Plenty of people have been expressing an opinion that the Texans should draft Johnny Manziel with the first overall selection. Few who have that belief have actually, you know, worked for the team.
Former Texans defensive coordinator and interim head coach Wade Phillips, a finalist for the job that went to Bill O’Brien, said Thursday that the Texans should select Manziel.
“When I did the interview with the McNairs, I told them they ought to take Johnny Football,” Phillips told Nick Wright and John Lopez of 610 SportsRadio in Houston. “That’s what I told them and I’m sitting here now.”
Wade likes Manziel for a couple of important reasons -- first downs and star power.
“Those kinds of guys who can make first downs when you’re not supposed to, I think they give you something.” Phillips said. “I just think he makes plays that nobody else can make. . . . I thought it would be the Earl Campbell of Houston, the reincarnation. [Editor’s note: Earl Campbell is still alive.] Having the Heisman trophy winner come to Houston, from the state of Texas, I just thought it would be a neat deal.”
The Texans ultimately may come to that same conclusion regarding a guy who may present a high risk, but who also presents a potentially high reward.
And while every team wants the first pick, a team can’t have the first pick and use it, too. Eventually, a name must be scrawled on the card, and if Manziel becomes a superstar with another team, the Texans will be hearing “I told you so” all over again, like they did in the early years of Vince Young’s once-promising career.