Full disclosure for those that don't know me all that well: I am on my way to becoming a two-time graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and with that comes a healthy desire for rivalry with two schools, OU and Texas A&M. As Longhorns, the schadenfreude is high when it comes to those two schools, and before I get called a jerk for reveling in the failures of others, those two schools feel the same about us.
With that said, I will say that these past few weeks have been a little bit of a back and forth within me about how to feel about good ole Johnny Football. As an Aggie, I am generally rooting for his failure, but that's only between the lines. As someone who has made my fair share of mistakes but has had the family and friend support to help get me back headed into the right direction, I just want to reach out to the kid and lend some support. I want to feel bad for him when I read about the way his mom and dad treat him and have treated him since his meteoric rise to fame last season. They are trying to maximize their window of opportunity and earning potential while it's there, and while I am never one to condemn something like that, the NCAA rules are in place and haven't changed in a long time so the fact that they can't follow them and steer him in the right direction as the parents blows my mind. Some of the stuff I can forgive. I was 20 not that long ago and for those of you familiar with me at age 20, you remember that I, much like John Foot, enjoyed the occasional adult beverage. I also probably got asked to leave a party. I was also flippant with money that wasn't mine. I also wasn't the first one that ever acted that way and Johnny won't be the last.
The part that makes me irate, and would drive me insane if I were an Aggie, is how arrogant and above-the-law he has conducted himself. It's one thing to get a little partied up and get out of control. In today's social media-driven climate, we even sometimes post things we don't mean or would love to have back. My 50 twitter followers or so don't care what I post. I doubt anyone even reads what I put on there in most regards. Johnny has treated us as if we are all stupid and that's what doesn't work for me. It's tough to be young. I know that. It's tough to be a celebrity, at least from what I've read and been told. Combine the two and it's no walk in the park. One thing I do feel that I have a grasp on is Aggies and the way that they treat each other. The reason that schools goof on aTm is that we don't truly get it. It's cool. I'll admit it. Aggies stick with one another more so than most. They blindly take up for one another and protect their own. The point I am trying to make is that if there were ever one place where it would be simple to be a big-time celebrity, it would be College Station, TX. Secluded from big city life, kind of in the middle of nowhere, filled with people who generally have your best interest at heart because you are one of their own. I understand his star is bigger than most, but any quarterback at a big-time school is a celebrity. You think AJ McCarron at Alabama walks unnoticed across campus? How about Braxton Miller at Ohio State? What about when Vince Young was at Texas? Or Ricky Williams for that matter? Is Johnny Manziel more accomplished than those players and/or the countless others I haven't listed? The way he has acted since winning the Heisman Trophy is careless and reckless.
That's more than I cared to say about that, so onto something else...
So, it's officially football season. How do I know these things? Well, I got to have my first argument last night regarding Tony Romo. I won't get into all of it, but here's the gist: As far as I am concerned, Tony Romo is not the main issue with the Dallas Cowboys and those who believe so are delusional and I don't have a problem telling them that. Is he the best quarterback in the history of ever? Probably not, but he's far from the worst.
Ask yourself this the next time that you feel like bashing Tony Romo: In the last 4 years, what top-of-the-line quarterback has been available for the Cowboys to have? Once again, I'm not asking if there have been better or more successful quarterbacks in the NFL, I am asking for an opinion as to whom the Cowboys could have signed that would have given them a better chance at winning than Tony Romo. Make sure to factor in that trading up in the draft to take RG3 or Andrew Luck would cost us picks that could potentially help shore up the offensive line, not that Jerry Jones has done much in that regard even with the picks we have had.
And one last thing:
Steroids suck. I am sad that Nellie Cruz won't be flexing his muscle and ability for the next 50 days on my favorite tv show, otherwise known as Rangers baseball. I am not in the camp that feels he was selfish by not appealing the suspension so he could play a few games longer. I feel as if him accepting the punishment shows signs of remorse and acknowledgement for wrongdoing. I applaud him for that and will welcome him back with open arms come playoff time.
And now for links:
The Cowboys Fourth String QB:
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