Official Non NFC North NFL News 2014 (Unofficial Johnny Manziel)

[mraynrand]

PB, you know damn well it wasn't the commercial, but the content. And of course the NFL hates anything that upsets their perfect little apple cart. But College and NFL players have been using their notoriety and clout to push positions since notoriety and clout came into existence. It's not shocking. The Sams situation was far different in that it was carried out at an NFL event. Far more comparable would be 'the Tebow' during games. But Still, that was done openly with no hidden agendas. The dishonest subterfuge (or at least false pretenses) is what makes the Sams thing so slimy (and I mean that regardless of the actual content).

[pbmax]

PB, you know damn well it wasn't the commercial, but the content. And of course the NFL hates anything that upsets their perfect little apple cart. But College and NFL players have been using their notoriety and clout to push positions since notoriety and clout came into existence. It's not shocking. The Sams situation was far different in that it was carried out at an NFL event. Far more comparable would be 'the Tebow' during games. But Still, that was done openly with no hidden agendas. The dishonest subterfuge (or at least false pretenses) is what makes the Sams thing so slimy (and I mean that regardless of the actual content).

No I don't believe it was the content. The content or position just tells you which side of the field each team will line up on. Tebow did the ad, the FRC ran the ad and he was still drafted above projection in the first round. Sam cancelled the documentary after the getting a lot of pushback.

Both were unprecedented. Both planned pre-draft. Both done without team or league consent. Both in violation of the principle teams hold dear (however hypocritical their subsequent actions are). Especially with young players, most teams are trying to steer clear of the distraction.

The fact that both were firsts tells us more about the norm of player behavior (even among players looking to cash in). And the public reactions were predictable. You are going to have to point me to a source on the subterfuge, because I have not read about it.

[mraynrand]

No I don't believe it was the content. The content or position just tells you which side of the field each team will line up on. Tebow did the ad, the FRC ran the ad and he was still drafted above projection in the first round. Sam cancelled the documentary after the getting a lot of pushback.

Both were unprecedented. Both planned pre-draft. Both done without team or league consent. Both in violation of the principle teams hold dear (however hypocritical their subsequent actions are). Especially with young players, most teams are trying to steer clear of the distraction.

The fact that both were firsts tells us more about the norm of player behavior (even among players looking to cash in). And the public reactions were predictable. You are going to have to point me to a source on the subterfuge, because I have not read about it.

I don't know what the hell you're talking about.

[bobblehead]

No I don't believe it was the content. The content or position just tells you which side of the field each team will line up on. Tebow did the ad, the FRC ran the ad and he was still drafted above projection in the first round. Sam cancelled the documentary after the getting a lot of pushback.

Both were unprecedented. Both planned pre-draft. Both done without team or league consent. Both in violation of the principle teams hold dear (however hypocritical their subsequent actions are). Especially with young players, most teams are trying to steer clear of the distraction.

The fact that both were firsts tells us more about the norm of player behavior (even among players looking to cash in). And the public reactions were predictable. You are going to have to point me to a source on the subterfuge, because I have not read about it.

Your comparing a commercial shot off site with a camera crew filming a reality show in the midst of training camp, grilling every player about what its like having a gay teammate, just waiting for the explosion when one highly educated well spoken basket weaving major doesn't say exactly the right thing.

[pbmax]

Your comparing a commercial shot off site with a camera crew filming a reality show in the midst of training camp, grilling every player about what its like having a gay teammate, just waiting for the explosion when one highly educated well spoken basket weaving major doesn't say exactly the right thing.

Actually, I am not trying to compare the projects themselves, but their timing, intrusion (from the NFL's perspective) and reaction from the wider world.

Its possible the doc might have been exactly what you say, though without the cooperation of the team and League, they aren't going to get access to the other players. And I assume, but could be wrong, that Sam is sincere in wanting to make a roster, so I don't think he would sign off on a project designed to burn bridges. But they would not need to be hyper-aggressive to get inflammatory footage (should that be flammatory footage?). Someone will say something regrettable during camp (maybe just some fans) and that will be a story for 5 days. The documentary's only edge is access to Sam and his family.

