I Miss You, Johnny Football

Johnny Manziel
Photo credit John Rieger

I'm just going to say something that every college football fan has been thinking since 2014.

I miss Johnny Football.

I simply can't help myself. The infamous Texas A&M quarterback, whose parents named Jonathan Manziel, has spent the last 3 or 4 years tearing down one of the great legacies in the recent history of college football and it breaks my heart. 

Just like every other drunk college student, I was enamored with everything that this legendary QB was putting on display. Whether it was the highlight-reel, backyard football-type of scrambles that led to iconic touchdowns, or the simple fact that this dude had one of the greatest nicknames to ever exist in the history of football, I just couldn't get enough. Johnny Football aka Money Manziel aka Johnny Manziel wasn't just an electric factory playing the position of quarterback while defeating some of the greatest college football teams to ever be assembled, but it was the swag that came along with every single performance that transformed Johnny Football into the most dynamic Heisman Trophy winner that my blue eyes had ever seen. 

I'll never forget the 2015 draft when my favorite NFL team in the galaxy, the Houston Texans, were awarded the No. 1 pick in the draft after losing 14 straight games with none other than Matt Schaub aka "Mr. Pick 6" as the man under center for my Texans. Nothing says I need a franchise QB more than that, and it seemed as if the stars were aligning perfectly as the Texans were in perfect position to draft the Heisman Trophy winning QB and I WAS ECSTATIC!!! Before you roll your eyes at my thinking that Johnny Football could succeed in the NFL as a franchise QB, let me just remind you that I was not alone. Never forget that billboards were popping up in Houston, BEGGING for my Texans to draft what we thought would be the savior of our franchise, and you are lying to yourself if you are saying that you would've been upset to have this dynamic dude on your squad.

Johnny Football!!Texas billboard asks the Houston Texans to draft Johnny Manziel No. 1 overall. pic.twitter.com/a17MVbV9Yw(via @ESPNCFB)

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 29, 2014

As the draft was playing out, it seemed as if all my dreams were going to come true as Johnny was falling in the draft and with the No. 1 pick in the second round, I thought the Texans were going to come away with Jadeveon Clowney AND the most dynamic QB in college football in the same draft. But Manziel sent the text message heard around the world to the Cleveland Browns when he said they were going to "wreck this league together."

Unfortunately for everyone on the Johnny Football bandwagon, wrecking the league wasn't exactly what Johnny's time in Cleveland was all about. Manziel struggled to find early playing time as he played the role of backup quarterback to Brian Hoyer, which tells you all you need to know about how Johnny was viewed as a QB in Cleveland. He went on to compile a 2-6 record in 2 seasons with the Browns in very limited playing time, and then it just continued to get worse and worse for the Heisman winner. His dream of taking over the NFL after a dominating college career had vanished and we all were left with nothing but memories of an incredible QB that seemed PERFECT for the new age of the NFL. Instead, his reality was legal issues and a stint in rehab that left the entire nation disappointed and worried about the young man. The last I saw of Johnny Football was in a commercial for Direct Auto Insurance, and other than his random appearances for being a Heisman winner, we may have just seen the last of Johnny Football. 

Best of luck Jonathan Manziel.  Tell Johnny Football I miss him.