Super Bowl winner Kurt Warner, as clean-cut an NFL quarterback as you could find, doesn't have any issues with new Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel off the field. It's the on-the-field Manziel that Warner questions.
"He has a lot to learn about the quarterback position," Warner said Friday on NFL Network's "NFL Draft Kickoff".
Warner specifically mentioned Manziel's ability to perform in the pocket as a concern.
"I see a lot of issues," he said.
While he thinks highly of Manziel's athleticism, Warner also is worried about the signal-caller's propensity to flee the pocket. That generally worked out well for him at Texas A&M, but defenses are a lot different in the NFL.
"You can't expect to improvise and make plays," Warner said.
Warner, the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV, does give Manziel high marks for his presence and competitiveness. He also seemed genuinely puzzled by those criticizing Manziel for his busy off-field schedule.
While making a point to say he wasn't comparing Manziel's talents to those of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, Warner did say that Brady and Manning seemed to have crowded calendars, too. "Do those guys not have things going on off the field?" Warner asked.
"I don't think it's one or the other," Warner said, rebuking those who say to be a high-level quarterback, you only can have football.
Warner said he could see Manziel following a path similar to the one taken by other high-profile quarterbacks: "Prove it on the field, then sit back and enjoy the things that come with success."
But fellow analyst Charley Casserly, a former NFL general manager, said NFL teams did have what he called "major concerns" about Manziel away from the field.
"He needs to learn how to study and become an NFL quarterback," Casserly said.
Casserly said that in talks with a former coach who was at A&M in 2011 -- when Manziel was redshirting as a true freshman -- the coach spoke highly of Manziel's work habits. "He was a studier, he was a worker," Casserly said he was told.
Casserly said it was important for Manziel to assume a typical rookie's mindset: Come in and work hard, then "gradually work into other things."
Analyst Shaun O'Hara took those criticizing Manziel for his off-field behavior to task: "He's a kid. He should be having fun."
O'Hara also said, "You can't fault Johnny Manziel for being cool."
O'Hara did say he expects a more toned-down Manziel going forward.
"I think he becomes even more guarded" as he continues to understand the "business side of it," O'Hara said.
For his part, Manziel said in an introductory press conference Friday in Cleveland that his off-field activities "never cut into my (preparation) time."
Asked specifically about his relationships with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Drake, Manziel described them as "friends that happen to be in a bigger spotlight" and that "I think it's extremely cool" to be with friends with them.
He also said fans shouldn't focus on the "Johnny Football" persona: "I know who I am. I'm Johnny Manziel from Kerrville, Texas."
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
