Before I get too far into this, I will be the first to admit I am not overly impressed with the Johnny Manziel party stories. I think that Johnny probably could have skipped a couple of his party trips over the last couple weekends while the OTAs were going on. And even though it is the offseason I could have done without the drunken money phone video. It's not that I'm completely opposed to letting loose and having fun at all. Johnny just made it to the pinnacle level of his sport, go out and have fun. But stupid videos like that give ammunition to the people who want him to fail. It damages his brand, it makes grouchy old men like me start to grumble, no good comes of it.
But in Johnny's defense he also has not been absent for any team functions. He hasn't created any true waves within the organization that we know of. As a football player he speaks humbly and tries to say the right things. And despite the national attention he brings, nothing in my opinion has been detrimental to the team. Johnny is under contract, and ready for the beginning of training camp here in about a month and a half.
The fact is that anyone that cares about professional football seems to have an opinion on Johnny Manziel. However one dissenting voice that I never expected to hear was from Brady Quinn. Quinn was on Sirius XM radio the other day and expressed his disapproval for Johnny's antics. He logic was that Johnny was being disrespectful to the veterans on the roster with his antics.
While in theory there wasn't anything wrong with what Brady said, there is the factor that Brady Quinn is probably the last person on earth with any right to criticize another athlete in that manner. If you are asking why, lets have a little history lesson.
Brady Quinn was the Browns selection at #22 overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. The Browns spent their 2008 first round pick to acquire Quinn in a deal with the Cowboys, and looked to make Quinn the team's franchise quarterback.
The problems began nearly immediately. When trying to sign Quinn, he was demanding a salary closer to what a top 5 pick would make. Quinn and his agent tried to justify it by saying that not only was he projected to be picked that high, but the draft pick the Browns traded to draft Quinn would likely be in that range as well. So essentially Brady Quinn said through an agent that he thought he was worth more than many of the guys picked before him, and wasn't planning on winning that many games for the extra money.
That drama lasted all the way through training camp, and Quinn finally agreed to terms the day before the opening preseason game. By then Quinn had missed all of the season preparation, and missed the window for being considered for the starting quarterback job at all.
If someone can tell me exactly what respect for the veterans was shown there I would love to hear it. All I know is that it was a bad look for fans like me. I can honestly say that I was not a big Brady Quinn guy right from day one of him signing with the team because of the lack of respect for the team. And no offense Brady, but Johnny just signed his deal yesterday.
2008 was even worse for Brady, as his absence allowed Derek Anderson to have a pro bowl season in 2007. And although he still had a ton of fan support, Brady Quinn knew into the offseason there was no chance of him starting for the team in 2008. That is the time Brady really tried to ditch his "boy next door" image.
So lets talk about some of the lesser known things about Brady Quinn. While no matter how dumb the Johnny video looks, you can tell that he is having a good time. I remember the Brady Quinn party story of him getting drunk at a bar and ripping off gay slurs and picking fights. But Brady was quick to let Johnny know that a first round QB was the, "face of the franchise." Probably a good thing the media wasn't as voracious as it is now huh Brady?
But that incident didn't really hurt the team, so fans didn't worry too much about it. However the incident where Brady Quinn got into an altercation with defensive lineman Shaun Smith probably did. So fist fighting teammates is another way to show respect for your team.
So guess what Brady, you can go ahead and shut up now. You are making yourself look more foolish now than when you did when you finally stepped onto a football field for us. Save the career criticism for people who are doing worse than you did.
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Brady Quinn seems like a douchebag. Really. I know a guy who knew him in high school... he used to work out with his shirt off. Who does that? Also, the two stories you pointed out (the gay one, I never knew of!) are telling. He also has stated that he didn't "get along" with Mangini. He wasn't ever extremely grown up.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing... Phil Savage has admitted that the Brady Quinn "holdout" was pre-meditated so that there wouldn't be pressure for him to start right away. (Can't find an article.. pretty sure I heard it in an interview)