The Johnny Football Index and 2014 Draft Week 4

A weekly discussion on SEC stars and how they rank on the Johnny Football Index.

THE JOHNNY FOOTBALL INDEX

The Johnny Football Index is our weekly tribute to Johnny Manziel’s ability on and off the field. Each week, we rank players according to three factors: on-field ability, celebrity and off-the-field headlines. Johnny Manziel scored a 10 in all three categories giving him the only perfect score of 30 in the modern era. Each week, we also draft players to build the ultimate rosters in an attempt to pile up the most JFI numbers. More explanation of the process can be found here [link to week 1].

THE DRAFT

Each week, Kevin and Mack will draft a player (or coach) to fill out a roster. Upon drafting a player, the selector will also propose a JFI score for that player. As the season progresses, we will update the scores based on on-field performance and off-field news making ability. At the end of the year, we’ll tally it up and announce a winning roster.

JFI ADJUSTMENTS

Mack: I think it’s time we evaluate each of our picks and alter their points accordingly. I’ll start with mine and obviously judge yours too. I am taking a point away from Nick Marshall in the ability category. After watching his last few performances, I’m not sure he is even the best QB on his team. I am still waiting to see some of the explosiveness we saw in last years’ turnaround year. I propose giving Todd Gurley a celebrity point for his “Heisman Hurdle” and submit my trademark application for that term. Georgia has such an ideal run game because of their ability to give Gurley breathers with other backs that would be getting the lion’s share of carries on any other team. Regardless, Gurley remains the beast that can take over games. My boy Lane Kiffin was off and since Nick Saban locks him away other than on gamedays, his points will remain the same.

I also have some point adjustments for your teams, which you are welcome to challenge if you so choose. Leonard Fournette continues to impress, though I’m not sure any sort of performance against New Mexico State warrants any sort of point bump. Now, your boy Maty Mauk in an interesting case. I propose a one-point deduction for ability as he posted another sub-par performance on the field. His drops are becoming Madden-esque as he runs backwards as far as he can and still get the ball back to the line of scrimmage. That being said, I will award him one “antic” point for running down Steve Spurrier. I’ve heard people say it wasn’t intentional, but I saw it in-game, I have seen the replays and Mauk has proven he is at least semi fleet of foot, and he had plenty of time to slow down, avoid, or not put an elbow in the the HBC’s back. It was amazing. Seeing Spurrier’s “ball plays” fly everywhere and the look Spurrier gave Mauk were definitely my two favorite parts of that whole interaction. Lastly, your boy Bielema. I was debating a one-point deduction for blowing the lead in the 4th quarter to Sumlin, but I would also grant him a point for the fake punt. I don’t care if he called that, or if it was a read by the Australian Rules punter, I loved it. His face for the next 5 minutes made me so happy. I love watching this man coach and only hope he can turn things around at Arkansas, because I want him in my football life for years to come. Whew, that was a lot of typing. I guess I am just inspired by the week’s happenings. What is your rebuttal, if any?

Kevin: Well done sir. I agree with you on your team. Extra point approved for Gurley. Point deduction approved for Nick Marshall. In fact, I’m going to one up you. Gurley gets an added point for Antics as well as a result of his recent run in with the law this past weekend. The story is a bit clumsy but apparently some guy was trying to take a selfie with Gurley in the background. Then something happened and the guy accused Gurley of punching him. After being accused, the police reviewed the surveillance tape and cleared Gurley immediately. Apparently, after taking his selfies he got into a scuffle with some other guys where a white guy punched him. In the process, he lost his hat. Then, Gurley picked up his hat and gave it to him. Not only did he not punch him, but he handed him his hat back! Hilarious. While such a non-incident hardly warrants an additional point in the antics category, we’ll give him one simply for being out in the wee hours of the morning and being in close proximity to a bar scuffle. Well done Gurley.

Mack: I don’t even know how I glossed over this when deciding point adjustments. Gurley has consistently been a non-factor off the field so the fact there is any mention of him in the evening hours is a huge plus. Good Guy Gurley is going to be my new thing. I mean, giving the dude his hat back in the midst of an assault accusation is pretty amazing stuff.

Kevin: Moving on to my team, I believe we should leave Mauk where he is as we already deducted a performance point due to the Mizzou loss against Indiana. While he didn’t look great, they still pulled out a win at South Carolina and managed to run over the Ball Coach in the process. You might argue that’s a boost to his on-field performance.

