Adam Himmelsbach: Johnny and Teddy next QBs to match up
NEW YORK – Quarterbacks in an NFL draft class are often inextricably linked throughout their careers, compared and contrasted, igniting debates about which pick was best.
Sometimes, the discussion ends quickly, like when the Indianapolis Colts selected Peyton Manning No. 1 overall in 1998 and the San Diego Chargers followed by taking Ryan Leaf.
In other years, the back-and-forth can be more lively, like when Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger all went in the first round in 2004.
There's Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers (2005), and there's Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III (2012). And now there's Johnny and Teddy, two players with childlike first names whose career arcs will be dissected.
Yes, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Central Florida's Blake Bortles with the third overall pick on Thursday night, but the juxtaposition of Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater (No. 32 to the Minnesota Vikings) and Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel (No. 22 to the Cleveland Browns) is more intriguing, particularly in the short term.
It almost seems inevitable that their paths will intersect. And in a sense, they already have.
According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, the Vikings initially tried to orchestrate a trade for the Philadelphia Eagles' first-round pick, No. 22 overall. The Vikings intended to select Manziel, Glazer said.
Instead, the Browns squeezed in and completed a deal with the Eagles, then grabbed Manziel. The Vikings ultimately moved up to No. 32, where they took Bridgewater.
Maybe Minnesota's apparent swing-and-miss attempt to acquire Manziel will ultimately reveal itself as accidental good fortune. Or maybe the Vikings will someday look back and wonder if they should have intensified their pursuit.
Along with No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney, Manziel and Bridgewater were the most recognizable names in this draft. They are a stunning contrast in styles.
Manziel is the reckless, fearless, sometimes seemingly clueless gunslinger who reportedly bought beers and shots for fans back in College Station on draft night. Bridgewater is the shy, polite and fundamentally sound quarterback who fulfilled a promise to his mother last week by giving her a pink Cadillac.
It's rebel vs. refined, carefree vs. careful.
As the draft process unfolded, the two quarterbacks were linked, oddly enough, by the steady rhythm of criticism. We were told why they would not succeed, even though both have proven time and again that success comes naturally.
Then late on the draft's opening night, they were two of the last players left in the Radio City Music Hall green room. Manziel probably didn't realize it, but he actually helped Bridgewater. As long as Manziel was there, the cameras and the chatter were focused on him, on why Johnny Football was still available.
"I knew the TV part of it was going to come," he said afterward.
This at least made Bridgewater's own stressful time more peaceful, with fewer bright lights and boom microphones.
Bridgewater and Manziel became friends when they worked as counselors at Nike's Elite 11 camp last summer. On Wednesday here in New York, they smiled and hugged when they saw each other at a youth football clinic. They even matched up on the line of scrimmage in a playful flag football game with the children.
Both players are marketable, and it would be good for both if both were good, as they enter the league together as a lower-level version of Luck/RGIII.
Of course, for this to emerge as a draft-class rivalry, Bridgewater and Manziel must play. There is no guarantee that Bridgewater will win the starting job over veteran Matt Cassel, nor is there any guarantee that Manziel's devil-may-care approach won't get him mauled in the NFL.
But the sense here is that neither will fade away anytime soon, and plenty of people will be watching Johnny and Teddy to see how it all plays out.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at 502-582-4372 by email ahimmelsbach@courier-journal.com and on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach