BEREA, Ohio - In this case, Johnny Football is Johnny Humble.
After a Texas A&M regent made a proposal that the school rename its football stadium 'Kyle Field: The House that Johnny Built,' Johnny Manziel took a minute at his first rookie minicamp with the Cleveland Browns to address the issue -- and to tell folks back in College Station that he accomplished nothing by himself.
"I didn't do (it) on my own," Manziel said. "I won the Heisman as a freshman and that was a feat that had never been accomplished before, and it was incredible. But at the same time I didn't do that on my own, I didn't win that by going out and playing one on 11.
"I'm thankful for all those guys who helped me get to this point today and I wouldn't be there without them. There's so many people who have factored into why I'm so popular and why I'm so loved at Texas A&M. It's because I've had great teammates and two great coaching staffs that helped me get to where I am today."
Last week, Texas A&M regent Jim Schwertner suggested that the Aggies rename their stadium in Manziel's honor. Schwertner told a San Antonio reporter he was serious about his request and believes Manziel is responsible for the school getting the money to renovate Kyle Field.
"I hope the Aggie Nation will come together and decide that's something they want to do," Schwertner said.
After the Browns minicamp practice on Saturday, a Cleveland writer asked Manziel if he agreed with a Texas writer's assessment that Manziel had become bigger than the Junction Boys and The 12th Man in Texas A&M lore.
"I think the Junction Boys and The 12th Man are both staples of Texas A&M," Manziel said. "For me, and this even plays on with something that came out a little bit earlier this week about 'The House that Johnny Built' at A&M, there are so many other people that played into why we were good and why A&M is back on the map.
"It wasn't me. There are guys, from Sean Porter to Damontre Moore to Luke Joeckel to Von Miller to Ryan Swope to Uzoma Nwachukwu, Patrick Lewis, you can go down the list. Coach (Kevin) Sumlin, you have guys drafted first round for the past four to five years. It's slowly but surely creeping up."
Asked why he thinks he's so popular across the country, Manziel said, "I don't really know. (Maybe) how college was for me and the success we had and the style of play I played with in college, our offense, the excitement we brought to college football the past couple years, we won. That factors in a lot.
"Some of the things I did off the field where I was a little reckless at times might have factored into it as well, making me popular with younger guys or guys in college or whatever it was. At the same time, just more than anything (it's) probably (my) style of play. It was like watching some of the people that I tried to model my game after and it happened on Saturdays when we went out there and it was fun to watch A&M play. We had nationally televised games. We were always on TV. That probably factors in.
"Then, with social media and how that is now, it's kind of easier nowadays to expand -- I don't know if brand is the right word -- who I was as an athlete."
