Johnny Flipping Football

It did not take long for Johnny Manziel to hijack the NFL’s headlines.  While his play has been lackluster, his indecent salute toward the Washington bench during the third quarter of Monday’s game launched enough storylines to spice up the rest of yet another dawdling preseason.  The NFL will fine his obscene gesture and Manziel will undoubtedly trudge towards the microphones to admit his mistake that spawned from the heat of the moment.  The real issue does not lie with Manziel.  Even casual football fans know his personality and style.

The point of concern is with the mentality of the Brown’s ownership.  Was Manziel drafted primarily for his QBR or his Q rating?  Of course, both realms can co-exist.  Many players who have followed the gospel according to St. Namath have inhabited such an intersection of football and celebrity.  The crux of the issue is the mentality of Jimmy Haslam.  Winning is important to every owner in the NFL but marketability holds a special place for some owners.

It is not a coincidence that the other team strongly linked to Manziel is Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys.  Recent reports, and they likely are more a product of opinion and vantage point than hard reality, have stated that Stephen Jones convinced his father, Jerry Jones, to bypass Johnny Football.  Even if that nugget does not hold up to the facts the month of April was devoted to Manziel to the Cowboys chatter.  Jones understands how to stay in the news cycle.

  Dallas has long been the model for marketing in the NFL.  The star on the helmet, the cheerleaders, the hole in the roof so God could watch his team, and the title of “America’s Team” are all marketing strategies from the Tex Schramm era.  Jones moved Schramm from his role as president and general manager within the organization when he purchased the team, but Jones has not lacked for headlines during his tenure either.

 

It is not an inconceivable reach to note that one Southerner turned self-made billionaire turned owner, Haslam, appears to be following the blueprint of another Southerner turned self-made billionaire turned owner, Jones.  If Manziel was drafted to place Cleveland in the limelight then the plan is working dazzlingly.  The Browns vs. Redskins game was the second highest rated preseason game ever on ESPN.  Only Brett Favre’s second game with the Vikings, a 5.5 overnight rating, outdrew Manziel’s 4.8 overnight rating.

The Browns have been a national punchline for some time.  The only way to stop the late night stand-up routines centered on losing is by changing cultures.  Haslam could pilot his team towards becoming a mediocre franchise that excels in off the field negative publicity.  Let’s call that the Washington Redskins course.  The other course imitates the Packers.  Marketing in Green Bay centers on good current players and legends of the game.  With Paul Brown as a namesake and players including Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Marion Motley, and Ozzie Newsome in Cleveland yore, this would seem to be the prudent course for Haslem to take.