Is Johnny Manziel the Next Doug Flutie?

It's hard to avoid all th talk about Johnny Manziel and whether or not he'll be a hit or miss in the NFL.

Some think this kid is going to be a superstar, and others think he'll be a total bust.

I, on the other hand, think he'll be somewhere in the middle. Manziel is part Bret Favre with his antics on the field, making a bad plays a good ones. Favre did more of that in the NFL than at Southern Miss, which confounded many of the so-called draft experts. A couple of generations before that, scramblin' Fran Tarkenton turned it into an art form, the likes of which the NFL had never seen before.

Here's Tark from 1977:

Look familiar?

But I think Johnny Football is mostly Doug Flutie. You can easily see the comparison. Their height is about the same. Manziel is just a few inches taller; he says he's 6-0, but those final two inches could've expanded in the Texas sun. Flutie was about 5-9.

Flutie never lead Boston College to a national championship, and neither did Manziel. They both made spectular plays, which help both win a Heisman Trophy.

Flutie's best pro years were up north in the CFL. He still played in the NFL a long time and often very well, but he was an NFL journeyman for most of his career and never won a Super Bowl. I see that with Manziel.

Look, Manziel is a great player, but those great plays he had in college, will be few and far between in the NFL, where linebackers are quicker and smarter than those in college.

Flutie found that out. He made plays here and there, but it wasn't enough for him to keep his starting job in the NFL. At some point, you have to do more than scramble for your life, you have to win.

And if Manziel does that, he'll have a long stay in the NFL.