Johnny Manziel's penchant for off-the-field issues certainly had a direct effect on the Cleveland Browns' ability to field a competitive team the last couple of NFL seasons. But Tuesday, the same day that a report emerged alleging that the Browns tried to cover up Manziel showing up to a late-season practice drunk by saying he actually had a concussion, former Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Kyle Allen told CBS Sports that he believes the culture created at A&M under Manziel has continued and worse, made it difficult to find success in College Station.
"I think the culture was a big part of it, and I think that stems from Johnny's era there -- the way that they let Johnny and [others] act there," Allen said, per CBS. "They [could] do that and still win games because they had Johnny ... and five offensive linemen playing in the NFL right now."
Allen recently transferred to Houston. He indicated that his decision to switch schools was influenced at least in part by the "culture" left behind by Manziel. Kyler Murray, another highly-touted quarterback recruit for the Aggies and head coach Kevin Sumlin, transferred this offseason as well.
Of course, even in the Manziel era, the Aggies still never found all that much success. In 2012 and 2013, the university's first two seasons under Sumlin and only years with Manziel as starter, the Aggies amassed records of 11-2 and 9-4, but managed to go just 10-6 in conference games. They won both bowl games with Manziel on the field - the 2012 Cotton Bowl and the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl - but the overall success wasn't stunning enough to warrant an entire culture shift.
Then again, that may be part of the reason for the issues in College Station. Allen praised former A&M offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, but only briefly mentioned Sumlin.
"Everyone wasn't in a straight line," Allen said. "Everyone was going this way, this way, this way. We had a ton of talent there. I think that, once you get all the right coaches there and get the vision right, you can do a lot of things."
That's not necessarily a shot across Sumlin's bow, but it seems to indicate that all is not well within the Aggies program and that has to start somewhere, usually at the top.
