Even though Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is showing no signs of slowing down, it’s safe to say Bill Belichick and the organization are doing their due diligence.
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will meet with the Patriots on Wednesday, joined by Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, according to reports from ESPN Boston and the NFL Network.
NFL teams can only host 30 draft prospects, so on the surface, the move appears to be a head-scratcher. Why would the Patriots — who have one of the game’s all-time greats under center in Brady — use two of their 30 visits on quarterbacks, which is the last thing they need?
It’s possible Belichick wants to get an up-close-and-personal look at Manziel and Bridgewater, to see if they could somehow fit in down the line.
Four years ago, Belichick met with Tim Tebow in Boston before the NFL Draft, just to get a sense of what he could bring to the table. As it turned out, the Patriots did indeed sign Tebow last year, but he was one of the team’s final cuts after the preseason.
Or, as the Boston Globe suggests, it could be taking advantage of an opportunity to meet with two quarterbacks the Patriots will be going up against for years to come to get a better sense of their approach and work ethic.
Whatever his view of Manziel, don’t expect Belichick to be too forthcoming. Not so with new Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who shared a surprisingly personal “Johnny Football” critique — or created a smoke screen for a team with a quarterback need that picks No. 8 in next month’s draft.
“We asked him all kinds of questions … There are some flags that came up,” Zimmer said Monday on 104.9 The Horn in Austin, Texas. “All of the things that happened in Los Angeles, the commercials and all that stuff [Manziel appeared in a McDonald’s commercial with LeBron James]; the position of quarterback in the NFL is such an important position and the reason these guys need to be a totally football-minded guy is the pressure of the position and being the face of an NFL team and doing everything right. That’s the thing you want to know about him — will he be in to work early every single day? Will he be the last to leave? Will he be the guy that is working the hardest to get better?
“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,” he continued. “I guess it maybe brings a few question 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?”