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Admit It: Johnny Manziel And The New Orleans Saints Are A Great Fit

By Nick Dudukovich

Feb 2, 2017; Katy, TX, USA; Sherry Collins, of Waco, Texas and former Texas A&M quarterback and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel have fun talking with each other as Manziel walked out for a portrait session inside Stadium Signatures inside the Katy Mills Mall. Collins was first in line and waited 3 hours to get a picture taken with Manziel and an autograph.Hundreds of Texas A&M fans and alumni paid $99 to have their picture taken with Manziel or the $99 allowed them to get one item autographed by Manziel who is still loved in the state of Texas for many. Mandatory Credit: Eric Seals-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2017; Katy, TX, USA; Sherry Collins, of Waco, Texas and former Texas A&M quarterback and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel have fun talking with each other as Manziel walked out for a portrait session inside Stadium Signatures inside the Katy Mills Mall. Collins was first in line and waited 3 hours to get a picture taken with Manziel and an autograph.Hundreds of Texas A&M fans and alumni paid $99 to have their picture taken with Manziel or the $99 allowed them to get one item autographed by Manziel who is still loved in the state of Texas for many. Mandatory Credit: Eric Seals-USA TODAY Sports /
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Admit it, there might not be a better fit for Johnny Manziel than the New Orleans Saints.

Johnny Manziel is talking with New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton about a possible return to the NFL.

This type of meeting is a long way from a contract offer, but it’s a step in the right direction for Manziel, who is trying to get back into the NFL after sitting the 2016 season on the sidelines.

Admit it. The idea of Manziel in New Orleans may be the most intriguing scenario of them all.

He’d be backing up Drew Brees, “another small” quarterback, and he wouldn’t have to play right away. Retirement doesn’t seem to be on Brees’ mind. He’s under contract for one more season, but he’s indicated he’d like to play more. And why not? He’s coming off another 5,000 yard passing season. The Purdue product can still sling it.

Manziel must be open to coaching and be willing to bide his time if he returns to the NFL because Payton doesn’t need a starting quarterback right now.  The later of these issues was a problem for him in college and in the pros. When Johnny had to sit, he found other things to do that made headlines for the wrong reasons.

Behind Brees, he can watch a former MVP at quarterback and be brought along by a Super Bowl winning coach, which is the complete opposite of the sideshow he was a part of in Cleveland.

Manziel hasn’t made TMZ lately, which may tell you something about how serious he is about figuring out life. Plus, his agent, Erik Burkhardt, took him back on as a client.

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Additionally, in New Orleans, Manziel would also have the benefit of playing half his games in a controlled environment beneath the roof of the Super Dome. This atmosphere would aid Manziel’s game, who’s schoolyard style and physical limitations never seemed to mesh with the harsh winter climates AFC North quarterbacks face late in the season.

Finally, Manziel, in the NFL, back in SEC country? Before he came to the Browns, I think the farthest north he’d ever played in a football game was Tennessee.

If Manziel’s walking the straight and narrow, it’d would be foolish of coaches to ignore meeting with the former Heisman winner.

He actually showed some flashes during his second year in 2015 before his demons caught up to him.

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Is that potential still there? The next stage in this process involves working out for teams. After that, we’ll all have a better idea of where he’s at athletically.

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