“So, you can blow me again!”

I figure if Greg McGarity were still AD, upon learning the news that Johnny Manziel admitted to receiving more than thirty grand for signing autographs while at Texas A&M, Georgia would retroactively forfeit every game Todd Gurley ever suited up for and played in.

The House that Johnny Built

This isn’t going to happen, but… ah, hell, it’s just nuts (h/t SBNation).

A&M regent Jim Schwertner said he's dead serious about wanting Kyle named: Kyle Field: The House that Johnny Built.

— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) May 12, 2014

Does kinda kick a hole in that “it’s what’s on the front of the jersey, not the back” stuff, though.

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Monday morning buffet

A few odds and ends for your sampling pleasure…

• Four SEC teams, including two with a loss, in the top ten in the polls.
• In a rational world, news like this would mean there would be something in it for Johnny Manziel.
• Of course, we’re not in a rational world.
• Will we see Georgia’s reserves play this week?
• Louisville’s schedule is an abomination.  I’m just glad we don’t have a four-team playoff this season, because the Cardinals would stand a decent chance of falling into that.
• Now we know what ESPN will be beating the drums for.  Resistance is probably futile.
• The gif that keeps on giving.  (The best part is that Spurrier told Holly Rowe at halftime that he’d quit tossing his visor.)
• Rennie Curran’s new project is worth your attention.

Saturday morning buffet

Pre-game nourishment, baby.

• If you’re not shilling for the WWL, and you’re interested in what might work against Clowney, check out Andy Staples’ piece. 
• Along the same lines, Marc Weiszer talks to the last two offensive tackles who had to handle Clowney in a game.
• Tony Casillas responds to his former coach’s criticism of Johnny Football by noting that Brian Bosworth “was a bigger jerk than Johnny Manziel”.
• Wow, the NCAA is looking at giving student-athletes more control over the transfer process?  Expect the pushback on that to be ferocious.
• It seems like every day I learn something that makes me even madder about A.J. Green’s suspension.
• Vanderbilt has scored at least 35 points in four straight games, the first time the Commodores have done that since 1948.
• Some comments of interest about Clowney and Murray after week one.
• According to ESPN Stats & Information, Clemson ran 36 times on designed runs inside the tackles for 158 yards (4.4 YPC) and a touchdown last Saturday against the Dawg defense.
• According to Ramik Wilson, Todd Grantham’s biggest complaint to the players about the Clemson game was a lack of turnovers.

Thursday morning buffet

Time to nosh.

• Some things never change.
• Honestly, I’m surprised I don’t see ledes like this more often.
• Mike Bobo’s explanation for Clowney’s play against North Carolina?  “I thought he was trying to win the Heisman in the first 25 snaps by how hard he was playing, and I think he just got tired.”
• John L. Smith gets his bankruptcy discharge, keeps most of his deferred salary from Arkansas and can now focus on what he’s good at coaching.
• Turns out what I thought might be an interesting story was nothing more than an ESPN promotion.
• This, however, isn’t.
• The game between Georgia and Clemson was the most-watched season opener since 2006 for ABC.
• Big Ten class:  22-year-old woman who tried to storm the field at a University of Iowa football game gets arrested, blows a .341 in jail and plans on getting a tattoo to commemorate the occasion.
• What is it with old farts wanting to get violent with Johnny Football?
• “We had Willie Nelson’s Georgia On My Mind blaring yesterday,” Spurrier said during his news conference Tuesday. “Most of our players thought it was Ray Charles, but it was Willie Nelson.”

How Aaron Murray became the coaches’ all-SEC pick.

Year2 lists a bunch of reasons why the SEC coaches voted Aaron Murray pre-season all-SEC ahead of that Johnny guy.  It’s an okay list, and Year2 acknowledges the vote really means little in the grand scheme of things, but there’s another possibility he’s overlooked.  So let me tell you a story.

Imagine a bunch of the coaches going out for a drink or two at SEC Media Days.  They’ve already been relieved of the burden of having to vote then, so nobody can repeat Spurrier’s grave sin of forgetting to cast a vote for the GPOOE™ with the media present.  But after spending half an hour bitching about scheduling, they grow bored.

