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**
- Turn up the highlights! If you've ever gotten frustrated with grainy, shaky, hard-to-see online video of high school football players, these high-quality clips of Johnny Football are all you'll ever need to see of Manziel's formative years on the gridiron.
There won't be another quite like him at Texas A&M, and there certainly won't be anything like him again at Kerrville (Texas) Tivy High.
- A day ahead of Manziel's much-anticipated Friday media appearance at the combine, his private quarterback coach, George Whitfield, offered up a few details about Manziel's pre-combine training efforts in San Diego. But he also offered a peek at his personal relationship with the draft's most dynamic and intriguing quarterback prospect.
"You wind up in his corner," Whitfield said. "He'll call and give me movie advice for a date I'm about to go on. 'Hey, I saw this movie. You should take her to go see this.' I'll call him back and ask him how classes are going or what did he do on Valentine's Day. Things like that.
"We're mutually invested," he said. "I just want to see him do well."
Two down**
- When it gets down to Johnny Football's size, he came clean last week that his listed height of 6-1 at Texas A&M will come up an inch short when he measures at the combine. He reiterated the same to NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt, and sounds more than ready to face media questions as well:
Meanwhile, NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport said Manziel has been adding a bit of weight in preparation for the combine.
"I'm told he's going to end up being around 210 pounds, just to help him take some of the pounding of the NFL," Rapoport said.
- A bit more from Whitfield: As intense as Manziel's training has been, Whitfield said he is looking forward to his pupil getting in front of NFL teams for interviews as much or more than seeing him compete in drill work.
"What I'm excited to see is the feedback from the coaches," he said. "Once coaching staffs get a chance to meet him, talk with him, get him on the board and get a feel for who he is -- once you get a chance to see him and know him, I think it lends itself a lot because I think there's a disparity at times between who he is and what the headlines say."
If the shoe fits ...
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What's up with this from new Cleveland Browns general manager Ray Farmer?
Turns out, questions about Manziel's height don't have matching concerns when it comes to his feet and hands. He wears a size 15 shoe, and having bigger hands is a major plus for a quarterback's evaluation by NFL scouts.
Matthews on Manziel**
Texas A&M star left tackle Jake Matthews took his turn with the media Thursday, and of course, Manziel questions came fast and hard: Is he selfish? Is he a leader? Does he work hard? Matthews was complimentary in all respects. But when asked what it's like to block for Manziel, he conceded it's a unique experience.
"It's definitely different," he said. "Ever since Johnny took over, I've been answering this question -- you really don't know what to expect, he's all over the place. But at the same time, you've got to take what comes with it because the guy makes plays. He's proved it game after game. Like I said, I'm just trying to go out there and give him time and let him do what he does."
Office pool**
Manziel says he'll come in at 72 inches "on the dot" for a 6-foot measurement Friday. But there appears to be a friendly group wager on just how exact that will be.
Etc.
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» San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh believes Manziel can be an instant star in the NFL. Of course, the 49ers' pick won't be nearly high enough to nab him, and Harbaugh doesn't need a quarterback anyway, so it's easier for him to make a lavish projection.
» Former Oakland Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, now with Sirius XM NFL Radio, doesn't think Johnny Football would be much of a fit with his former team. The Raiders pick at No. 5 and need a quarterback, but might not get the chance to draft him, anyway.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
