Johnny Manziel Has the "Larry Bird Instinct" Says NFL Scout

Johnny Manziel is six months away from being a 1st round draft pick.

And now, for the first time, someone has invoked the name Larry Bird when talking about Johnny Manziel. I know, it caught me off guard, too.

A scout broke no new ground talking to Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News about Manziel’s NFL prospects – standard-issue Drew Brees and Russell Wilson mentions – but then tossed in a bizarre comparison to the former Boston Celtics great who is in the NBA Hall of Fame.

"Manziel has a big man’s feet and hands in a small man’s body. He has the arm to make all the throws from the pocket and another scout raved about his “Larry Bird instinct” — the ability to see everyone and everything on the field."

Don’t forget Dustin Pedroia’s grittiness.

And David Eckstein’s courage.

And Aaron Craft’s toughness.

Can the Jets please lose to the Ravens so I can fire up the Manziel-to-the-Jets banter? Because that’s where we’re headed Monday morning if Geno Smith turns the ball over a few more times and is benched for Matt Simms. I still think several QBs will go in the Top 10, and the Jets, drafting in the 11-20 range, could be in the market for a QB if Geno Smith doesn’t get out of this three-week funk. Hell, he’s been awful in four of the last five games. And don’t give me this, ‘he’s a rookie!’ business because check out Glennon in Tampa and the rookie QBs last year.

If the Jets had a capable QB this year, they’d be a playoff team … and that’s not something anyone said in August.