Johnny Manziel faces uphill battle in latest comeback attempt

Johnny Manziel announced he will sign with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. However, nothing is guaranteed for the Heisman Trophy winner in Canada.

Johnny Manziel announced on Twitter that he will sign a two-year contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. The move is positive for the former Heisman Trophy winner, who saw his NFL career flame out less than two years after being drafted by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns released the quarterback in March 2016 and he has been unemployed ever since.

Signing with Hamilton gives Manziel an opportunity no NFL team was willing to offer. However, if Manziel expects to come to Canada and dominate like he did at Texas A&M, he’s in for a rude awakening. Countless numbers of high-profile quarterbacks have come to the CFL and flamed out. Last year, Vince Young signed in Saskatchewan but was released after struggling in the preseason and suffering a hamstring injury.

The CFL is a completely different brand of football to the NCAA or NFL. The field is wider and longer, there’s an extra player on the field, one fewer down to work with and less time on the play clock. Adjusting to the speed of the game and three downs is the easy part. Throwing to the wide side of the field is the difficult part.

The CFL field is 15 yards wider than the NFL field and requires quarterbacks to make adjustments to learn what throws they can and can’t make. The 12th player on the field is the biggest adjustment. Most CFL teams run a 4-3-5 formation. The strongside linebacker operates as a strong safety, used to drop into coverage or play the run. Defensive co-ordinators use the same linebacker to disguise coverages and blitzes. Manziel has an uphill battle learning how to prepare against CFL defenses.

Ticats head coach June Jones believes Manziel could come to Canada and have the same success as Doug Flutie. The former Boston College Heisman winner is arguably the greatest player in CFL history and used his opportunity to get back into the NFL. Along with Flutie, Warren Moon and Jeff Garcia are two notable quarterbacks who went the CFL to NFL route. However, Manziel will have to wait two years before attempting a return to the NFL. Current CFL commission Randy Ambroise has punished teams who have let players out of their contract early to pursue NFL opportunities.

Training camps open on Sunday for the nine CFL teams. Manziel becomes the fifth quarterback in Hamilton’s training camp. Former Oregon and Mississippi is firmly entrenched as the team’s starting quarterback after closing the season 6-4. Hamilton gave Masoli an extension before the start of free agency and it will take an injury for someone else to become the starting quarterback.

Picking up the offense should be relatively easy for Manziel even if he hasn’t watched many CFL games. Almost all CFL plays are run out of the shotgun with five receivers spreading the field. Zone reads and run-pass options have long been popular in the CFL and there should be some similarities to what Manziel ran at Texas A&M. However, Manziel will have to adjust his cadence and timing. CFL slotbacks are able to get a running start towards the line of scrimmage.

Should Manziel get playing time his first season, he should have a strong chance to succeed if he has a good handle of the playbook and opposing defenses. Hamilton has a strong offensive line and four receivers who have gone over 1000 yards in one of the past two seasons. However, getting on the field will not come early for Manziel. He will have to wait his turn.

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The move is a massive positive for the CFL. Games are broadcast in the United States on ESPN with the majority found on their streaming service. The interest in Manziel should help boost the CFL’s leverage in an upcoming TV rights deal. Manziel will also boost interest across Canada. For a league looking at expanding to a 10th team in Halifax in the coming years, the Manziel signing comes at the perfect time.