Michael Bishop On Waivers: Argos Controversy Over...Or Is It?

It was no surprise to me to see that the Toronto Argonauts put Michael Bishop on waivers Thursday. I wondered why it took so long to make a decision on a quarterback, but it needed to be done sooner than later. It's already shown to be detrimental to the team in the first week, and it wasn't going to be fixed without one QB getting injured or moved on.

With the announcement, my thoughts moved to Saskatchewan and the situation they are in. Marcus Crandell is just a stop gap solution to give their backups some time to mature, and with his injury provides the perfect opportunity for them to step up. But with the inexperience, and neither backup really deserving the start, you can't help but think that Michael Bishop looks like an enticing option. Most Rider fans thought of it, and I'm sure Coach Miller did too, though he smartly denied it.

So the controversy is finished, right? Wrong! Thursday's game in Edmonton against the Eskimos was Kerry Joseph's chance to solidify himself as the numero uno. It looked as though he was going to prove the coaching staff right when he put the Argos up 15-9 in the second, but inconsistency and interceptions proved costly, and coach Stubler went back to Bishop, who although didn't play a whole lot better than Joseph, did move the offense. Thus making the decision even harder to make.

History has proved to be deadly for a team that won't commit to one quarterback. Just look at the whole Henry Burris debate from Saskatchewan. Riders fans are still mad at Henry for leaving, but you can offer a player as much money as you want, but if they wanted to make money as a backup, they would go the the NFL and make 10 times the money as a prep team QB. Saskatchewan wouldn't commit the number one sport to Burris, so he went somewhere that would. Even the BC Lions committed to Buck Pierce when Jarious Jackson carried them through the stretch last year.

So, the Argos need to commit to ONE quarterback soon, before it becomes the Toronto sinking ship Argonaut.