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Just the other day Mark Saltveit wrote a column here at Bleeding Green Nation titled "Tape Don't Lie, and the Eagles Don't Want Manziel." And thus any further rumors about the Eagles drafting Texas A&M Johnny Manziel were put to a stop.
Or not.
Much like the DeSean Jackson rumors that just wouldn't die earlier in the offseason, such seems to be the case with Manziel ones. Last week Peter King reported the existence of a Manziel to Philly rumor. King promptly noted he didn't feel like there was much to it: "I just can’t see it, and I have someone who would know better than the rumor source telling me it absolutely won’t happen." King's probably right, but that won't stop the rumors from forming. Here's the latest:
ESPN's Field Yates on NFL Insiders: "There has been some buzz in league circles about the #Eagles interest in Johnny Manziel."
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) May 5, 2014
Some buzz! League circles! Oh boy. This rumor follows an interesting series of tweets from Saturday by former Eagles scout and current ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick. (It might be time to get your tin foil hats on here.) First there was this:
Hearing rumblings of a potential draft day trade that could blow the top off of the draft involving the QB position.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) May 3, 2014
Then just a few hours later...
How many players in this draft, in a specific scheme, could be exceptionally high impact players almost instantly?
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) May 3, 2014
If I am picking it would be these 2 pairings: Defense-A. Donald/Dallas or Tampa. Offense: J. Manziel-Philly #contextiskey
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) May 3, 2014
OMG! Manziel to Philly! OK, not quite. I'm just going to copy and paste this any time Manziel-Eagles rumors pop up:
While this all makes for fun speculation, it's easy to say that the Eagles probably won't be trading up for Manziel. It would hardly be the best way for them to allocate their resources. Foles played very well in 2013 and could benefit with another full offseason in Kelly's program. Foles may not be the ideal mobile threat, but it's hard to argue with his production.
And as many have pointed out by now, it probably wouldn't make sense for this rumor to be leaked if the Eagles actually had interest in Manziel. But hey, here we are.
Welcome to the madness that is Draft Week, folks.
[Note by Brandon Lee Gowton, 05/05/14 6:38 PM EDT]
Would Chip Kelly would take Johnny Manziel if available? Mark me down for a "no" on that, not just because Eagles already have Nick Foles
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) May 5, 2014