CBS analyst Gary Danielson tells The Post’s Justin Terranova how Johnny Manziel has helped both Texas A&M and Alabama with the SEC schools set for their much-hyped showdown on Saturday.
Q: Who does Texas A&M beating Alabama last season help this season?
A : It helps both teams, which I know doesn’t make sense intuitively. But for Alabama coming off the championship it really gives them something to focus on. But it also gives Texas A&M the knowledge they can step on the field and beat these guys.
Q: Do you think Alabama is facing extra pressure this season as three-time champs?
A: The scrutiny and the pressure has been diffused by Johnny Manziel, and he has allowed Nick (Saban) to go about his business and just coach. Everyone knows how good they are, but they are just not that interesting.
Q: Do you think Manziel’s off-the-field issues affect the team this season?
A: The bravado, the chip on his shoulder, his competitive instincts — what may be his Achilles heel off the field is what makes him so effective on the field. … It makes everyone on his team better. You can’t chicken out when you are on his team. There are certain leaders, like (Mark) Messier, who are so damn tough that you have to be tough like them.
Q: How does this year’s Alabama team compare with last year’s?
A: The identity of this team is their toughness, but they lost a lot of that from last year’s team. The strength of this team is their specialists on offense. A.J. (McCarron) (Amari) Cooper and now Christion Jones, they just have a lot of them. But it’s not the way Nick likes to coach, to put his defense in that position with fast drives, he is usually very disciplined.
Q: What does Texas A&M have to do to have a chance on Saturday?
A: You have to be able to take a punch and give a punch back. They are going to hit, they are going to make plays on you and if you have a glass jaw they are going to run you out of the stadium. I’ve seen it many times. Those LSU teams could do it, Georgia did it last year.