Johnny Manziel controls the fate of running quarterbacks
Prospects aren't always worth the hype. Johnny Manziel is no exception. Entering the 2014 NFL Draft, Manziel is slated as a potential Top 5 pick. Doesn't that sound a little familiar? He's a quarterback that runs just as often as he passes, if not more. This sounds like Robert Griffin III all over again.
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The jury is still out on whether Griffin will be a great NFL quarterback. But what lies with Griffin and Manziel is the fate of the great “experiment.” Can a running quarterback succeed in the NFL? Based on recent memory, I don't think so.
Griffin had a great season in 2012. There is no doubt about that. However 2013 was a different story. He played in 13 games, sitting out the final three games of the season for rest purposes. He only threw 16 touchdowns last season and was picked off 12 times. Griffin's rushing numbers also took a hit. He ran for 489 yards on 86 carries, a total of 5.7 yards per carry. That is a great total, but look deeper. His 489 yards are 326 yards fewer than his 2012 total (815). Griffin had no rushing touchdowns last season, compared to seven in 2012.
His stats will continue to go down because a running quarterback can not succeed in the NFL. Too many aspects of the game are against them. Being a quarterback is like being a general in war; only run when forced to do so. If a quarterback runs prematurely, he is going to get hurt. Griffin will face injuries going forward if he continues to run. Manziel and any other rushing quarterback will suffer a similar fate.
In 2012, Manziel ran for 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns. That's a great total for a running back, but a quarterback needs to throw the football. His running game dropped in 2013, (759 yards and nine touchdowns) while his passing statistics improved. However the NFL is different from college football, something past Heisman Trophy winners like Tim Tebow and Troy Smith can attest to. Succeeding in college football means near to nothing unless you fit the NFL system. NFL Films Producer, Greg Cosell shares a similar belief.
"He played two games this year, LSU and Missouri,(and) if those were the first two games you put on and watched, you'd say he was almost undraftable," Cosell told Midday 180 Radio. "He was so bad in those two games, that you'd struggle to figure out, can I even draft this guy?"
Teams like Jacksonville, Cleveland and Oakland desperately need a quarterback. They are slated to draft third, fourth and fifth respectively in 2014. Odds are Manziel will be drafted by one of those three teams, probably Jacksonville or Cleveland. Many analysts do not believe Manziel will be on the board by the time Oakland picks at No. 5.
Jacksonville and Cleveland had the second and third worst ranked offensive lines in the NFL during the 2013 season. How is that going to help the development of a quarterback, who will be forced to rush out of the pocket more often than normal? Manziel will fail in the NFL if he is drafted by a team with a poor offensive line.
Look at past running quarterbacks. Troy Smith is out of the league. Tim Tebow is out of the league. Robert Griffin III has been injured multiple times. The fate of the “running quarterback” is in the hands (or in this case legs) of Johnny Manziel. Is the running quarterback a trend or here to stay Manziel's success determines the future of NFL quarterbacks and perhaps the fate of offense in the league itself.
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