WFNY Roundtable – Preliminary thoughts on the NFL Draft
March 27, 2014
Brian Spaeth talks summer movies, the Cavaliers and his Wahoo movie project – WFNY Podcast – 2014-03-27
March 27, 2014 
The Chicago Bears and your Cleveland Browns were the only two teams absent from Johnny Manziel’s Thursday Pro Day, but they don’t seem to care.
Shunning off pro days as if they’re irrelevant has become quite the fad in Berea, the latest being due to a reported “schedule conflict.” Browns head coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer (the latter did attend the Central Florida and Louisville for Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater, respectively) believe the events are “too scripted” for quarterbacks. Per Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group, the head coach likened the difference between pro days and private workouts to a “slugger hitting home runs in batting practice versus live pitching.”
“A Pro Day of orchestrated throws, I don’t know what that tells you,” said Farmer. “It’s a piece of it that people blow up into this great thing. I went to a lot of games and practices this fall. I’ve seen them throw the ball.”
Manziel, who wore a helmet and shoulder pads (which were apparently a part of a Nike campaign—seriously), dazzled both on and off of the field, displaying a new grip and completing throws that even made ESPN’s Ron Jaworski a believer. Jaws, who was one of Manziel’s biggest critics, said that the Texas A&M product was “magnificent” just hours after saying he would not draft him within the first three rounds.
The Browns’ absence from Manziel’s Pro Day is notable, but they’re expected to conduct a private workout with the A&M signal caller between now and the May NFL Draft.
“We will have our opportunities to have private workouts,” Farmer said. “Being in charge of that workout is different than being at a Pro Day where it’s orchestrated and scripted.”
—
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
34 Comments
I don’t see a Swoosh jock there. Nike’s getting sloppy.
Um nevermind!
Farmer is staying consistent but I like the policy of having these guys come to town and working out for the Browns. Especially any potential QBs.
Bill O’Brien has no idea about Johnny Manziel’s in-game performance because he didn’t attend a single aTm game in person. The Texans really screwed the pooch with that hire.
I want to hear what Ron Jaworski has to say. I mean, his days in the NFL are so long ago it may as well be golf. Who cares about his opinion? If Manziel QB’s the Chiefs in the 60s and 70s they would have won some Super Bowls.
Thank you, the media is freaking out over nothing.
or, or… maybe the browns really ARENT interested in an under-sized quarterback who made his name scrambling against college competition while being protected by two top-10 o-linemen and having a top-10 oversized WR to win jump balls for him.
just throwing it out there…
what? Im confused. Are you saying that you have to see Manziel in a live college game to assess his talent? Couldnt you watch game film? Also, why would watching a college player be a determining factor in hiring a coach? I cant see the scenario where a coach walks into an NFL job interview and the first question is “Have you seen Johnny Football in person? No? Well its been nice talking, we’ll be in touch”.
…or, he was scrambling against top 10 defensive players on top 10 defensive teams in the most NFL ready conference with only one legitimate weapon to pass to, and consistently winning.
It’s rare when it happens, but I do enjoy when our team looks smart.
http://giphy.com/gifs/K2hWvw8FEava8
I keep getting the impression from the media that if the most important decision makers don’t attend something in person then they’re doing a bad job.
Game film you say? Too bad there’s nothing like that for JFF’s pro day today.
…and… the thing is that when had only one consensus top-10 o-tackle (matthews) instead of two (matthews+joeckel), that’s things when sideways. and did i forget to mention case keenum did more with less in the sumlin offense? yes i forgot to mention that.
hey,,, just thought i’d bring it up. not sure these things are being mentioned on cle-dot-com or bull-fox.
—
lookit, i dig huddle presence and agree that leadership is a special (and hard-to-measure) intangible that takes two identical builds and makes one peyton manning and the other derek anderson-branon weeden. manziel seems to have this. i just am way way way wary of investing a first round pick to see if he can be the second sub six foot qb to get his team in playoffs in the last 20 years.
So, JFF tore up his pro day, huh?
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view7/4813388/laadefrickinda3-o.gif
Thank you, Mr. Farmer. I like that we have a guy who doesn’t engage in stupid things just to avoid being criticized.
I believe Kiper and Jaworski are now fighting over it.
Sports journalism now amounts to manufacturing outrage to generate page views.
Treating pro days as though they are irrelevant is not simply a fad, but the correct course. The only people that believe these things matter are people in the media.
Furthermore, Berea is playing poker here, the more they can disseminate the idea they are not interested in a quarterback, the more likely it becomes that one of the quarterback desperate teams behind them feels comfortable in not moving up to #2 to snatch one of the three QB’s.
