New Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel told reporters Thursday that he didn’t know if the world could have handled him going to the Dallas Cowboys.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones apparently agrees.
While there was much speculation and hope — especially in Dallas — that Jones would take the dynamic Texas A&M quarterback with the 16th pick, the Cowboys passed on the hype to take Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin. Manziel went to the Browns six picks later.
On Friday, Jones used an interesting analogy to explain his team’s decision to pass on Johnny Football.
“There’s just too much dynamic here for him, for the franchise, for everybody,” Jones said, via ESPN. “That’s just too much for insurance, and it’s not the usual development guy behind an accomplished quarterback. He’s a celebrity. He’s Elvis Presley.”
The Cowboys, of course, have their own star quarterback in Tony Romo, and drafting Manziel would have caused a highly-publicized debate for the starting quarterback position.
By opting for an offensive lineman over Johnny Football, Jones and the Cowboys made it clear that their priority is to protect Romo, not drive him out of town.
“At the end of the day, where we are is that there’s no way we’re not going to be without Romo for the next four, five, six, whatever you want to say years,” Jones said.
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