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103-648: Johnathan Paul Manziel ( / m æ n ˈ z ɛ l / man- ZEL ; born December 6, 1992), nicknamed " Johnny Football ", is an American former professional football quarterback who played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He also played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2018,

206-671: A kickoff for a touchdown for a combined 77 touchdowns. That year, he was honored as District 28-4A MVP (unanimous selection), Class 4A First-team All-State (AP), San Antonio Express-News Offensive Player of the Year (second year in a row), the Associated Press (AP) Sports Editors Texas Player of the Year, Sub-5A First-team All-Area ( SA Express-News ), No. 1 QB in Texas by Dave Campbell's Texas Football , DCTF Top 300, PrepStar All-Region and Super Prep All-Region. For Manziel's three years as

309-483: A prolate spheroid with pointed ends. The international governing body for the sport is the International Federation of American Football (IFAF); although the organization plays all of its international competitions under American rules, it uses a definition of the game that is broad enough that it includes Canadian football under its umbrella, and Football Canada (the governing body for Canadian football)

412-416: A punt is when the ball is released from the punter's hand and kicked downfield as close to the opponent's end zone as possible without entering it; the kicking team loses possession of the ball after the kick and the receiving team can attempt to advance the ball or call a fair catch. The other scrimmage kick is a field goal attempt. This must be attempted by place kick or (more rarely) drop kick , and if

515-572: A shortstop . In January 2014, Manziel announced that he would forgo his junior season and enter the 2014 NFL draft . He was projected to be a first-round pick, and as of January 15, 2014, his draft stock was reported to be rising by a consensus of experts who had him pegged as a top-five pick. Manziel elected to throw during Texas A&M's Pro Day on March 27, 2014, instead of during the NFL Combine . During his pro day, Manziel completed 64 of 66 passes to six different receivers. His pro day performance

618-608: A 10-yard rush in the fourth quarter. The Browns lost 26–10. Manziel made his first NFL start in the Browns' Week 15 game against the Cincinnati Bengals . Manziel completed 10 of 18 passes for 80 yards and two interceptions for a 27.3 passer rating while being sacked three times. The Browns lost 30–0. Manziel completed three of eight passes in his second career start against the Carolina Panthers on December 21, 2014. He left

721-705: A ball goes out of bounds), the actual time it takes for a football game to be completed is typically over three hours in the NFL and slightly under three hours in the CFL. According to 2017 study on brains of deceased gridiron football players, 99% of tested brains of NFL players, 88% of CFL players, 64% of semi-professional players, 91% of college football players, and 21% of high school football players had various stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Other common injuries include injuries of legs, arms and lower back. Varsity team#North America In Canada and

824-572: A contract or trade his rights. If neither was done, the team would lose his rights. On January 7, the team confirmed that they had made Manziel an offer. Not long after, Manziel's agent, Eric Burkhardt, responded to the Tiger-Cats offer stating that Hamilton had until January 31, 2018, to offer his client a "fair deal". Failure to do so would result in Manziel turning his attention to "several other professional options". Burkhardt insisted that Manziel be paid in

927-404: A domestic violence incident with his ex-girlfriend, the Browns released a statement saying that Manziel's continued disregard of their "expectations for our players on and off the field" had undermined the Browns' reputation, and that they intended to address his status "as soon as permitted by league rules". The Browns released him on March 11, 2016. On March 31, 2017, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of

1030-580: A four-interception game by Pipkin in Week 14, Manziel took over the reins as starting quarterback for the Alouettes in Week 15, a game they ended up losing 31–14 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers . Manziel played in eight games in his first season in the CFL, completing 106 of 165 pass attempts (64.2%) for 1,290 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed the ball 29 times for 215 yards. Manziel

1133-897: A given athletic season. In recognition of their high level of performance, athletes on varsity teams are often given varsity letters . They are in contrast to the institution's club sports . A major difference between varsity and club sports is the source for allocated funds. Varsity teams receive financial support, equipment, and facilities from college and university athletic department budgets. Universities often allocate club sport budgets through student life departments similar to other clubs on campus. Because club sports cost more than other clubs, many club student-athletes must pay to play and also engage in team fundraising efforts to pay for facilities time, equipment, and other team expenses. At various levels of collegiate sports, varsity student athletes are eligible for scholarships solely or partially based on athletic skills. Varsity can be compared with

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1236-417: A junior varsity team before being eligible to try out for a varsity team. These players can provide the varsity team with extra depth, with their service as back-up players. The NCAA previously prohibited true freshmen from playing varsity college football and basketball; as a result, numerous junior-varsity "freshmen teams" appeared on many major college campuses. The NCAA repealed this limitation in 1972; to