It might sound stupid, but I think the Browns’ absence at Manziel’s pro day is a signal of how much they covet him.
I know you’re well documented on here, but I cant recall off the top of my head, who do you want at #4? If its not a QB, what would you do as the Brown’s GM to get us a QB? There is a glaring hole there, and eventually you need to fill it. I personally would pull the trigger on Manziel and if he is not available, then go Watkins. Im not interested in the other QBs too much, but if I didnt get a QB at #4, Im taking one at #26 or in the 2nd round because we absolutely must find a QB yesterday. Oh, and I’d also take a second QB in round 4 or 5 on a gamble.
Couldn’t have said it any better.
ive been holding off on locking in. i like mike evans at 4. but i’m thinking robinson and clowney might generational talents and you can’t pass them if they’re there.
on the QB question, i really, truly, strongly feel that hoyer might be the guy. i think the presumption that the browns have no qb is faulty. i disagree that the browns ‘have to find their quarterback this draft.’ like..
1. if it were that easy they wouldve found him by now and
2. it’d be the most browns-y thing ever to draft manziel at #4 and then have hoyer plant him on the bench.
that being said… i favor drafting a qb. i like garoppolo. i like murray. i like keith wenning (ball st) and tom savage (pitt). don’t like mccarron, logan thomas or stephen morris. kinda think tajh boyd is being vastly underrated and not sure about derek carr. i pass on bridgewater/manziel at #4; if bortles is there…. and clowney and robinson are gone… i think i’d pull the trigger on bortles at #4.
I like Murray as well. Dont really know enough about the rest. I dont think Hoyer is the real answer, but I would have no problem with Hoyer outplaying a rookie to start this upcoming season. In fact, I hope it happens. I dont think that would be a Same Old Browns embarrassment like you suggest.
Clowney scares me with his average-at-best work ethic, regardless of what his PR rep tells him to say. With Robinson, I dont think O-line is worth a top 4 pick at this point. I realize that sounds like Im dismissing the importance of o-line for the sexier positions, and Im not, I just dont think the drop-off from Robinson to the 3rd or 4th best OL is too drastic, especially when we already have our LT and (hopefully), C.
i wouldnt normally go o-line this early given the shape of our line, but if you think robinson is anthony munoz… how can you pass on that, right?
i’m very much good with a WR at 4 and i prefer evans because he seems to have the same speed and great hands and highpointing ability as watkins but with a freakish catch radius (35+” arms). if the browns looked at both and said watkins’ routes are better and he separates like a boss.. then i got no prob with taking watkins.
as for clowney.. a guy on my site found a money quote from pettine regarding his attitude: “… I think if you’re strong and assertive as a coach that you can get that guy to be more focused and get him to be much more consistent. So if you can take a Clowney and get him to play, to get him to get that motor humming and go hard every play, then you’ve got a guy that can absolutely dominate a game.” in other words, if pettine wants to bet on himself again w.r.t. coaching up clowney, yes sir have at it.
I would go after you for the Ifs like, “If Robinson is the next Munoz…” or “If Pettine can get maximum effort out of Clowney…”, but I am sort of asking the Browns to take a big If with Johnny Manziel, so, I’ll keep quiet.
Damn, maybe we should just take a WR?? Seems we both agree that would likely work out.
Jaworski sure changed his tune on Manziel now that’s for sure.
ESPNified!!!!
He sure changed his tune on Manziel from what I heard on Sportscenter.
We’ve seen Jaws do this before:
http://deadspin.com/how-espn-manufactures-a-story-colin-kaepernick-edition-1185400028/all
It is his job.
The media is freaking out over a team bursting their manufactured drama*, so they turn that team into drama instead.
* If an NFL team doesn’t care about pro days, then it’s probably not worth watching to viewers, either. That doesn’t work for media completely invested in it, so: “BROWNS SO STUPID!”
Do you think Jaworski is covering his behind so he can claim (and back it up with tape) that he was right about Manziel whether he succeeds or bombs?
Someone even asked him what he thought of it. His reaction was priceless, like are you kidding me?
Playing devil’s advocate, I think you could make a case that a live game provides additional stimuli that tape does not. The noise, the vibe on and off the field, wind and sun, etc. Do you feel the same watching a concert live that you do watching it on your TV?
That said, It’s irrelevant in making a hire. I just get why some guys would want to do it.
Jon Gruden said Jamarcus Russell’s pro-day was “like Starwars, it was unbelievable”.
Sports journalism? I wouldn’t limit it to only the sporting world. Media outlets in general have adopted this tactic. Investigative journalism is dead.