by the quarterback -- optimistic about his 2015 season after a wasted rookie year.

"I felt like he was in a good place,'' said Gruden, who first got to know Manziel when he featured him on his pre-draft QB Camp series on ESPN. "I feel he's a lot like a lot of young people in this country that I meet. This is not college anymore. This is not the amateurs. This is the big leagues. Hopefully this awakens him; this is a dose of reality that maybe can be a turning point for him off the field.''

As for his playmaking ability, Gruden is still as high on Manziel as he was before the draft, when he reportedly urged the Raiders to select him in the first round.

"He's made great progress on the field,'' said Gruden. "I can't tell you how impressed I am with the progress he made last year to this year. Hopefully, we can put this behind him and he can get it together and consistently become the leader and the player we expect him to be."

Gruden didn't bother to lecture Manziel, who spent 73 days in an addiction treatment center in the offseason, during their brief time together in Tampa this summer.

"He knows what he has to do,'' said Gruden, who expressed concern in September about Manziel's elbow tendinitis. "You don't need to keep telling him what he has to do. He has to go out and do it. I wasn't aware about the rehab part of his life. We didn't get involved too deeply with that stuff.

"I'm not the expert on him. I'm a supporter of his and I'm going to continue to be that. I have a lot of confidence he's going to turn the corner. If you stay with him you're going to be glad you did."

Like Manziel fans from coast to coast, Gruden wanted to see Manziel the final six games of the season, beginning with Monday night's nationally-televised game. His demotion, largely for lying to coach Mike Pettine about partying over the bye weekend, came just seven days after Pettine named him the starter for the rest of the season.

"(I was) obviously disappointed – not just because I'm a broadcaster,'' said Gruden, a Sandusky, Ohio native and friend of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam. "I wanted to see him. I thought he was showing great progress. This is a setback, so obviously I was disappointed just like I'm sure Mike Pettine and the Browns were."

Fresh off a production meeting at the Browns facility, Gruden didn't get a chance to spend time with Manziel, who will likely be inactive for the game behind starter Josh McCown and backup Austin Davis. But Gruden plans to reach out to him again soon.

"I've texted him, stayed as close to him as I can during the season,'' he said. "There are a lot of guys I take interest in. He's a young kid (he'll be 23 on Dec. 6). He should still be at Texas A&M. Sometimes you have to remember that."

Gruden compared Manziel's off-the-field personna to that of a young Brett Favre, who's now a Hall of Fame semi-finalist.

"It's not the first time (for me),'' said Gruden. "We traded for a guy when I first got to Green Bay that Atlanta said was a little bit of a hell raiser and it turned out okay for us. You know what I mean?''

Perhaps no NFL analyst was higher on the former Heisman Trophy winner pre-draft than Gruden, and he still feels the same.

"Yeah, I do,'' he said. "I think if you asked the Buffalo Bills when they scrimmaged against the Browns this summer, I think the Browns coaches would tell you 'wow.' I think the Pittsburgh Steelers brass would say, 'That guy really is impressive.'

Likely to talk plenty about Manziel Monday night during the clash between two losing teams, Gruden acknowledged that the former Aggie draws a strong reaction either way.

"He's a polarizing guy,'' said Gruden. "You love him. You don't like him. Everybody has their own feeling, but deep down, I know there's a good person in there, a lot of talent, and somebody is going to tap into it. I believe that."

The qualities that Gruden saw in Manziel at Texas A&M, he still sees now, including the play during the 30-9 loss to Pittsburgh in which he spun out of a Jarvis Jones' jersey grab, faked a pass and scrambled 11-yards to within inches of the goal-line.

"He's a playmaker,'' Gruden said. "His improvisational skills are tremendous. He's a legitimate dual threat. He can run or pass. He can learn quick and he's clutch. He's got a lot of guts."

If Gruden were Manziel's coach, what would he tell him?

"I don't think we can report that,'' he said with a smile.

As for whether or not he'd want to coach again, Gruden said, "I'm going to coach tonight (at the Chalk Talk). We'll see what happens. I have a great job. I'm excited to be with the guys I work with and I haven't lost a game in five or six years. I feel pretty good about it."

But if he were Manziel's boss, one of the first things he'd do is surround him with more talent.

"I think they've got to get a running game,'' he said. "I don't know if Duke Johnson dies at halftime or what happens to him. They have to play better football around him. They don't have the biggest receivers I've seen.

"There are things they can do to certainly enhance him on the field, but forget about all that for now. The kid can play.''

Unfortunately for Gruden, and legions of Manziel fans, that won't be on display Monday night.

Completely disagree there. I want nothing to do with either one of them. Life is more important than winning football games. Sometimes it's about doing things the right way, and setting the culture/expectations so that people can flourish as human beings first in hopes that it eventually translates into wins later (big picture here). But I'd rather go 0-16 with guys like Joe Thomas who come to work and do things the right way than go 16-0 with chumps like Gordon, Manziel or Greg Hardy. JMO obviously.

So, exactly what did he do that was unprofessional when he went out on his off week? The pictures I saw looked like someone having a good time - far from embarrassing. The organization made it embarrassing by turning it into a bigger issue than it needed to be.

it was the rap video. the cursing like a drunken sailor. jmo

It is really not necessary or desirable to quote the entire article to post a response.

NFL players are in rap videos all the time.

NFL players are in rap videos all the time.