1339-491: A junior varsity team one year is expected to gain enough experience to be one of the varsity players the next season. A team's head coach will attend junior varsity games to evaluate skill and decide if a player is ready to play in the main part of a varsity game. Junior varsity teams may or may not travel with or take the field/court with the varsity team, or in particularly well-organized hierarchies (especially in sports such as football) may alternate home and away schedules with

1442-506: A liking to McGill's rugby-style rules and adopted them. In turn, they were used when Harvard and Yale University played their first intercollegiate sports game in 1875, after which the rugby-style Canadian game was adopted by Yale players and spectators from Yale and Princeton University . This version of the game was subsequently played with several other U.S. colleges over the next several years. American football teams and organizations subsequently adopted new rules which distinguished

1545-479: A national stage. He played in the game as a teammate with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota . Sources: Manziel received an athletic scholarship to attend Texas A&M University , where he attended under coach Mike Sherman in 2011 and played for new coach Kevin Sumlin from 2012 to 2013. Manziel was redshirted during the 2011 season and did not play in any games. He made the travel squad after enrolling with

1648-409: A play in a huddle and freely substitute players to set into a formation , in which the offense must remain perfectly still for at least one second (the formation requirement does not apply to Canadian football). At least half of the players (seven in standard American and Canadian football, four in standard indoor ball) on the offense must line up on the line of scrimmage in this formation, including

1751-497: A process of evaluation for the player". Manziel also had a meeting with CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie in September. On September 27, the CFL announced that Manziel would not be allowed to sign with any CFL team for the 2017 season but would be able to sign with a team for the 2018 season if he met "certain conditions". On December 28, 2017, the CFL approved Manziel to play in the league. The Tiger-Cats had until January 7 to offer him

1854-433: A rotation that allows everyone to play. The decision of when to play junior varsity players in a one-sided game is often at the coach's discretion. This depends on the coach's strategy, the time remaining in the game, the point margin, and the game situation. When the winning team is ahead by a substantial margin late in the game, the coaches of both the winning and losing teams may " empty their benches "—that is, they remove

1957-413: A series of physical and medical tests" from August 23 to 24, 2017. He did not initially sign with the team. On September 2, Manziel's representatives requested a contract offer from the Tiger-Cats. According to CFL rules, the Tiger-Cats then had 10 days to offer Manziel a contract, trade his rights or relinquish his rights. However, the CFL later extended the 10-day window so that the league could "facilitate

2060-460: A starter, he completed 520-of-819 passes (63.5%) for 7,626 yards and 76 touchdowns, rushed 531 times for 4,045 yards and 77 touchdowns and caught 30 passes for 582 yards and another five touchdowns. He was the only quarterback in America named as a Parade All-American his senior year, and he was also named The National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) Senior Athlete of the Year in football. He won

2163-412: A team at a particular weight class in a given varsity match. The team's representative is often determined by a "challenge match," in which the top two wrestlers at that weight compete for the right to participate in the varsity match. The loser wrestles that night's junior varsity match. A similar format is used for golf, tennis, and badminton, with players who lose to varsity opponents participating in

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2266-407: A ten-yard penalty against offensive players and a five-yard penalty against defensive ones), and pass interference (when either a receiver or the defending player pushes or blocks the other to prevent them from catching the pass). A team on offense cannot score points as the direct result of a penalty; a defensive foul committed in the team's own end zone, if the penalty is assessed from the spot of

2369-656: A younger sister named Meri. Manziel's paternal great-great-grandfather Joseph immigrated to the United States, in 1907, from Lebanon and settled in Louisiana. He is of Italian descent on his maternal side. Manziel grew up playing a variety of sports, including football , basketball , baseball , and golf . At Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas , he focused on baseball and football. However, in football, sportswriters, coaches, and parents said he "achieved folk hero status" and

2472-535: Is 60 timed minutes in length, split into four 15-minute quarters. (High school football uses 12-minute quarters, and the general rule is that the younger the players, the shorter the quarters typically are.) Because of the halftime, quarter breaks, time-outs, the minute warnings ( two minutes before the end of a half in the NFL , three minutes in Canadian football ), and frequent stoppages of the game clock (the clock stops, for example, after every incomplete pass and any time

2575-496: Is an IFAF member. The sport is typically known as simply "football" in the countries where it originated, regardless of the specific variety. In Europe the sport is commonly known as "American football". Various sources use the term "North American football" when discussing the American and Canadian games together, but this term is quite rare. The two sports are also sometimes known as "gridiron football". The name originated with

