Johnny Manziel’s so-called comeback season got off to a rough start.
The 25-year-old quarterback made his CFL debut with Montreal Alouettes on Friday, marking his first professional football start since 2015. And let’s just say the former Cleveland Browns player could’ve done much better—much, much better.
Though he made some notable tackles in his first regular-season CFL, Manziel threw four first-half interceptions (including his very first pass) in the Alouettes’ 50-11 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Heisman Trophy winner was removed from the game after three quarters, finishing the game 11 of 20 for 104 yards with no touchdowns.
Manziel said the game humbled him.
“I think we got beat so bad, things went so bad, so quick that even throughout the game, even when I was in there, I just kept telling myself that this is a test, this is the football gods humbling me,” Manziel told reporters. “You come up here, it’s not the NFL, it’s the CFL, it’s different. You expect to do well. It’s what I’ve been accustomed to in college and had some moments in the NFL. Then you come up here and it’s not what you expected or are used to, it’s a different place. This game humbles you.”
Despite the disastrous performance, Alouettes head coach Mike Sherman says Manziel will be the starter for the team’s next game. The Alouettes will take on the the 4-3 Ottawa Redblacks on Aug. 11.
