Johnny Manziel Throws for 168 Yards as Montreal Loses to Ottawa in CFL Action

It would have been hard for Johnny Manziel's second CFL start to go worse than the first, and it's clear he's far from ready to make a difference in the NFL.

But as far as improvements go, Manziel demonstrated it Saturday, throwing for 168 yards in the Montreal Alouettes' 24-17 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks. 

Manziel completed 16 of his 26 passes and actually made it through the full game. He was pulled from his first CFL start after throwing four interceptions in the first half against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

"This is a humbling experience," Manziel told reporters after the loss. "I've had this experience in the past and there are two ways you go about this moving forward. One, you can let it get you down and sulk and harm you moving forward. The other way is to take this on the chin like a man and never let this taste creep back in your mouth again and never let it happen again. This will motivate me."

Manziel is still yet to throw a touchdown in three CFL halves, but there were some flashes of the old Johnny Football. He carried the ball three times for 36 yards, including a big 17-yard run that ended in a touchdown after he fumbled and it was recovered by Kristian Matte. 

Perhaps the most important improvement was Manziel not throwing an interception. Montreal held possession for under 24 minutes thanks to a special teams score and its defense being unable to get Ottawa off the field.

Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris threw for 487 yards and a touchdown, completing 44 of his 54 attempts. Running back William Powell added 104 yards and a touchdown. 

The Alouettes and Manziel have time to figure things out together. Montreal is 1-7 on the season and has no real shot at winning the Grey Cup this season. Manziel can work out the kinks with a team that's clearly at a talent deficiency and hopefully get the rust out of his system in time to make tangible progress.

Given his talent level a few years ago, Manziel should be one of the best quarterbacks in the CFL. Two games in, though, it's clear he's a ways away from making that happen.

Saturday was just more progress.