Chris Manno got merely a taste of NFL life last year when he was in training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs. Now he wants a full bite.
Manno, a Sachem graduate from the Class of 2003 and a Holbrook resident, is in Bradenton, Fla. at the IMG Academies as part of a six-week training program to aid in his quest in getting back to the highest level.
According to IMG, it is one of the world’s most advanced and comprehensive training programs for today’s pro player. Players eat, sleep and train on the 400-acre campus, with 24/7 access to medical staff and physical therapists.
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Manno is specifically training at IMG’s NFL Combine program where he is tested in multiple mock NFL Combines led by world-class speed coach Loren Seagrave, position/skill specific drills with former NFL quarterback Chris Weinke, and also physically within the IMG Performance Institute by Scott Gadeken.
IMG Academies pours resources into innovative areas of training such as mental conditioning with Dr. Angus Mugford and Trevor Moawad, and communications and vision training with Steve Shenbaum.
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“The training is good, I’m working with the best people around,” said Manno, who has been in Florida for two weeks, and is scheduled for another four, but is hoping to sign with an NFL team as soon as possible.
Manno trained at IMG last year also and the exposure helped with garnering interest from a couple of teams. He signed with Kansas City and spent nearly a month on the roster, playing in a couple pre-season games and taking in as much of the experience as he could.
He has been training with some of the top college football players in the country as they prepare for the NFL combine prior to the draft in April. Rutgers product Mohamed Sanu is working to raise his draft stock.
“He has a chance to push himself into the first round if he has a good combine,” Manno said of his fellow wide receiver. “We’ve been working together a lot and pushing each other real hard.”
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