Johnny Football finally gets to play football again.
Johnny Manziel will make his first Canadian Football League start Friday night when the Montreal Alouettes face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Saquon Barkley Giants Jersey , the team the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner turned NFL bust began his comeback with. He last saw regular-season action with the NFL's Cleveland Browns in a 17-13 loss to Kansas City on Dec. 27, 2015.
"I'm hoping to come in and just provide above average, solid quarterback play and give us something consistent week in and week out," Manziel said Thursday. "I don't feel I need to come up here and completely light everything on fire and throw for 500 yards a game and do this and do that. I just want to come in and be a solid starter, eliminate turnovers and hopefully make some plays when needed. I feel I can contribute that for sure. I feel our offense is ready to go out and execute."
Hit by a series of quarterback injuries Authentic Brian Urlacher Jersey , Montreal traded for Manziel two ago weeks ago, and the former Texas A&M star backed up Vernon Aadms last week in a home loss to Edmonton. After going 21 of 32 for 168 yards and a touchdown in two exhibition games for Hamilton, Manziel watched starter Jeremiah Masoli play the first five regular-season games.
"What defense does John know better than any other defense in the league?" said first-year Montreal coach Mike Sherman, the former Green Bay coach and GM who lured Manziel to Texas A&M when he coached the Aggies. "He played against (Hamilton) every day (in practice). He'll have to start eventually and he'll have some growing pains. He's not going out there with any expectations. He's going out there to do a good job moving the football for us and I believe he'll do that."
The Alouettes are 1-5 and have won just once in 17 games going back a year.
"If we win this game we're back to where we want to be, even after the mishaps that we had at the start of the season Paul Goldschmidt Jersey ," Manziel said. "It's a great opportunity for us. We're in a division that is a little down and that's good for us because we can capitalize on that and maybe get on a bit of a winning streak and put ourselves in contention to get in the playoffs."
Manziel will be the 14th quarterback to start for Montreal since CFL passing king Anthony Calvillo retired after the 2013 season.
"That was a different time than we have now in Montreal and it's something we're trying to get back to 鈥?being in contention every year and having a good playoff run and putting ourselves in position to win a Grey Cup," Manziel said. "But right now we're trying to build something, a championship team, and that takes time."
Carson Wentz was back on the field throwing passes less than six months after knee surgery ended his season.
The Pro Bowl quarterback wore a brace on his surgically repaired left knee and tossed passes to assistant coaches and ballboys as the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles kicked off organized team activities on Tuesday. Wentz isn't medically cleared to participate with the rest of the team.
"I'm just learning how to trust it, trust your knee Authentic Marc-Andre Fleury Jersey , trust your movement, all of those things," he said. "That comes over time."
Nick Foles stepped in after Wentz went down, leading the Eagles to their first NFL title since 1960. Foles was the Super Bowl MVP in a 41-33 victory over the Patriots and would be the starter if Wentz isn't ready for the season opener on Sept. 6 against the Falcons.
"Anytime you're rehabbing, you have to be careful Anthony Miller Bears Jersey ," Wentz said. "Trust what the trainers and doctors are saying and be smart with it."
Linebacker Paul Worrilow injured his knee during practice and had to be carted off the field. There was no immediate word on the extent of his injury.
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