2678-427: Is awarded one single point . If the team in possession of the ball, at any time, advances (either by carrying or catching) the ball into the opponent's end zone, it is a touchdown , and the team scores six points and a free play known as a try . In a try, a team attempts to score one or two points (rules vary by each league, but under standard rules, a field goal on a try is worth one point while another touchdown

2781-399: Is far less, and bands, cheerleaders, and media coverage are usually not present. In some sports, such as tennis and golf, a junior varsity meet will take place simultaneously with the varsity event; however, the scores are separately tabulated. In track and field, a junior varsity heat of a particular event may take place either before or after the varsity heat. An underclassman who plays on

2884-859: Is usually called " soccer " in Australian English . The governing body for American football in Australia is Gridiron Australia . Similarly, in the UK American football is known as American football, as "football" is used to refer to soccer . The sport developed from informal games played in North America during the 19th century. Early games had a variety of local rules and were generally similar to modern rugby union and soccer . The earliest recorded instance of gridiron football occurred at University of Toronto's University College in November 1861. Later in

2987-404: Is worth two). At the college and professional levels, the defense can also score on a try, but only on the same scale (thus a botched try the defense returns for a touchdown scores only two points and not six). Kickoffs occur after every touchdown and field goal. If a team is in its own end zone and commits a foul, is tackled with the ball, or bats, fumbles, kicks or throws the ball backward out of

3090-463: The Canadian Football League (CFL) revealed that they had placed Manziel on their negotiation list, a list of players that each team has exclusive rights to attempt to sign. The revelation was an unprecedented move, as CFL teams had previously kept their negotiation lists secret. After a year out of football, Manziel had a workout in Buffalo, New York , with the Tiger-Cats, during which he was "put through

3193-464: The Cleveland Browns , passed over Manziel. While Manziel was waiting to get drafted, he texted then-Browns quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains that he wanted to "wreck the league" in Cleveland. Loggains forwarded the text to head coach Mike Pettine , who made the decision to trade up to draft Manziel. The Browns drafted him at the 22nd overall pick; at 5'11 3/4", he was the shortest quarterback drafted in

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3296-848: The Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019, and in Fan Controlled Football from 2021 to 2022. Manziel was nationally recruited out of high school as a dual-threat quarterback , and he debuted in college football for the Texas A&;M Aggies as a redshirt freshman in Kevin Sumlin 's Air Raid offense during A&M's first season in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 2012. He broke numerous NCAA Division I FBS and SEC records, which included becoming

3399-514: The Montreal Alouettes for defensive lineman Jamaal Westerman , wide receiver Chris Williams , and Montreal's 2020 and 2021 first-round draft picks. Hamilton coach June Jones stated Manziel was traded to give him a better chance at receiving playing time, while the development of quarterback Dane Evans was also a factor in the trade. On July 31, Alouettes head coach Mike Sherman announced that Manziel would start their August 3 game against

3502-546: The Mr. Texas Football award in 2010. Manziel was highly recruited out of high school; in addition to Texas A&M, he received offers from Baylor , Colorado State , Iowa State , Louisiana Tech , Oregon , Rice , Stanford , Tulsa , and Wyoming . Although he grew up a Texas Longhorns fan, the University of Texas did not recruit him. Although it was rumored that Texas wanted Manziel at defensive back , Texas coach Mack Brown said

3605-582: The Tennessee Titans . He completed 8 of 15 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns to Benjamin in the 28–14 win. Following McCown's recovery, Manziel did not take the field again until McCown suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter of a Week 7 game against the St. Louis Rams . Manziel completed 4 of 5 passes for 27 yards in a 24–6 loss. In a Week 8 game against the Arizona Cardinals , Manziel again took

3708-412: The junior varsity (JV) and freshman levels, the former which is typically for less-experienced underclassmen , while the latter is exclusively for first-year students ( ninth graders in high school). JV and Freshman players may be promoted to the varsity level by performing well. In contrast, intramural sports (IM sports), consists of teams within the same school (the word intramural means "within

3811-406: The western provinces , demanded changes to the game based on the innovations in American football. Over the years, the sport adopted more Americanized rules, though it retained some of its historical features, including a 110-yard (100 m) field, 12-player teams, and three downs instead of four. Around the same time Camp devised the rules for American football, the Canadian game would develop in

3914-594: The 1860s, teams from universities were playing each other, leading to more standardized rules and the creation of college football . While several American schools adopted rules based on the soccer rules of the English Football Association , Harvard University held to its traditional "carrying game". Meanwhile, McGill University in Montreal used rules based on rugby union . In 1874, Harvard and McGill organized two games using each other's rules. Harvard took

