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Jaworski said that Manziel wouldn't last a handful of games in the NFL if he plays in the pros the way he did at Texas A&M. This statement obviously didn't sit well with the man who is training Manziel to survive the rigors of pro football.

 

<p style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(55,55,55);font-family:'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif;">"Johnny knows he can't play the same way in the NFL that he did in college," Flaherty said.

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<p style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(55,55,55);font-family:'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif;">"When you watch Johnny, he was physical in college—he went after guys he knew he could go after. He would pick and choose guys he got physical with. One guy who tried to tackle him was knocked out.

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<p style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(55,55,55);font-family:'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif;">"But Johnny knows he can't run crazy on the next level. He'll play smart in the NFL. I would also say that any quarterback can get a concussion or hurt from just standing in the pocket. They don't have to be running. The thing about Johnny too is that he uses his quickness to get out of trouble. That quickness helps him stay healthy."

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<p style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(55,55,55);font-family:'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif;">"I don't see how (Jaworski) could actually watch film and say what he says about Johnny. You break down Johnny's film, he puts up huge numbers against the best competition, like Alabama. He did this week in and week out in the SEC. Then you break down Blake Bortles. He had one good year. That was it. Teddy (Bridgewater) played in a really weak conference. He put up his numbers against bad competition.

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<p style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(55,55,55);font-family:'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif;">"Johnny played in the best conference in the country. Add up all of the Alabama and Auburn guys he played against that are in the pros versus the pro guys Bortles or Bridgewater went against."

Quote:<p style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(55,55,55);font-family:'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif;">Flaherty works at Prolific Athletes and trains a select number of prospects for the combine. NFL team officials say Flaherty has risen to one of the best in the country at what he does simply because his prospects don't just train solely for the combine. They train for life in the NFL.

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<p style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(55,55,55);font-family:'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif;">"A lot of what Johnny and I are working on now is injury prevention," Flaherty explained. "We don't do traditional type lifting. We do things that help to keep him from getting hurt."

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<p style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(55,55,55);font-family:'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif;">This is one of the more interesting parts of the Manziel story. Manziel didn't just train for the combine. His training continues now as you read this, and that training focuses on trying not to become a casualty of injury. They are working on Manziel's sliding, for example, and doing exercises to strengthen muscles above the knee cap and hip, which are important to keep strong because those muscles can prevent injuries.