Now Up on the Manziel Draft Rumor Board: The Cowboys

Published on 28-Apr-2014 by Stacey Mickles

Football - NFL    NFL Daily Review

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Now Up on the Manziel Draft Rumor Board: The Cowboys

Have you ever driven into a city and noticed it had one of those Accident Free for [so many] Days signs as a not-so-subtle hint they didn't want any more accidents but know they're going to happen anyway?

Well, our No Johnny Manziel Draft Rumors for [so many] Days sign just got re-set to zero.

Damn you, Jerry Jones!

Or should we save our cursing for Jim Nantz?

But first, let's take a deep breath and pause for reflection:

Since when did Nantz -- a usually level-headed broadcaster for CBS Sports -- get into the gossip business? Apparently, since now.

"I've heard this rumor for a month -- the Cowboys will figure out a way to get Manziel," Nantz told ESPNCleveland.com.

"Wherever Manziel goes, there is going to be more clamoring about Johnny Manziel than there would be about Blake Bortles going No 1 or [Jadeveon] Clowney going No 1, or anyone else. This is a guy that there's just a tremendous interest in everything he does."

Veteran reporter that he is, Nantz had to know how Jerry Jones would respond.

"No doubt in my mind [Manziel] is going to be an outstanding NFL football player," Jones said. "But we have Tony Romo, and Tony Romo is our ticket."

What's going on here? Nantz has more stature than to pander Manziel draft stories. He's established enough and doesn't need to join the great unwashed who are battling to be the one on draft day to raise a hand and say, "See! I was right!"

In reality, no one truly cares who was right. They care who drafts whom. On draft day. More players are going to get selected than Johnny Linkbait, and odds are a few of them will be drafted ahead of him.

Let's just leave it at this: Jones is a gambler, and the Cowboys need to start thinking about their future at quarterback sooner than later, so maybe he'll be the one who will pull the trigger on a deal for Manziel. If so, we can check back later to see if his aim was straight.

In the meantime, we'll just tend to our sign and hope.