Doug Flutie on Johnny Manziel's true Heisman candidacy

Notes from Doug Flutie interview

* He remembers playing at Kyle Field in 1982, and that game was his first real introduction to the atmosphere of college football. He believes that back then, A&M wasn’t used to seeing passing teams, and his Boston College squad was able to take advantage of that to get the win in Jackie Sherrill’s first game as head coach of the Aggies.

* Johnny Manziel is a really special player. He loves watching Manziel play the game partially because Manziel reminds him of himself, even down to his on-field mannerisms. He works at the desk with Hines Ward, and watching Manziel play reminded both of them of plays he made while with the Buffalo Bills. While they are both quick and can make guys miss, Manziel is flat out faster than he ever was.

* He always paralleled himself with Fran Tarkenton, and the comparisons between Manziel and himself and Tarkenton are very accurate. The ability to be able to stay behind the line of scrimmage and wait for the opportunity to make a big play is extremely valuable. Manziel takes that ability to a whole different level because of his ability to pull the ball and run at any given moment.

* Johnny Manziel may be the best player in college football, and he is currently in his top three of his Heisman ballot. The one thing that may hurt Manziel in the Heisman race is regional voting. A guy like Kenjon Barner could steal some very valuable first-place votes from people out on the West Coast which could pull Manziel’s total points down.

* Being a freshman doesn’t influence the voters so much as the fact that being a freshman keeps them from finding out about him until the season is nearly over. When he won the Heisman, he had previously finished third in the voting during his junior year. Sometimes it takes that run in the year before to grab the attention of the voters for an entire season.

* A&M has been a very physical team this year. The victory over Alabama wasn’t entirely because of the offense, and in fact, it was the defense that played a complete game from beginning to end. The defense was able to give A&M the ball back on multiple occasions which was key to the Aggies’ success. Football is the one sport where one guy can’t win a game for you. One guy can give you a chance at victory, but the sport is a team game like no other.

* He loves A&M having success with their offense in the SEC. He has been so tired of hearing from all the SEC elitists that there was only one style of football that was going to win you national championships. He loves A&M stepping into the conference and sticking to the people that say the spread can’t work at the highest level.