On Friday night, Johnny Manziel played professional football again. It wasn't an NFL game. It didn't even take place in the United States. It was a preseason CFL game in Canada. But it mattered nonetheless for Manziel.
Eight hundred eighty-eight days since his last professional football game with the Cleveland Browns, Manziel made his CFL debut for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night. It went just about as you'd expect it go for a 25-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner and first-round pick who hasn't played professional football in two-and-a-half years and has been with his new team in a foreign league for two weeks.
In between those outings -- at various points during those 888 days -- Manziel has faced an assault charge after he allegedly ruptured his then-girlfriend's eardrum, reached a plea deal to get those charges dismissed, been diagnosed with and treated for bipolar disorder, gotten sober, and finally picked up a football again as he tries to breathe second life into a once-promising career that he derailed not long ago.
Friday night marked an important step in his comeback. Manziel didn't sign with the Tiger-Cats until May 19 when it became clear an NFL team won't give him a second chance unless he provides actual tangible proof of his turnaround. That process will take place in the CFL. As expected, since he's a newcomer to the team, Manziel didn't start -- with that job still belonging to Jeremiah Masoli.
But Manziel found his way onto the field for the preseason game against the Toronto Argonauts.
According to The Star's Bruce Arthur, Manziel ran 22 plays on five possessions, during which he went 9 of 12 for 80 yards (6.7 yards per attempt) in addition to rushing for 10 yards.
"He's just not ... he did some good things," Tiger-Cats coach June Jones, per The Star. "He's got a game presence about him, as you guys know. He looked at the things, knew where he should have thrown the ball when he had a chance to, but it just comes from not being here quite as long as the rest of the guys."
Jones added that he "kept it real simple" for Manziel, which was the plan going into the contest.
"I didn't call many downfield throws for him," he said. "But obviously he scrambled around and made a couple plays ... as we keep going I think he'll keep getting better and better every time he plays."
At times, he looked like Johnny Football:
"Today was good to get out there, feel the speed, see the zone coverages, see how it kind of plays out," Manziel said. "But I feel like this is a good fit for me. I'm here for a reason, and I'm here to compete for a reason. I want to play in whatever capacity to help this team win, and I mean that honestly, whatever that is, you know?"
One of the more notable moments came when Argonauts players engaged in some trash talk with Manziel. After the game, Manziel said he's "not backing down from anybody."
"It's part of it," Manziel said. "I was trying to help a guy up out of the pile, he wants to say some foul stuff. Listen, I'm not here to be pushed over. You can come at me because my name's in the papers, because my name's on TV, you can come at me. I'm not backing down. I'm here for a reason, I'm here to play ball, I'm not going to be treated like s---. So, it is what it is. It's football. People talk a little bit out there. It is what it is. But just know I'm not backing down from anybody."
When Manziel was asked about an intentional grounding penalty he was flagged for, he didn't hold back from ripping the officials.
"That's the worst call of the century," Manziel said, per TSN. "My whole life I've been taught to throw it right at the stick that's marking the down.
"I thought I got it there, he (official) told me I was about a yard short. That's the first time I've heard of that, that's new to me."
So, there you have it. Manziel's preseason debut in the CFL involved a bit of everything that we've come to associate with Manziel, the football player: some vintage Manziel moments without all of the pieces being put together, some trash talk, and some controversy.
Really, what else did we expect? It's Manziel's first game since Dec. 27, 2015 and he's been with his new team for only two weeks. Manziel's stint with the Tiger-Cats was never going to be defined by his debut or his first few games. He's at the beginning of a much longer process that will likely require him to fulfill his two-year contract in Canada.
For Manziel to get another chance in the NFL, he'll likely have to prove to the league that he takes his responsibilities as a professional quarterback seriously by putting in the extra work, being a good teammate, showing up on time to meetings, staying out of trouble, and above all else, submitting enticing game tape. It'll be a long, drawn-out process that'll require patience on his part.
That's the situation he finds himself in after the events of the past two years. He seems to understand that, which is important because if he expected his comeback to happen overnight he wouldn't be living in reality.
"One at a time," Manziel said, per The Star. "Right now I'm just taking it slow, being patient. I feel like I'm in a good situation, I can say that wholeheartedly ... and in time things will work themselves out ... It's still football. At the end of the day it's not the NFL, but I think this is a great league."
Manziel's next chance to play will come against Montreal on June 9.
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