Merril Hoge rips Johnny Manziel; predicts he’ll flame out of NFL
By Josh Sanchez
Hopefully Johnny Manziel was not listening to the radio this morning, and if you are a fan of the Cleveland Browns first-round pick then you will not like what former NFL player and current analyst Merril Hoge had to say about his potential to succeed in the NFL.
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As far as Hoge is concerned, Manziel is “a juvenile punk” who “has no business being on the field.”
But that wasn’t even the worst of Hoge’s comments during a Wednesday morning radio appearance on the Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show.
Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman shared some of the quotes from Hoge’s interview and they were not very flattering or promising for the former Texas A&M star.
Hoge on Manziel: "He doesn't understand concepts. He doesn't understand the structure of an offense or anything you do defensively…"
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) September 3, 2014
Hoge on Manziel: "This will be the saddest, quickest ending we have seen in quite some time."
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) September 3, 2014
Dayum.
Ouch.
Manziel certainly struggled during the preseason and showed the Cleveland Browns that he has a long way to go before he can make an impact in the league, but it may be a bit harsh to predict such a quick ending for Manziel at this stage in his career.
There are others who predict Manziel could start for the Browns after the team’s bye week this season if Brian Hoyer gets off to a slow start, but Hoge doesn’t seem to think that is in the best interest of anyone.
Maybe Hoge is just letting his black and gold bleed through as the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to host the Browns this weekend in Week 1 of the NFL preseason.