Alouettes vs. Tiger-Cats: TV, Live-Stream Schedule for Johnny Manziel CFL Debut

Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel is set to make his first CFL start Friday night when his Montreal Alouettes take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Molson Stadium.

Manziel, who was traded from the Ti-Cats to the Alouettes last month, is going to take the reins of the Montreal offense following the team's 1-5 start to the season. It will mark his first professional start since Dec. 27, 2015, with the Cleveland Browns.

OddsShark noted the Als are listed as seven-point underdogs in Friday's contest.

Viewing Information

Where: Molson Stadium in Montreal

When: Friday, Aug. 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Watch: TSN (Canada) and ESPN2 (U.S.)

Live Stream: TSN Live (Canada) and WatchESPN (U.S.)

Manziel Preview

Manziel quickly rose to prominence at Texas A&M en route to becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012. His success across two seasons with the Aggies led the Browns to select him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 draft.

The Texas native couldn't translate his collegiate success to the NFL level, though. He completed 57 percent of his throws for 1,675 yards with seven touchdown passes and seven interceptions in 14 appearances across two seasons. He added 259 rushing yards and one score on the ground.

Cleveland released Johnny Football in March 2016 following a series of off-field problems.

In February, Manziel told T.J. Holmes of ABC News he started taking medication for bipolar disorder to reduce his dependence on alcohol to deal with depression and said the "goal of this comeback is to get back to the NFL, ultimately."

"I am coming back from a huge downfall," Manziel said. "I don't know what kind of comeback it will be, but I know I want to get back on a football field, to what brought me so much joy in my life."

He added: "I am watching all the other guys doing what I want to be doing, and I am sitting on a couch being a loser."

Manziel took part in The Spring League earlier this year and earned some preseason snaps with the Tiger-Cats before taking on a reserve role behind Jeremiah Masoli when the regular season started.

Now, at age 25, the dual-threat quarterback will receive his most expansive opportunity since being released by the Browns to showcase the playmaking ability that once made him a coveted NFL prospect.

"It's good to be back in here," he told reporters Tuesday. "I felt like the thing I've been missing, even over the course of this year and a couple years, is reps. And as you guys have seen the last couple days, a chance to get with the 1s and get some reps is what I feel like I really need and what I've talked to a lot of people about."

Expectations must be kept within reason, though.

Not only is Manziel making his first pro start in almost three years, but he's taking over an offense that ranks last in the CFL at 15.3 points per game.

In addition, the Hamilton pass defense rates second in the league, giving up an average of just 212.7 passing yards through six contests.

Manziel shouldn't be judged too heavily based on his first start. Alouettes head coach Mike Sherman said after the trade the team "didn't bring him here to have him sit on the bench." So the quarterback will likely see plenty of starts over the remaining 12 games.

Nevertheless, a lot of eyes will be on Johnny Football when he takes the field Friday night in his long-awaited return to a starting lineup.