Johnny Manziel: Spring League Debut Disappointing but a 'Huge Step'

Johnny Manziel played in The Spring League for two quarters, finishing 9-of-15 for 82 yards with a touchdown and three sacks. Afterward, Manziel gave himself a mixed review.

"It's disappointing, some of the things that happened, but nevertheless, it's a huge step for me," he said, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. "I put pads back on. A lot of people wrote me off just 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. I have a smile on my face."

The Spring League—"a developmental league that provides opportunities for players who are not on NFL rosters but hope to be," per Seifert—shared highlights from Manziel's performance: 

After The Spring League's next set of games April 12, Manziel has about a month until the Canadian Football League's training camps open for rookies May 16. He's previously said that if he doesn't receive interest in the NFL, he would commit to play at least two years in the CFL.

If he goes that route, it would be with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who own his CFL rights. For the time being, however, Manziel was trying to prove he could be reliable and consistent in both his preparation and performance.

"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."

Manziel, 25, was the No. 22 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns, but a combination of mediocre play on the field and concerns off it left him without a job after two seasons. He is now attempting a comeback and previously threw at the pro days for both San Diego and Texas A&M.

Manziel still appears to have the tools that intrigued the NFL the first time around.

"I've never been around Johnny Manziel until this moment of time, but I see a very quick arm. I see very active eyes," Spring League coach Terry Shea told Seifert. "He sees things, and those classic Johnny Manziel plays, particularly when he's on the move, I've seen those come up here."