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Perhaps the problem is the Alouettes, in the words of Johnny Manziel, “traded half of an organization” to secure his services. Put that on general manager Kavis Reed.

But then head coach Mike Sherman, at Manziel’s introductory news conference, said: “This has to work and this will work.”

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This organization has been sending mixed signals to Manziel, the former Heisman Trophy winner and first-round NFL draft choice, since he arrived on July 23. He thought he was the guy and, given the carousel of quarterbacks this franchise has gone through since Anthony Calvillo’s retirement in 2013, Manziel should have been the guy.

Instead, he’s been a victim of circumstance.

He played before he was ready — even his agent said as much — was thrown to the wolves in a marketing ploy to sell tickets and was intercepted four times by Hamilton, the team that traded him to Montreal. The Als lost by 39 points. Then they lost again the next week at Ottawa, but Manziel passed for 168 yards and wasn’t intercepted. The bar has been set so low with this team it seemed like a moral victory.