With former first-round quarterback Johnny Manziel on outs in Cleveland, there are those who think he needs a wake-up call. And there are those who think Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones’s constant pining for Manziel has only enabled the behavior that will make Manziel a former Brown soon.
But one Cowboys legend thinks Dallas could be the place that turns things around for Manziel, and has offered to help.
During an appearance with the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, Cowboys Hall of Famer Michael Irvin offered to help Manziel, if he ends up in Dallas.
“I love the game of football and the game of football saves lives,” Irvin said, via the Dallas Morning News. “If you can get a young guy, Johnny Manziel won a Heisman Trophy at 18-19 years old. He is still growing up. I don’t know why we think if a guy can throw a football it makes him the most mature person in the world.
“There will come a time when he will cross over that threshold and become a great football player, and I am willing to work with him on that and I hope the Cowboys do get him. I know this kid has worked hard to get where he is. Let’s give the kid another shot, he lands in a better spot and get around the right kind of people. Help him become a better football player and a better man. That’s what the game of football does.”
Of course, the spotlight that comes with being a Cowboy might not be conducive to that recovery.
“There’s a lot of pressure with coming to play in Dallas,” Irvin admitted. “When you are around people that are more sympathetic and have dealt with issues like the Cowboys or like a Jerry Jones who will get in there and talk to him on a man-to-man level and help him come along as a man. [Jones] helped me become a better man, and he will take his time.
“When you know there is somebody pulling for you in the higher office, it does make a difference. I think it can make a difference in this kid’s life.”
Now the question will become whether the Cowboys pounce and claim him off waivers, or look for a backup quarterback who has shown himself to be more accountable in previous stops.