The Houston Texans are abysmal this season. Nobody (or not many) predicted that the Texans would finish the 2013 NFL season in last place in the AFC after winning in the playoffs the last two seasons.
The Texans aren’t your standard “terrible team, so now let’s rebuild” kind of a team. This Texans team still has a top 5 running back in Arian Foster, a top 5 wide receiver in Andre Johnson, and a great offensive line. I also remind everyone that the Texans defense under Wade Phillips is ranked in the top 5 in yards against in the entire NFL.[1] The pieces are there.
They don’t need to rebuild, they need to reload.
Clearly the biggest issue is at quarterback, with Matt Schaub not playing at the level he’s being paid at. Jay Cutler is an upcoming free agent this off-season, but it wouldn’t be wise to go down that path. The path of injuries and playoff disappointments. Josh Freeman is also going to be a free agent but his career has taken a downward spiral. The 2014 quarterback free agent class isn’t very strong.
So who is the future franchise quarterback of the Houston Texans?
It’s Johnny Manziel.
The upcoming 2014 draft isn’t exactly the quarterback class of ’83, which featured John Elway, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly. This year is average at best and if Manziel does decide to enter the draft, the Texans have to select him. Opportunities don’t come around like this very often.
Manziel, who was born in Texas, grew up playing football at Tivy High School in Kerville, Texas. He flourished there with his arm and his legs. He won many awards, won big games, put up big numbers, and caught the eyes of college scouts. He then continued his football career at Texas A&M where he put on a display unlike any other freshman quarterback has ever put on. Manziel was the only quarterback who would defeat the soon to be three time BCS National Champions, Alabama Crimson Tide. He would go on to win the greatest award in college football, the Heisman Trophy. Manziel certainly made a name for himself in Texas.
What made this so impressive is firstly, Manziel was just a freshman when he broke so many records and won the Heisman. He played like a professional. Secondly, he played with a terrible defense. Not to make any excuses for his lost games, but it’s hard to outscore the opposition when the defense can’t get stops.
The 2013 Texas A&M football defensive squad ranks 89th in the country. [2]
Of course there are doubters, and why shouldn’t there be? Every quarterback has been doubted by many before being drafted, even Brett Favre. The two biggest arguments against Manziel are size and off field controversies.
The “too short to play quarterback” stereotype is getting old honestly. I honestly can’t believe people still use that as an excuse for not drafting a quarterback. Have those people ever heard of Len Dawson, Fran Tarkenton, Drew Brees, and Sonny Jurgenson? Even Michael Vick and Doug Flutie were average. Russell Wilson is doing a fantastic job as the Seahawks starter.
I guess those quarterbacks weren’t too short.
Then there’s the off the field issues. Manziel has been arrested before in the past for a false drivers license and does drink. He has found the ways to make the news for the wrong reasons, like when he overslept the Manning Passing Academy and possibly signing autographs, which he could have made a profit off of. I can’t stand up for much of that, but in all honestly that isn’t very serious compared to what others have done who are currently in the NFL. Manziel has never let his off the field life interfere with his on field performance.
Manziel would rejuvenate Andre Johnson’s career. He would take stress from Arian Foster and extend plays into long drives. He would turn red zone field goals into touchdowns. Constant pick sixes would be a thing of the past. Most importantly, he would win the AFC South his rookie year if drafted by the Texans.
In the end it would be criminal for the Texans not to draft Johnny Manziel. He brings great speed, exceptional in the pocket awareness, good accuracy and velocity, a great deep ball, and tremendous leadership and clutch skills.
Manziel would immediately turn the Texans into a contender.
References
1. Texans top 5 defense. NFL.com
2. Texas A&M Defense. ESPN.com