4017-470: The 19th century out of older games related to modern rugby football , more specifically rugby union football. Early on, American and Canadian football developed alongside (but independently from) each other; the root of the game known as "football" today originates with an 1874 game between Harvard and McGill Universities , following which the American school adopted the Canadian school's more rugby-like rules. Over time, Canadian teams adopted features of

4120-593: The 2013 season with a No. 6 ranking in the Coaches Poll . Prior to the season, some journalists argued that Manziel could suffer a sophomore slump , while others felt that he would continue to have success. Manziel's eligibility for the 2013 season was under question after reports surfaced that he had signed autographs for money in January 2013. On August 28, 2013, the NCAA reached an agreement with Texas A&M to suspend Manziel for

4223-624: The 51–41 win over Mississippi State , Manziel tied his single-game career-high five touchdowns, while also throwing for 446 yards but with three interceptions. He was fifth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2013. As a Texas Rangers fan growing up, Manziel was a middle infielder at Tivy High School before forgoing his baseball career in favor of football. He played baseball through his junior year, but he skipped out on his senior season so he could graduate early and focus on preparing for his freshman football season at Texas A&M. Manziel's passion for

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4326-456: The American variant of the game and vice versa. Both varieties are distinguished from other football sports by their use of hard plastic helmets and shoulder pads , the forward pass , the system of downs , a number of unique rules and positions , measurement in customary units of yards (even in Canada, which largely metricated in the 1970s ), and a distinctive brown leather ball in the shape of

4429-403: The Browns. An anonymous player even called Manziel's rookie season a "100 percent joke." Others within the organization were hopeful about Manziel's future, including cornerback Joe Haden . On August 27, Manziel was ruled out for the rest of the preseason with recurring pain in his right elbow. Manziel had been making noticeable improvement in his play. On September 13, Manziel was brought into

4532-462: The CFL. After the session, Manziel reiterated that his primary goal was to play in the NFL in 2018, but if that did not occur he would play in the CFL. On May 19, 2018, Manziel and the Tiger-Cats announced that they had agreed to a two-year contract. On July 22, after spending the first six weeks on Hamilton's bench without playing, as backup to Jeremiah Masoli , the Tiger-Cats traded Manziel and offensive linemen Tony Washington and Landon Rice to

4635-530: The Tiger-Cats of the CFL in 2018. He was later traded to the Alouettes during the season, but was released the following year and rendered ineligible to play in the CFL after it was determined he violated the terms of his contract. Shortly after his release, Manziel signed with the Express during the AAF's inaugural season, which was cut short when the AAF suspended operations two weeks later. TexAgs users tagged Manziel with

4738-494: The Tiger-Cats, his former team. By halftime of his first CFL start, Manziel had thrown four interceptions, including two to Jumal Rolle . Hamilton defeated Montreal 50–11. Manziel showed improvement and did not throw any interceptions in his second start, a 24–17 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks on August 11. In the third quarter, Manziel, after a 17-yard run, received a hard hit to the head from Ottawa's Jonathan Rose and fumbled

4841-504: The United States and Canada. American football , which uses 11 players, is the form played in the United States and the best known form of gridiron football worldwide, while Canadian football , which uses 12 players, predominates in Canada. Other derivative varieties include arena football , flag football and amateur games such as touch and street football . Football is played at professional , collegiate , high school , semi-professional, and amateur levels. These sports originated in

4944-403: The United States, varsity teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, technical school, high school, junior high school , or middle school. Such teams compete against similar teams at corresponding educational institutions. Groups of varsity sports teams are often organized into athletic conferences , which are groups of teams that regularly play each other during

5047-473: The ball at the goal line, where the ball was recovered by Montreal's Kristian Matte for a touchdown. In the days following the game, Manziel missed practice and was placed in the CFL's concussion protocol. Manziel was placed on the injured list and Antonio Pipkin started Montreal's next game at quarterback in Manziel's place. Pipkin started two games while Manziel recovered from his concussion, and then two additional games after Manziel had recovered. Following

5150-415: The ball carrier at any time the ball is in play, provided they do not grab the face mask of the helmet or make helmet-to-helmet contact when doing so. At any time, the player with the ball can attempt a backward, or lateral, pass to any other player in order to keep the ball in play; this is generally rare. Any player on defense can, at any time, attempt to intercept a forward pass in flight, at which point

5253-405: The ball carrier is tackled, or, if the ball is kicked out of bounds , let the ball go dead on its own (the last case usually happens when the ball is kicked all the way into or through the opponent's end zone, resulting in a touchback and the ball being brought several yards out of the end zone to begin play). A kicking team can, under special circumstances, attempt to recover its own kick , but

