Johnny Manziel’s path to playing time in his first CFL season seems to be getting tougher by the day, and that has more to do with the quarterback in front of him on the depth chart than it does with Johnny Football’s playmaking ability.
Former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who is currently the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ starter, entered Thursday night’s Week 4 game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders as the CFL’s leading passer with 1,054 yards. He then threw for 333 more in an 18-13 loss, tying a CFL record with his ninth consecutive game of 300-plus passing yards.
Masoli transferred to Oregon in 2008 from City College of San Francisco, and he spent two years as a starter before being kicked off the team for his involvement in a theft on campus. He led Oregon to a victory in the Holiday Bowl in 2008 and a berth in the Rose Bowl the following season, where the Ducks lost to Ohio State.
Tiger-Cats coach June Jones said after Hamilton signed Manziel that the 25-year-old has plenty of work ahead of him if he wants to beat out Masoli, and that was clearly more than a motivational tactic. Manziel knows he has a lot to prove, and the details of his contract with the CFL indicate he could be there for quite some time. If his ultimate goal is to play in the NFL again, he is going to have to earn playing time in the CFL at some point.
