STANFORD, Calif. Larry Johnson Super Bowl Jersey . -- Stanford coach David Shaw?has named Ryan Burns the starting quarterback for the season opener.The redshirt junior had been locked in an even battle with redshirt sophomore Keller Chryst this offseason in a quest to replace Kevin Hogan, the winningest quarterback in program history.Shaw said that Chryst will also see some action when the Cardinal open their season at home on Sept. 2 against Kansas State.Ryan Burns will start and play a good chunk of the game, Shaw said. Keller Chryst will play as well. Were going to play both guys and try to win a game.But Burns will be Stanfords starter and is expected to see the majority of playing time.There hasnt been a huge separation between the two, Shaw said. Both guys have played extremely well. Ryan has just barely been enough ahead to get the nod.Both Burns and Chryst check in at 6-foot-5 and about 235 pounds, which is a build similar to that of former Stanford star QB?Andrew Luck?-- whom Shaw considers the physical prototype for the position.Burns and Chryst say that throughout their competition theyve watched film of Luck and Hogan, with the goal of emulating the strengths of those two onetime Stanford starters.Burns and Chryst have already taken at least one page from the playbook of their predecessors: Even as quarterbacks, they both enjoy the contact aspect of football, making them natural fits for Stanfords rugged offense in at least one way.We both enjoy hitting people, Burns said.Since Chryst was the first quarterback off the bench to relieve Hogan last season, some might consider Shaws selection of Burns as a moderate surprise. But the coach insisted the two were closely matched even last year, and that Burns has required some extra time to acclimate to Stanfords pro-style offense after running the triple-option in high school.His high school offense was very different from what we do, Shaw said. We knew when we recruited him that we were going to ask him to do things hes never done before. ... We knew he had the tools, but theres a lot of muscle memory in what we do. So we had to build up the reserve of experience.Burns, who is entering his fourth year on campus, said hes more comfortable with Stanfords system than ever before.Its been a long process, he said. There were no checks, no three-play calls in my high school offense. Ive been trying to get adapted over the past three years. But the toughness and downhill running that I learned in high school has carried over.Shaw called Burns and Chryst into his office on Wednesday morning to share his decision, emphasizing that Chryst would rotate in for some series against Kansas State.I just took that as, I still have to compete, Burns said. Nothing is solidified. Just because Im playing the first snap doesnt mean Im the starting quarterback for the year at all. Kellers a heck of a quarterback, and hell always be on my tail and Ill always be on his. I just have to come here and keep working my butt off every day.Stanford opens the season with a particularly challenging stretch of schedule -- games against USC, UCLA, Washington, Washington State and Notre Dame follow the opener versus Kansas State. For that reason, Shaw said hell need full productivity out of Burns from the get-go. The coach emphasized that early over-reliance on other offensive veterans like RB?Christian McCaffrey could doom the Cardinal.We need him to play quarterback, Shaw said. This is big-time college football. Were not spoon-feeding anybody. Travis Kelce Super Bowl Jersey . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. Armani Watts Super Bowl Jersey .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Xavier-Williams-Chiefs-Jersey/ . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Johnny Football is practicing with Texas A&M. Whether he starts the season opener is another question. Coach Kevin Sumlin on Monday said he would not speculate when asked if Johnny Manziel will be his starter on Aug. 31 against Rice following an ESPN report that the NCAA is investigating whether the Heisman Trophy winner was paid for signing hundreds of autographs last January. "Theres a lot of people involved in that decision," Sumlin said without being specific. If Manziel was paid for his autograph on memorabilia, it could potentially violate NCAA amateurism rules and put his eligibility in question a year after his jaw-dropping performance on the field made him the first freshman to win the Heisman as college footballs top player. Speaking to the media as the team began preseason practices, Sumlin said he learned of the ESPN report Sunday. For now, Manziel will lead the Aggies. But his coach is clearly thinking of backups, too. "Hell get as many reps as he was going to get yesterday," Sumlin said of Manziel, before adding: "Weve got to develop a backup quarterback no matter what." The report is just the latest in a string of off-the-field distractions caused by Manziel. Hes made headlines for tweeting that he "cant wait to leave College Station," despite having three years of eligibility remaining, he allegedly overslept at a football camp run by the Manning family and was supposedly kicked out of a University of Texas fraternity party in the past couple of months. The 20-year-old sophomore calmly answered question after question at SEC media days last month, acknowledging his eventful off-season and indicating he needed to make better decisions because hes such a public figure. "I dont feel like Ive done anything thats catastrophic," Manziel said then. "Of course, Ive made my mistakes. Its time to grow up." Last week, Manziel tweeted: "I aint perfect, I aint insane but I AM worth it...if theres one thing I am worth it." The antics have overshadowed what is expected to be a banner year for Texas A&M. The Aggies are coming off an 11-2 record in their first season in the SEC after moving from the Big 12, a year highlighted by Manziel leading Texas A&M to an upset win at No. 1 Alabama. The rematch in Coollege Station is Sept. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Super Bowl Jersey. 14. But instead of answering questions about his expectations for the season, Sumlin was left to respond to question after question about Manziel. "Ive been through different things," Sumlin said. "As a coach when those things happen, its not what happens to you, its how you deal with it. Weve got a veteran staff that knows how to deal with different situations." Manziels teammates seem unfazed by his recent trouble and said that nothing has changed in the way they view their quarterback. "He still has all leadership qualities he displayed last year, hes being more vocal now, hes taking on more of the leadership responsibilities," running back Ben Malena said. "The off the field issues doesnt bother us not one bit when it comes to a team aspect." Manziel and the rest of the Aggies had their first practice late Monday afternoon. If the problems were weighing on Manziel, it was hard to tell by watching him on the field. He laughed and talked with teammates before they lined up to stretch. The Aggies practice to music and when the first song of the day, the track "Versace" by Migos featuring Manziels buddy rapper Drake came on, the quarterback looked carefree as he bobbed his head and bounced to the catchy tune. The media were only allowed to watch the first 20 minutes of practice and there were no full team drills during that time. Manziel threw a few passes while the quarterbacks and receivers worked alone on a section of the field surrounded by dozens of reporters. While Sumlin is working through the Manziel situation, he noted that a much more difficult task was talking to his team about the recent death of defensive lineman Polo Manukainiu, who was killed in a New Mexico car crash along with two others. "It was not an easy topic," Sumlin said. "Its one of the hardest things a coach has to deal with. In a way getting back together as a group and getting back in the routine, going out on the field today, somehow that might help. Because these guys share the same kind of emotions the same kind of feelings for a guy that they cared very, very deeply about." He also said starting defensive tackle Kirby Ennis, who was arrested in February on a weapons charge, will be suspended for the Rice game. ' ' '