Troy Aikman assessing the draft value of Johnny Manziel

michael89156 · 2014-01-10T07:44:47Z

Troy Aikman: NFL pounding could take toll on Johnny Manziel By Chase Goodbread College Football 24/7 writer NFL.comPublished: Jan. 9, 2014 at 08:44 p.m. NFL Photos/Associated Press Troy Aikman won three Super Bowls as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. Durability and maturity are the primary factors NFL general managers must evaluate in assessing the draft value of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, former Dallas Cowboys star quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman said Thursday. Speaking on KTCK-AM in Dallas, Aikman specifically questioned whether Manziel's smaller body could withstand the punishment NFL defenses will deliver, and whether the Aggies' third-year sophomore and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner will be the sort of quarterback clubs will want as a public representative. I think he'll be pretty good," Aikman said, according to The Dallas Morning News. "The concerns that I have would first of all, be his size. Can he take the pounding? I've never met him, so I'm not sure what his stature is, but he just seems like he's a pretty small guy, and maybe, I don't want to say fragile, but the punishment in the NFL could take a toll on him. So that would be concern No. 1." Manziel is listed at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, and suffered a few minor injuries as a sophomore after navigating his freshman season injury-free in 2012. If NFL clubs determine Manziel's career is at risk to be hampered or shortened by injury, that could have an adverse effect on his draft value. Aikman also brought up Manziel's maturity level. The No. 2 would be, not having sat and visited with him, how well can he be the face of a franchise? Is he mature enough to handle that responsibility? Is he going to commit himself to being a great NFL quarterback or are other things more important to him?" Aikman said. "If you can come out of those questions and say, 'Yeah, I believe he's big enough to withstand the punishment and I believe he is committed and he is going to do the right things because we're going to be paying him a lot of money,' then I think he's a first-round talent. I really do." Manziel has been projected as a first-round draft pick, and at least half of the teams picking in the draft's top 10 choices have a need at quarterback, according to NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah. More athletic quarterbacks are trending in the NFL recently, although not all have achieved success. Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks is the best young example of a skillful runner making his way in the league as a quarterback. Former first-round draft pick Tim Tebow, by contrast, could not find his way to a roster in 2013. Aikman's evaluation of Tebow coming out of the University of Florida was a glowing one, according to the Tampa Bay Times."He can do it all," Aikman said in December 2009 prior to Tebow being drafted by the Denver Broncos No. 25 overall in 2010. "He's been doing the whole wildcat before it even became in vogue in the NFL. I don't know exactly where he's going to go or high he might be. But I'll tell you this. He's a guy I'd like to have on my team. And I think with his leadership ability and his athletic skills, a team can find a place to play him where he can make a real impact for an NFL club." Tebow recently took a job as a college football analyst with the SEC Network but is maintaining efforts to make a comeback in the NFL, working with private instructors to reinvent the slower delivery that scouts marked as one of his drawbacks. Manziel, for his part, hasn't had his delivery scrutinized as much as his reckless style of play, and unwillingness to take a sack or throw the ball out of bounds on broken plays. Nevertheless, Manziel was much improved as a passer between 2012 and 2013, increasing his touchdown passes from 26 to 37, completing a higher percentage of his passes (68 to 70 percent) and taking fewer sacks (22 to 19). Aikman saw that progress, and was especially impressed with Manziel's play against then-No. 1-ranked Alabama on Sept. 14."From what I've seen, he's a playmaker," Aikman added. "The criticisms I know coming into this year were that he didn't throw the ball as effectively as he needed to. I haven't seen him play a lot, but I saw him play against Alabama, I saw him play a couple of other times and he made throws that -- they weren't these schoolyard throws. They were in the pocket, getting the ball out, reading the defense. And I was impressed."So, with those questions, and the biggest one being the intangibles, I think he's got the chance to have a really big career." Manziel threw five touchdown passes against the Crimson Tide in a 49-42 loss, and all five of them illustrated Aikman's point, being thrown from the pocket on different types of routes and in some cases, off multiple reads.

