Johnny Debuted for the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) on Sunday, and played well. Though he did not start, Manziel finished 3 of 5 with 48 passing yards, 20 rushing yards, and one sack. Manziel's first completion was an impressive 36 yard throw down the sideline to receiver Pig Howard (awesome name). Will Pig be Johnny's next Mike Evans? We'll have to stay tuned. You can check out all of Johnny's highlights from Sunday here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBVZgBw2wN4 

There was also a great clip of Johnny trash talking an opposing player: www.youtube.com/watch?v=56dicUYedsM  That one was vintage Johnny.

Reading between the tea leaves, it seems the Memphis Express would like to give Johnny the starting job over the next few weeks. Johnny did not start on Sunday because he had just joined the team only days earlier, and was still getting up to speed on the playbook. Johnny made a few indirect remarks that he believes he will get far more support from the team than he got up in the CFL. The Montreal Allouttes were hesitant to give Johnny their full support and a mandate to lead his team last year. Johnny wrote on Instagram the next day that this is the most fun he has had playing football since his days at Texas A&M. 

It is hard not to remark on how much more at home Johnny looks in Memphis than up in Canada. Jean Football was not really meant to be. Everything about Johnny being in Memphis and back in the USA just feels more correct. Johnny Football is about as American as you can get. We are looking forward to the next Memphis Express game, Saturday March 30th at 2pm EST vs. the Orlando Apollos. 

Johnny's comeback tour is continuing and it looks like it is heading in the right direction. Johnny has been throwing with OBJ, working on some quick, short passes. Check it out here. We're going to make a bold prediction here. There is a good chance Johnny is going to be on an NFL roster before he is on a CFL roster. It will make sense for an NFL team to take a cheap chance on him in a backup role to start. 

Johnny tweeted "#XFL2020 @VinceMcMahon" today, teasing interesting in the XFL. The problem? Johnny will be starting in the NFL in 2020 and will have zero interest in the XFL. Next story, please. 

Johnny Football to the Raiders confirmed? Jon Gruden is making his return to pro football next season as the Raiders head coach. Gruden recently spoke about Johnny Manziel, responding to a question about who was the most disappointing QB who went to Gruden's QB camp. He replied, "Johnny Manziel was the most disappointing, just because the outcome of his career. I got criticized a lot for trying to pump him up during the draft. I really thought he has just an incredible playing style that would service him well. I was really shocked at his downfall and demise from football, but hopefully he can come back and play somewhere someday, because I sure enjoyed being around him and watching him

Seriously, can anyone think of a better combination than Jon and Johnny?  That would be absolutely epic. Excuse me, that will be absolutely epic. 
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According to the Winnipeg Sun, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers cornerback Chris Randle is excited about the prospect of playing with Johnny Manziel. He also seemed to relish the idea of challenging Johnny in the CFL this year. "I would love to be on ESPN playing against him," Randle said. He added, "Me, knowing the knowledge I know, I would love to put that up against Johnny Manziel and the talent that he has right now. I will take my experience vs. his playmaking ability and what I think he'll be able to bring and what our team can do." 

We wholeheartedly agree with Randle's assessment that Johnny's presence will be great for the league, and are not surprised CFL players are excited about the prospect of increased attention that will come from Manziel. Ultimately, it may drive revenues to the league, which could in turn lead to higher salaries for CFL players. Furthermore, on the rare occasion, it could give CFL players the spotlight to shine and get a shot at the NFL. #comebackSZN



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Johnny has posted a sweet new #comebackszn montage, with a message reading "Through the good the bad. The ups and the downs I won’t stop until I get back. Whether that’s North or South of the border I promise you the #ComebackSZN is happening." Check out the montage here. We love the determination, and we also love the underrated plays at the end of the montage showing Johnny burning NFL defenders. #comebackSZN

 It is time to open your heart to Johnny Manziel, eh. The last few weeks has led to some negative public opinion about Johnny up in Canada, which we think is short-sighted. Canadian Football League (CFL) fans were upset at Johnny for trying to negotiate a better contract for himself. 

The basic situation is that:
1. At the end of December, the CFL approved Johnny Manziel to play in the league next year. 
2. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (TiCats) owned the rights to Manziel by claiming them previously. 
3. In the beginning of January, Johnny exercised his right (under CFL rules) to force the TiCats to offer him a contract within 10 days or lose their rights to Johnny. 
4. The TiCats offered Johhny a contract within that 10-day window. 
5. Johnny's agent, Erik Burkhardt, gave the TiCats until January 31st to give Johnny a "fair deal" or the QB would be moving on. According to Burkhardt, this meant a deal "on part with what Hamilton has paid their QB in recent years, despite not having much on-field success". The quarterback Burkhardt is referring to is Zach Collaros, who signed a 3-year $1.5 million deal with the TiCats (not including available bonuses). Collaros went on to have a rough time with the TiCats and was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders this year. 
6. CFL fans proceeded to get pissed off that Johnny was demanding more money. Rumors are that the TiCats seriously lowballed Manziel and offered close to the league minimum salary of $50k. For a nice sample of these comments from CFL fan sites, please see below:
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"If this is real and Manziel wants big money, he's a bigger idiot than most think of him."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
inhales
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

"Hope he isn't signed by anybody, in fact, I hope Kaep comes up here instead. Johnny is a scrub."

7. Public opinion on Manziel has subsequently shifted such that he probably has a lower approval rating in Canada than Trump has in Mexico. 

Now let's look at the facts. Nobody in the USA really watches the CFL, and the only reason anybody is going to be watching the CFL next year is because of Johnny Manziel. Can we really fault a guy for wanting to get his fair market value? CFL fans have been attacking Johnny like he is the biggest jerk to ever grace planet earth for asking to be paid more than 50k next year, when he is without a doubt the biggest name to ever play in the CFL. Furthermore, when you compare Manziel to Collaros, it isn't even close. You are talking about the Heisman winner who defeated Alabama in SEC play versus a middle of the road QB from Cincinnati. Take a look at the stat-lines:

Beyond performance, CFL fans should be happy about the exposure the league is going to receive and shouldn't fault a guy for wanting to get his fair market value. #comebackSZN

In honor of #comebackSZN and his impending domination of the Canadian Football League (CFL), Johnny has released some swag new gear. Check the gear out at www.comebackszn.store. What is your favorite item? Please comment below. What other gear should Johnny offer? 

We personally like the COMEBACKSZN PULLOVER HOODIE. You can even get it signed by Johnny himself for just a little extra. 

If you really think about it, these items are a true investment. Because you are already long Bitcoin and Ethereum, why don't you diversify into a sweet hoodie that will definitely go up in value when Johnny wins the CFL Grey cup next year and then Superbowl 55 in a few years. #comebackSZN

Now that Johnny is back in the news, we are back too. Come to the site for all the relevant #2 news, updated in real time.