Why is Mike Stoops pointing the finger?

Few situations are more uncomfortable than watching a comedian bomb on stage.

He delivers a one-liner. Silence ensues. He taps the microphone. He asks: “Is this on?”

Unfortunately for Mike Stoops, the microphone was on. And the response hasn’t been silence.

Yeah, those message board wise guys — you know who you are — will offer up sarcastic posts proclaiming “Man Walks on Moon” or “Germans invade Poland” at what they consider old news.

But in case you somehow missed it last week, Stoops, Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator, went 'Chris Rock' on a Tulsa radio show with controversial statements about Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.

“If they can keep him out of jail or keep him eligible, he’s gonna be pretty good,” Stoops said.

Of course, Manziel, who won the Heisman Trophy, was arrested for fighting and for having a fake ID last summer before he was named A&M’s starting quarterback. No doubt he’s enjoying his celebrity status — he has been seen at a casino and opening a bottle of Champagne — but Manziel apparently has done nothing illegal since that incident.

However, just in December three Oklahoma players were arrested, including defensive players Cortez Johnson (possession of a controlled substance) and Stacy McGee (DUI).

Looks like the joke was on Stoops, who needed all the help he could get when Manziel rolled up 516 yards of total offense against his defense in A&M’s 41-13 pillaging of the Sooners in the Cotton Bowl.

Of course, Stoops isn’t the first guy to regret a bad joke.

Clayton Williams, Don Imus, Bob Griese, James Watt and Fuzzy Zoeller come to mind.

Fortunately for Stoops, his foot-in-mouth moment won’t damage an election bid or end a career as was the case for some of the aforementioned wisecrackers.

Actually, Stoops mostly praised Manziel.

First, he offered: “I’ve seen a lot of football players play a lot of different styles with guys, but never seen anything like that in my whole life. I mean, I’ve never felt as defenseless as we were the other night (in the Cotton Bowl), that’s for sure.”

Then, he added: “You know, any time you can go for 500 yards against a team like Alabama (which A&M defeated 29-24), that tells you. You don’t need to say anything else.”

But of course, Stoops did say more.

“If they (A&M) can keep him off Twitter, he might win three or four Heismans. He’ll have that type of ability.”

That’s not a joke.

Manziel was only a freshman last season and got better as the season progressed. He figures to get even better as he gains more experience. That should give him an excellent chance to win another Heisman.

Sure, he’ll be challenged. Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon and quarterback A.J. McCarron, Arizona running back Ka’Deem Carey, USC wide receiver Marquis Lee, Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray and even South Carolina defensive end Jadaveon Clowney will be 2013 Heisman contenders, too.

Plus, Baylor running back Lache Seastrunk already proclaimed he’s going to win it.

And then there’s the real possibility that a player who isn’t even well known will emerge from relative obscurity to win. That’s been the case the last three years with Auburn’s Cam Newton, Baylor’s Robert Griffin and Manziel.

True, only Ohio State’s Archie Griffin has won two Heismans. The odds are against Manziel. But then, no freshman won it before he did, either.

Going into the 2013 season, Manziel would have to be considered the frontrunner. So, give credit to Stoops for correctly pointing out Manziel’s talent and potential.

And forgive Stoops for his bad joke.

Besides, his defense that allowed more than 40 points in three of the last four games was a worse joke.

Maybe Stoops was just laughing to keep from crying.