It's been a while since Johnny Manziel's been worth talking about in terms of his play on the field. In fact, the former Cleveland Browns quarterback last appeared in an NFL game in December, when he started and came out on the losing end of a contest against the playoff-bound Kansas City Chiefs.
Manziel didn't play particularly well during that game, or the game before it - a 30-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks wherein Manziel managed just 161 yards, one touchdown and one interception through the air - so it's not altogether surprising that we're not talking about Manziel's immediate NFL future at this point. Really, after the Browns did what everyone in and around the NFL knew they had to do this offseason, which was to release Manziel, there's not much worth talking about when it comes to the former Mr. Johnny Football.
Maybe the Denver Broncos are interested in adding him. Maybe not. Maybe Manziel learned a whole boatload of lessons about his approach to the game and to life during his time with the Browns and is worth taking a flyer on for some team desperate for an answer at the quarterback position.
But maybe - and this is just a hunch - his experiences in Cleveland haven't taught him anything.
"The LA party scene is alright," Manziel said recently, while wandering around Los Angeles at 2 a.m. "I'm not really partying, though. I'm just out with some buddies. No drinking. Hanging with the boys, man. Staying on track. I'm out at the spots. I'm eating good food. Not doing anything crazy though, being smart."
Manziel doesn't seem all that excited about see paparazzi which, considering the trouble that cameras have gotten him in during both college and in the NFL, makes sense. It almost makes sense because Manziel is trying to rehab his image, if not himself, in the eyes of the league's personnel men so that he can go back to collecting that NFL paycheck.
"I'm not always partying, though," Manziel also said. "I'm just out having a good time with my boys and not drinking."
Manziel's fall from grace in Cleveland was precipitous. His lack of preparation and his unwillingness to do the required work expedited his departure from a franchise that's been desperate for a winner for years. Manziel still has the talent that made him a first-round pick, it's simply that he's never combined it with the right kind of work ethic.
Maybe he never will, but one thing's for certain - time is running out on Manziel's NFL career.
