Johnny Manziel's CFL Debut Could Not Have Gone Any Worse

By Ross Kelly August 4, 2018 at 9:03am

Johnny Manziel’s first start in three years went about as bad as humanly possible as the former Heisman winner had a disastrous performance in his CFL debut.

Manziel started for the Montreal Alouettes just 12 days after being acquired in a trade. He faced the team that traded him, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but a familiarity with his opponent didn’t do him any favors.

“Johnny Canada” threw four first-half interceptions as Montreal was stomped 50-11.

Johnny Manziel's CFL debut is off to a rough start with 4 interceptions in the first half. pic.twitter.com/FK24Xsedkn

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 4, 2018

He completed 11 of 20 passes for 104 yards and no touchdowns before being pulled in the fourth quarter.

Rough debut for Johnny Manziel.

Manziel's 4 interceptions are the most in a CFL game this season.

How often does something like this happen in the NFL?

Nathan Peterman is the only QB to throw 4 Int in the 1st half over the last 10 seasons.

That's it. pic.twitter.com/oWHs0I8Pc4

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 4, 2018

Known for his running and scrambling ability while in college, Manziel rushed for just four yards on two attempts. He looked every bit like a player who had not started a game since December 2015.

By going from a Heisman winner in college to a first-round draft pick in the NFL to a backup in the CFL, Manziel has had a humbling journey over the past few years. He admitted after the game that his performance was yet another humbling experience.

Johnny Manziel's debut did not go as planned. pic.twitter.com/c2qpZf9PSC

— ESPN (@espn) August 4, 2018

“This game is humbling. This is a humbling experience. I’ve had this experience in the past before, and there’s two ways you either go about this moving forward. One, you can let this get you down and sulk … and harm you moving forward,” he said. “The other way is to just take this on the chin like a man and never allow this taste to creep back in your mouth again and never let this happen again.”

Manziel had just four practices with the team after being acquired in the trade, and things were rough from the very beginning. Two of his first four pass attempts were picked off, and he seemed to let on that starting this soon was a bad idea.

Will Johnny Manziel ever play in the NFL again?

“Would it have been nice to be here for two or three weeks and then get your first start? Sure,” Manziel said. “But I didn’t lack any confidence coming into this game. I didn’t feel unprepared. … Today went the way it went. It went just about as bad as it could possibly go. Only up from here.”

Poor first starts have become the norm for Manziel no matter the level or league he’s playing in. His first NFL start was a 30-0 loss to the Bengals in which Manziel threw two interceptions, was sacked three times and posted a 27.3 passer rating.

Even in college Manziel struggled out of the gate as his first start at Texas A&M resulted in another defeat. He has never thrown a touchdown pass in his debut at the college or pro levels while accounting for six interceptions.

Perhaps the best play that Manziel made in his CFL debut as a starter came after one of his many interceptions.

After his third pick and clearly frustrated, Manziel raced down the field to make a textbook tackle on the ball carrier who received a lateral from the intercepting player.

Even though he threw a pick, you can tell Johnny Manziel hasn't lost his fire.

Watch until the end. 👏 @CFL https://t.co/kfmiXkMiJn

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) August 4, 2018

Manziel should get another opportunity to prove he belongs at this level when the Alouettes travel to Ottawa to take on the Redblacks next Saturday.

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