Sharp Dividing Line in CFL Quarterbacking

The statistics and standings are not lying about the status of quarterbacking in the 2010 CFL.

With one exception, those teams who have got good quarterbacking are up, and those teams who don't have quarterbacking are down.

Let's look at the three defining categories:

UP:      Montreal,   Calgary,   Saskatchewan

All three teams have 4-1 records, all have scored more points than they have given up, and all have scored a minimum of 140 points.

Calgary also leads the league in fewest points allowed.

All three teams are getting superior, competent quarterbacking from Anthony Calvillo, Henry Burris, and Darian Durant. 

Calvillo has been consistently good in every game, and is in line to become the all time CFL quarterback in several categories.

Durant has been just as good as Calvillo.  The one game that Saskatchewan lost was due to the Rider offensive line not protecting Durant from the Calgary pass rush.

The play of the Saskatchewan offensive line will be the determining factor whether the Riders go back to the Grey Cup again.

Burris has only one bad game against Toronto, when he was intercepted four times, but with the return of Ken-Yon Rambo, a receiver whom he is familiar and comfortable with, Burris hopes to return to his superior play of 2008 when Calgary won the Grey Cup.

The Exceptions:      Toronto,  Winnipeg

By rights, the 3-2 and 2-3 records of Toronto and Winnipeg should be switched.

Toronto is the only team with a winning record while giving up more points than they scored, while Winnipeg has scored more points, but has a losing record.

The difference is the close game between the two teams which Toronto won.

Both teams have been good defensively with Toronto being able to beat tough Calgary at home, while Winnipeg lost a close hard fought battle in Calgary.

Buck Pierce has done a credible job for Winnipeg, and Steven Jyles has been just as good since taking over when Pierce got hurt.

But in Toronto, it is being perceived that the Argonauts are winning despite quarterback Cleo Lemon.

He was chosen as Toronto's starting quarterback by coach Jim Barker because it was thought his athletic ability and experience were more suited to the CFL.

His performance, as Lemon himself as admitted, has been a learning one.

Back up quarterback Dalton Bell had a better pre-season, so a future quarterback controversy may be brewing if the Toronto offense does not improve.

Down:     Hamilton,   B.C.,   Edmonton

All three teams made the playoffs last year, so their combined 3-12 record is a major disappointment.

Hamilton made more improvements during the off season which were supposed to raise the Tiger Cats to the level of Montreal, but curiously, general manager Bob O'Billovich chose to stay with the status-quo of the questionable quarterbacking of Kevin Glenn and Quinton Porter.

After the 2008 season, Porter was supposed to be developed in 2009 to be Hamilton's long term quarterback.

Instead, the coaches lost patience with his development, installed Glenn as the starter and have suffered with his inconsistent play that caused Winnipeg to release him.

Glenn is the most streaky quarterback in the CFL.  When he is on, he'll complete passes in double-digit streaks.

Receiver Arland Bruce found himself the receipient of 16 passes last week.

But Glenn is also known for double-digit incompletion streaks, and two-and-out streaks too. 

The question is how long will the coaching staff, the management, and the fans be patient with his inconsistency and hand the football back to Porter or bring in somebody new.

In B.C.  most of the problems centre around the injury to starting quarterback Casey Printers.

Back up quarterback, Travis Lulay suffers from making the key mistake at the key time.

Twice, against Toronto and Edmonton, two Lulay mistakes cost the Lions victories.

Hopes abound, that Lions will turn things around when Printers returns.

The most puzzling situation is in Edmonton.  Is Ricky Ray washed up?

He has been pulled from several games already this year, despite piling up impressive statistics everywhere but on the score board.

The situation in Edmonton has cost the general manager his job, but a management purge doesn't solve Edmonton's problems.

Three questions need to be answered:

Is Ricky Ray washed up and the Edmonton offense with him?

Is Edmonton's bad defense to blame?

Is Richie Hall's coaching the reason for the bad record?

If the Eskimos continue to lose, look for more significant changes to come.

But the standings prove one thing about the CFL:

As the quarterback goes, the team goes.