Bill O’Brien: Johnny Manziel didn’t fit Texans’ vision
Johnny Manziel was never going to be a first-round selection by the Texans. Houston’s head coach Bill O’Brien made that clear recently.
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O’Brien held a question-and-answer session with the crowd at St. Thomas High School, during which a Texas A&M alumnus asked if there was internal debate as to whether the Texans should move up into the first round to select Johnny Manziel, after they had already selected Jadeveon Clowney with the top overall pick.
“No,” O’Brien said, via James Palmer at CSN Chicago. “Sorry.”
“We spent a lot of time with Johnny (Manziel) and I had great meetings with him,” O’Brien said. “He is a bright guy and I really enjoyed watching him play in college on film and enjoyed talking with him.”
So, if Manziel impressed O’Brien, then why the immediate, no? The first-year coach went on to explain his team’s philosophy.
“We have a vision for our football team and we stuck to that vision,” O’Brien. “Every decision we made in the draft we felt led to that vision and we’ll see if that vision turns out the way we believe it will in whatever, a year, two years, three years. It was what we believed in and we stuck with it and we stayed disciplined in the draft and Johnny’s in a great situation in Cleveland.”
Manziel is attempting to supplant Brain Hoyer as the starter in Cleveland with the Browns, the team that ultimately did end up selecting him.
Meanwhile, the Texans have a motley crew of Ryan Fitzpatrick, a serviceable starter, Case Keenum and T.J. Yates, both passable backups, and Tom Savage, a developmental rookie with a great deal of upside.