MANZIEL IS IMPROVING
But Als lose to Redblacks
Throughout the winter, knowing what little he had inherited at the position, Mike Sherman was always non-committal when asked whether the Alouettes had a legitimate starting quarterback.
After two games of the Johnny Manziel era, the new Als head coach still won’t go out on a limb and make any wild proclamations. But he doesn’t have to. Manziel has displayed enough raw potential and talent that it has become clear this team has its first bona fide pivot since the days of Anthony Calvillo.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be hiccups in the evolution of Manziel. It simply means, finally, there could be a reason for optimism with this franchise, although it might already be too late to salvage this season.
“You know me. I’m not quick to rush to judgment or praise a lot of the times,” Sherman said. “I think John showed enough out there today to make us feel more comfortable at that position.
“I thought John made drastic improvement from last week. He made unbelievable improvement from his first game. He threw the ball well and made some really good decisions. I thought he did a good job — and he’ll just get better and better.”
After throwing four first-half interceptions in his Montreal debut against Hamilton and being benched in the fourth quarter, Manziel displayed marked improvement Saturday night against Ottawa.
It wasn’t enough to end the Als’ losing ways — their losing streak is now at five games following a 24-17 defeat against the Redblacks — but there was enough there to believe this run of futility might finally be coming to an end.
“Anything ’s better than last week,” Manziel quipped. “It sucks to lose the game. I’m not happy with the outcome but, as far as improvement, we’re close. We’re a lot closer than we were a week ago.
“It sucks when you don’t see results,” added Manziel, who came to the Als in a blockbuster five-player trade from the TigerCats on July 22. “I hope they keep believing in what we’re doing and see the improvement. We’ll get there, ( but) it’s going to take some time.”
Although 10 games remain, the Als are quickly falling out of contention, even in the weak East Division. Their latest defeat leaves them with a 1-7 record, and they’re in the midst of a stretch that sees them playing three out of four games on the road before their next bye week in the schedule.
Montreal was 1-7 under Tom Higgins in 2014 and went on an incredible second-half run to finish 9-9 before losing the division final. It’s hard to believe history might be repeated, but with Manziel, perhaps it’s possible.
He completed 16 of 26 passes against Ottawa for a modest 168 yards, but displayed a strong arm and would have done better had his receivers not dropped the occasional ball. His footwork improved, and he saw the field better. This game, he also took advantage of his mobility, gaining 36 yards on three carries. This is what a running quarterback must do in Canada.
But the Als, nonetheless, had their offensive struggles, with the unit accounting for only one touchdown. Although linebacker Chris Ackie returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown, Montreal’s offence failed to take advantage of the five turnovers — including three fumble recoveries — the defence created.
“I understand it’s close. I get it. We looked better than previous weeks, but it’s still the same result,” said tailback Tyrell Sutton, who gained 63 yards on 10 carries while adding another 25 on three receptions.
“He can play some ball, man,” Sutton said of Manziel. “We have to catch the f---ing ball. We have to capitalize on the turnovers the defence gave us. It was the closest game we’ve had. This was the closest to a complete game we’ve played all year. We were in the game, but it’s the details that are killing us.”
Manziel had passed for 128 yards by halftime against Ottawa — more than he generated the entire game against the Ticats. It’s not that he necessarily struggled over the final 30 minutes; the Redblacks simply controlled the ball. Manziel threw for only 40 yards in the second half, the visitors having the ball for slightly less than nine minutes.
The Als couldn’t finish the game and were outscored 13-0 in the final quarter; 19-8 overall in the second half. And, while the defence created turnovers, much improvement on that side of the ball is still required.
Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris completed 44 passes — the second-highest one-game total in Canadian Football League history — for a mind-boggling 487 yards. Incredibly, he passed for only one touchdown.
Ottawa had 34 first downs, 587 yards’ net offence and controlled the ball for slightly more than 36 minutes. When the Als’ beleaguered defence required a stop down the stretch, Harris instead led his team on a seven-play, 69-yard drive, culminating in William Powell’s 10-yard, gamewinning touchdown with 15 seconds remaining in regulation time.
“We have to watch the film and figure out what went wrong that last series,” Ackie said. “We fought hard that entire game. I felt like we left it all on the field. Sometimes things don’t go your way.”
The Als were missing boundary cornerback Tommie Campbell, a late scratch for personal reasons, according to Sherman and general manager Kavis Reed. However, a source indicated Campbell didn’t play because he refused to completely buckle his chinstraps — securing only one — during Thursday’s walk-through.