I’m excited about my boy Bielema. He’s like a better version of Muschamp. I think it’s hard to argue that he has Arkansas ahead of schedule on the Bielema Road to Success after the John L. Smith train wreck. My excitement for Bielema in the weeks ahead is only matched by my eager anticipation of a looming Lane Kiffin implosion. Yay, his offense exploded against Florida? So did Kentucky’s. Florida’s defense is so bad right now, it might be an upgrade if his dad Monte – whom Lane fired at USC – took it over. Just wait until Lane blows a game for Saban and Saban stuffs him into a locker in front of the team to make an example of him. I can’t wait.

Shall we move on to round 4 of the draft?

Mack: Yes, let’s. After watching the games, and mulling over the abundance of star players in the league, I am going with the Ole Miss kicker. Joking, but that guy gets kicked out of a game for allegedly throwing a punch, then video shows he actually wanted absolutely no part in the altercation at all was pretty great. I believe my next pick is going to be Bo Wallace. Believe it or not, his average performance against Memphis is actually what put him on the radar for me. This whole Dr. Bo and Mr. Pick thing could be worth some celebrity and antics points as the year goes on and he starts mixing in some NFL throws with turning the ball over. Of course I am hopeful the Dr. Bo Flow/Sunshine hair situation returns, because that has got to help. I think Bo comes in at a 7 in ability, because after watching a good portion of film, it’s clear that he has the ability to make all the throws, it’s just the whole decision making thing that holds him back sometimes. Celebrity is probably a 5. Most everyone in the SEC knows who he is, and he has the chance to break out on the national stage with some more good play, as well as growing his hair back out. This needs to happen. Lastly, I am giving him a 4 in antics. Bo has been relatively quiet to this point in the year, but remember he had some comments last year about being able to put points on the board against Alabama. That never really happened for him as Ole Miss got beat 25-0, but the fact he came out and jawed a little prior to the game at least shows me he is capable of starting some stuff. Thoughts? Who are you thinking of taking?

Kevin: Wow, I’m going to call aggressive on the point scale there. Let’s keep in mind that Dr. Bo has 6 picks on the year thus far and his four opponents have thus far been Boise State, Vanderbilt, Louisiana Lafayette and Memphis. Not exactly a gauntlet. While I’m high on Ole Miss and Dr. Boski, I think we have to move his score back a bit. Maybe a 5 on ability. With that said, if he beats Alabama this weekend, I’ll re-consider the points. Do we have a deal?

Mack: That is probably fair, though I don’t believe he will beat Alabama, it is possible he isn’t the reason they lose. Basically, I’m hoping he grows his hair out, chirps a little, and manages to throw a bunch of TDs without going crazy with the INTs. Also, it wouldn’t hurt if he was found tailgating at the Grove pre-game at some point.

Kevin: Staying in the state of Mississippi, I’m pleased to announce that your 2014 Heisman Trophy Winner Dak Prescott will be joining my squad. Unlike the other Mississippi QB, he actually has a signature win this season. Is Dak the best QB in the SEC? It’s not out of the question in 2014, and the question may be settled this week when Kenny Hill faces off against Dak Prescott this Saturday. This game is pretty fascinating because if State can skate by the Aggies and Auburn in the next two games, they could be 9-0 heading into the Alabama game. C’mon Dak! Let’s consider his scoring. I’m going to put him two point aheads of Bo Wallace on ability (a 7). Why two points when their numbers are fairly equal? Easy. Prescott is a bigger part of Mississippi State’s success than Bo Wallace and the simple fact that Prescott had a game this season where he threw, ran and caught a TD in the same game. We’ll go one point ahead of with Wallace on celebrity (another 6) despite his near lock to win the Heisman, and then a 1 on the antics scale. That gives me a 14 for Mr. Prescott with some legit upside on the table for the remainder of the season.

Mack: Okay, I can get on board with that point distribution, though I would back off the whole “near-lock” for the Heisman stance. There is still some season to play. Try not to overreact to one big game at LSU. Regardless, the points are settled. Bo comes in at 5 ability, 5 celebrity, and 4 in antics while Dak finishes with a 7 in ability, 6 in celebrity, and a 1 in antics. Our picks come to the same final score of 14, but in very different ways.

That does it for this week’s draft. Here are how the points stand to date:

Results After Week 4