Harbaugh Helping Jameis Winston, Bryce Petty Prepare For Combine
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Quarterbacks report to the NFL combine Wednesday, and Florida State's Jameis Winston and Baylor's Bryce Petty are spending the days leading up to the big event in Ann Arbor working with Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Winston and Petty have trained at Michigan from Sunday through Tuesday. The duo came to Ann Arbor to meet with Harbaugh after training in San Diego with their coach George Whitfield, the founder of Whitfield Athletix, a quarterback academy. Winston and Petty came to get acclimated to the time and weather and to throw in an indoor facility before heading to the combine.
Winston, who could go first overall in the draft, threw for 3,907 yards, 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 2014. Petty threw for 3,855 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Whitfield, who is working with Winston and Petty, has also trained NFL quarterbacks Johnny Manziel, Andrew Luck, Donovan McNabb, Cam Newton, and Ben Roethlisberger, among others. Whitfield has also worked with Michigan State's Connor Cook.
"Coach Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in football, period, and I think he's one of the best coaches in the NFL," Whitfield said on ESPN. "He just happens to be here at a Big Ten program, so to come back here with Jameis and Bryce Petty, those two to get a chance to sit in there with him and let them just absorb the NFL combine experience from him directly.
"[Michigan passing game coordinator] Jedd Fisch was also in there," Whitfield continued. "He's been very instrumental, he's been in a lot of war rooms, so they just gave those guys a lot of context about the experience and a lot of encouragement, which is always great to have. When you have somebody of their magnitude say, 'Listen, this is it, you can do this, this is what's going to be taking place,' that means an awful lot. They both were wearing NFL hats a year ago. To be afforded that opportunity to come here is incredible."
