Johnny Manziel joined the Alliance of American Football, the latest stop for the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, when he signed with the Memphis Express on March 16. Next week, Manziel will cross paths with 1966 Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier, the coach of the Orlando Apollos.
Spurrier was asked about Manziel on a joint teleconference Wednesday, and in his answer, he cited the time they spent together for Nissan Heisman House ad campaign.
"I don't know all the stuff that happened or pretend to know, but The Alliance did its homework and he's ready to play," Spurrier said. "I think it's a wonderful opportunity for Memphis and for him."
Does Manziel's presence generate any more interest for that March 30 matchup?
"Not for us, because we have Atlanta this week,” Spurrier said. "Talk to me Monday, and I'll try to answer that one then."
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That answer explains why Spurrier, 73, is coaching a 5-1 team in the fledgling AAF. Orlando is coming off its first loss of the season, and it travels to Atlanta for a game Saturday. Manziel is the viral attraction now, but Spurrier continues to be the best story in a league trying to gain its footing.
He has been down this road before. Before Spurrier was the Head Ball Coach at Duke, Florida and South Carolina and in the NFL with the Washington Redskins, he was a first-time head coach for the Tampa Bay Bandits in the United States Football League (USFL). The Bandits finished 11-7 in his first season.
Spurrier recounted what he remembers from that experience. Franchises had individual owners instead of the group that controls the AAF. He recalled the 18-game schedule with a chuckle. Spurrier, however, pointed to the biggest difference.
"I think the biggest difference is The Alliance is not after the NFL star players," Spurrier said. "You have to remember we had Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Reggie White. A whole of bunch of superstar Hall of Fame guys that played in the USFL first and of course later went to the NFL.
"But with the Alliance, the idea of practicing for a month and start playing, very similar. It certainly can be done."
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Spurrier now has put together the best team in the AAF to this point — one that suffered its first loss last week against the Arizona Hotshots. The AAF is not poaching NFL stars. It is grooming players who are trying to make NFL rosters. Spurrier seems to enjoy his role in facilitating that development.
Garrett Gilbert has 10 TDs and one interception this season. Charles Johnson and Jalin Marshall average more than 15 yards per catch, and Keith Reaser has three interceptions. The Apollos average 27.6 points per game.
"I really think the best part is, all the teams, the players really play hard, " he said. "They all are trying to impress somebody; especially their teammates and coaches. Everybody wants to win. This is an opportunity for them to advance to the NFL, but everybody wants to win."
Of course, by everybody, Spurrier means himself. He was asked about the development of Reaser, which prompted Spurrier to talk about his role in the new league.
"We're trying to put the best players on the field," Spurrier said. "We're trying to win the game. That's our job. They didn't hire me to say, 'Hey, play him. Play this guy. Play that guy. Play that guy.' They said put the best players out there and try to win the game. That's my job as the head coach, and that's the job of our assistants."
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J.K. McKay, the head of football operations for the AAF, said it is coaches like Spurrier who have helped the league follow a different path than that of the USFL. The AAF has enjoyed steady success to this point.
"I'm proud of the coaches we have," McKay said. "We've put an interesting group together. As Steve said, they're all highly competitive. They wan to win. I know because my phone is blowing up every Monday with complaints about officiating calls or whatever it might be. These guys are trying to win, and that's what we want."
That is why Spurrier's wait-and-see approach with facing Manziel should not come as a surprise. Manziel is a splash player who will keep the interest in the AAF going in the short term, but coaches like Spurrier are living by the same approaches that made them successful in other leagues.
He is simply trying to win the next game on the schedule.
"We're keeping score," Spurrier said. "When you're keeping score, you try to your best to win the game."
