Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin says star quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel requested to avoid interviews after speaking with his family and attorneys.

George Schroeder of USA Todaypassed along comments from A&M's second-year coach, who's preparing his squad for a marquee matchup against No. 1 Alabama this weekend.

Of course, Manziel is coming off an offseason highlighted by controversy. The NCAA investigated him for potentially accepting payment in return for autographs in January, which led to a month of negative publicity for the Aggies quarterback.

He eventually served a half-game suspension for what was deemed an "inadvertent violation." Both the school and the NCAA found no direct evidence he actually received money in exchange for signing items, however.

Should Manziel be avoiding interviews?

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Manziel's return to the field hasn't completely turned the attention back to football. In the team's opening-week victory over Rice, the quarterback seemed to make a money gesture after throwing a touchdown, drawing further attention.

Later in the game, Sumlin benched Manziel after he earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and speculation stirred that he ignored his coach while heading to the sideline. Sumlin, however, backed Manziel and cleared up the situation, per Sam Khan Jr. of ESPN.com:

When he came off the field, basically I made two statements to him, neither one of which should he have responded to. They weren't questions. They were direct statements that I can't repeat right now. So what's amazing to me is the perception that he ignored me. The worst thing that could have happened was for him to reply, based on what I told him.

Manziel's actions have been met with scrutiny, which he apparently doesn't want to face from the media. Avoiding interviews is the easiest way for him to avoid making any comments that would open him to further criticism.

It hasn't stopped him from being the center of discussion, though. In fact, he was even on the cover of Time magazine recently as the poster boy for an article about whether college athletes should be allowed to get paid.

Although doing interviews ultimately is up to Manziel, choosing against facing the media as one of the team's stars only puts more pressure on his teammates to handle those situations—and often the questions being asked are about him.

That said, it's clearly a decision made over time, having sought out the opinions of legal representatives and family members. Whether he consulted his Texas A&M teammates before making the request is unclear.

His choice certainly isn't going to do anything to help his budding image problem, though.

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An Alabama bar will offer Crimson Tide fans a chance to take their aggressions out on Johnny Manziel—in the form of a piñata as per AL.com via USA Today's FTW. 

Otey's Tavern in Mountain Brook, Alabama, has a 30-inch-tall likeness of the A&M quarterback that features fake money in one hand, and a Sharpie in the other. "Johnny Piñata" has pimples on his face, and his No. 2 is shaped like a dollar sign—which really hammers things home. 

Instead of candy, it is reportedly filled with various prizes and gift cards.

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   There were no air signatures, no gestures to the scoreboard and no anxious sideline encounters with his head coach prompting the Internet to explode (again). In his final tune-up before the biggest game of the college football season—and for the first time in what seems like ages—it was all football for Johnny Football, and thank goodness for that.

No controversy, no layup topics for sports talk shows to navigate, no narrative to help drive interest in a week (and upcoming game) that requires no further hype; Johnny Manziel looked like, well, Johnny Manziel in Texas A&M’s 65-28 win against Sam Houston State.

He passed for 403 yards, rushed for 36 and found the end zone four times. Manziel scrambled plenty, moving from sideline to sideline, keeping plays alive for his wide receivers downfield. He was accurate, almost impossible to track down and nearly perfect on the night, albeit against a team that will serve as a slightly different obstacle than the one next week.

Still, this was familiar. This is what we've been waiting for.

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His red-zone interception early on—as well as the struggles of the A&M defense—helped Sam Houston State keep it close for a while. In the second half, however, the Aggies pulled away, and Manziel didn’t see the field in the fourth quarter.

With that, the talk surrounding the Heisman winner and Texas A&M can stay squarely on football, which is welcome news for those in College Station and beyond.

Lost in the madness of his Twitter escapades, offseason celebrity tour and, of course, the autograph controversy was Johnny Football the exceptional football player. Even in Week 1, when Manziel entered in the second half, his electric play took a backseat to his hand gestures on the field and the columns and controversy that followed.

That wasn't the case in Week 2, however. This is what we’ve been waiting to see and discuss: football and football only.

The game of the year, Alabama vs. Texas A&M, is now within our grasp just in the nick of time. Johnny Manziel appears to be in midseason form already, although the Aggies are not without concerns.

The defense has struggled some in the first two weeks against inferior competition, and it will certainly need to take a dramatic step up next week. Sam Houston State finished with 240 yards on the ground (averaging 5.7 yards per carry) Saturday night, and Nick Saban was undoubtedly taking notes.

There were no air signatures, no gestures to the scoreboard and no anxious sideline encounters with his head coach prompting the Internet to explode (again). In his final tune-up before the biggest game of the college football season—and for the first time in what seems like ages—it was all football for Johnny Football, and thank goodness for that.

No controversy, no layup topics for sports talk shows to navigate, no narrative to help drive interest in a week (and upcoming game) that requires no further hype; Johnny Manziel looked like, well, Johnny Manziel in Texas A&M’s 65-28 win against Sam Houston State.

He passed for 403 yards, rushed for 36 and found the end zone four times. Manziel scrambled plenty, moving from sideline to sideline, keeping plays alive for his wide receivers downfield. He was accurate, almost impossible to track down and nearly perfect on the night, albeit against a team that will serve as a slightly different obstacle than the one next week.

Still, this was familiar. This is what we've been waiting for.

Bob Levey/Getty Images

His red-zone interception early on—as well as the struggles of the A&M defense—helped Sam Houston State keep it close for a while. In the second half, however, the Aggies pulled away, and Manziel didn’t see the field in the fourth quarter.

With that, the talk surrounding the Heisman winner and Texas A&M can stay squarely on football, which is welcome news for those in College Station and beyond.

Lost in the madness of his Twitter escapades, offseason celebrity tour and, of course, the autograph controversy was Johnny Football the exceptional football player. Even in Week 1, when Manziel entered in the second half, his electric play took a backseat to his hand gestures on the field and the columns and controversy that followed.

That wasn't the case in Week 2, however. This is what we’ve been waiting to see and discuss: football and football only.

The game of the year, Alabama vs. Texas A&M, is now within our grasp just in the nick of time. Johnny Manziel appears to be in midseason form already, although the Aggies are not without concerns.

The defense has struggled some in the first two weeks against inferior competition, and it will certainly need to take a dramatic step up next week. Sam Houston State finished with 240 yards on the ground (averaging 5.7 yards per carry) Saturday night, and Nick Saban was undoubtedly taking notes.

Alabama had its own batch of issues in the opener against Virginia Tech, although a well-timed bye week should help—particularly on the offensive line, which struggled mightily.

The matchups, strengths and weaknesses between Alabama and Texas A&M will be discussed at great length over the next seven days, and this football conversation is welcomed. It will be repetitive by the time it finally arrives, but it certainly beats the alternative conversations.

As for Johnny Manziel, it would appear all systems are go. After a performance that was reminiscent of his stat-sheet destruction of 2012, the talk that has hampered the football interests of fans can (hopefully) be tucked away for the next week, a week where it matters most. All eyes will be on College Station.

Next Saturday can’t get here soon enough. 

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As the hours dwindle in preparation for Saturday night's top-25 matchup between the Michigan Wolverines and Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Ann Arbor, the fallout for any result is clearly defined.

For the victor, a triumph in this historic rivalry will very likely come with a top-10 ranking. The cupcake meter for top teams still reads a bright red—except for you, Georgia, you crazy kids—meaning having the fortitude to play an elite opponent carries more sway with voters than it would when everyone is doing it.Couple in the rankers' propensity for giving historic powers a little bit of a bump regardless, and you have the makings of an early statement game for both sides. The Irish parlayed their 13-6 win over Michigan in South Bend last season into their first top-10 ranking of the season. 

For the loser, meanwhile, skepticism will be boundless. Notre Dame is ranked No. 14 by the Associated Press and Michigan No. 17, but both teams come in with enough red flags to fit in at Pamplona. The Irish replaced a bevy of starters from last season's national championship runner-up, while the shadow of Denard Robinson continues to loom large over the Wolverine offense. 

A loss on national television in prime time could only heighten the awareness of those flaws. Just as rankers are easily swayed by early-season wins by national powers, they are also quick to write them off as ghosts of the past. Michigan dropped out of the rankings after this matchup last season—and for good reason. The defending Sugar Bowl champs dropped all the way down to 8-5 in Brady Hoke's second season, a result they'll look to improve on this season.

But could Saturday night spark a similar result on both sides of the coin? Anything is possible. With that in mind, let's check in with a preview of Saturday's action and select a winner for the most notable game of Week 2 (in the northern part of the country).  

Game Information

When: Saturday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich.

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Betting Line: Michigan -4

Michigan vs. Notre Dame Preview

No matter the result Saturday night, a majority of this game will be about answering looming roster concerns. The Wolverines used their Dexter toolkit to slice up cupcake Central Michigan by 50 points. Notre Dame defeated a Temple squad that will be overmatched in the American Athletic Conference.

Those results aren't exactly telling us much about the viability of either roster. Luckily, if top-25 matchups are good for anything, it's weeding the good players from the flukey performances. 

The easiest place to start on both rosters in that regard is at quarterback. 

Notre Dame signal-caller Tommy Rees may embody that "fluke or breakout star" question better than anyone. Rees, who spent two years as perhaps the Irish's most polarizing figure in 2010 and 2011, is back under center full-time and came out with a vengeance last week against Temple. He threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns on 16-of-23 passing, giving the Irish an early lead they wouldn't relinquishThe 21-year-old quarterback led his offense on consecutive three-play drives to start the game, connecting with DaVaris Daniels on two 32-yard touchdowns. Rees would go on to finish with seven completions of 20 yards or more, a number the now-departed Everett Golson never reached last season. 

It was a promising start for an Irish offense that will be expected to carry a greater deal of the weight this season. But, again, it was Temple. We'll get a far better idea of where Rees' career trajectory lies when he faces a Michigan secondary anchored by Blake Countess, who should re-emerge as one of the nation's best corners this season after missing much of 2012 with a knee injury.

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If Rees is able to keep his stellar play going this week, we may have to look at Notre Dame's passing attack in a whole different light this season. 

While the Irish secondary isn't led by a superstar in the making, Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner has some concerns of his own he'll need to address. Gardner was one of the Wolverines' only net-negative performances last week, his mediocre passing performance (10-of-15 for 162 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) only really atoned for by a 22-yard scamper for a score.

Now, it's fair to say Gardner receives praise both for his running and passing abilities. But Michigan added a great deal of pro stylings to its offensive attack this season, ones that were designed to highlight the improvement from Denard Robinson under center. If Gardner is making the same mistakes as Robinson—bad interceptions that dig his team a hole—without having as much oomph on the ground, the Wolverines may struggle for points this season.

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Running backs Derrick Green and Fitzgerald Toussaint split the workload last week, but neither stood out as a world-beater. Green has immense talent and should be a superstar perhaps even by next season; he just doesn't have the vision and patience yet to go with the physical skills. Toussaint is still working his way back from injury, so it's hard to judge where he'll be in a couple weeks. The explosiveness just wasn't there yet.

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And the traditional ground game is unlikely to see a boost this week. Despite the loss of Manti Te'o, Kapron Lewis-Moore and others, Notre Dame's front seven remains one of the best in college football. Blink your eyes and Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix will find themselves in the NFL. The linebacking corps boasts three senior starters. 

All that said, there is plenty of reason to think Gardner will right the ship. He was able to calm himself down after those initial interceptions to finish with a QBR of over 90—not bad for a supposed down game. With Michigan's elite secondary likely to give Rees problems—expect at least one pick—this contest should be low scoring and come down to the smallest of factors.

With Notre Dame having won just once in its last seven tries at the Big House, it's fair to be skeptical of Brian Kelly's squad pulling it off. 

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It only took a couple of seconds, but Purdue's Akeem Hunt scores on the opening kickoff on a trick play against Indiana State!

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The nation’s No. 1 prospect has chosen a new home.

According to Yahoo! Sports' Andrew Bone, 5-star offensive tackle Cameron Robinson announced his decision to play for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2014.

247Sports' composite rankings show Robinson as not only the top offensive tackle but also the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation in the 2014 class. Naturally, Robinson is also the No. 1 player from the state of Louisiana.

Listed at 6’5” and 330 pounds, Robinson has the size to be an immediate starter for the Tide. His massive frame and strong run-blocking abilities make him an ideal fit to play on the right side of the line early in his collegiate career.

While Robinson’s size is an incredible asset in run-blocking, he’ll need to get leaner in order to be an effective pass-blocker in college.   

Robinson is adept at firing off the ball and reach-blocking defensive linemen off the line of scrimmage. He’ll still be able to use that ability to his benefit, but he needs to work on improving his agility and footwork, especially if he is to become an elite pass-blocker at the next level.

College defenders aren’t as easy to out-muscle as their high school counterparts.

Football is in Robinson’s blood. His father is Steve Foley, who was selected in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. The linebacker went on to play seven years in the league with three teams, notching 25 sacks and 206 tackles in that span.

If Robinson hopes to follow in his father’s NFL footsteps, he’ll first have to prove he can be an impact player at the college level.

Offensive linemen don’t benefit from statistical figures like players of other positions; the mark of a good blocker is in his work ethic and mentality. Robinson has the physical ability to be a premier player at his position, and he’ll have the opportunity to prove it very early in his career.

Several top programs made offers to Robinson this year, including LSU, Arkansas and Michigan. Ultimately, Robinson decided Alabama would be the best fit for his next four years of football, and the Tide are lucky to have him.

Sources - BleacherReport


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Duquesne wide receiver Sean Brady made an amazing one-handed touchdown catch early in the third quarter of Saturday's game against Albany. 

Here's the opposite end zone's angle of this great play. 

Thanks to @SC_Downey for the video. 

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Many college football pundits have negatively critiqued the antics of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel on and off the field after his interesting 2013 debut in a 52-31 win over Rice.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, seems to appreciate all that encompasses the current Heisman winner, though. 

Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times logged Flacco's comments about the dynamic redshirt sophomore who has taken Aggies nation by storm, saying Manziel is becoming his favorite player in the college game.

"I don’t know if I’ll be too popular for this...But I don’t know how I really felt about Johnny Manziel, but I feel like now everyone hates him. He’s quickly becoming my favorite player in college football," Flacco said.

Whose most recent full season was more impressive?

Joe Flacco's run to the Super BowlJohnny Manziel being the first freshman to win the Heisman TrophySUBMIT VOTE vote to see results

There has to be some respect for how Manziel lights it up on the gridiron—something Flacco can certainly relate to. Both players have faced scrutiny for different reasons, but when the spotlight has come on, both signal-callers have shined.

Flacco had an uneven regular season in 2012, completing just under 60 percent of his passes on 7.2 yards per attempt. Those numbers are more "Average Joe" than anything.

However, en route to guiding the Ravens to Super Bowl XLVII, Flacco elevated his level of play under new offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell. Eleven touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 117.2 passer rating in four playoff games later, he was on top of the football world.

The stigma surrounding Manziel is compounded by the fact that he's only 20 years old and doesn't exactly shy away from the spotlight.

Even after the autograph fiasco that got him suspended for the first half of Saturday's game, though, he came onto the field and ignited the College Station crowd. Manziel completed six of eight passes for 94 yards and three touchdowns in just over a quarter of work.

Flacco has often been dubbed, "Joe Cool" for his calmness under pressure. Well, Manziel is a bit more of a feisty character in comparison, but he certainly seems at home making big plays on the football field.

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The latest for Johnny Manziel, college football's lightning rod, is reportedly an NCAA investigation into whether or not the Texas A&M quarterback took money to sign autographs.

According to an ESPN report from Outside the Lines, the NCAA is looking into whether or not Johnny Manziel took tens of thousands of dollars to sign autographs on various memorabilia while in South Florida for the BCS National Championship game. Manziel was seen signing the items at the house of autograph broker Drew Tieman, but the story doesn't provide evidence Manziel was paid to do so.

Of course, the NCAA's amateurism rules prevent players from being able to profit on their name and image. Signing autographs itself isn't against the rules -- last week's feature stories by ESPN's Wright Thompson and Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples both touched on the large amount of time Manziel spends signing autographs, stemming from a time he didn't get an autograph from Tiger Woods -- but taking money for it would be.

At this point, there's no reason to believe he'll be ruled ineligible, but a player found to have broken the NCAA rule in question would be unable to play.

Manziel's hypothetical earning power has already been an issue. His family has taken steps to trademark "Johnny Football," although they wouldn't be able to use the trademark while he's in college, and sued a man using "Johnny Football" on t-shirts.

And yes, once upon a time, this happened.

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Just when you thought Johnny Manziel would make it to fall camp without another off-field incident, ESPN.com reported Sunday that he is being investigated by the NCAA for profiting from autographs.

With Manziel’s eligibility now in question, the time has come for Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin to step in and try to control the young superstar before he completely implodes. Sumlin needs to intervene for reasons beyond damage control and manage to get Manziel through another firestorm.

It is about preserving the Heisman winner's character and talent, saving the Aggie football program and solidifying Sumlin as the long-term leader at Texas A&M.

