Johnny Football Goes To Rehab

The NFL’s most provocative reality show, The Johnny Football Saga, featured another plot twist on Monday, when representatives for Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel revealed that Manziel voluntarily entered a rehab facility for treatment last Wednesday.

The news came via Manziel’s publicist, and was followed by a short statement from the quarterback’s friend and advisor, Brad Beckworth. In the statement, Beckworth noted that Manziel’s goal with his stint in the treatment facility is to “improve in order to be a better family member, friend and teammate.”

The statement from Manziel’s representatives was followed by one from Browns general manager Ray Farmer, expressing support for Manziel.

“We respect Johnny’s initiative in this decision and will fully support him throughout this process. Our players’ health and well-being will always be of the utmost importance to the Cleveland Browns. We continually strive to create a supportive environment and provide the appropriate resources, with our foremost focus being on the individual and not just the football player,” Farmer said.

Manziel is expected to remain at the treatment facility for several weeks, depending on the recommendation of doctors, reported ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Fowler also cited a source who said Manziel told people in his inner circle that his rehab stint is a means to “figure out his value system.”

In the aftermath of a disappointing rookie season, reports have circulated that Manziel has lacked the commitment necessary to do his job as a NFL quarterback.

Among several publicized incidents involving Manziel during his first NFL season, the noted party enthusiast most recently missed a walkthrough — and treatment on the hamstring injury that ended his season — on the Saturday before Cleveland’s Week 17 game in Baltimore, reportedly due to excessive drinking the night prior that left him still in a drunken state the following day. Though Manziel has denied that allegation, he spoke out in press conferences before and after the Week 17 incident about cleaning up his act.

“It’s about action,” Manziel said then. “It’s about being accountable and doing what I’m gonna say instead of looking like a jackass.”

Though he spoke strongly, Manziel’s conduct had not backed up those statements, until now.

The decision to enter the treatment facility is certainly a positive one for Manziel. But in order for it to succeed, it must be the first of many designed not to repair his image, but to first get healthy and then eventually renew his commitment to the game of football. Here’s hoping it works out. There’s little doubting that Manziel is a talented football player, though his ceiling is up for debate. But he’s already facing an uphill battle to maximize his talent and reach whatever NFL potential he has.

Falcons Finally Name Dan Quinn Head Coach

The worst kept secret in the NFL was finally revealed on Monday when the Atlanta Falcons named Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as the 16th head coach in franchise history.

While other teams moved quickly to fill their coaching vacancies, the Falcons waited on Quinn through Seattle’s Super Bowl run, and their lack of movement toward any other candidate made it obvious that, upon the conclusion of the Seahawks season, he would be the man for the job in Atlanta. After the announcement, Quinn spoke of the instant connection he had with Falcons owner Arthur Blank.

“This felt like the right fit from the beginning, and I want to thank Mr. Blank for his resolve as this was an extended and complicated process,” Quinn said. “My goal is to build upon the foundation that has been laid here and to play a physical brand of football as we build a championship caliber team.”

In two seasons as Seattle’s defensive coordinator, Quinn guided the Seahawks’ top-ranked defense to consecutive Super Bowl appearances. His masterpiece was a 43-8 dismantling of Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Prior to taking over as Seahawks defensive coordinator, Quinn was Seattle’s defensive line coach in 2009 and 2010. He then took a job as defensive coordinator at the University of Florida, which he held for two years before returning to Seattle as DC when Gus Bradley departed to take a job as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quinn has also served as a defensive line coach for the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers in his career.

Quinn goes from two seasons leading the NFL’s top defense to attempting to rebuild its worst. The Falcons finished last in total defense for 2014, allowing an average of nearly 400 yards per game (398.2). Atlanta’s biggest deficiency was pass defense, an area that was the strong suit of Seattle’s D, so the Falcons hope bringing in one of the minds behind Seattle’s Legion of Boom can help revive their league-worst pass defense. He’ll have plenty of experienced help doing so.

Much of Quinn’s staff in Atlanta is already in place, including both his coordinators, who were named while the team was waiting to officially move on Quinn at the end of Seattle’s season. Former Dolphins and Texans defensive coordinator Richard Smith, who last served as a linebackers coach with the Denver Broncos from 2011-2013, will oversee the Falcons defense as coordinator and former Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris was named assistant head coach/defensive backs coach in Atlanta.

On the offensive end, the Falcons attack will be coordinated by Kyle Shanahan, who spent last season as the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns, after stints as OC with Washington and Houston. While the Atlanta defense is in need of a personnel makeover, their offense has several key pieces in place, most notably quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White, which will make building much easier.

As the Falcons enter the offseason, they look reminiscent of the 2013 Dallas Cowboys. They have the porous defense that’s in need of an influx of talent and a scheme that better utilizes the players in place, and they have an offense with some star players that need to be complemented with some tweaks to the offensive line and a commitment to playing with balance by further emphasizing the running game.

If Quinn, his staff and the Falcons front office can make the necessary upgrades, Atlanta — which missed the playoffs by just one game despite finishing 6-10 this season — could very well rise up to the top of a weak NFC South in 2015.

Hall of Famer Sapp Arrested, Let Go By NFL Network

Super Bowl weekend in Arizona came to a rough conclusion for NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp, who was arrested early Monday morning and subsequently lost his job as an analyst at NFL Network.

Sapp was taken into custody by police at a Phoenix hotel on Monday and booked on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute and two counts of assault, stemming from an incident at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown hotel. The 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee was in nearby Glendale covering Super Bowl XLIX for the NFL Network, where he had been employed since 2008 until the network terminated his contract on Monday.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours Monday. Police were called to investigate a noise disturbance at the hotel and arrived to a room occupied by Sapp, where they found a woman claiming she had been assaulted.

A police spokesman told FOX Sports that Sapp met two women, identified as escorts, in the lobby of the hotel and the alleged incident occurred later in a guest room.

“During a meeting in the room, an argument ensued, allegedly over money and the altercation turned physical, spilling out into the hallway,” said Sgt. Trent Crump. “During the investigation, detectives were able to establish that an act of prostitution occurred in the room by at least one of the females.”

Sapp reportedly admitted he was involved in the act of prostitution, but denied the assault claims. However, investigators found injuries on both females that indicated they had been involved in a struggle.

Sapp was later released pending a court appearance on February 23. Authorities told FOX Sports that Sapp faces fines, and could face up to six months in jail and three years’ probation. If convicted of the prostitution charge, he’ll also face a mandatory sentence of 15 days in jail.

Given the recent controversies surrounding the NFL’s lack of consistency as it relates to punishment in domestic violence and assault cases, it’s no surprise that the league and its network distanced themselves from Sapp shortly after the news — which was first reported by TMZ — broke on Monday afternoon. Within hours, NFL Network spokesperson Alex Reithman had released a statement announcing Sapp’s dismissal from the network.