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**
- They're rivals this week on the Lucas Oil Stadium field, but that isn't stopping Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel from striking up a friendship.
"Johnny, he's my guy," Bridgewater said Saturday. "I met Johnny last summer out in Oregon for one of the Elite 11 (high school QB competition) events, and we were out there and we were mentors. That was our first time meeting. Ever since then our relationship has clicked."
That friendship did not prevent Bridgewater from telling everyone he's a better quarterback than Manziel, though.
- Personal quarterback coach George Whitfield says Manziel is "teed up" for the idea of potentially playing for the Cleveland Browns, who hold the No. 4 overall pick and are in need of a quarterback. Whitfield, who is training Manziel in San Diego before the draft, is an Ohio native with an affinity for the Browns, and it's apparently rubbed off on his pupil. "He's going to be excited wherever he lands, but I know he's kind of gotten teed up about Cleveland," Whitfield told cleveland.com. "He had a sense it was a football place, but I've assured him, it's a football state."
For a Browns organization with new faces in key roles, including general manager and coach, it might take a trade-up to make Manziel's face the new one at quarterback. The Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars both need one, and they have the No. 1 and No. 3 picks, respectively.
Two down**
- Reporters at the combine looking for any sign of an Aggies teammate who has tired of Manziel's celebrity are getting nowhere fast. On Friday, offensive tackle Jake Matthews was nothing but complimentary of Manziel when asked if he had a "me-first" attitude. Saturday, Mike Evans was even more succinct: "I would go to war with him on any day," Evans said.
- The Minnesota Vikings have the No. 8 pick and haven't been linked with Manziel nearly as much as clubs drafting in front of them, but they are in need of a quarterback themselves. And if the right club might be willing to trade down to the No. 8 spot, perhaps Johnny Football could end up in purple. This we know: The Vikings will sit down with Manziel on Saturday night, along with a host of other quarterback prospects.
Any questions?
**
With new coach Jay Grudenmaking it crystal clear that Robert Griffin III is his starting quarterback, and the club having traded the No. 2 overall pick to the St. Louis Rams to acquire RGIII in the first place, the Redskins' official Twitter feed could afford to have some fun Friday with Manziel's commanding presence in the media room:
Drill time
**
Manziel's much-anticipated drill work at the combine commences Sunday. Participants can perform in the bench press, 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump and agility drills. It's unclear if Manziel will skip any of those, but he's made it clear he won't throw passes until a pro day event on March 27.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
