Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Every once in a while it’s fun to focus the Monday Morning Quarterback on the position it’s named after, and that’s what we’re doing this week.
Other than Winnipeg, Calgary, Ottawa and Edmonton, there are significant quarterback questions across the league entering the 2018 season. We’ll attempt to answer those in the next few paragraphs.
QB questions
Saskatchewan Roughriders: Is Zach Collaros still a No. 1 quarterback?
Saskatchewan’s acquisition of Collaros in early January set the tone for a CFL off-season chock full of blockbuster trades. It also targeted a position many speculated Chris Jones might address this winter. In terms of available names, I’m not sure if Jones could have acquired anyone better. Now the question is whether Collaros can turn back the clock a couple years.
The Riders were minutes away from a trip to the 105th Grey Cup last season despite not having a true number one pivot all season. Brandon Bridge and Kevin Glenn both had solid stretches in 2017, but neither was able to nail down top spot on the depth chart. To get as far as they did without true continuity at the game’s most important position is a pretty impressive feat.
The Riders hope Zach Collaros can become the franchise QB they’ve been looking for (Riderville.com)
So now it’s on Collaros to provide the stability many think could push Saskatchewan over the top. Collaros was replaced by Jeremiah Masoli last year in Hamilton for a reason: he just wasn’t very effective. His decision-making needs to return to where it was in 2015 and 2016 and he has to stay healthy. Collaros has never started more than 13 games in a CFL season, and he’ll need to be more durable than that to truly solidify the Riders at quarterback.
There’s plenty of reason to believe Collaros should bounce back in 2018, though: a fresh start with new surroundings, a talented group of receivers, and a playmaking defence come to mind. I still think the 29-year-old has a ton of ability and being put in a good situation in Saskatchewan, at least on paper, could help him return to form.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Can Jeremiah Masoli get things done over a full season?
Replacing the aforementioned Collaros with Masoli midway through last season seemed to turn things on a dime for the Ticats. After an 0-8 start with Collaros under centre, Hamilton finished 2017 at 6-4 and was in the playoff fight right down to the wire. After developing and understudying for four years, Masoli looked like he had finally arrived. Now we get to find out if that is indeed the case.
Masoli was a true game breaker upon taking the reigns from Week 11. He was accurate and effective in the pocket and downright explosive when things needed to be stretched out. Masoli finished the season with 15 passing touchdowns and four more on the ground to go along with just five interceptions.
The Tiger-Cats brought Masoli along slowly, getting him gradually more involved in the offence since his arrival in 2013. Remember, Masoli was a highly touted NCAA quarterback coming out of Oregon and Ole Miss, but as we all know, the CFL game takes some time to learn. Everything I saw last year, though, leads me to believe we’re talking about a player ready to take on a starting role.
But, until a quarterback gets the job done over a full season, you just never really know. Masoli will be a better-known commodity entering 2018 and the expectations will be much higher than they were down the stretch last year. I think he’ll be up to the challenge.
BC Lions: Can Jonathon Jennings bounce back?
I thought Jennings was ready for the big time heading into last season, which was a huge part of the reason why the Lions were my pre-season Grey Cup pick. I was feeling pretty good about my selection early in the season, too; Jennings looked on point as BC got off to a 4-1 start. But when things went off the rails, neither Jennings nor the Lions could get things back on course.
Jennings suffered a shoulder injury in BC’s Week 4 win over Hamilton and missed almost a month recovering. Upon returning he just wasn’t the same quarterback, much like the Lions weren’t the same team after the first quarter of the season.
Can the highly-talented Jonathon Jennings rediscover his form of two seasons ago? (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Jennings was completing just under 68 per cent of his passes and averaging 284 yards per game prior to his injury. That dropped to around 65 per cent and 253 yards following the injury, which would have been easier to swallow without his interception total. Jennings was picked off 17 times in 11 starts upon returning, which looked even worse compared to just 14 touchdowns.
Here’s the thing, though: Jennings is a phenomenal talent. He has a cannon of the arm that seems just as potent on the run as in the pocket and put it all together two seasons ago. If he can use last year as a learning experience, then I see no reason why Jennings can’t get back to his 2016 heights (5,226 yards, 25 passing TD’s, 4 rushing TD’s). It’s on him to prove it, though.
Toronto Argonauts: Is this Ricky Ray’s swan song?
The defending Grey Cup Champs made one of the biggest trades of the off-season when they acquired James Franklin from the Edmonton Eskimos before Christmas. A couple months later, though, the Argos got another gift when 2017 East Division MOP Ricky Ray decided to come back for another year in double blue for what many think is his final season.
While 2018 likely will be Ray’s final season in the league, there are no guarantees, especially if the 38-year-old future Hall of Famer keeps playing the way he did last year. After battling injuries and appearing in just 12 games combined the prior two seasons, Ray was back to his old self in 2017 and capped things off with a fourth Grey Cup ring.
Franklin is an extremely promising prospect and looks like he has all the tools to be a solid starter in this league. With the way Ray played last year, though, the decision is easy for Toronto head coach Marc Trestman. That’s not a bad thing for Franklin, though; in fact, I think it could set up very nicely for him.
If this is indeed Ray’s last season, Franklin has an opportunity to use 2018 as a massive development year. With Ray, Trestman, and new quarterbacks coach Anthony Calvillo, Toronto’s offensive brain trust is as good as it comes. Assuming Franklin soaks up as much knowledge as he possibly can, I think he’ll be in a great spot to take the reins in 2019.
Montreal Alouettes: Who will get the ball in 2018?
The question being asked in Montreal is the most all encompassing across the league. The Als completely blew things up at quarterback this winter and enter 2018 with just one quarterback with any meaningful CFL experience: Drew Willy. Otherwise, it’s a collection of interesting, but very inexperienced, American players.
No disrespect to Willy at all, but Montreal is hoping he doesn’t see a lot of meaningful playing time this season. Willy is what he is at this point: probably best suited as a backup, but can be effective for modest stretches if called upon. At this stage, though, while a perfect fit on an inexperienced depth chart, Willy is not an ideal starting candidate.
Josh Freeman’s bid for a starting job will be a story to keep an eye on in training camp (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
That leads us to two very intriguing names: Josh Freeman and Matthew Shiltz. The former comes to the Alouettes with a high profile but frustrating recent results. A former Tampa Bay Buccaneers first round pick, Freeman started for four straight seasons in the NFL before his performance tailed off. Now looking to resurrect his career, he’ll have to be a quick study to master the CFL after signing with Montreal in January.
Shiltz, on the other hand, flies way further under the radar entering his second CFL season. Coming out of Butler, Shiltz didn’t play NCAA Division 1 football and was working an accounting job before the Als invited him to winter camp prior to last season. He struggled in four appearances last year, but I’m really curious to see what year two in the league brings for Shiltz. Regardless, the biggest quarterback question for any team this season comes out of Montreal, because we really don’t know who their guy is going to be.
