INDIANAPOLIS -- From the NFL Scouting Combine, the day that was in the always unpredictable life of former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel:
Two up**
- Manziel 'fessed up that his interviews with NFL clubs at the combine have indeed included discussions about his off-field behavior and reputation, saying that teams have brought up a mixture of those topics along with football questions. "There were (also) a lot of times where they wanted me to get on the board and see my football knowledge," Manziel told NFL Network.
- Manziel's agility drill results were certainly up, ranking among the combine's top-performing quarterbacks in every category. Manziel turned in a 31.5" vertical jump, which ranked fifth among quarterbacks; a broad jump of 9 feet, 5 inches (tied for fourth); a three-cone drill time of 6.75 (second); and a 4.03 time in the 20-yard shuttle (first).
Two down**
- Like just about everyone else at the combine, Manziel's official 40-yard dash time (4.68) was down from his unofficial times of 4.56 and 4.63. It wasn't exactly blazing fast, but the notion that Johnny Football beats people with speed is a misnomer, anyway. He beats people with sudden quickness, sharp cuts and moves that would make him tough to tackle in a phone booth, much less a football field. Will he win a 60-yard footrace in the NFL with Patrick Peterson? No. But if he stays healthy, he might not need to.
- OK, so proving to NFL clubs that he can play from the pocket is something he'll eventually have to show them, and for some, perhaps no amount of persuasion will be convincing enough. Manziel touched on that topic with NFL Network, saying that keeping his eyes downfield was something he improved on greatly last season, when his rushing total was roughly half of what it was in 2012.
"What I wanted to do is get better in the pocket, feel comfortable there and really be able to feel the rush, more than having to look at it with my eyes, and be able to keep my eyes downfield, go through my progressions," he told NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks. "Really feel better in the pocket, feel more comfortable, and really thrive in some chaos."
Ignoring combine?
**
According to Manziel's speed coach, Manziel is ignoring combine preparation for a more big-picture focus on his overal readiness for his rookie season in the NFL. Smart? You be the judge, but to whatever extent NFL clubs use combine results as an evaluation tool, that approach wouldn't figure to make Manziel any money in Indianapolis. Prolific Athletes CEO Ryan Flaherty expounds.
Johnny vs. Kaepernick
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As much as the 40-yard dash is built up, the differences in times is truly infinitesimal, a matter of hundredths of a second. A photoshopped comparison of Manziel's 40-yard dash with the one San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick ran at his combine illustrates that well.
Low blow
**
We're calling this a late hit out of bounds from the combine, 15 yards and a first down:
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.