Johnny Manziel Jacked Up In Second CFL Start

Johnny Manziel’s second CFL start went much better than his first. For one thing, he made it out of the first half; for another, he completed 16 of 26 passes for 168 yards, and gained another 36 yards on three rushing attempts, and generally looked like a guy who can do some positive football things out there:

Manziel didn’t score in the game—well, not exactly. His big highlight of the night came in the third quarter, on a bold 17-yard scamper up the middle of the field, ending with a heroic thrust for the goal line; Manziel lowered his head for the final yard and was well and truly crunched by Redblacks defensive back Jonathan Rose, causing a fumble, which was recovered by a teammate for a touchdown. The way Manziel flopped over and failed to make a play for the loose ball, and the way he shook his head groggily while running off the field, makes it seem like there were probably some concussion symptoms in there, but Manziel returned to the field and finished the game without missing a series.

Sadly, it wasn’t enough to get the Alouettes their second win of the season. They’re now a miserable 1-7, with a staggering minus-146 point differential. But they’ve got an improving Johnny Football!