Tag: Texas A&M

Johnny Manziel May Start This Weekend and Officially Launch My AAF Fandom

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Yahoo – Johnny Manziel is in contention to make his gridiron return after signing for the Alliance of American Football’s Memphis Express.

The 26-year-old quarterback has been given a chance at redemption following ill-fated spells with the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League and for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League.

Having signed on Saturday, Manziel practised with his new team-mates on Monday ahead of the upcoming clash with Birmingham Iron.

An opening for Manziel may have emerged following an ankle injury to starter Zach Mettenberger, with head coach Mike Singletary having turned to third-string option Brandon Silvers rather than returning to the dropped Christian Hackenberg.

Oooooooooooohhhhhhh.

It was actually a lot more difficult to find CFL games streaming than I had originally anticipated, but it didn’t matter in the end as Johnny Manziel didn’t really play much and then got injured and then got booted from the league. Is it mildly concerning that Manziel has now flamed out in two consecutive football leagues? Mildly. But as the saying goes: third times a charm.

Before I get any further into this though, how about Christian Hackenberg? The former SECOND ROUND DRAFT PICK of the NY Jets couldn’t even beat out that stiff from LSU Zach Mettenberger, let alone the infamous Brandon Silvers who I’m not convinced is an actual person.

After a rocky first season for the AAF in which Mattes dumped all over the league, and then shortly thereafter got roasted by AAF Reddit (it’s a thing)

and of course the story of how the league almost went bankrupt in Week 2. All that combined with a lack of any real juice I just have not been able to get into it. Hell I was watching the start of a game last weekend and the announcer literally said the name of the league wrong in the introduction. I will say it is perfect Saturday day drinking background fodder at the bar though.

But now? My man Johnny Football may be making his debut right where he belongs back in the good old US of A? Who cares that he literally signed with the team less than a week ago. The AAF defenses cannot be that complex. Just get Johnny out there and let him do his thing. This is exactly what I needed to launch my AAF fandom and dare I say it purchase an AAF jersey. Do they actually sell AAF jerseys? Well if they do I can tell you that a Manziel #2 Memphis jersey is v high on my wish list

Johnny Manziel Released, Barred from Playing in CFL for Violating His Contract. Sigh.

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ESPN – The Montreal Alouettes released quarterback Johnny Manziel on Wednesday, saying he “contravened the agreement which made him eligible to play” in the Canadian Football League. The CFL said Manziel is not eligible to sign with another team in the league, which had his full rights for two seasons.

“We are disappointed by this turn of events. Johnny was provided a great deal of support by our organization, in collaboration with the CFL, but he has been unable to abide by the terms of his agreement,” Alouettes general manager Kavis Reed said in a statement. “We worked with the league and presented alternatives to Johnny, who was unwilling to proceed.”

It is unclear what Manziel did to violate the agreement with the Alouettes and the CFL.

Manziel, 26, played for the Alouettes last season in an attempt to resurrect his career. In eight games, he completed 106 passes in 165 attempts for 1,290 yards, with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. Montreal traded two players and two first-round picks to Hamilton last July for Manziel’s rights.

Next stop XFL? I don’t know what Johnny may have done here, but it’s probably not a great sign that a guy with a long and checkered past filled with drinking and drug problems randomly gets cut on a Wednesday afternoon.

Manziel has not played well in the CFL either, which was disappointing with the lesser competition he was facing north of the border, but he did suffer a concussion early on last season so that couldn’t have helped. Normally I would say this is probably the end of the line for a player, but as luck would have it not one but TWO new football leagues have recently sprung up as options.

It might be a little late in the season for a quarterback to jump into the AAF seeing as its already Week 3 of a 10 game season, but hey bums like Christian Hackenberg are getting benched as we speak so  you never know.

However…the XFL begins play in 2020. You know Vince McMahon loves a star and the bad boy persona of Johnny Football could be the perfect poster child for the XFL’s inaugural season. With just under a year until XFL play begins it would give Manziel a full offseason to get in shape, learn the playbook and ingratiate himself with a new team. All of which is a moot point if he is dealing with some bigger life problems. Who knows, but the guy was so fun to watch at A&M, I hope he gets his life back on track, even if it’s XFL or bust at this point.

Johnny Manziel Traded to Montreal. Roadtrip SZN!

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ESPN – The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have traded quarterback Johnny Manziel to the Montreal Alouettes, reuniting him with the coach who recruited him to Texas A&M. Manziel, offensive tackle Tony Washington and offensive lineman Landon Rice were sent to Montreal in exchange for defensive end Jamaal Westerman, wide receiver Chris Williams and first-round picks in 2020 and 2022.

Has Johnny Football lit up the CFL like I had hoped? Not quite yet, but he hasn’t really had the opportunity to showcase himself. He didn’t even record a pass attempt with the Tiger Cats. Now is that a bad sign that he can’t beat out some CFL quarterback to get on the field? Maybe, but the guy in front of him was also putting up some crooked numbers:

“Masoli tied a CFL record with nine straight 300-yard passing games before the team’s Week 5 bye.”

So I would like to see him under center and running around like a madman before I make any assumptions because I think he can still ball.

Manziel now goes to Montreal where the Alouettes are currently coached by none other than Mike Sherman, the guy who first recruited Johnny to Texas A&M. If thats not a match made in heaven then I don’t know what is. This is a guy who went on the recruiting trail to bring Manziel in just a handful of years ago so he obviously likes the guy. Not to mention Montreal is terrible so there should be ample opportunity to get on the field.

“Manziel will try to improve an offense that ranks last in the league in points scored and rushing yards, is tied for last in turnovers, and is seventh of nine teams in passing yards. The Alouettes are 1-4 and in last place in the CFL’s four-team East Division.”

Oh and one more thing.

Yea, Montreal is a mere 5 hour drive from Boston, which means The 300s Does the CFL is a very, very real possibility. And if thats happens then you know its my duty to swipe a Johnny Manziel Montreal jersey on The 300s corporate card (Red’s Visa debit card).

I don’t exactly know when the CFL season runs until because this league is ass backwards in everything they do, but I’m already planning this roadtrip. Reminds me of the English Premiere League where they basically play for 10 months, crown a champion without any sort of playoffs, take 2 months off and then they’re back on the field and I’m back in the Green Briar having a Guinness at 9 am. Round and round we go.

Now the real question is, with so many choices, which Montreal Manziel jersey do I get? Decisions, decisions.

Johnny Manziel Currently Dominating in the CFL. Now How Do I Pirate (Stream) Canadian Football Games?

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Yahoo – Start with this when it comes to Johnny Manziel and his attempted return from self-induced football career disaster – the former Heisman Trophy winner has said all he wants is a chance to play, and faced with no NFL opportunities, he’s grabbing one. In Canada, no less. Manziel, 25, announced Saturday morning that he has signed a two-year contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Conceivably, he could suit up for a preseason game against Toronto as soon as June 1.

Johnny Manziel is playing football again! And playing well at that might I add. Listen, I’ve gone back and forth on Johnny and whether I thought he’d play again, that time I thought he was a lock to join the Patriots, and then of course that time I boycotted the CFL when they blackballed Manziel. But we’re back baby!

It took me a minute to find the stats for Manizel’s first game because if I asked you right now, where do you go for CFL stats? What’s your go to source? Its not exactly on the back page of the sports section or in my ESPN push notifications.

I ultimately used my brain and just went to the Hamilton Tiger Cats website where I was swiftly and sharply reminded that this is Canada.

If I had just written that joke out you would have ridiculed my wit and said it was too predictable. Welp, thats literally the first thing I saw on this Canadian Football League website, god bless em those hosers love their Tim Hortons.

Say what you will about Johnny Football, but his game was created in a Canadian lab somewhere in the mountains of Alberta. (Does Alberta have mountains?) The wider fields, the larger endzones, the unlimited motion on offense; this is like college football on coke.  Anyways, on to the stats because as we all know stats don’t lie. And my dude Johnny Manziel is LIGHTING. IT. UP.

Can’t say I necessarily understand the vaunted three quarterback attack, but in his first CFL game Manziel had an 81% completion percentage going 9/11. Thats a pretty good start after only throwing footballs in the illustrious Spring League and at Texas A&M Pro Days. I have full confidence that Manziel will be wrecking that league in no time at all.

But the real question is; how do I pirate legally stream CFL games? I feel like thats some shit you’re going to need an old school black box from your dad’s shady buddy. So if anyone finds that stream deep down the Reddit rabbit hole tweet me @the300sboston to hook it up. Otherwise, we might have to expense a road trip on The 300s non-existent credit card to Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Canada in the name of content.

I think Johnny Manziel needs a new nickname though if he’s going to truly follow in the footsteps of another diminutive American QB and run shit in the CFL.

My vote goes to Johnny Maple. Bookmark this blog so when somebody with a little more venture capital steals it and makes a billion dollar t-shirt out of it, I want my royalties.

 

 

The Patriots Spoke with Johnny Manziel TWICE on Tuesday. I am Officially on Manziel Watch.

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Boston Herald – The Patriots were in attendance at Texas A&M’s pro day today at the team’s indoor practice facility. They were there with 31 other teams to watch 14 Aggies players auditioning for next month’s draft. But there was also someone else there of note: Johnny Manziel. Manziel threw to receivers and running backs including Texas A & M’s star receiver Christian Kirk, who has drawn a lot of interest. According to a source, the Patriots spoke with Manziel both before the workout, as well as after the session..The Patriots certainly appear to be taking notes. It’s not out of the realm for them to be thinking about having him come to camp as a third quarterback. At the very least, it would be an interesting curve ball by Bill Belichick.

Karen Guregian reported on Tuesday that the Patriots met with Johnny Manziel both before AND after his workout at the Texas A&M Pro Day. Couple that with the Patriots taking Johnny Manziel aside to officially weigh him after he threw at the USD Pro Day last week and I think its safe to say that I am EXCITED. For a guy that has thoroughly enjoyed Johnny Football’s rise and subsequently agonized over his fall, I am pretty god damn jacked up about him potentially joining my favorite team.

If it was just one meeting its pretty easy to write off, especially with so many other team scouts at the various Pro Days to watch other guys with a Manziel workout included as a bonus. BUT, with the Pats going to not one, but two of Johnny Football’s workouts has my antenna’s up. Like way up. Erect almost.

First things first, the Patriots could sign Colin Kaepernick tomorrow and make a damn donation to the Fidel Castro Fund and Bill Belichick would kill the story within a fortnight. This is not a team thats afraid of a distraction, not if theres a player out there that can help them win games. They signed our lord and savior Tim Tebow for christ’s sake (sorry Tim).

So I wouldn’t worry about the Pats signing or not signing a guy for any reason other than Bill thinks he can help the Pats win a game.

Now, is Manziel worth it? Well would you rather 32-year-old Brian Hoyer? I like Hoyer as much as the rest of you in New England, but lets be real, the man is a career backup QB. Brian Hoyer is not the future of this team. The Patriots traded away their young, cheap, handsome, franchise QB in Jimmy G. Don’t get me wrong, Tom Brady is a freak of nature who won the Most Valuable Player award at 40 years old so I don’t blame the Patriots for doing what they did. Hell, I wouldn’t be able to dump Tom Brady even if he’s 65 and eating at the Early Bird Special after practice, but thats why I’m not a GM.

With that being said, the Patriots have a soon to be 41-year-old QB and a 32-year-old backup QB, so the opportunity is right there for a young developmental QB. We don’t need a guy to come in and start winning games in September obviously. Manziel is only 25-years-old. Or the Pats could draft a QB, but for a team that is so depleted on the defensive end and so clearly in Win Now mode, I wouldn’t be surprised if they restocked the cupboards with young defensive players and looked elsewhere for QB insurance.

On to my final point. Who in this league is better at rebuilding players careers and buying low than the New England Patriots? No one. It would be the ultimate Patriot move to sign a young, publicly chided, humbled, former Heisman Trophy winning Johnny Manziel (who has volunteered to play for free) as the new backup QB on the cheap. It makes perfect sense. If he sucks or he starts frequenting the Foxy Lady then you cut him. But, if he’s legit and he really wants to work his balls off and get back into the league then you get a former 1st round pick and former Heisman winner for peanuts. That my friends is what they call a win-win. And before you all start giving me shit, I know winning the Heisman doesn’t mean anything in regards to NFL success; Troy Smith won the Heisman. BUT Troy was a goddamn savage for my Madden team running the 5-wide spread offense and thats all that really matters isn’t it?

Johnny Manziel Has Been Cleared to Play Football!! Has My Long Standing Boycott of the CFL Come to an End?

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NFL.com – Johnny Manziel’s return to professional football is close to getting a green light from north of the border. Canadian Football League Commissioner Randy Ambrosie announced Thursday the league is prepared to approve a contract for Manziel to play for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats if he continues to meet certain conditions tied to his eligibility. The Tiger-Cats own Manziel’s CFL rights.

Everybody, REMAIN CALM. JOHNNY MANZIEL HAS BEEN CLEARED TO PLAY FOOTBALL. I said back in September that I would be boycotting the CFL after Johnny Manziel was barred from signing a contract with the Hamilton TigerCats. I even mocked up this very appropriate quote from “Blow” in my rage.

I vowed that I would not watch a single CFL snap until one Johnny Football was allowed the opportunity to dominate that 110 yards long 65 yards wide Canadian Football field. It seems like that day is near.

We’ve been close to this before though and I’ve written about Johnny Manziel comeback rumors ad nauseam so I’ll believe it when I see him on the field tossing TDs against the Toronto Argonauts.

The NFL is probably a long shot for Johnny these days, which is a shame since he was *electric* at Texas A&M. His only shot at making a comeback is to DOMINATE in the Canadian Football League a la Doug Flutie and Warren Moon. Even if he doesn’t win 5 Grey Cups like the #1 Rated CFL Player of All-Time in Doug Flutie…

…he will still be fun as all hell to watch. I need Money Manziel back in my life and the CFL is legit built for him to thrive. CFL fields are just under 12 yards *wider* than NFL fields so that will make it that much more difficult for linebackers to chase him down, stack the box, or QB spy him. The wider fields give him tons of room to scramble around and make things happen with his feet.

And ya know, maybe take less massive hits from gigantic linebackers. Manziel is listed as 6’0″ 209 lbs on Google, which is like me claiming to be 6’2″ on my driver’s license. A bold faced lie. So a little extra room to scramble around will do Johnny good. Although, maybe he is 209 these days.

Thicc Money Manziel.

So while I don’t exactly know if the CFL Sunday Ticket is a package thats available on DirecTV in Boston, you can bet your ass I will illegally stream pay to watch any and every Johnny Manziel game I can find.

New Orleans Saints Kicking the Tires on Old Friend Johnny Manziel

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via @ProFootballRumors

ESPN – Sean Payton says his Super Bowl-week meeting with Johnny Manziel was just a get-to-know-you session with the embattled quarterback, who is eyeing an NFL comeback. Payton told the New Orleans Saints’ website Tuesday that it was the first time he met Manziel.

I need Money Manziel back in the NFL like I need air. This guy was one of the most electrifying college players ever then had a really brief up and down career with the Browns before getting hurt and then going on a bender to rival all benders. If the guy can just take a page out of the Gronk playbook and keep it dry during the season then he’s got a shot.

But you know what doesn’t help that? Living in fucking New Orleans.

I’m sure that would go over great when Johnny goes missing for a few days in late February before resurfacing with a shattered iPhone and a bottle of Pepto on Fat Tuesday. But hey at least Mardi Gras is after the Super Bowl so what better way to celebrate than bringing the Saints back to the promise land once Drew Brees calls it a career.

Theres probably no one better for Johnny Manziel to learn under actually than Drew Brees. Sure Tom Brady is the GOAT, Aaron Rodgers is a stud etc. but Brees like Manziel is a fellow short guy. Brees could show Manziel how to take advantage of his height and how to avoid the pitfalls (like getting smoked by linebackers on a scramble).

Sean Payton can say he was “just having breakfast” with Manziel all he wants, but this guy is on the hunt for his next QB. Brees won’t be around forever and he needs to find the next guy because Garret Grayson ain’t that guy and he knows it. Why not kick the tires on a 24 year old former Heisman winner? Comeback SZN indeed.

Make Johnny Manziel Great Again.

Shoutout to @ProFootballRumors for the money photoshop of Johnny Manziel as a Saint