But first things first, beyond the first signs of an NCAA investigation, has Manziel done anything wrong and does his behavior need stopping?

For a summary of Manziel's offseason check out Bleacher Report's timeline of the festivities.

What’s The Big Deal?

In the words of Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com, “Manziel isn’t breaking any laws and he has the right to take pictures with Rick Ross and sleep in when he wants to and go to class online.  He’s having the kind of offseason to make Mickey Mantle jealous, let alone the rest of us.”

Is it true that Manziel hasn’t broken any laws since his June 2012 arrest that led to his guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge this past July? Well, no.

It’s simple: The legal drinking age is 21, and he is, as he has repeatedly claimed, a 20-year old kid. Yes, an underage kid who has purportedly enjoyed alcoholic beverages from sea-to-shining sea.

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

To put this in perspective, underage drinking has cost other college students their academic lives.

Don’t think so? Check out the advice given to Texas A&M students by Gray, Granberry and Jones, a law firm in College Station.

But did you know that Texas A&M metes out its own punishments for violating its alcohol policy?...In case you need a refresher, here is how Aggies could get punished for bad behavior linked to alcohol: under University Rule 24.3.8, having alcohol in a public area of the university or in any place “not approved for such activities,” drinking underage, driving while intoxicated and being publicly intoxicated are all forbidden.  This means if you are 21 and have a glass of wine at a private reception for a professor’s paper, that’s fine – if you are 19 and shotgunning a Natty Ice in the quad, that is not.

The potential consequences for violating Rule 24.3.8 include being put on probation, a temporary dismissal from school, a notification to parents, required participation in alcoholic awareness workshops and community service. 

Despite any NCAA investigations, should this guy already be off-campus?

Being Johnny Football…in 2023

While everyone is caught up in how Manziel will fare in 2013 (if he plays at all) and his NFL draft prospects, Sumlin needs get involved to protect more than two years of potential glory.

Yes, while it’s intriguing to think of Manziel now, what will his life look like when he becomes a 30-year-old man?

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Manziel may or may not have a brilliant ending to his college career and he might be a draft bust or an NFL superstar, but either way, he’s going to have a life to live when football is over. And the choices he makes now will have a lot to say about what 2023 looks like for the Manziel family.

Sumlin’s intervention now, in 2013, and his success in getting Manziel to live the life of a responsible 20-year old kid may not only make the next 12 months better. It may mean the next 20 to 30 years are better for Manziel, regardless of his future in football.

The Reality of Team Dynamics

Even though Manziel’s teammates have continued to support him publicly throughout his offseason escapades, you have to wonder what will happen if the wheels start to come off the bus.

Yes, what happens to the concept of “we’ve got your back no matter what,” when “what” becomes obscene and the team's fortunes start to fade?

If resentment rears its ugly head, then what happens to the delicate balance between team and superstar?

According to ESPN.com, Aggie offensive tackle Jake Matthews had this to say about Manziel during SEC media days last month.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M OT Jake Matthews

I try not to concern myself with [his off the field] activities…He’s a great guy.  Especially after winning the Heisman.  One thing I’ve noticed is that he’s the same as he was before.  He’s still determined and I’m faithful and I have trust in him that he’s going to be ready for this season and ready for what’s coming.

But, what will Matthews and company have to say if things aren’t the same when the squad is back in the huddle? Yes, what if Manziel is not ready for what’s coming?

Sumlin must make an effort to control Manziel to protect the dynamics and potential of this year’s Aggie football team.

Putting the “Head” back into “Head Coach”

Manziel is arguably under more scrutiny than any player in college football history. This is due to his rise to superstardom occurring during the full-blown reign of social media.

Manziel and Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are the perfect storm because combining immediate, no-bounds information with a guy who is determined to be a normal mistake-prone 20-year-old, things can get ugly.

Indeed, now the sports world watches on with googly eyes, eagerly salivating over every tweet, status change and filtered photo.

This puts Sumlin in a difficult position because he must try to control a situation that is nearly impossible to control. But if he doesn’t, he stands to lose control not just over Johnny Football, but over his program now and in the future.

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Sumlin is the head football guy at Texas A&M, and if the buck will ever stop with him, he must lay down the law with Manziel.

It may be the difference between Aggie football being the success it could be in the next decade or not.  And it may be the difference in a coaching career still young enough to be at the crossroads.

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