NFL Draft: Rich Gannon calls Johnny Manziel “bad fit” for Oakland
By Chase Ruttig
Jan 29, 2014; New York, NY, USA; NFL former quarterback Rich Gannon speaks on Sirius XM on radio row in preparation for Super Bowl XLVIII at the Sheraton Times Square. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
The Oakland Raiders reportedly don’t have a starting quarterback on their roster dating back to Dennis Allen’s final comments at the end of their disappointing 2013 season. With undrafted free agent Matt McGloin getting little love and Terrelle Pryor getting even less from the Raiders organization heading into free agency and the 2014 NFL Draft many have thrown out the possibility of the Silver and Black selecting one of the top quarterbacks with Texas A&M superstar Johnny Manziel being one of those names.
Former MVP and Raiders legendary QB Rich Gannon doesn’t think that Manziel would be a good fit for Oakland. In fact Gannon doesn’t appear to believe that the Raiders are ready to bring in a franchise QB through the draft at all, citing the Raiders many holes as a concern.
“Bad fit,” Gannon said, when asked by NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread if Manziel would be right for the organization, which picks No. 5 overall in the May 8-10 NFL draft and would likely have to trade for a higher pick if it wants the former Texas A&M star. “Only from the standpoint that I think a team has to be ready for a young quarterback. I don’t think that team is quite ready yet.”
Despite feeling that Oakland doesn’t have enough pieces on their roster to allow Manziel to develop properly, Gannon says that he still is high on Johnny Football as a prospect even if it isn’t a good move for Oakland in his opinion.
“I really like him. I know people make a big deal about some of the off-the-field issues and some of the maturity things. To me, he’s a young guy who’s had a lot of success and we all handle it differently,” Gannon said. “I think my biggest concern is the discipline from a quarterback standpoint. Footwork, sitting in the pocket, going through reads and progressions. I think he has to go somewhere where they have a very disciplined coordinator and quarterback coach. Somebody who is really going to grind on him and stay on him for those first couple years as he learns the system. He’s a guy who likes to ad lib a lot, and you can’t always do that in the NFL.”
Gannon has a point, but he also needs to recognize that the Raiders have to find a franchise QB for the future eventually as Gannon himself was the last passer to guide Oakland to the playoffs with consistent success. Avoiding committing to bring one in is only procrastinating the process and even if Manziel isn’t your cup of tea there is no denying that if he or Teddy Bridgewater fall to #5 Reggie McKenzie will have to take a long look at selecting a passer in the first round, ready for it or not.