Former Super Bowl MVP accuses media of being soft on Arch Manning

ESPN “College GameDay” analyst Desmond Howard believes some of his media colleagues are going too easy on Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning.

Howard — a former Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP and Heisman Trophy winner — appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” Wednesday and suggested some in the media were afraid to be critical of Manning because they want to stay in the good graces of the rest of the quarterback’s family. The former Heisman Trophy winner said the hype around Manning was “unwarranted” and was fueled in part by his own network.

“He didn’t jump out at me on tape,” Howard said. “He had moments, and they’re going to show those big moments on ‘SportsCenter,’ but if you watch the tape, there was nothing consistent that made you think he was the best player in college football. People don’t really want to criticize him as harshly because he is a Manning, and they want to stay in good favor with the Mannings. What they do is they make it seem like Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator for Ohio State, just called this brilliant game that kept Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning off-balance for four whole quarters.

“Matt Patricia did call a very good game. There is no doubt about that. But I saw guys on ‘SportsCenter’ and other shows pulling three plays and showing how he may have confused Arch Manning. … And I’m watching the film, and I can show you 10-12 plays where guys were running wide open and he either just didn’t hit them with the ball or he didn’t see these guys and it wasn’t that complex or that complicated.”

Arch Manning had an ugly performance against Ohio State

It was inevitable that Manning would get some additional hype because of his family ties. That said, he was also a top recruit, which was not purely down to his family. On the other hand, there was already talk about his NFL future before the current season even started.

The hype train slowed significantly due to Manning's poor performance against Ohio State. In Texas' 14-7 loss, Manning went 17-of-30 for 170 yards, one touchdown and an interception. However, Manning and the Longhorns have an opportunity to bounce back against San Jose State.

Not everyone is as down on Manning as Howard is, but it’s clear the former Heisman winner thinks Manning received an easy ride from the media. Manning still has plenty of time to prove Howard wrong by backing up the preseason hype with improved play going forward.