PIPKIN’S POOR OUTING COULD OPEN DOOR FOR MANZIEL TO START
If Sherman was ever going to revert to the former Heisman winner, now’s the time
LIONS 32, ALOUETTES 14
On Thursday, an exasperated and frustrated Johnny Manziel complained about his lack of playing time as the Alouettes’ starting quarterback, somehow believing the position was his divine right after two games, considering what the franchise relinquished in the July trade from Hamilton.
Nothing the former Heisman Trophy winner said was wrong. Instead, it was the timing that caught everyone by surprise. And in retrospect, had he kept his mouth shut for 24 hours, it’s probable his wish would have come to fruition.
Head coach Mike Sherman, as expected, refused to state who his team’s starting quarterback will be next Friday at Winnipeg. But if Sherman ever was going to revert to Manziel, the former first-round draft choice of the Cleveland Browns, now would be the time, with six games remaining and the team’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
Antonio Pipkin, the 23-yearold rookie making his fourth consecutive start for the Als, wasn’t the only culprit in his team’s 32-14 defeat to the B. C. Lions at Molson Stadium. But, because of the position he plays, he’ll shoulder the main culpability.
Pipkin completed only 11 of 22 passes for 95 yards and failed to generate an offensive touchdown. Yes, Pipkin was sacked seven times for a variety of reasons — holding onto the ball too long, poor throws, indecision and not seeing the field with any certainty — but he was also intercepted four times.
“There isn’t a quarterback out there in the NFL that hasn’t had a game like this at some point or another, believe me,” Sherman said. “It was bound to happen. I was hoping it wasn’t going to happen tonight, but this was going to happen at some point. It happened tonight.”
The final two interceptions, both in the fourth quarter, were returned for touchdowns and proved to be the difference in a game that shouldn’t have been that close, given the Als’ offensive inconsistency.
“I played terrible. I just played terrible. It can’t really get worse than playing terrible,” said an obviously irritated Pipkin, now 2-2 as the team’s starter after replacing the concussed Manziel.
“I made some mistakes. I just played terrible in big situations where we had to get points,” he continued.
Pipkin said he was oblivious to what Manziel said on Thursday, denying it affected his performance. Pipkin said he pays no attention to what’s being said or written by the media.
“I just played terrible. I didn’t give us the best chance to win,” said Pipkin, who now has been intercepted eight times in four games. “I made some mistakes in critical moments. I promise it won’t happen again.
“As I said when we were winning games, that’s not my call,” added Pipkin, looking ahead to next week’s game and his potential role. “But I’ll be ready. I’ll be ready to play and am hoping I get another chance. I’m going to take this one on the chin.”
Sherman has an interesting decision to make, one that certainly can’t be made emotionally in the moments following a disheartening defeat. But when Manziel was intercepted four times in his Montreal debut against Hamilton, he remained the starter the following week, at Ottawa.
Of course, Pipkin had yet to play at that point. Now, all this time later, Sherman should have a better idea what both of his rookie pivots are capable of and what are their shortcomings.
Both Sherman and general manager Kavis Reed spoke to Manziel before he met the media on Thursday. And it wouldn’t be surprising if one sat him down again once they were apprised of his outburst.
“He’s a frustrated quarterback that wants to play and is very competitive,” said Sherman, adding he’ll speak to Manziel on Saturday. “He wants that opportunity not to go away. It’s normal for a quarterback to feel that way. I don’t think of it as badly as maybe you guys do. He wants to play. I want a quarterback that wants to play.
“I think there’s better words that could have been chosen. But I’ve never met a backup quarterback that didn’t want to play.”
Considering how desperate the Als should have been, combined with the fact they were on a two-game winning streak, it was surprising to see how poorly they performed offensively. Montreal had only 14 first downs and 158 yards of net offence. The Als controlled the ball for barely more than 14 minutes.
B.J. Cunningham, Pipkin’s favourite receiver, didn’t catch a pass until the second half and only had two catches for 20 yards. Ernest Jackson had two receptions, Adarius Bowman, one. Montreal’s only touchdown came on a special teams play or they would have been held to seven points.
While the defence was respectable, they were also beaten by Jonathon Jennings, the Lions’ backup quarterback. And B.C. won for the first time on the road this season.
Montreal trailed by only four points in the fourth quarter, but on this night, clearly didn’t deserve a better fate.
“It wasn’t just him. We weren’t very good on offence,” Sherman said. “We had a lot of protection issues. He (Pipkin) was running for his life at times. I don’t care who you put back there. It would have been a difficult night for any quarterback. It’s a difficult evaluation, based on the fact he didn’t really have a fair shot.”
We had a lot of protection issues. He (Pipkin) was running for his life at times. I don’t care who you put back there. It would have been a difficult night for any quarterback.