SUCCESS DOESN’T COME IN A SNAP
Manziel has hard work ahead as Montreal’s top pivot
Once again, plenty of eyes will be on the Johnny Football sideshow.
Johnny Manziel will presumably make his second CFL start Saturday in Ottawa against the Redblacks.
Start No. 1 didn’t go so well for the Montreal Alouettes quarterback. He completed 11 of 20 passes for 104 yards, tossing four interceptions in the first half of a 50-11 shellacking at the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Possibly his most impressive plays of the game were the two tackles he made following interceptions.
You could see flashes of what Manziel can be. His ability to make magic out of broken plays made him a star at Texas A&M and won him the Heisman Trophy in 2012.
Expecting Manziel to put the Als on his back was a big ask. He hadn’t started a game since Dec. 27, 2015, with the Cleveland Browns, the team that selected him in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2014 NFL draft.
Traded to the Alouettes two weeks ago in a blockbuster deal with the Ticats — Montreal also got offensive linemen Tony Washington and Landon Rice, while Hamilton got receiver Chris Williams, defensive lineman Jamaal Westerman and two future first-round picks — Manziel had to get up to speed quickly. He didn’t play in his first week with the team, but was put in a starting role before the game against the Ticats.
After the game, Manziel told the media: “This is a humbling experience. I’ve had this experience in the past. You can let this get you down and sulk or take it on the chin like a man and never allow this taste to come back into your mouth again and never let this happen again. Moving forward, this is only going to motivate me. This is a test of my will and my drive.”
What can Manziel become? And how does he get there?
Ticats head coach June Jones said the quarterback needs to work hard to grow and get better.
“It was a growing period while he was here and now he has to start preparing himself as the starter, start coming into the office at 6:30 a.m., spend the long hours until 6 or 7 at night,” Jones told 3DownNation’s Drew Edwards. “That’s the kind of commitment you need as a starting quarterback.”
How tough is it to step in and play with so little time to prepare? “There have been a couple of guys: the kid from Winnipeg (Chris Streveler) and Johnny’s done it (starting as rookies),” said Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris.
“Offences are different, quarterbacks are asked to do different things. Johnny will adjust, I’m sure, he’ll do a fine job.”
Harris started his first game in November 2014 following a concussion to Toronto Argonauts starter Ricky Ray. In a win over Ottawa, he completed 26 passes for 281 yards.
“I sat for the first 19 weeks of 2014,” said Harris. “Ricky got hurt with about 30 seconds left against Montreal. We had one practice. Those were the only actual reps I got. In Toronto, the second-string guy got zero reps. It was a challenge, but it was fun. I remember looking at myself in the mirror and saying, ‘See if I can still do this,’ because it had been five or six years since college.
“It’s different in a game. The bullets are really flying. You see a lot of people on ESPN without a lot of thought behind it say, ‘Oh, X player will go up to the CFL and dominate for a couple of years, then come back to the NFL.’ A lot of players — not just quarterbacks, but receivers, O -line, D -line, linebackers — come up here and realize it’s really good football. Sometimes it humbles people. Johnny Manziel’s a good quarterback. He was extremely fun to watch when he was in college. He’ll do a great job as he grows and learns.”
Moving forward, this is only going to motivate me. This is a test of my will and my drive.