Brian Urlacher thinks Johnny Manziel 'acted like a punk' in season opener

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:35 p.m. ET

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By Ross Jones, FOXSports.com It seems that everyone has an opinion on Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel’s season debut on Saturday. Manziel, who was suspended for the first half of the game against Rice for an inadvertent NCAA violation for signing autographs, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and ended up getting pulled by head coach Kevin Sumlin in the fourth quarter. Former Bears linebacker and current FOX Football Daily analyst Brian Urlacher took a strong stance on Manziel’s on-field antics, but believes he is a very special talent. “I’m not saying he’s a punk, but he acted like a punk in that game,” Urlacher said Monday. “Like his coach said, guys are going to come after him all season long. "He's the reigning Heisman winner. He’s making plays out there and running around and running his mouth obviously, but he’s going to have to learn to deal with that.” Since winning the Heisman Trophy, Manziel has created a stir by making headlines during his wild offseason. Although the distractions haven’t directly affected his production on the field, Urlacher thinks Manziel could carry himself with a bit more maturity. “He’s such a good football player,” Urlacher said. “You saw in the second half what he did, three touchdown passes and ran it pretty well. It’s just too bad he had to act like that. I’m pulling for the guy, I want him to do well.” Questions? Comments? Send them to lacesoutmail@gmail.com and we might respond in our weekly mailbag!