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5356-493: The college in January. Texas A&M faced uncertainty at the quarterback position when Ryan Tannehill left for the National Football League after the 2011 season. Manziel performed well during spring ball and fall practices and won the starting job over Jameill Showers and Matt Joeckel before the season began. His first game was supposed to be against Louisiana Tech in Shreveport, Louisiana on Thursday, August 30, 2012, but

5459-399: The end of a quarter.) After the halftime break, a new kickoff occurs. Whichever team has more points at the end of the game is declared the winner; in the event of a tie, each league has its own rules for overtime to break the tie. Because of the nature of the game, pure sudden-death overtimes have been abolished at all levels of the game as of 2012. At all adult levels of the game, a game

5562-410: The extent that junior varsity teams exist at the college level, many are classified as club squads . Many sports teams have assistant coaches responsible for developing the talent of junior varsity players. A coach may call on junior varsity players during a varsity game, such as when a varsity player is unable to play. A team will have many talented players, but the coach is unable to come up with

5665-535: The field in the fourth quarter after McCown suffered another injury. Manziel made his second start of the season in Week 9, completing 15 of 33 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown in a 31–10 loss to the Bengals. In Week 10, Manziel had his statistically best game against the Pittsburgh Steelers , completing 33 of 45 passes for 372 yards and one touchdown. Despite his efforts, however, the Browns lost 30–9. Manziel

5768-433: The field of play through the same end zone, the defense scores a safety , worth two points. After a try, safety or field goal, the team that had possession of the ball goes back to the middle of the field and kicks the ball off to their opponent, and play continues as it did in the beginning of the game. Play continues until halftime . (Each team switches their side of the field with the other halfway through each half, at

5871-644: The first freshman and fifth player in NCAA history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season. At the end of the regular season, he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy , the Manning Award , and the Davey O'Brien Award . Manziel capitalized on his redshirt freshman season by leading Texas A&M to a 41–13 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2013 Cotton Bowl Classic . Manziel

5974-614: The first freshman and only the fifth player in NCAA history to pass for 3,000 and rush for 1,000 yards in a season, reaching that mark two games earlier than any other player. He won the SEC Freshman of the Year Award and College Football Performance National Freshman of the Year Award. Manziel won the Davey O'Brien Award on December 6 and the Heisman Trophy on December 8, making him the first freshman ever to win either award. Texas A&M started

6077-402: The first half of the team's game against Rice (the first game of the season), after acknowledging that Manziel did not receive any money for the autographs. In the game against No. 1 Alabama , Manziel threw for a school record of 464 yards and five touchdowns in the 49–42 loss. His primary target during the game was Mike Evans , who compiled seven receptions for a school record of 279 yards. In

6180-404: The first player in Southeastern Conference (SEC) history to have two 500+ total offense games in one season. After Texas A&M's blowout of Auburn in the eighth game of the season, in which Manziel accounted for three passing and two rushing touchdowns through only the first half plus one series in the second, Manziel began showing up in national Heisman Watch lists. Manziel was launched into

6283-647: The first round until Kyler Murray in 2019. On August 22, 2014, Manziel was fined $ 12,000 by the NFL for a hand gesture ( flipping the bird ) that he made in a preseason loss to the Washington Redskins . Fellow quarterback Brian Hoyer was named the starter over Manziel for the opening regular-season game. On November 30, 2014, Manziel entered the game against the Buffalo Bills during the fourth quarter after an ineffective performance by Hoyer. Manziel went 5 of 8 for 63 yards, and scored his first NFL touchdown on

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6386-405: The foul, places the ball at the one-yard line. In contrast, a defensive team can score points as a direct result of a penalty; if the offense commits a foul under the same scenario, the defensive team receives two points and a free kick. In all other circumstances (except for the open-ended and extremely rare unfair act clause), a penalty cannot exceed more than half the distance to the end zone. If

6489-622: The game against the Missouri Tigers before a home crowd, Manziel left the game with an apparent knee injury late in the first quarter. He returned to the field for the next series of downs wearing a knee brace and finished the game with 439 yards of total offense, including three passing and two rushing touchdowns. During the game, he broke the single-season record for offensive production in the SEC with 4,600 yards, surpassing Cam Newton and Tim Tebow , notable recent Heisman Trophy winners. He also became

6592-517: The game against the New York Jets after starting quarterback Josh McCown was injured in the first half. Manziel scored his first career passing touchdown with a 54-yard pass to wide receiver Travis Benjamin . However, Manziel committed three turnovers in the second half (two of them being fumbles ) as the Jets won 31–10. Manziel started the Week 2 game against 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and

