6 rings & football things: should QBs throw at the NFL Combine?
Johnny Manziel's name has been in the news this week for his appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, where he rips veteran QB Brian Hoyer, tells a $3 million story about his former head coach Kevin Sumlin, and details his unique relationships with Drake and LeBron James.
The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner also spoke about and admitted to the abundance of poor decisions he made over the course of the last 10+ years that ultimately resulted in the downfall of his professional football career.
Despite all of that, as I get set to watch a bunch of grown men (and more specifically quarterbacks) work out and throw footballs in spandex shorts and t-shirts at the NFL Combine in an attempt to separate themselves from the pack, I’m reminded of one of the few excellent decisions Johnny Football ever made:
Wearing shoulder pads and a helmet during his 2014 Pro Day throwing session at Texas A&M.
Set to throw in front of not only eight NFL head coaches but former president George W. Bush and his wife Barbara, Manziel threw on a set of shoulder pads, strapped up his Revolution Speed helmet, and tied a pair Nike Vapor Carbon cleats around his custom Nike Pro Day socks (that I may or may not have purchased a set of when I was in high school).
He went on to complete 63 of his 65 throws in a workout that not only ended in a 50+ yard bomb for a touchdown to Mike Evans, but with him becoming the 22nd overall pick to the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL Draft.
“Isn’t the game played with them on?” Manziel explained when he asked why he decided to work out in full gear.
This should have become the norm for quarterback prospects moving forward as they get set to enter the NFL. For a group that is already ridiculed, examined, and put under a the ultimate microscope throughout the Draft process, they could at least help their own cause by throwing on a shell up top and simulating some game action.
Instead? Most of them skip out on throwing at the Combine entirely, instead opting to hum footballs in front of talent evaluators on their own time, at their own Pro Day, with a script and coddled by their coaches and the pass catchers that they trust.
While it ultimately works out for most and likely will never change, it still shouldn't be this way. Quarterbacks don’t throw in t-shirts on Sundays. They shouldn't at their showcases either.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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