FCF: Why football’s bad boys Johnny Manziel and Terrell Owens are perfect in Fan-Controlled-Football:

| American Football | 04/11/2022
Who is Batman without the Joker?  Superman without Lex Luther?
For every sports superhero such as Peyton Manning or Lebron James there is a Tom Brady or Kevin Durant bringing balance to the game as a powerful villain. No two players were more hated and embraced the villain role on the gridiron, more than Fan-Controlled Football’s biggest names this season. In league marketing itself as “for the fans by the fans” commissioner, Ray Austin has teamed up former Heisman winner Johnny Manziel with Hall of Fame receiver Terrell “T.O” Owens. The move creates an iconic “bad boy duo” not seen since Will Smith and Martin Lawrence last hit the silver screen.
Get your popcorn ready, We’re starting with T.O.

On the field, Terrell Owens is 48 years old. But he doesn’t look like it. He probably hasn’t taken a day off since his last NFL game. TO has been in the gym putting in work, itching for his next chance to hit the field. The NFL’s third all-time receiver shunned the NFL Hall Of Fame for making him wait a year and held a press conference at his alma mater of UT-Chattanooga, extending a proverbial middle finger to the voters who dared disrespect him. He did so just months before running a 4.4 40-yard dash in a charity race against NFL pro-bowler Tyreek Hill.

So let’s recap – he’s still got speed, Hall of Fame hands, a 6’4″ frame, 15-thousand yards and 156 touchdowns to his name, and of course, the same bad-boy attitude that helped him become one of pro football’s greatest pass catchers. Something tells me he’ll be fine in the FCF even at his ripe age.

However way you feel about the FCF’s new star receiver, TO he brings eyes, advertisers, and football pedigree to a league looking to capitalize on a fantastic inaugural season. For Owens, he remains adamant that he deserves a second chance in the NFL even at the age of 48. The HOFer said it best himself:

“They hate to love me.”

Now let’s go back to the simpler times of 2014. To the cultural soundtrack of the Drakes “Draft day” recent Heisman winner Johnny Manziel strutted on stage during the first round of 2014 NFL draft, triumphantly hoisting a Cleveland Browns jersey next to commissioner Roger Goodell. While that may have been the height of his short-lived pro career, there is no denying Manziel did his things his way.

In an era of scripted media answers and choir-boy quarterbacks, Manziel became college footballs undisputed super villain as his bravado and party lifestyle was nearly as exciting as his play on the field. After an initial redshirt season on campus, Manziel exploded on the scene in 2012, throwing for 3,706 yards, rushing for 1,410 yards, and accounting for 47 total touchdowns en route to a historic Heisman trophy campaign. His signature moment came when he defeated the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, all but cementing his spot as the NCAA’s best player.

Manziel’s shook the college football universe as his game, touchdown celebrations, smack talk, and celebrity status mirrored a modern-day Joe Namath. Now, after a short-lived pro-career, Manziel is back in the FCF for year two. For football’s last rockstar quarterback, the league provides him with a stage to do what he loves while embracing his personality. The league’s franchise quarterback made his attitude well known last year:

“Win or lose we booze”

This year, he’ll be paired up with another one of football’s most hated characters as Johnny Football and TO team up for the Zappers team, debuting this Saturday. The league’s two biggest names will certainly bring eyes and excitement to the FCF’s second season, the only question is will it be fuelled by their play on the field? Or simply nostalgia?

Alex is a former NCAA and semi-pro American football player who is now located in London, where he works in digital marketing. His goal in writing for AFI is to stay involved with the game that has given him so much. Alex enjoys covering leagues and