6695-445: The game from rugby. Many of these early innovations were the work of Walter Camp , including the sport's line of scrimmage and the system of downs . Another consequential change was the adoption of the forward pass in 1906, which allowed the quarterback to throw the ball forward over the line of scrimmage to a receiver. Canadian football remained akin to rugby for decades, though a progressive faction of players, chiefly based in

6798-457: The game of baseball, however, did not diminish after high school. He briefly discussed the possibility of playing collegiate ball with Texas A&M's baseball coaches, but that never came to fruition once he won the starting quarterback job as a redshirt freshman. In the 2014 Major League Baseball draft , Manziel was drafted in the 28th round (837th overall pick) by the San Diego Padres as

6901-733: The game was postponed until October 13 due to Hurricane Isaac hitting the Louisiana coast two days prior to game time. Consequently, Manziel's college football debut was played as a redshirt freshman against the Florida Gators before a home crowd at Kyle Field . Although Manziel began the season in relative obscurity, his play against Arkansas in which he broke Archie Manning 's 43-year-old total offense record gained him some attention. Manziel produced 557 yards of total offense, breaking Manning's record of 540. Two games later, Manziel surpassed his own total offense record against No. 24 Louisiana Tech by achieving 576 yards of total offense, becoming

7004-516: The game with a hamstring injury with less than two minutes remaining in the first half and was replaced by Hoyer. The Browns went on to lose 17–13. Manziel was ruled out for the Browns' regular season finale against the Baltimore Ravens . Overall, Manziel completed 18 of 35 passes for 176 yards and two interceptions, and rushed nine times for 29 yards and one touchdown. Manziel's work ethic and commitment were questioned by over 20 sources within

7107-513: The high school level and formerly at the collegiate level. The main players comprise the varsity team. Although the intensity of the JV team may vary from place to place, most junior varsity teams consist of players who are in their freshman and sophomore years in school, though occasionally upperclassmen may play on JV teams. For this reason, junior varsity teams are also often called freshman/sophomore teams. Skilled freshmen and sophomores may compete at

7210-601: The junior varsity part of the meet. Junior varsity games are specially-scheduled events in which junior varsity players play to gain skills and experience. These games may be played immediately before a varsity contest or another night. Records and statistics are kept for the junior varsity team, and some leagues offer a junior varsity championship. An assistant coach acts as the head coach for these games. In states that use ratings systems to determine playoff participation, junior varsity games do not factor in and are played with considerably less hoopla than varsity games. Attendance

7313-405: The kicked ball passes through the goal set at the edge of the opponent's end zone, the team scores three points. (Four-point field goals have been offered in a few variations of the game under special rules, but the NFL, college and high school football only offer three-point field goals.) In Canada, any kick that goes into the end zone and is not returned, whether it be a punt or a missed field goal,

7416-611: The largest varsity competition in Europe. In the Netherlands, the Varsity is the oldest and most prestigious rowing race. It was held for the first time in 1878, and was started as a Dutch equivalent for the Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge. In the United States, junior varsity (often called " JV ") players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition, usually at

7519-516: The league decided to cut ties with Manziel after he missed a number of mandatory meetings. On March 16, 2019, Manziel signed an agreement to join the Alliance of American Football . Under the league's regional allocation process, the San Antonio Commanders had the first opportunity to sign him via his Texas A&M connections, but the Commanders elected to waive his rights. As a result, he

7622-447: The line), who must catch the ball before it touches the ground. The play stops when a player with the ball touches any part of their body other than hand or foot to the ground, runs out of the boundaries of the field, is obstructed from making further forward progress, or a forward pass hits the ground without being caught (in the last case, the ball returns to the spot it was snapped). To stop play, players on defense are allowed to tackle

7725-497: The national scene after he led Texas A&M to a 29–24 victory over No. 1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa . In that game, Manziel accounted for 345 of A&M's 418 yards of offense, including two passing touchdowns. In the following days, Manziel became the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy in most national watch lists and polls due to his performance during the game combined with other Heisman frontrunners faltering. On November 24, during

7828-539: The nickname "Johnny Football" during Manziel's sophomore high school football season in Texas. The nickname followed him to Texas A&M University . Manziel applied for and was granted a registered trademark for the nickname in 2013. Manziel was inducted into the Texas A&;M Athletics Hall of Fame in September 2022. Manziel was born in Tyler, Texas , on December 6, 1992, to Michelle (née Liberato) and Paul Manziel. He has

7931-425: The opponent. Whether this yardage is measured from the original spot of the ball before the play, the spot of the illegal action, or the end of the play depends on the individual foul. The most common penalties include false start (when an offensive player jumps to begin the play before the ball is snapped, a five-yard penalty), holding (the grabbing of a player other than the ball carrier to obstruct their progress;

