Johnny Manziel could be seeing more action in Montreal.
Following his trade from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to the Alouettes over the weekend, the CFL quarterback is expected to make his way onto the football field after failing to take a single snap during a five-game stretch with his former team.
“We didn’t trade for Johnny to be the savior,” general manager Kavis Reed told reporters Monday, via the Montreal Gazette. “We traded for him to be a part of this.”
Alouettes coach Mike Sherman, who recruited Manziel to Texas A&M after he already had committed to Oregon, reiterated Reed's thoughts but said the team won't rush him.
“One of the first things I said to him was this has to work and this will work,” Sherman said. “I’m anxious and excited to move forward and get him involved in our team.
“We didn’t bring him here to have him sit on the bench. It depends on his assimilation of our playbook. We’ll see how the week plays out. I don’t want to put added pressure on him.”
Montreal is scheduled to host the Edmonton Eskimos on Thursday, and Sherman didn't rule out the possibility of Manziel getting in some playing time.
"This is quite a short week," Sherman said. "We'll just see how the week plays out. I don't want to put added pressure on him and I want everybody else to get ready to play. We'll just play it out during the course of the week."
The Alouettes hold a 1-4 record after capping their 3-15 season last year with 11 straight losses.
Enter Manziel.
“I think this is a situation for me that can absolutely work,” he said Monday. “I walked in and saw Coach Sherman with a smile on my face. I trust these gentlemen will put me in a position to succeed. I believe … when I’m ready, they’ll give me the chance, (but) I’ve tempered my expectations to not reach too high. I realize there’s going to be some growing pains. It’s a process.
“This organization obviously put a lot on the line to get me here. There are expectations behind that.”