Patrick Doyle/CFL.ca
Hello, Janarion Grant. I would not want you to be my human GPS if I needed to get somewhere in a hurry and over the shortest possible route.
Then again, I’m rarely in a hurry and I do love me a scenic drive. