MANZIEL AIMS TO HAVE FUN
Alouettes QB told to relax
Had Johnny Manziel opened on Broadway, this one-man play might have closed after one performance, given the four interceptions he threw last week against Hamilton.
Fortunately, that’s not how professional football works. Not only does Manziel, the Alouettes’ starting quarterback, require more assistance from his supporting cast, head coach Mike Sherman has little choice but to continue playing him, given the injuries to Vernon Adams, Matt Shiltz and Jeff Mathews.
What will the second act of Manziel’s Canadian Football League career look like? That will begin to take shape Saturday night, when the Als travel to Ottawa to meet the Redblacks.
But at least the former Heisman Trophy winner and first-round draft choice of the Cleveland Browns has had another full week of practice which, Manziel hopes, leads to some improved results. Montreal has a 1-6 record and is on a four-game losing skid.
“Like I said a couple weeks ago, I’m expecting consistent play, not turning the ball over, putting ourselves in a good position to win, being good in the red zone, being good on second down. Those are the things that are going to propel you to another level in this league,” Manziel said on Thursday. “We have to be more solid all-around, and it starts with me.
“I put our team in a bad position and felt like I let them down by turning the ball over and giving Hamilton a short field a couple of times,” added Manziel, who came to the Als in a July 22 trade with the Tiger-Cats. “It’s unacceptable from my position.”
Manziel completed 11 of 20 passes in his debut, but generated only 104 yards against Hamilton. While he used five different receivers, only Eugene Lewis was marginally effective, catching four passes for 76 yards, including one of 31 yards — Manziel’s longest completion.
While Manziel is mobile and can use that to his advantage, he had only two carries for four yards. Most of the time that movement was required to avoid pressure after the Als’ offensive line broke down repeatedly. It also didn’t help
I put our team in a bad position and felt like I let them down by turning the ball over and giving Hamilton a short field a couple of times.
that Montreal was trailing 28-0 barely more than 11 minutes into the game, drastically changing the game plan.
Sherman said he simply wants Manziel to settle down and relax while not feeling he has to win the game by himself. Management was hoping the team’s quarterbacks would merely have to manage games this season, relying on a defence, rebuilt through free agency, to stop the opposition and turn the ball over to the offence. Alas, that hasn’t occurred with much regularity; the Als have allowed a league-high 242 points, an average of 34.6 per game.
“My last comment (to Manziel) before he took the field last week was to have fun. I don’t think he had much fun,” Sherman said. “Settle down and take what’s in front of him, not try to make something happen that’s not there. He doesn’t have to be Superman. Just be a quarterback and manage the game, take what they give you. There’s usually something there. If the plays are working, there should be something there. Don’t force the issue. Let it play out.”
Manziel said he has spent extra time this week in the meeting and film room with his receivers. He throws the ball to the spots he believes his receivers should be at. Sometimes it works, but last week clearly displayed there’s still plenty of miscommunication.
“We’re going to have some grey area and we’re trying to eliminate that right now,” Manziel explained. “They’re doing a good job of taking what I’ve seen, giving me their input, coming to a common ground and being able to go out and execute it. What we’ve talked about after practice, they’ve gone out and done it the next day on the field. I’m encouraged by that.
“There’s still a lot of work to go. I feel like we had a good week of practice. I feel we’re ready for the game. We’ll continue working on things.”
Plenty of work remains. The Als have scored no more than 23 points in any game, having reached that total twice. But in three games, the team has been held to 10 points or fewer. With 103 points through seven games, that works out to an average of 14.7 — basically two touchdowns.
Montreal also has allowed 25 sacks, eight more than any other team. It’s hard to find one area where the Alouettes are performing well. Admittedly, this will mark the first time the five-man offensive line has remained intact for two consecutive games, so that might help.
“We need to protect better. Guys need to stay on their blocks longer and just be better up front,” said left-tackle Tony Washington who, along with right-guard Landon Rice, accompanied Manziel from Hamilton. “Any time you have a new quarterback, obviously, you have to learn the ins and outs ... how he plays the game. You have to get that continuity going, the connection, that bond. So you have all five guys working together.
“You feel a bit of pressure (to improve),” he added. “For the most part, we have to go out there and compete and just play better. Take accountability and responsibility. Just get better, honestly.”
It’s not rocket science. And yet the Als continue making things complicated and difficult.