While Johnny Manziel's "Frito to a Dorito" comment got some publicity last week, there's also a healthy chip on the shoulder of A.J. McCarron.
The Alabama quarterback is at the NFL Scouting Combine this weekend, and spoke Friday about a variety of subjects. McCarron thinks he has a lot to prove.
"Definitely," McCarron said. "For sure. I feel like I've been disrespected my whole college career."
McCarron (6-3, 220) reeled off a list of reasons his doubters have used, ranging from an inability to throw "the deep ball" to being helped by an abundance of NFL talent on his roster. But McCarron cited the level of competition he was able to succeed against as a plus.
"I think somebody figured out I had played against fortysome (defensive) guys who have been drafted from the time I arrived in '09 that are still playing in the NFL," McCarron said. "That's a crazy amount of guys."
McCarron was under center for a pair of Crimson Tide National Championships, guiding Alabama to BCS Title Game wins over LSU in 2011 and Notre Dame in 2012. He was on the losing side of a game just four times in his collegiate career.
Playing under head coach Nick Saban, McCarron said, was a big help in dealing with complex defensive schemes he'll likely see in the NFL.
"Coach Saban is the closest you can get to facing an NFL defense," McCarron said. "Especially blitzwise, he makes up NFL blitzes. I feel like I've seen every type of defense you could possibly see. I'm the most experienced guy when it comes to that."
McCarron has some of the biggest hands for a quarterback at the Combine, measuring in at 10 inches. When he was asked why he tweeted out the measurement, his explanation drew laughs from the media.
"Because everybody kept asking me," McCarron said. "Everybody kept talking about hand size and they were asking me. I think I had the biggest one, though. I'm not sure. I don't think anyone else had a 10."
