At least one coach wasn't buying Johnny Manziel's Pro Day theatrics as legitimate.
The media and several NFL scouts and administrators thought that Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel positively answered a lot of questions about both his maturity level and his ability to become a starting NFL quarterback.
But new Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said he thought Manziel's workout was an extension of his self-promotion and disregard for the team concept.
Q.USAToday.com quoted Zimmer from a radio interview he conducted with 104.9 The Horn in Austin, Texas, that he was uncertain about and confused by Manziel's Pro Day performance.
When asked whether he was impressed with Manziel's decision to throw in pads and a helmet, Zimmer was not all that enthusiastic.
"It didn't really say anything at all, really," Zimmer told the radio station, as reported by Q.USAToday.com. "Him talking to the group was fine. I do think he was sincere. The helmet and shoulders pads... I guess the thing you have to figure out is, is this just another part of the things that happened a couple of years ago after he won the Heisman Trophy or is he just a different person as far as wanting the limelight or just wanting to prove that he can do things the right way? I guess it maybe brings a few questions marks in. Is he going to conform to typically what the NFL is or what everyone else has done before him including what the great players in the game have done before him, or is he going to try to be the celebrity man guy that he was maybe a year-and-a-half ago?"
Q.USAToday.com then reported that the Vikings brass took out Manziel to dinner, in which Zimmer said red flags came up about Manziel's ability to be a totally football-minded player.
The Vikings own the eighth pick in the NFL Draft and are in need of a quarterback. Q.USAToday.com surmised that Zimmer's soliloquy could've been an act to get teams drafting before the Vikings to pass on the enigmatic, 2012 Heisman Trophy winner and former Texas A&M quarterback.
If true, it's Zimmer's own antics that would appear to be a sizable gesture.
Do you think Mike Zimmer is being honest about his assessment of Johnny Manziel? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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