Mark Masters
National Post

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- When the Toronto Argonauts take the field on Sunday against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for their first pre-season game, the player facing the most pressure may be Danny Brannagan.

The quarterback from Burlington is facing an uphill battle in his quest to become the first homegrown pivot to start a Canadian Football League game since 1996.

Argos coach Jim Barker has let it be known he won't keep Brannagan simply because his passport. And yesterday, Barker said Brannagan is falling behind former NFL backup Cleo Lemon and former Saskatchewan Roughriders third-stringer Dalton Bell in the race to be Toronto's starter.

"I think there are days when Cleo's been the best, and there are days when Dalton's been the best," Barker said. "I think those two have earned the most [repetitions] and we'll see how they play.

"Obviously you don't know until you get into a game how guys are going to be. I want to see composure and the ability to handle adversity and those types of things ... I'm anxious to see Danny and how he responds to a game situation."

Barker said all four of his quarterbacks, including former Heisman Trophy finalist Ken Dorsey, will see action against the Ticats.

"I think as a rookie there's a pretty steep learning curve, but I think I'm starting to work my way up it," Brannagan said. "I don't think I'm out of place here, so I think that's good. I think I'm doing OK."

Brannagan, who led the Queen's Gaels to a Vanier Cup title last November, said he doesn't feel that much pressure, because he never anticipated being in this position.

"Just being out at a CFL camp was more than I expected, never mind maybe getting a chance to go in and take some snaps in a pre-season game. This is the stuff you dream about, but I never thought it was a realistic expectation."

One of the people helping Brannagan prepare for his professional debut is Larry Jusdanis. Jusdanis and Giulio Caravatta are the last two Canadian-born quarterbacks to start a game in the CFL. Jusdanis started a game for Hamilton in 1995 while Caravatta started a game for B.C. the next year.

Jusdanis, who owns the Sports Specific Training academy, has helped train Brannagan since he was in high school and said he expects the 23-year-old to be in the right frame of mind on Sunday at the Rogers Centre.

"I think Danny's chances to make the team are as good as anybody else's.

"He's probably not going to get as many plays as the [other guys] right now, but when you get in there, you just got to make things happen. When you make things happen and make good decisions, you have a chance."

Jusdanis said Brannagan shouldn't forget to actually enjoy the experience.

"The hype was incredible leading up to the game I started, but I just remembered to have fun. It's a game, right? You got to think of it as a game and just have fun. That's how I coped with it."

Courtesy: www.nationalpost.com