Case of the Mondays: Manziel in the News Even During Super Bowl Week

by Ricky Dimon - 2/1/2016

Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel

It may be the offseason for every team other than the Broncos and Panthers, but there is no offseason for Johnny Manziel in terms of his ability to make headlines. Manziel managed to do it again this past weekend. So did Calvin Johnson, albeit in much different fashion. Once the Super Bowl ends, the limelight will mostly be bestowed upon college basketball-and it would be a good time for Duke and LSU to start picking up some big wins.

All odds provided by MyBookie.ag .

Johnny Manziel . Fort Worth police received a call around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday morning from a 23-year-old woman who said she had been involved in a domestic incident with her ex-boyfriend. Not surprisingly, Manziel was said ex-boyfriend. A preliminary investigation determined little more than that an assault had "possibly" occurred and the woman did not cooperate with authorities. She did, however, tell them that she is concerned about Manziel's well-being. An investigation is ongoing and the NFL, as usual, did not have much to say aside from that it is aware of the incident. Fellow Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton is -160 to win Super Bowl MVP .

Detroit Lions . The Lions will be without one of the best and certainly one of the most talented wide receivers in NFL history when they take the field next season. There had been rumblings that Calvin Johnson, after his team's 2015 campaign came to an end, told head coach Jim Caldwell that the season would be his last in the league. Those rumblings were confirmed on Sunday. The Lions are still hoping that the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket will change his decision before making an official announcement, but one source said "he's pretty content with his decision." In 2015, his ninth year in the NFL, Johnson caught 88 passes for 1,214 passes and nine touchdowns. Detroit, which has not won a playoff game since 1991, went 7-9. The Panthers are -6 favorites over the Broncos in Super Bowl 50.

Ben Simmons . In a showdown between arguably the two best players in college basketball, Simmons and LSU lost at home to Buddy Hield-led Oklahoma last weekend. Needing a win to significantly boost its NCAA Tournament chances, the Tigers enjoyed an eight-point halftime advantage only to fall 77-75 on a shot by Sooners' guard Isaiah Cousins with four seconds left. Simmons did not play poorly, but he took only seven shots (made six of them) and finished with 14 points. The star freshman also had nine rebounds, five assists, two steals, and five turnovers. Hield went 11-of-22 from the floor (8-of-15 from three-point range) for 32 points. LSU is a solid 6-2 in the SEC but is just 13-8 overall. Two of OU's Big 12 rivals are squaring off on Monday, wit Baylor favored by five points over visiting Texas.

Duke . The Blue Devils got a rare weekend off in the middle of the season. It kind of came at the right time-but it also kind of didn't. On one hand, Duke has dropped four of its last five games and thus enjoyed some time to lick its wounds. On the other hand, Mike Krzyzewski's crew is in dire need of an immediate victory or two in order to halt this skid. The Devils lost three in a row from Jan. 13 through Jan. 18, started to get back on track with a win at N.C. State, but then fell at Miami 80-69 last Monday. They are 4-4 in ACC action and in ninth place in the league standings. Duke is +750 to win the National Championship.

David Blatt .You can't change the past, so whatever happens with the Cavaliers moving forward should not have too much of an impact on Blatt. After all, he is no longer involved with the organization. Nonetheless, he probably feels a little bit annoyed that Cleveland has won four in a row under interim head coach Tyronn Lue. Since losing their first game with Lue at the helm in the aftermath of Blatt's firing, the Cavs have reeled off victories over Minnesota, Phoenix, Detroit, and San Antonio. They hammered the Tim Duncan-less Spurs 117-103 this past Saturday, after which LeBron James heaped a ton of praise on Lue. Cleveland is +300 to win the NBA title; Golden State is an even-money favorite.

Dennis Wideman . The Flames' defenseman has been suspended indefinitely for cross-checking linesman Don Henderson into the boards during a loss to Nashville last Wednesday. Wideman had just sustained a huge hit of his own and was on his way off the ice when he decked Henderson from behind. The 32-year-old veteran said he did not see the linesman in time, citing that he was still woozy from the previous blow. A hearing will be held on Tuesday to confirm the suspension and determine its length. Wideman is second on Calgary with 30 penalty minutes to go along with his two goals and 17 assists. The Flames are +8000 to win the Stanley Cup; Chicago is a +400 favorite.

Serena Williams . Serena has now been on the losing end of two massive upsets in the last two Grand Slams. At the 2015 U.S. Open she lost to little-known Roberta Vinci in the semifinals. This past Saturday at the Australian Open she fell to first-time major finalist Angelique Kerber. Serena started slow before her comeback attempt came up short in a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 setback. The top-ranked American was bidding to tie Steffi Graf for second place on the list all-time slam singles titles at 22. That effort will resume and the French Open this spring.

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 2:30 PM
Expert:	Tony George
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