8034-464: The penalty would be less advantageous than the result of the actual play, then the team not committing the penalty can decline it. In order to keep play moving, the offense must make a certain amount of progress (10 yards in most leagues) within a certain number of plays (3 in Canada, 4 in the United States), called downs . If the offense does indeed make this progress, a first down is achieved, and

8137-472: The previous play, and a play clock is kept to enforce the measure.) Once the ball is snapped, the play has commenced, and the offense's goal is to continue advancing the ball toward their opponent's end zone . This can be done either by running with the ball or by a rule unique to football known as the forward pass . In a forward pass, a player from behind the line of scrimmage throws the ball to an eligible receiver (another back or one player on each end of

8240-642: The remainder of the season, finishing with 1,164 yards passing, 806 rushing and 408 receiving for a combined 28 touchdowns. His junior year was his first as starting quarterback, and he completed that season with 2,903 passing yards, 1,544 rushing yards, 152 receiving yards and 55 touchdowns . That year, he was voted All-San Antonio Area Offensive Player of the Year as well as District 27-4A MVP. During Manziel's senior season, he compiled 228-of-347 (65.7%) passing for 3,609 yards with 45 touchdowns and five interceptions . He also had 170 carries for 1,674 yards and 30 touchdowns. He had one touchdown reception and returned

8343-407: The rules of the game make it very difficult to do so reliably, and so this tactic is usually only used as a surprise or desperation maneuver. At this point, play from scrimmage begins. The team in possession of the ball is on offense and the opponent is on defense . The offense is given a set amount of time (up to forty seconds, depending on the governing body), during which the teams can set up

8446-527: The rumor was not true. Though Manziel originally committed to play for Oregon, he later changed his commitment to the Aggies, thanks to the influence of then-quarterbacks coach Tom Rossley . Manziel was named to the NUC All World Game (started by David Schuman and National Underclassmen Combine ) in 2010 where he rushed for over 100 yards and threw for over 200. It was the first time Manziel dominated on

8549-575: The same realm as Tiger-Cats' quarterback Zach Collaros was the previous season; i.e., in the range of $ 500,000 to $ 550,000. The Tiger-Cats released a statement on February 14 implying they had broken off negotiations with Manziel. The same day, Manziel agreed to play in The Spring League , a non-paying developmental league, for the 2018 season. He was the quarterback at Texas A&M's 2018 pro day, throwing passes to potential 2018 NFL draft prospects in front of representatives from all 32 NFL teams and

8652-468: The same way (but separately) from the American game; the Burnside rules were instrumental in establishing many of the rules for the modern game. The best NFL players are among the highest paid athletes in the world. This is a minimal description of the game in general, with elements common to all or almost all variants of the game. For more specific rules, see each code's individual articles. Prior to

8755-414: The snapper, who handles the ball before play commences; the rest can (and almost always do) line up behind the line. Neither the offense nor the defense can cross the line of scrimmage before the play commences. Once the formation is set, the snapper snaps the ball to one of the players behind him. (A snapper must snap the ball within 20 to 25 seconds of the official setting the ball back into position after

8858-410: The sport's once-characteristic playing field : the original American football and Canadian football fields were marked by a series of parallel lines along both the width and length of the field, which produced a grid pattern resembling a cross-hatched cooking gridiron . The ball would be snapped in the grid in which it was downed on the previous play. By 1920, the grid system was abandoned in favor of

8961-405: The start of a game, a coin toss determines which team will decide if they want to kick off the ball to their opponent, or receive the ball from their opponent. Each team lines up on opposite halves of the field, with a minimum ten yards of space between them for the kickoff. The team receiving the ball can make a fair catch (which stops the play immediately), catch the ball and run it back until

9064-446: The system of yard lines and hash marks used today. The International Federation of American Football (IFAF), uses "American football" inclusive of Canadian football and other varieties. In Australia, American football is often referred to as "gridiron" or (in more formal contexts) "American football", as " football " usually refers to Australian rules football , rugby league or rugby union , similar to how association football

9167-418: The team gains possession; they can also gain possession by recovering a fumble or stripping the ball away from the ball carrier (a "forced fumble"). A typical play can last between five and twenty seconds. If any illegal action happens during the play, then the results of the previous play are erased and a penalty is assessed, forcing the offending team to surrender between five and fifteen yards of field to

9270-456: The team gets 3 or 4 more plays to achieve another 10 yards. If not, the offense loses possession to their opponent at the spot where the ball is. More commonly, however, the team on offense will, if they have a minimal chance of gaining a first down and have only one play left to do it ( fourth down in the U.S., third down in Canada), attempt a scrimmage kick . There are two types of scrimmage kick:

9373-475: The varsity level. Members of a junior varsity team are underclassmen determined by the coaching staff to have less experience or ability than those on the varsity roster. As such, junior varsity teams are used to prepare these athletes to compete at the varsity level. In other schools, the line between JV and varsity is arbitrary, with all players at a certain grade level at the varsity and all others below that grade level at JV. Some teams require participation on

9476-630: The varsity players and play the junior varsity players for the remainder of the game. The junior varsity players can impress coaches during this " garbage time " in hopes of gaining more playing time in subsequent games, while at the same time reducing the risk of serious injury by varsity players by resting them in a game whose outcome has been effectively decided. Some games have rules which allow unlimited use of junior varsity players, such as basketball. Other sports have different ways of determining junior varsity participants. For instance, in high school wrestling , there can only be one wrestler competing for

9579-468: The varsity squad to ensure at least one of the two teams plays at home each week. This is often dependent on the size of the varsity team, availability of transportation and policies invoked by either the coach, school or league. A JV can sometimes completely replace a varsity team in a game with little to no importance; the Missouri Turkey Day Game , for example, has a provision that if either of

9682-462: The walls") and IM players rarely move to inter-collegiate teams. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, varsity teams compete in varsity matches, usually as part of a varsity competition - a sports tournament between rival universities . The term originally referred strictly to university-sponsored teams, and dates from the 1840s. Examples of varsity competitions include The Boat Race and Roses ,

9785-509: Was announced as the starting quarterback for the rest of the season on November 17. However, he was demoted to third-string quarterback behind McCown and Austin Davis a week later after videos surfaced of him partying in Texas over the bye week . As a result, Manziel remained benched in favor of Davis when McCown suffered a season-ending collarbone injury in the subsequent game against the Ravens. Manziel

9888-444: Was assigned to the 1–5 Memphis Express through the waiver system, as the Express needed a quarterback to replace the injured Zach Mettenberger and the struggling Christian Hackenberg . Gridiron football Gridiron football ( / ˈ ɡ r ɪ d aɪ . ər n / GRID -eye-ərn ), also known as North American football, or in North America as simply football , is a family of football team sports primarily played in

9991-421: Was compared to quarterbacks like Brett Favre , Michael Vick , and Drew Brees . At Tivy High School, Manziel played high school football for four years, beginning with the freshman team in his first year. By the end of his first season, he played with the varsity team as a receiver. He began his sophomore year primarily as a receiver , but started the fourth game at quarterback . He shared that position for

10094-476: Was in Las Vegas instead of in Cleveland with the team that weekend. The team confirmed that Manziel did miss a scheduled check-in on the morning of the last game of the season. In early February 2016, NFL Network 's Ian Rappaport and ESPN's Pat McManamon reported that the Browns planned to cut ties with Manziel as soon as the league's fiscal 2016 began. Earlier, following news that Manziel was being investigated for

10197-530: Was promoted to starter again after the Bengals defeated the Davis-led Browns 37–3. Despite throwing a maligned interception in his return performance, Manziel completed 21 of 31 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown in a 24–10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers , ending the Browns' seven-game losing streak. Manziel sat out the last game of the 2015 season with a concussion, with reports circulating that he

10300-507: Was revealed that the Alouettes released him on orders from the CFL after league officials determined that he had "contravened" the terms of his CFL contract. The CFL also barred him from signing with any other CFL team. Manziel had previously revealed that as part of his agreement with the league, he was required to see a doctor, attend weekly sessions with a therapist, and submit to weekly lithium tests. According to veteran CFL journalist Justin Dunk,

10403-410: Was said to have struggled during his first season, and NBC Sports writer Michael David Smith said it "wasn't great", despite Manziel's satisfaction with how he played. Manziel's performance throughout the season gradually improved, and was attributed to his becoming accustomed to CFL rules. Manziel was slated to compete with Pipkin and Vernon Adams for the starting role in 2019, but on February 27 it

10506-443: Was selected by the Browns as the 22nd overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft . Despite some success, he struggled with consistency and his tenure was overshadowed by off-field controversies. He was released by the Browns after the end of the 2015 season. Following further controversies during the 2016 offseason, Manziel was not signed by another team before the start of the season and spent two years away from football until he returned with

10609-452: Was well received by sports journalists. Prior to the 2014 NFL draft, Manziel became one of the most polarizing athletes in pre-draft history, with scouting opinions varying from "undraftable" to "rare competitor". Former NFL head coach Barry Switzer took it to a personal level, criticizing Manziel, saying: "I don't like his antics. I think he's an arrogant little prick. I've said that and I'll say it again." On draft day, 21 teams, including

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