They crack a few Finebaum jokes – Saban’s is the funniest, of course – then Les Miles looks up and says “hey, how do you think ESPN would react if we voted Aaron Murray first team all-SEC?”  Mark Richt smiles and says, “that would be great for Aaron and I’m sure ESPN would give him the proper attention for that.”  Miles stares at Richt, perhaps wishing for a piece of grass to gnaw, and responds, “you kidding, Professor?  It’ll be all about Johnny Football.”

Richt shakes his head.  “No way.  All those passing records, and possibly a third straight appearance in the SECCG?  Aaron would be the story.”  Sumlin thinks to himself, “man, this guy’s more delusional than our fan base.”

And then Miles says it:  “I’ll bet you five bucks I’m right, Mark.”  Richt immediately takes the bet.  The rest of the coaches follow.  And the vote is taken.

Pay up, Mark.

Wednesday morning buffet

Plenty to snack on today:

• Seth Emerson notes that Tray Matthews is likely to become the first true freshman to start an opener for Todd Grantham.
• Tyler Dawgden digs a little deeper into the topic of Georgia’s points off turnovers.
• Quayvon Hicks is learning there’s more to life than just hitting a linebacker.
• Quite a few players are going to miss today’s scrimmage, although the majority of injuries are expected to be short-term.
• Cam gave Johnny Football advice?  Of course he did.
• Marshall Morgan was socked with bigger penalties for boating under the influence than Jeremy Hill received for punching somebody.  No word on whether Morgan’s teammates were asked to vote on allowing him to rejoin the team.
• Andy Staples shares some thoughts on shopping for jerseys with the NCAA.
• Even better, the NCAA is selling “No Heisman Without The Man” shirts using Johnny Manziel’s name in the description.
• The always helpful Knight Commission suggests that the College Football Playoff should reimburse the NCAA for services enabling college football to operate as a collegiate sport. Would refunds be a possibility?

Johnny Football, bringing the media down to his level

Shorter Michael Rosenberg:  Johnny Manziel shouldn’t challenge the NCAA’s amateurism rules because he doesn’t appreciate behaving stupidly the way I would if I were in his shoes.

Sunday morning buffet

Eh, why not.

• Gregg Doyel must be in serious need of hits:  “I’m not saying Manziel has a drinking problem.”
• Anthony Dasher has a good piece on Georgia associate strength and conditioning coach Sherman Armstrong.
• Relax, gamers.  EA Sports has a new deal with CLC.
• If this is true, hopefully it’ll broadcast at night, because sometimes I have insomnia.
• Dawg fans, here’s the link to the 2013 Official Media Guide.
• Scarbinsky asks a good question, rhetorically, of course, since we all know the answer.
• There will be plenty more Return of Mett stories between now and  September 28th.

PAWWWWWL thinks we’re all reasonable people.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that Johnny Football’s gotten a lot of media attention this offseason whether he’s wanted it or not.  You win the Heisman in an unprecedented fashion and getting Tebow-ized by ESPN and its ilk comes with the territory.  Manziel’s obviously having a tough time coping with his newfound celebrity status – he’s a 20-year old who’s not fully mature, so it’s not exactly surprising.  Life under a media microscope ain’t easy, especially when you don’t yet have the money to insulate yourself from the public (assuming you want to do so, of course).

Then, again, he is headed towards a major pay day soon, so it’s not as if I’m crying in my beer over Manziel.  Still, we may have hit the moment when the finger wagging has jumped the shark.

ESPN radio personality Paul Finebaum says Johnny Manziel is becoming less likeable every day…

Finebaum said, “When you say what he did the other day.  When you say, ‘Walk in my shoes’ and you’re the Heisman Trophy winner and you have the world in front of you, that’s unacceptable.  We’re reasonable people here.  You can look past a lot of silly things, but I’m having a hard time looking past that.”

Boy, you’d think the kid poisoned a couple of trees, or something.

The interesting thing to watch with Manziel this season is how he copes with this critical attention to everything he says.  Can he block that out when he’s on the field?  If not, the Finebaums of the world are going to have a field day.