Aug 3, 2018
Disastrous CFL start for Manziel, little help from Als teammates
Montreal Alouettes quarterback Johnny Manziel struggled in his first CFL start, tossing four interceptions, but he didn’t get any help from his teammates as the Als couldn’t block, were horrible on defence and looked lethargic from start to finish, TSN CFL Insider Dave Naylor reports.
By Dave Naylor
So it wasn’t exactly an auspicious start.
But on a night the Montreal Alouettes guaranteed themselves going more than a calendar year without a win at home, Johnny Manziel had lots of company.
Football, it’s been said, is the ultimate team game. So it was hardly a surprise that joining a team that was starting its fourth quarterback in as many weeks, one ranking last in points scored and allowed, Manziel struggled mightily.
His first and this third passes that crossed the line of scrimmage were intercepted, two of the four picks he fired before halftime. The 25-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner completed 11-of-20 passes for 104 yards and four interceptions.
But the Als couldn’t block, they were horrible on defence, surrendered a touchdown on special teams and looked lethargic from start to finish on Friday night against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on home turf at Percival Molson Stadium.
It was 28-0 before the end of the first quarter in a game that was a mismatch at far more than just the quarterback position.
Johnny Manziel couldn’t fix that. Heck Brett Favre, Peyton Manning or Anthony Calvillo in their primes would have had a rough night.
It was a game that produced plenty of fodder for the critics who’ve said the Als pushed the panic button by naming Manziel their starter just 12 days after he was acquired in a trade. But as Manziel said many times this week, this was the start of something, not the finish.
And it’s not as if the Als had many options that would have given them much more hope against a Hamilton team (3-4) that happily pocketed two of Montreal’s best players in the trade that sent Manziel to Montreal nearly two weeks ago.
But what Hamilton’s 50-11 win over Montreal reminds us is the value of experience when it comes to playing quarterback in the Canadian Football League.
Almost all of the league’s great quarterbacks either struggled significantly in their careers or spent more than a season in a backup role, learning the Canadian game.
Manziel hasn’t been afforded that luxury and that challenge becomes significantly greater when a quarterback is thrust into the starting role as the result of a mid-season trade by team in a desperate situation.
By contrast, consider the path Hamilton starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has taken to this season. Masoli signed with the San Francisco 49ers in the spring of 2012, was released and came to Edmonton where he sat without playing a down. A trade in the spring of 2013 moved him to Hamilton, where he remained buried in a backup role, playing sparingly until 2016 when injuries opened the door for him and, finally, last season when he was named the Ticats’ starter from Labour Day onward.
How much has Jeremiah Masoli learned to process about playing quarterback in the CFL during his five seasons in the league before becoming a full-time starter? A lot.
Far, far more than Manziel could ever cram in two-and-a-half months in the league and just 12 days with the Alouettes.
Similarly, McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s successful first CFL start for Toronto on Thursday night was the product of a player practising in head coach Marc Trestman’s system for a year-and-a-half.
Manziel didn’t look lost, except when the plays completely broke down around him and he kept his composure right until he was pulled early in the fourth quarter for Vernon Adams. His ability to scramble bought him time, but he was facing unblocked pursuit throughout the night, having to make desperate throws that displayed his rusty decision-making.
There was a little of the Johnny Football magic sprinkled into the mix, but it was mostly surrounded by chaos.
At 1-6, the Als have now lost 17 of their past 18 games.
Even in a relatively weak East Division, they aren’t likely to make the playoffs.
Instead, their season will be judged based on what kind of progress Manziel makes this season, whether he looks as though he’s grasping the Canadian game and can carry that into next season, when there may very well be a whole lot of changes around him.
Every CFL quarterback needs an apprenticeship. It’s just that Johnny Manziel’s – like everything he does – is happening under the bright lights.