CFL's Alouettes fire Mike Sherman one year after disastrous Johnny Manziel trade
As Johnny Manziel tries to grab a spot in the approaching XFL, one of his last few football teams is still picking up the pieces left by his tenure.
The Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League announced the firing of head coach Mike Sherman on Saturday, cutting loose the former Green Bay Packers and Texas A&M coach less than a week before the team’s opener on Friday.
Alouettes general manager Kavis Reed told reporters that the team felt that Sherman was adjusting to the Canadian game too slowly.
“It was decided that Coach Mike Sherman would step down due to slow adjustments to the @CFL game. The decision was made by the Alouettes organization and approved by the CFL.” - Kavis Reed to the media after this morning's announcement#ToujoursGame #ToujoursGame pic.twitter.com/0ZzVw2oWdw
— Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) June 8, 2019
The Alouettes finished well out of playoff contention last season with a 5-13 record during Sherman’s first year with the team. The biggest news of the season for the team was the now-infamous acquisition of Manziel, who was recruited to Texas A&M by Sherman way back when.
After giving up two players and two first-round draft picks for Manziel and two other players, the Alouettes were rewarded with six straight losses in games the former Heisman Trophy winner was under center. The first loss was the worst, as the team had to pull Manziel after four interceptions and down 47-3.
Any hope of a second-season turnaround for Manziel disappeared when the CFL announced his ban from the league after “it was found that Manziel had contravened the agreement which made him eligible to play in the league.”
So yeah, acquiring Manziel and giving up two first-rounders in the process, then finishing 5-13, then losing Manziel forever seems to be a pretty good way to wreck up a team’s future. Sherman may or may not have been the person most responsible for the Manziel trade, but his firing is yet another indication that the franchise is in a bad place right now.
Oh well, at least the Alouettes can still say they exist.
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