Trade to Montreal gives Johnny Manziel a chance to prove himself

After failing to touch the field with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Johnny Manziel will be looking to repair his and the Montreal Alouettes’ reputation.

After Johnny Manziel declared he was on the comeback trail, the football world watched with bated breath to see where he would end up. He lit up Spring League as a trial run, and to prove to NFL teams that he could still play.

But with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats holding his rights, it was only a matter of time before he went north of the border.

Despite a flurry of anticipation following him, the only game action Manziel saw was a few snaps in pre-season. Once the games started to count, he was benched in favor of Jeremiah Masoli.

The Tiger-Cats have had an up-and-down start to the season, going 2-3 while Masoli has thrown four touchdowns against five interceptions. Fans have wondered why they haven’t gone to Manziel yet, but Masoli’s a CFL veteran, so he’s seen as the safer option.

Manziel can’t be happy with sitting on the bench for five weeks, which is why the Tiger-Cats decided to give him a fresh start on the Montreal Alouettes:

https://twitter.com/MTLAlouettes/status/1021182545868750848?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

With this trade, both the Alouettes and Tiger-Cats have a chance to reset. Masoli might start playing better now that there’s no quarterback controversy looming over his head, while the Als might be more inclined to play Manziel since they have nothing to lose at this point.

The fact that they called their next opponent his “first game” in their announcement should all but assure he’ll get some action. However, his prolific college stats don’t guarantee anything — the Alouettes have Vernon Adams on their roster and he can’t get into a game.

While the Tiger-Cats and Masoli haven’t played great, the Alouettes would switch places with them in a heartbeat. They’ve gotten off to a putrid 1-4 start, with one of their losses being a heavy 56-10 score against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Their quarterback situation is a revolving door, but Drew Willy — a name UB fans may recognize — has the most pass attempts, making him their de facto starter.

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Of course, the only reason Manziel is playing in the CFL is so that he can get back in the NFL. But if he can’t even touch the field north of the border, he’s not going to get a starting gig south of it.