Johnny Manziel had a strong choice of words with latest remarks on Washington Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury
The Washington Commanders' offense is in the hands of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who despite a rocky tenure as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, has done a great job developing quarterbacks under his Air Raid-style offense. The list of guys he's worked with includes Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Case Keenum. He also […]
The Washington Commanders' offense is in the hands of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who despite a rocky tenure as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, has done a great job developing quarterbacks under his Air Raid-style offense.
The list of guys he's worked with includes Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Case Keenum. He also spent 2023 with USC's Caleb Williams as offensive analyst.
But Kingsbury's resume also includes a controversial name in Johnny Manziel, who recently made some strong comments about the offensive coach during a candid interview with Shannon Sharpe.
Manziel's words should get Commanders fans excited about the future offense of the franchise and the quarterback who happens to lead it in 2024.
"I had self-doubt, and I didn't get self-assurance of myself and what I was as a football player until Kliff Kingsbury walked into my life," Manziel told Sharpe during the interview.
Say what you want about Manziel, the above quote goes a long way in proving the type of coach Kingsbury can be for whoever the Commanders pick second overall at QB (assuming they do, which they should). After all, that will be the biggest factor in determining Kingsbury's success in Washington: Can he make a franchise quarterback out of whoever the front office picks in April?
It sure sounds like under Kingsbury, the Commanders won't have to worry about the quarterback staying centered and focused.
"I needed Kliff, I needed Kingsbury for that situation to go in a perfect way," Manziel said when asked about potentially sticking around for longer at Texas A&M. "I needed Kliff to be my offensive coordinator and I needed Kliff to be that role model in my life, for when I got too out of whack. Because that first year of my freshman redshirt, my Heisman year, I was skirting the line a little bit. But every time I started to get here, he would (pull me back). Every time. And I looked at him. From that day he came on that high school field to come look at me and tell me he couldn't offer me (a scholarship). I had a trust with him and a bond with him that I still have to this day. And when he left, the f—k? It sucked."
Manziel on Commanders OC Kingsbury as a tactician
Manziel didn't limit his praise for Kingsbury to leadership-type qualities but also talked about his strategy and tactics, making it clear his iconic win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa had everything to do with his coach's gameplan.
"Kliff Kingsbury put together an unbelievable game plan for us offensively that highlighted our strengths and kept us from being too vulnerable in a defense like (Saban's)," Manziel explained in detail. "For the first half of that game, they don't know what the f–k is going on. We're running option with go routes, we are just unleashing the Kliff Kingsbury-like creativeness of a football playbook for an Air Raid. You know, this wasn't the old Mike Leach air raid; this wasn't anything that Lincoln (Riley) was doing. This was just its own subtle thing, our own particular thing, tailored to me being able to run the ball the way that I could."
As controversial as Johnny Football is, it speaks volumes that he talks about Kingsbury on this light. The Commanders' quarterback of the future is in good hands.
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