Manziel misses practice, team says he’s OK
‘It felt like I ran into a brick wall,’ QB says of huge hit in loss to Ottawa
If Johnny Manziel’s on the field Wednesday and is practising with the starting offence, his one-day absence will be nothing more than a footnote. Otherwise, things are about to get infinitely more serious for the Alouettes — as if that’s possible.
Montreal’s quarterback wasn’t at practice Tuesday, although he was at Olympic Stadium in the morning for meetings, head coach Mike Sherman said.
And Sherman was quick to state there was no correlation between Manziel’s absence and the vicious head shot he took in the third quarter of Saturday’s game in Ottawa.
According to Sherman, Manziel had a previously diagnosed medical condition that required blood work. Sherman obviously would have preferred it be done on Monday, when the team didn’t practise.
Sherman said he expects Manziel to practise Wednesday, and sees no reason why he wouldn’t play Saturday, when the Als travel to Edmonton. Sherman said Manziel isn’t feeling any effects from the hit, denying the former Heisman Trophy winner and first-round NFL draft choice suffered a concussion.
Manziel would have scored on a 17-yard draw more than nine minutes into the third quarter. But as he was about to reach the end zone, he was rocked by Redblacks’ cornerback Jonathan Rose and fumbled. Montreal centre Kristian Matte recovered the loose ball for a touchdown.
A team doctor and the Als’ athletic therapists worked on Manziel’s neck at the bench.
Although he sported a nasty welt on his chin after the game, Manziel continued playing. The Als had four consecutive series in which they failed to generate a first down following the hit.
“It felt like I ran into a brick wall,” Manziel said. “Their defence is fast, big and aggressive. They hit hard. I told (his teammates) no matter what, you’re not going to take me out like that. I’m going to come back and keep fighting. It’s going to take a lot more.
“I’m exactly where I wanted to be. I want to be fighting with these guys. I want to be their quarterback. I want to be the quarterback of this team, in this city. That’s all I’ve asked for. I’ve been sitting out a long time, waiting for another opportunity. I take pride in this. I take pride in leading these guys. They mean a lot to me. I hope they continue to believe in me and believe in what we’re doing.”
Antonio Pipkin practised with the starting offence in Manziel’s absence Tuesday. Pipkin relieved Matt Shiltz last November during the Als’ regular-season finale at Hamilton, completing two of nine passes for 14 yards during a 33-0 loss. He returned this season only to be released following the first game, but resurfaced recently because of an assortment of injuries to Montreal quarterbacks.
Manziel completed 16 of 26 passes for 168 yards against Ottawa. After throwing four interceptions against Hamilton in his Als debut the week before, Manziel didn’t turn the ball over, although Montreal produced only one offensive touchdown. His yardage would have been better had some of his receivers done a better job of securing the ball.
Meanwhile, Tommie Campbell was back at his customary boundary cornerback position Tuesday after surprisingly being a late healthy scratch against the Redblacks. Following the game, Sherman said he didn’t play for personal reasons, although the Gazette reported Campbell and Sherman got into a disagreement when the player refused to completely buckle his chinstraps — securing only one — during Thursday’s walk-though practice.
“I look at football teams like a family. You have disagreements. You have issues. You move on. We fixed it and have moved on,” Sherman said. “It’s personal between he and I.
“I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t the best decision for the team. That’s what I’m supposed to do, make a good decision for our team. I feel very comfortable with it. It actually brought us closer together.”
Campbell on Tuesday also was reluctant to provide many details, although he denied the decision was related to his chinstraps.
He did, however, admit his culpability in the matter.
“Not one person’s bigger than the team,” said Campbell, who signed with Montreal last February as a free agent. “It has been resolved. Anytime something negative happens, you have to look at the positives of it. A lot of things can change in the future. I just have to communicate better with coaches, and they communicate better with the players, and we’ll be good.
“If you’re going to give one person leeway, you have to give everyone leeway. That’s not the type of team we’re trying to be or the type of culture we’re trying to instil in the players. I have to lead by example. That’s what the coaches expect from me. That’s what we talked about. That’s what we’re going to do.”
While Montreal’s defence scored a touchdown on an interception return — one of five turnovers it created — it also allowed 487 yards passing and 587 yards’ net offence.
“We look at it and study it. We have to have some continuity in the back end with players,” Sherman said. “We have to settle down. We’re working on it real hard, trying to fix it.”