Barry Switzer ain't scared to share his opinion. And so when asked about Johnny Manziel, he got exceptionally real with his words, calling the former Texas A&M quarterback an "arrogant little prick."
Switzer, appearing on CBS Sports Radio 920 AM in St. Louis on Wednesday morning, said that he doesn't care for Manziel's "antics" and said he's "embarrassed himself."
"I'm gonna tell you. I said Johnny Manziel is … I don't like his antics. I think he's an arrogant little prick," Switzer said. "I've said that and I'll say it again. He's a privileged kid, he's embarrassed himself, he's embarrassed his teammates, his program. He's embarrassed his coach. And they'll all have to defend him because they have to coach. I know that. I spent 40 years in the damn game so I know how it works."
Well then. Those are strong words indeed. I don't know if Switzer thinks the phrase "arrogant little prick" carries less weight than it does (maybe it's a Texas thing?) but that's a pretty personal attack on Manziel.
Having said all that, Switzer LOVES the way Manziel plays the game and called Manziel "the best I've seen" and the "most dominant, dynamic college quarterback I've ever seen."
"He's the best I've seen. I've never seen a quarterback in college football take control of a game like he does and put up the numbers he does. It's fantastic what he's done against good competition. Game after game after game the numbers he puts up are staggering," Switzer said. "And when you watch him, you think he's a running back. You can't get to him, he's quick, he has more quickness than he does speed. He's elusive. You can't touch him. ... Strong arm. You watch him on film and tape and I've watched him enough -- the guy is oblivious to the rush. He lets you think you're going to touch him and then he disappears and he gets away from you and buys time. When a guy does that, guys are going to separate. I don't care how good you are in pro football, you can't cover for more than five seconds. Then they're going to be free.
"And Johnny Manziel gets the ball to people. He's the most dominant, most dynamic college quarterback I've ever seen."
Manziel, or "Fourth-Round Johnny" as he's known in Bristol, is as polarizing a player as we've seen come into the draft in years. He's got all the talent but off-field "issues" (which aren't really issues, per se ...) have people concerned about his maturity.
This offseason he's dedicated himself to becoming a better pocket quarterback and proving he's changed.
Ultimately all that matters is whether or not Manziel can play. He's shown that he can at a college level. There will be plenty of people waiting to see if he sinks or swims at the next level.
