Johnny Manziel plays competitively again in The Spring League as he attempts a comeback to the NFL

Jay Asser 20:38 08/04/2018
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  • Johnny Manziel had 83 yards and a touchdown pass in his debut in The Spring League.

    Johnny Manziel took one of the initial steps in a potential return to the NFL by playing his first competitive football game in over two years.

    The polarising quarterback strapped on the pads and helmet for about two quarters of action in Austin, Texas on Saturday in The Spring League, a showcase event for players hoping to make it onto the roster of a professional team.

    Manziel had his ups and down, including completions on his first seven passes, two scrambles for 11 and 10 yards, and a vintage touchdown toss in which he rolled out to the right and zipped an off-balance throw to the back of the end zone to wide receiver Antwan Goodley.

    He was also sacked three times and couldn’t engineer a scoring drive after getting the ball back down four points with two minutes remaining, finishing 9-of-15 for 83 yards in a 11-7 loss.

    His return to the field in the modest settings were a far cry from his days as a top prospect in college football with Texas A&M and as a starting NFL quarterback with the Cleveland Browns, but Manziel is working his way back to the game after off-field issues stemming from substance abuse and bipolar disease derailed his career.

    “The main thing, #ComebackSZN for me is like no matter where I end up and no matter what happens football-wise, at least my life, at least, you know, I’ve repaired a lot of relationships that needed work, I’ve repaired a lot of myself that needed a lot of work and I’m able to run back on the field, something I didn’t know if I’d ever get a chance to do again,” Manziel said after his debut in The Spring League.

    “It’s disappointing, some of the things that happened, but nevertheless this is a huge step for me. I put pads back on.

    “A lot of people would have just wrote me off to even get to this point. I’m definitely emotional about it. I’m definitely happy about it. This isn’t the end goal for me, but I’m having fun again.”

    Manziel will have one more chance to show what he’s still capable of in The Spring League’s final round of games on Thursday. After that, the 25-year-old will hope to earn interest from an NFL team, with the Canadian Football League (CFL) a secondary option. His rights are currently held by the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

    In all likelihood, a two-game sample size in a developmental league won’t sway NFL teams one way or the other on Manziel. The reason why he fell out of the NFL had little to do with his talent as he showed promising glimpses as a playmaker with both his arm and legs in his brief two-year spell.

    The real question marks surrounding Manziel have to do with his professionalism and behaviour off the field. NFL teams will want to see if he has developed better habits and that’s exactly what Manziel is hoping to show during his time in The Spring League.

    “The message that I’m sending is showing up every day and going to meetings,” he said.

    “Being engaged in everything that is going on during practice and in the game. I can’t control what is going on [with NFL teams’ interests] and I don’t know what’s going on in NFL meetings.

    “If that’s the case, if the NFL is something that pops up, cool. If not, I’m going to work until I get back there. We’ll see how things play out.”

    Before Saturday, Manziel’s last appearance in a competitive game came in the Browns’ 17-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on December 27, 2015, when he threw for 137 yards and an interception, while adding a career-high 108 rushing yards on 11 carries.

    In 14 NFL games, Manziel had a completion percentage of 57.0, averaged 119.6 passing yards per game and 6.49 yards per throw, tossed seven touchdowns and seven interceptions for a passer rating of 74.4, and produced 259 rushing yards and one rushing score.

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