Time to Man' up
Maturity, not talent, still area of concern for NFL scouts
#ComebackSZN has officially arrived for Johnny Manziel.
On Saturday, the former Browns quarterback will receive half of the offensive snaps for the South team, when he makes his Spring League debut in Austin, Texas. Manziel, 25, will start the first quarter before returning in the third, while East Carolina product Cody Keith will rotate in during the second and fourth quarters.
“They’ll get an equal number of reps,” coach Terry Shea who is returning to the Spring League for his second consecutive year, told ESPN.
Manziel has upped his workouts the past few months with hopes of a return to the NFL, and he sees the CFL as a backup plan.
“I can’t tell right now, I feel like it’s a little early,” Manziel recently told ESPN when asked about his next opportunity.
“I feel like I’m doing pretty good. Once I got the OK to really get a chance to go up to Canada, I really started [to] buckle down. I don’t really have a lot going on with my time than watching [Scott Van Pelt] late night, playing a little golf, other then working out and doing football stuff. [Texas] A&M pro day went great, and now I’m getting geared up for Spring League, which should be fun.”
Manziel has gained something of an interested audience as his redemption tour continues. NFL scouts watched and were impressed by him when he threw at the pro days at San Diego and Texas A&M. Manziel was approached by Patriots brass after the one at his alma mater.
“I wasn’t surprised [he looked good at the Texas A&M pro day],” an evaluator told Yahoo Sports. “As long as he wasn’t out of shape, I thought he’d probably throw well and he did. … He’s got talent. He’s always had tal- ent. It’s just a lot of [stuff ] there getting in his way. But just on talent, he’s better than a lot of quarterbacks on [NFL] rosters and he’s better than a lot of guys that will get drafted [this month].”
Though few doubt Manziel’s talent, many still question his maturity in the wake of past transgressions, including a 2016 domestic violence incident involving former girlfriend Colleen Crowley, as well as his presence on social media.
“I know it’s generational, but his [social media] accounts are still ridiculous,” another evaluator said.
With a curious audience tuned in to Manziel’s every move, the quarterback has the potential to pique their interest more by going off the social media grid completely.
“If he’s trying to sell himself as something different, start with that. There are so many things to deal with already. … Social media is a big negative for anyone who wants to sign him. It’s like, ‘Be willing to sacrifice something that is clearly extremely important to you,’” the evaulator said.
Manziel last posted Thursday on Instagram.