Johnny Manziel found his way back to the football field in a very unique way on Saturday night. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner made his debut in the Fan Controlled Football League as a member of Zappers. Manziel completed just one of his five passes at night for 11 yards, but showed some of the mobility that made him a standout at Texas A&M about a decade ago, running for 67 yards and a touchdown. However, if the children’s league did not deliver, Manziel was quick to notice after the game that times have certainly changed since he was at the height of his talents.
“Do you see me getting caught from behind too?” he said of his 38-yard run on his first scrimmage move, via USA Today. “Times have changed. It’s definitely 2021.”
Despite finding the final zone, Manziel, who was fired twice in the night, and his Zappers fell to the Beasts, 48-44. He said that while he is certainly not the player competing for the Heisman Trophies at College Station, it was good to be back on the pitch and felt that the “FCF product will continue to improve over the weeks”.
“It looks like I’m super defeated, but I still had a lot of fun,” said Manziel. “That was what I had the most fun with in a while.”
In typical Johnny Football style, the quarterback also noted, “win or lose, we drink at Zappers. ”
This was Manziel’s first live action since 2019, when it was part of AAF’s Memphis Express. Before that, the Cleveland Browns’ choice in the first round of 2014 had a quick pass at CFL. As for the league in which it currently participates, FCF is a four-team league that plays its games at the Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth, Georgia. It is a 7 to 7 league in which, as the name suggests, fans determine the moves and make the lists. League teams will have a six-week schedule and games will be streamed on Twitch at the league’s Atlanta facility. The games last about an hour, and the course is 50 by 35 yards with 10-yard endzones.