To go back to the original point, I do think the NFL can come under siege when these topics come up. But that siege is predicable and pretty uniform. There are the usual public actors on both sides decrying the tragedy. The are omnipresent because they have to justify their paycheck. But what raises these two incidents are the people who feel they are in the middle, and I don't mean a political center. They would prefer to ignore all of it and not have their sports commingled with politics; sexual, reproductive or otherwise. I find this view common, though a bit naive. However, it crosses the political spectrum and does not accrue to one side or the other overall. We have seen some of them on this board when the topic strays from football (Tebow, Sam, Redskins).

They don't want to think or deal with the topic. And they are mad that folks keep dragging them back into it. Depending on the individual, you get some pretty vitriolic reactions. And I don't think those reactions are reserved to one side of the debate or the other. They are the aggrieved storks of debate.

[pbmax]

I do not think the content (Tebow) nor the timing (Sam) caused their respective controversies with the NFL and its collective, breathless professional commentariat. If you reversed the issues, changed the topics completely or had them each hocking anti-aging socks, the NFL would have retreated to its fainting couch. Remember this is a League that thought less of Manziel when he wore his new line of workout gear from Nike to his Pro Day. Camo shorts?!

In the case of the wider world of news, news commentary and nightly cable "news" apocalypse-is-nigh programming, both topics and causes caused a predictable storm and backlash. Each side felt slighted and tried to portray itself as the plucky, misunderstood underdog. But Tebow's people were smart enough to finish up before the draft, where his ad did not end up hurting his stock.

Sam had picked a project that would run smack dab into the middle of football prep, so that unlike Tebow or other athletes with offseason, non-football pursuits, he would actually be actively participating in the dreaded distraction, rather than be done with it.

To bring this back round to the original point, being a left-wing hero (one of bobble's points) isn't earning Sam a pass here. He got blasted by the same distraction police Tebow did. The outside world freaked out according to Hoyle in each case (if they hadn't, the point of being on TV -a large audience- is lost). The success of each effort was largely a reflection of their timing, not the support base.

[mraynrand]

... them each hocking anti-aging socks..

I see some equivalency between the two situations, but not to the same extent apparently that you do.

Either way, no one gets as upset over inappropriate socks as the NFL.

[pbmax]

I see some equivalency between the two situations, but not to the same extent apparently that you do.

Either way, no one gets as upset over inappropriate socks as the NFL.

Didn't even notice that. Nice call.

[mraynrand]

^^^^ WTF?

[pbmax]

Johnny Maziel went to Vegas over the weekend. None seem pleased.

Paul Burmeister ‏@PaulWBurmeister 11h
I have no problem with Johnny Manziel enjoying/embracing his celebrity. There should also be an awareness of the image he's feeding.

Richard Deitsch ‏@richarddeitsch 10h
First Take is currently debating Johnny Manziel in Las Vegas. I imagine this is what hell is like if hell were in HD.

ProFootballTalk ‏@ProFootballTalk May 25
Johnny Manziel parties in Las Vegas, hanging out with Gronk and spraying champagne http://wp.me/p14QSB-9ulJ

[pbmax]

Johnny rebuts:

http://instagram.com/p/oehLInI3CN/

[Brandon494]

It was a non issue in the first place.

[woodbuck27]

A Johnny Manziel Girlfriend pic.

[woodbuck27]

A Johnny Manziel has girlfriends Pic.

[woodbuck27]

" Hurry Up Johnny...... I need you."

[woodbuck27]

" Hi Johnny "Football"."

[woodbuck27]

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-networ...ke-for-Manziel

Was a weekend (this past weekend) a mistake for Johnny Manziel?

Comment woodbuck27:

Why should anyone really care if he was simply enjoying himself in a harmless pursuit of "HIS" life?

What if he went to the mens room too often? Would that be "Johnny Football... news worthy?

This man has a right to some privacy.

[woodbuck27]

A Johnny Manziel Girlfriend Pic.

[woodbuck27]

Ohh Johnny !

[mraynrand]

"Now, when you're a quarterback in Auburn...you see that lovely lady there. She does go to to Auburn, I'm gonna admit that. But she is also Miss Alabama and that's A.J. McCarron's girlfriend, OK? And right there on the right is Dee Dee Bonner, that's A.J.'s mom. Wow, you quarterbacks, you get all the good-looking women. What a beautiful woman. Wow! Whoa!"



Breaking News on Cleveland Channel 19: Young Men like attractive women and drinking alcohol. Update at 11!