Page 2 / 3 Prev Next

The Red Board

Last Post by Anonymous 11 years ago

40 Posts

25 Users

0 Reactions

563 Views

RSS

Anonymous

(@Anonymous)

Posts: 0

Cabin Boy Guest

I'm curious to see his true measurments at the combine . Is he really 6'1 200 pounds or is he really 5'10 175 pounds like he looks. Makes a big difference in my eyes.Arm strength concerns me too .....can he throw the deep out into a tight window with enough zip on this level ??All questions I need answered before spending a top 10 pick. The off the field stuff doesn't really concern me , just a kid being a kid. He'll grow out of that.

Agree completely

Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 6:12 pm

Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Don't worry about size. Its the motion of the ocean._Ny's gf. Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 6:16 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBWJUuvMynk Samantha Ponder is 5'5" ... Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 6:24 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Wow ....I really think he is like 5'10 Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 6:27 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Wow ....I really think he is like 5'10 Jay Leno is 5-11. Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 6:42 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Troy Aikman = HOF QB not a talent scout.I'm not arguing about JFF talent, it's there. My concern is that his style won't be nearly as effective in the NFL as much of his game involves creating. He may do well, who knows, but he's not the kind of QB I would like to see us go with. What about QB coach who worked with Eli and P Manning?His endorsement not worthy because he isn't a talent scout? It's worth something, just not very much. The ringing endorsement he made of Tebow tells me he may be looking at things differently than a scout. I can accept the fact that we may very well draft JFF to be our QB. I don't hate Manziel, I've been trying to give him a chance to win me over because he may very well be our QB. I think Aikmen sees all the other things when he looks at Manziel, just like with Tebow. He's see the atleticism, he sees arm strength, accuracy, etc.... But all of that matter naught if he can't function in the primary role he'll be in as a NFL quarterback, pocket passing. Can he stand in the pocket without happy feet, scan the field, work his progression and deliver the ball. Sure I've seen him do that a few times, I've also watched him leave the pocket for no reason, throw across his body back to the center of the field, throw jump balls all over and in general turn the ball over, a lot. I think fumbles and INTs are going to be a big problem for him if he plays like he did in college. I've said it for a while now. If you have the ability to run the urge to escape the pocket and run is very strong. It also is a huge barrier to being a high functioning pocket passer in the NFL. endorsement of qb coaches and HOF troy aikman > BucNY Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 6:42 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBWJUuvMynk Samantha Ponder is 5'5" ... She could be wearing heels? Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 6:47 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Wow ....I really think he is like 5'10 Jay Leno is 5-11. Hmmmm......Jimmy Fallon claims to be 5-10. Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 6:47 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Chris Paul is 6'0"He has to be about 5'10". Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 6:50 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Based on these few pics, I would say he is about 5-10. Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 6:53 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Chris Paul is 6'0"He has to be about 5'10". Could Chris Paul be wearing heels? :- Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 7:07 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Lol Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 9:50 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest At the combine I think he measures out maybe a bit shy of 6 feet. 5-11 or something. Its not that big a deal IMO. There are lots of great NFL players under 6 feet. I think the best landing spot for him would be somewhere with an established QB already in place. Then they can bring him along slowly without 100 TMZ cameras at practice everyday. Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 9:58 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest There aren't a lot of great under 6'0 QBS...there's been like one in our lifetimes. Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 11:00 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest There aren't a lot of great under 6'0 QBS...there's been like one in our lifetimes. Russell WilsonFlutieTroy SmithMike VickBrees Posted : Jan. 10, 2014 11:36 pm

Page 2 / 3 Prev Next Forum Jump: Previous Topic Next Topic

Share: Forum Information Recent Posts Unread Posts Tags 8 Forums 37.4 K Topics 204.6 K Posts 5 Online 25.8 K Members Our newest member: Roguewarlord Latest Post: Have the Bucs Done Enough to be top 5 in the NFC? Forum Icons: Forum contains no unread posts Forum contains unread posts Topic Icons: Not Replied Replied Active Hot Sticky Unapproved Solved Private Closed

Troy Aikman assessing the draft value of Johnny Manziel

Follow Pewter Report