The Canadian Press
The Montreal Alouettes have a full-blown quarterback conundrum on their hands, and it’s likely going to lead to a no-win decision. As Johnny Manziel returns to practice Monday, there’s a decent chance he’ll be cleared for action prior to Montreal’s Week 13 showdown with Ottawa.
Immediately installing Manziel back at the top of the depth chart seemed like a no-brainer a couple weeks ago, but that has changed in a big way. Antonio Pipkin has looked very strong in his two starts and his performance changes the entire conversation. It may be no-win situation, but I think the Alouettes have to keep the ball in Pipkin’s hands, regardless of the optics.
The problem, of course, is how much Montreal has invested in Manziel. The Als paid an enormous price to acquire him and having him sit while healthy makes it hard to get proper return on their investment. Montreal will be criticized in some circles if they go down this road, but for me, those are necessary lumps to take.
Football is all about winning, and right now, the Alouettes have a better chance at doing that with Pipkin then with Manziel. Friday’s 25-22 win over Toronto moved Montreal within a game of third place in the East Division and kept their playoff hopes, slim as they may be, alive. It’s not time to throw the towel in, which means winning is still the priority.
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With equal starting time, Pipkin has outplayed Manziel, which is no knock on the latter. Instead, Pipkin has just been impressive and has earned more playing time. He was the most impressive player on the field Friday night and has shown the athletic ability that allowed him to throw 58 touchdown passes in three seasons at Tiffin University.
Pipkin has a strong arm, which he showed off multiple times against the Argonauts, and has surprised me most with his work in the pocket. We knew Pipkin was fast, elusive, and could make throws on the run. But I liked watching him cycle through his progressions and stay calm while under pressure. In the end he threw for 303 yards and ran in two touchdowns; his one interception came as a result of a botched catch.
I’m not saying Pipkin is the answer and Montreal has found their new long-term number one; after all, it is just two starts. We’ve seen Alouettes’ quarterbacks have early success before only to tail off a little once the rest of the league sees a little more tape. Rakeem Cato and Jonathan Crompton have both burst onto the scene in recent years but were never able to sustain their success.
On merit, though, the starting job should be Pipkin’s, at least for now. It’s not ideal to have Manziel on the sidelines knowing how much Montreal gave up to acquire him, but on the flip side, it gives him a little more time with the playbook and to become familiar with his new team.
It’s a consolation prize to be sure, but benching Pipkin makes even less sense. The Alouettes still have playoff life and Pipkin has shown he gives them a better chance to win in the immediacy. It’s not an easy decision by any means, but sometimes the right choices are hard.
Call me KJ
When Jeff Krever called Calgary’s Kamar Jorden the number one Fantasy receiver in last week’s CFL Fantasy Podcast, I pushed back a little bit. My argument was, even without Eric Rogers, there are too many aerial weapons in that Stampeders arsenal to put anyone at the top of the Fantasy chart.
Well, as much as it pains me to give him credit, Krever might be onto something here. And, even if you can’t definitively say Jorden is the top receiver play in CFL Fantasy, I think you can say he’s emerging as the most dangerous and complete player at his position.
It’s not just because Jorden went OFF against Winnipeg, either. I mean, it plays a part; the guy broke Calgary’s single game record by reeling in 249 receiving yards and a touchdown in a 39-26 victory. But it’s not like we’re talking about something new here; the guy has been on a tear and it’s one that doesn’t look close to ending.
Jorden has a touchdown catch in three straight games and four of his last five. He’s also gone over 180 yards in two of his last three outings and is now closing in on Edmonton’s Duke Williams on top of the yardage table, overtaking Derel Walker in the process. With 895 on the season, Jorden is just 52 yards back of Williams with one fewer game played.
What makes Jorden so dangerous is how complete a package we’re talking here. Playing from his slot position, Jorden is as reliable and iron clad a possession option as you’re going to find. He’s essentially replaced Marquay McDaniel as Bo Levi Mitchell’s primary target on second down, and for good reason.
Jorden is as sure-handed as they come and comes down with virtually every ball thrown in his direction. Crisp route running allows Jorden to find soft spots in opposing coverage and enables Mitchell to find him for consistent first down yardage. Furthermore, Jorden is so strong in tight coverage and hand battles you can be confident as a quarterback he’ll come down with any contested ball.
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» Monday, 6:30 p.m. ET: Toronto at Hamilton
But we’re not just talking about a reliable, short yardage guy here. Jorden has breakaway speed and explosive ability that has seen him rack up 60-plus yard plays in two of his last three games. It’s rare to see reliability and explosiveness married together like this, and that makes Jorden one of the most unique receivers in the game.
At 29 years old, Jorden is right in his productivity sweet spot. That’s scary for opposing backfields, because it looks like he’s just coming into his own.
Quick hits
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats needed their Thursday win over Edmonton in a big, big way. But as good as their 25-24 triumph feels, it also highlighted the team’s biggest issue this season. Jeremiah Masoli and the Tiger-Cats are having a lot of difficulty finishing drives with six points, and it’s holding them back from realizing their full potential.
With Masoli leading the way, Hamilton boasts the second best pass offence in the league, at least where yardage is concerned. Compare Masoli with Mike Reilly of the Eskimos, who leads the CFL’s top passing attack. Reilly has thrown 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions to go along with his 3,296 yards. On the other hand, Masoli is up at 2,884 yards but has just nine touchdowns (and ten interceptions) to show for it. It’s a trend the Hamilton offence needs to change.
That was a massive win for the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday. To hold the BC Lions to just three points in the second half and close out a 24-21 win was impressive, but it’s the stakes that really stood out to me.
Led by their defence, the Riders came to play and gave themselves some crucial separation in the standings as a result. Sask has moved past Winnipeg into third in the West Division and now sits one game back of Edmonton in second. But maybe more importantly, the Riders have put BC two games behind them with only one more head-to-head battle left.
