2014 NFL Mock Draft - Round 2

Half the fun of the NFL draft is seeing how differently various people can view the same player/data.

There are a lot of 'experts' who had Johnny Manziel going in the top 10, and another bunch who have him later in the first.  Myself, I just don't think there are that many QB starved teams out there, and I see the third QB in the draft lasting past the first.


1. HOUSTON TEXANS: Johnny Manziel QB

Houston needs a QB, so we are pretty well guaranteed that one of their first 2 draft picks will be a QB.  If Manziel is available here, they will snatch him up and look like geniuses for it.

Think of this pick more as the third QB in the draft, rather than as the spot that Johnny will absolutely be.  

2. WASHINGTON REDSKINS: Antonio Richardson OT

Richardson is a mountain of a man with a mountain of talent.  He will give the Redskins a right tackle to pair with Trent Williams.  They need to find a way to keep RGIII on his feet, and a pair of stud tackles is a good start.  

3. CLEVELAND BROWNS: Bradley Roby CB

Roby is a physical corner with legit speed.  He will give the Browns a running mate for Joe Haden and one more piece for their improving young team.  Most years, he may have been a first round pick, but being under 6 foot leaves him out of the 'big corner' party, though his size is not going to be an issue. 

4. OAKLAND RAIDERS: Hasean "Ha-Ha" Clinton-Dix FS

Ha-Ha is a classic center-field free safety, and he is pro-ready coming out of Bama's scheme.  He has the athletic ability to be a star and Oakland needs some stars.  He is the best available and should start from day one for Oakland.

5. ATLANTA FALCONS: Terrence Brooks FS

Brooks is a burner in the secondary who can play all over the backfield.  He spent a couple of years at corner before moving over to star at free safety for the Seminoles in their championship season.  The Falcons have been working to improve their defensive secondary for years, with only moderate success.  Brooks is a player who will fit, regardless of what the other pieces are.

Texas Aggie Football: Aggies face hard loss against Tide.

The Aggies are no longer undefeated.

Despite a valiant effort, Texas A&M couldn’t fully contain the force of Nick Saban and his team. The atmosphere in Kyle Field was electric until the very end when the No. 1 Tide narrowly won 49-42. After all the hype surrounding this game, Texas A&M came out ready to rumble.

While sportscasters aired clips of quarterback Johnny Manziel’s ‘eventful’ summer, he showed a brilliance that seemed Heisman worthy at points.

Coming out of the gate in the first half, Texas A&M pulled an easy 14 point lead. Tide fans everywhere were buzzing about how this was a repeat of last year, and most were threatening to turn off the game. Manziel was on fire until Alabama came back with a force that catapulted them to score 35 unanswered points.

August 6, 2013: When Jay Bilas Punk’d the NCAA

Imagine North Korea.  Think about how the contributions of all the common people in that country go straight to the governing body, the dictator.  North Korea has scholars, yet the government says Kim Jong Il is the author of every existing book.  North Korea has athletes, but the record books show that Kim Jong Il shot 38 under par in his first round of golf.  North Korea has laborers, but Kim Jong Il made all the money in the country.

Obviously, the former dictator’s claims were not at all true.  He was too busy to write books because he was focusing on importing mega-sized rabbits.  He couldn’t have possibly been that good of a golfer because they don’t make adult clubs small enough for a man of his size.  And clearly he didn’t make all the money; he had the impoverished citizens do all the work so he could bring in more money to spend on Hennessy.  The man was undoubtedly taking credit for other people’s accomplishments.

Imagine North Korea again.  Now imagine that all the citizens of North Korea are college athletes.  Imagine that the governing body of these college athletes is finding any possible way it can to make money from them.  Imagine that these athletes are getting no recognition or compensation from the governing body for their hard work.

What is an amateur?

Amateurism is a word that we hear a lot about in sports journalism. We have heard it for year, spoken of in a reverent tone, as if being an amateur gave you a solid stance on the moral high ground to those who performed for *gasp* money.

The hypocrisy of this stance has been discussed ad nauseam, especially where major college athletics are concerned. The Universities grant scholarships to athletes who will help their teams to succeed. Those student athletes commit to playing only for their school's teams until the agreement is voided by one party or the other. All in all, that is a pretty reasonable agreement. You play for us, and we give you services in place of dollars which, if you take full advantage of the opportunity, gives you a plan if you don't get rich playing your game. Considering the cost of a college degree, these scholarships are no small item, especially for those who are not stars.

If you look at the backup guard on the football team, for example. Let's assume that his family, like most in America, will be financially challenged at paying for a college degree. This means that someone, likely the student, would be taking on considerable debt. Instead, by working for the athletics department, and let's not pretend that playing big time college athletics is anything less than a job, he will come out with 4 years of education at no cost. And in many cases, he will have had the opportunity to attend a better university, and had a better support structure in place to help him succeed. This is, again, no small item, and it does give the school the right to make some demands...just as the benefits of employment grant any other employer the right to demand some concessions. They have the right to demand performance in the job of the employee, or a given time period, and they have the right to demand that they employees will not work against them. The question, to my mind, is this: Do they have the right to control what they employee does outside of their preparation and performance? 

Bob Stoops Says Johnny Manziel Is Best QB Sooners Have Ever Faced

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical of what Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel  would do in the Cotton Bowl after his whirlwind world tour.

Manziel stopped by Letterman, hit the stage with country stars, bought his own courtside seats to a Mavericks game, and played golf with the Jonas Brothers.

I wasn’t sure he would have enough time to practice, getting prepared, and most importantly I truly wasn’t sure if the moment and all the press would be too much.

Safe to say I was completely wrong.  Manziel not only was prepared for the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma, Johnny Football showed up, and showed out to the tune of 287 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, and 229 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.  Yes Manziel gave Oklahoma over 500 yards of total offense by himself.

2012 Heisman finalists

As reported on ESPN, Manti Te'o, Johnny Manziel, and Collin Klein have been invited to the New York Athletic club for the Heisman Memorial Trophy presentation. 

We have all heard plenty of talk about all of these players this year.  Collin, the good christian boy who Bill Snyder built into a candidate.  Manti Te'o, the linebacker, and team leader, from Hawaii who has revitalized the Fighting Irish.  Last, but not least, Johnny "Football" Manziel from the great state of Texas.

Te'o and Manziel have gotten the most press.  If either of them were to win the award, it will make history.  Defensive players rarely win the contest, which makes Te'o noteworthy.  When you toss in that the Heisman winners list does not include a single linebacker, well that would be an revolutionary event on the college football landscape.  Johnny Football, well he's a freshman.  Freshman, which is another classification which does not have a single winner. 

That's great for those guys, but their is a flipside to that.  Neither of those classifications have won for a reason.  Upper-classmen quarterbacks have, historically, had a better track record.  Since 1980, 17 Quarterbacks have won the award. 

So, let's just pretend that all 3 of the players have a fair chance. 

Johnny Manziel’s Family Working To Trademark Johnny Football

The legend that is Johnny Manziel continues to grow by leaps and bounds.

Manziels meteoric rise from 3 star recruit, to potential Heisman finalist, is close to out doing that of the great Tim Tebow in my opinion.

Manziel did what some felt couldn’t be done, by driving the Alabama defense crazy, and giving them fits.
ESPN is reporting that the Manziel family in concert with Texas A&M is aware of the growing star their son has become, and has taken steps to have his now famous nickname “Johnny Football,” trademarked.

The Manziel family jumped to this position, after an organization called Kenneth R. Reynolds Family Investments, filed for the “Johnny Football” trademark.

Evaluating The Heisman Trophy

With the distraction of the Presidential election finally and mercifully behind us, college football fans can focus on what’s truly important. And by “truly important,” I mean the Heisman Trophy. Let’s face it, a true fan might not know who the President is, but they can rattle off the names of the last 10 Heisman winners without stopping to catch their breath. After all, the Heisman’s all about recognizing the best player in college football … or is it?

I’d always naively thought that the Heisman was won on the field. A player’s performance over the course of a season should qualify him for -or disqualify him from- consideration by the Heisman voters. Here’s the problem; a player’s performance is only part of the equation. Because the Heisman is determined by popular vote, it’s little more than a beauty contest. However you might choose to describe it, the process of choosing the Heisman Trophy winner makes about as much sense as the BCS.

Sports information directors (SID) at BCS schools will often create campaigns built around a star they feel is worthy of Heisman consideration. In past years, these campaigns have come complete with promotional materials- pens, mouse pads, notepads, videos, etc.- designed to increase awareness and support. With so many FBS teams spread all over the country, it’s safe to assume that not all of the voters will see candidates play all of their games. Voters who live on the East Coast may not see West Coast teams play due to the time difference. And there you have the Heisman’s dirty little secret; some (perhaps most) voters will cast their ballot based on incomplete information.

I know; that sounds like the very definition of American democracy, doesn’t it?