The family of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel trademarked the term “Johnny Football” last fall.  Now the family is taking legal action to protect that trademark.

Manziel has filed a lawsuit claiming someone infringed on the trademark in order to sell t-shirts.  The suit claims that last November, the defendant – Eric Vaughan – was using the trademark to sell shirts that stated “Keep Calm and Johnny Football.”

Manziel’s corporation, JMAN2 Enterprises LLC, is asking for injunctive relief for the sale of the shirts and damages associated with it.

While Manziel can’t profit from the enterprise until his NCAA eligibility expires or leaves early for the NFL, ESPN”s Darren Rovell reports that Texas A&M recently received a ruling from the NCAA that a student-athlete can keep financial earnings as a result of a legal action.

So maybe his nickname should be Johnny Backyard Football.  At least that’s what Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota seems to think.

Judging by the comments on a couple of Aggie messageboards, the Ducks’ QB seems to have ruffled some feathers — pun intended — when he described Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel’s game as “backyard football.”

“For a lot of us, it’s how we were introduced to the game — just going out and making plays.  I’d like to do that.  It would be fun.  But it would be outside of my calling here.”

Now, personally I don’t see what’s so inflammatory about that comment.  Granted, Manziel was once committed to Oregon and perhaps there’s a bit of history between the two signal-callers, but this seems to be a case of looking for trash talk.

Mariota simply alluded to the differences between his role in Eugene and Manziel’s role in College Station.  And judging by that Heisman Trophy he picked up in December, Manziel seems to fit his role perfectly.

Stay tuned, but I don’t think Aggie fans should be losing any sleep over this one.

File this one under: As if he needed any more help.

Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M will spend part of his offseason in San Diego working with noted quarterback coach George Whitfield Jr.  Johnny Football first spent time with Whitfield last summer.  The quarterback guru is credited with helping Manziel improve his throwing motion before the 2012 season.

So what will the two be working on this year?

“Johnny really wants to hone in on being able to fully operate in the pocket.  He wants to run a lot less and make more throws and still be (as effective)…

There’s going to be room for him at the next level (the NFL).  He’s tough and has a sheer will to compete.  The time he spends in the weight room this offseason will hopefully give him a stronger foundation.”

Becoming a better pocket passer is a good goal for a young man expected to turn pro after the 2013 season.  And Whitfield has done good work with other dual-threat QBs like Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III, and Colin Kaepernick in the past.

Still, you know there are many, many Texas A&M fans who are wondering what impact it will have on the Aggies’ offense if Manziel decides to do less of this next season:

Basketball

1.  At Alabama, is it better to win ugly or lose pretty?

2.  Back from a pair of injuries, Johnny O’Bryant is making a difference for LSU.

3.  Ole Miss gunner Marshall Henderson could hurt his team if he crosses the line from acceptable to unacceptable behavior.

4.  The combustible Henderson will face Florida’s fantastic defense tomorrow.

5.  After scoring 40 points in Lexington, Texas A&M’s Elston Turner expects Kentucky to make it tough for him to get open looks.

Football

6.  Three of Florida’s four starters on the defensive line will have to be replaced this fall.

7.  New Georgia D-line coach Chris Wilson: “I want to play anywhere from six to eight guys in a game.”

8.  Not surprisingly, a number of Arkansas players are striking back against the ex-coaches who’ve suggested members of the team quit last year.

9.  Texas A&M is ready to negotiate pay raises with Kevin Sumlin and his assistants.

10.  Backup Jameill Showers may be transferring, but the Aggies still have options at quarterback behind Johnny Manziel.

And The Rest…

11.  Checked out those SEC wedding cakes on Pinterest yet?

12.  SWATS co-owner: “I’m not just this quack peddling these stickers.”

13.  If not, they still come off as scumbags.

14.  Last year’s sensation, Anthony Davis, has been named Kentucky’s Sportsman of the Year by The Lexington Herald-Leader.

15.  Former Tennessee running back and current Houston Texan Arian Foster will “likely undergo” a heart procedure to correct structural problems that can lead to an abnormal heartbeat.

16.  This writer says Bob Bowlsby has put the Big XII back in a position of power.

When Texas A&M left the Big XII for the SEC, University of Texas officials decided to shun the Aggies.  “Move and you’ll lose all your games with your biggest rival,” was their message.

Gasp!

But then Johnny Manziel happened, A&M had a much smoother entry into the SEC than most everyone — especially Longhorn fans — expected, and the Aggies found they didn’t really need their game with Texas for national exposure.  The SEC’s television contracts and a Heisman-winning quarterback accomplished that better than a Thanksgiving battle with the Horns could.

Texas A&M clearly had the last laugh in 2012.  But that doesn’t mean all Aggies have given up on facing Texas somewhere down the road.

Yesterday, Texas lawmaker Ryan Guillen — an A&M grad — introduced a bill in the Texas State House that would require the two schools to play.  If they don’t, Guillen proposed that whichever school refused to participate in the game would have a few scholarships stripped.  (Good luck with that one.)

“This game is as much a Texas tradition as cowboy boots and barbecue,” Guillen said.  “The purpose of the bill is to put the eyes of Texas upon our two greatest universities to restore this sacred Texas tradition…  I think the people of Texas want a game, and we’re trying to get them one.”

The University of Kentucky agreed to start playing a regular basketball series with Louisville in the mid-80s thanks in some part to pressure from the legislature in the Commonwealth.  When Texas and A&M looked to be moving in opposite conference directions in the late-80s/early-90s, the Texas state legislature rattled its saber and the schools remained bound.  Legal pressure was also applied to get Texas Tech and Baylor into the Big XII along with Texas and A&M in the mid-90s.

But when A&M left for the SEC this decade, Texas state lawmakers could only wring their hands.  And there are just as many Longhorn lawmakers to vote “nay” on Guillen’s bill as their are Aggies who’ll vote “yay.”

Nice try, but we’d be surprised if this move forces the two longtime rivals back onto the football field.

Is there anything Johnny Football can’t do?  If you watch this video, apparently not:

As someone who’s spent the last 20 years in the television industry I’ve come to be skeptical of online videos that look too good to be true.  And this online video looks too good to be true.

Back during the days of the old David Copperfield magic shows on network television, someone at a station I worked at would tape the specials and then go through the “tricks” frame-by-frame.  When they did so, they found edits.  Lots of them.  Quick edit points — unnoticeable at full speed to the naked eye — used to create the illusions.  That was in the 1990s.  With the video, graphic, and animation packages now available to everyone for home use, creating fake “amazing” videos is even easier. 

But “Dude Perfect” — the group of Texas A&M’ers behind this video of Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel — have become celebrities with their trick shot videos.  So perhaps this isn’t trick photography.  Perhaps they and Manziel really can throw footballs through basketball hoops from the tops of stadiums.  And perhaps Dude Perfect can really make trick shots from a blimp.  After all, they’ve appeared on all sorts of national television shows and been given the stamp of approval by thousands and thousands of online viewers.

Of course, Copperfield was a pretty big celebrity, too.

But even if the video above has been doctored, it still shows Manziel to be pretty affable chap.  And it’s not the kind of Heisman-candidate hoax that would, say, lead to two weeks of news coverage if discovered, either.

Early SEC Saturday Basketball Finals
Ole Miss 76 – Arkansas 64
Vanderbilt 58 – South Carolina 51
Florida 83 – Missouri 52
Tennessee 72 – Mississippi State 57
Auburn tackle Shon Coleman, who survived a battle with leukemia, given a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA.
With graduation, players leaving early and transfers, Florida will be able to sign as many as 33 players in this recruiting class
City manager in Texas calls the action of a judge who released details of Johnny Manziel speeding ticket on Facebook “insensitive and inappropriate”
Florida offensive lineman Jessamen Dunker has suspended indefinitely by Will Muschamp after being arrested Wednesday on a stolen scooter.
Kentucky basketball player Willie Cauley-Stein had a “minor procedure” done on his left knee Thursday after aggrevating an old injury

From gratuitous insult to late-night apology, the age of instant media was on full display Friday.

It started on an Oklahoma City sports talk show where Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops was the guest.  Stoops had some glowing comments for Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and his performance in the Aggies 41-13 Cotton Bowl victory. “I’ve seen a lot of football players play a lot of different styles with guys, but never seen anything like that in my whole life.”

But Stoops decided to ratchet things up  a notch and that’s where it got interesting.

“They’re gonna be tough to deal with. If they can keep him out of jail or keep him eligible, he’s gonna be pretty good.

“If they can keep him off the Twitter, he might win three or four Heismans. He’ll have that type of ability.”

As expected, the twittersphere/blogosphere exploded and the comments went viral. Stoops comments alluded to  an incident over the summer where Manziel was charged with disorderly conduct and having a fake drivers license and some photos on his Twitter account where Manziel hasn’t been shy about celebrating the good life in the wake of his Heisman Trophy win.

News of Stoops’ comments apparently made its way to Manziel who posted a picture and a note on Twitter:

“Great visit to the hospital today in Connecticut made a ton of new friends. Hopefully this picture passes compliance..”

By late night Friday night, Stoops was backtracking. Through an OU spokesman, Stoops wanted everyone to know he had the “utmost respect for Texas A&M and Johnny Manziel.”

Manziel, it should be noted, had 516 total yards against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, including an FBS bowl record 229 rushing yards.

You can listen to a podcast of the interview here.  The part about Manziel is at the end.

According to CBSSports.com’s Bruce Feldman, Texas A&M has hired Jake Spavital as the school’s new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.  Spavital has been at West Virginia the past two years as the Mountaineers’ quarterbacks coach.

“I am grateful for the opportunity that Dana (Holgorsen) has given me in my career,” Spavital said.  “And I’m excited to get to A&M and continue with the success that they’ve had.”

Spavital has worked with Geno Smith at WVU and he previously coached Brandon Weeden at Oklahoma State.  Now he’ll be able to work with Heisman-winner Johnny Manziel.  Not a bad resume.

Spavital replaces Kliff Kingsbury who took over the head coaching job at Texas Tech this offseason.

One of the best “big uglies” to block for Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is taking his talents to the National Football League.  Today, Aggie junior left tackle Luke Joeckel announced that he will be leaving school early.

Joeckel is expected to be a very high draft pick, possibly the first overall.  Texas A&M’s other starting tackle, Jake Matthews, is still making up his mind regarding an early leap to the NFL.