I haven't said anything on this topic, and that's mostly cus it's felt inevitable after going through all the hoops to get him eligible, after working him out last year, and June Jones clearly loves the guy and thinks VERY highly of him lol his comment was downright ignorant, but I can't lie I get where he was coming from.
Watch these highlights and tell me he's not one of the most dynamic quarterbacks you've ever seen at any level?
Whether you like him or not is a totally different story, but you're lying to yourself if you don't think he is one of the greatest college players to ever live.
The issue I have is first and foremost, I like Masoli, I like that he's dedicated himself to the city, and I like that he's shown consistent improvement every single time he had to take over for Zach. I also love Zach, but unfortunately his time has come to an end I think. I believe he will be a valuable piece for a winning team going forward, but he won't be wearing black and gold, which is something all of us will have to come to terms with and it's not easy because Zach was our beacon of hope just two years ago. I wish the story had a happy ending, but this is sports and I think both Zach and the Cats are in a good position to have a clean breakup and both find immediate success.
I'm a long term guy and that's how anybody running a franchise should be, so from the get go I thought this Manziel stuff was a headache that's going to get in the way of Masoli taking over as the main man in town. Masoli has more than proven to me that he can lead this team to a Grey Cup if given the reins under Jones, and realistically he could end up being the starter here for the next 5-7 years with any stroke of luck.
BUT, I don't think that's the route they're going. They could be trying to boost Manziel to bait another team into trading for his rights, which would be great if they did, but I just don't think that's likely at this point after all the paper work they've gone through to get Manziel eligible. I believe they wanted to sign him last year but the league blocked it, some say we chose not to sign him but that's not how I read into the situation. I think Ambrosie was worried about 1) public image especially after the Art Briles incident and 2) I think they wanted to make sure Manziel was clear of any charges so he could get over the border, which he was like a month ago ... 3) I'm sure they also wanted to make sure Johnny was serious but that was far behind the other two reasons for their delay
So now is where I gotta deal with the reality of Johnny Football in Hamilton. There's positives, and there's some huge negatives. Obviously first off you wanna just make sure he has his head on straight, isn't obsessing about the limelight and partying, which by all accounts he has been. Only time I see Johnny is during press releases like this one and that one TMZ creepshot on the beach which, well it's TMZ they're a horrible company I could care less what they do. If you read about his time at A&M and Cleveland, it was his dedication to the game that held him back, plain and simple everybody wanted Johnny to grow up but Johnny, and as a 23 year old kid myself, I completely understand how somebody could crack under the enormous pressure and want to slack off. Would I have done the same? All of us would like to think not but reality is majority of us wouldn't be able to handle all the fame either when you're so young and everybody hails you as king.
If he reverts back to that form in Canada, he's a goner by Labour Day. He needs to take this chance seriously or he will forever be known as a "what if" in pro football circles.
Now if he comes out and plays with that competitive edge that made him so great in college and truly dedicates himself to the team, I see no reason why Johnny can't tear it up under June Jones. Masoli is great and I love his skill set, but Manziel is simply a better version when he's on his game, and the wide open field up here would provide a pretty canvas for him to work his magic.
Which brings us to the final issue, because let's say Johnny Football does land in Hamilton, and let's say he is successful, maybe a home playoff date and a nice stay line...Well then it's bye bye Johnny Football because he'll be flying south to play in the NFL if he can prove he's prepared to be a mature professional athlete that a franchise can depend on.
Which is why I say just stick with Masoli and let's see where he can lead this franchise in the long term. Maybe...just maybe we sign Manziel and win a Grey Cup, but those odds are astronomically low when you assess the history of situations similar to this one, and also factor in all of Manziels baggage that could come to fruition once again in Canada.
Doesn't seem like the risk is worth the reward of sending Johnny back to the NFL and leaving us in search of another quarterback in a couple seasons, but we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out.
If you made it this far I commend you, I feel better now that I've got this off my chest lol
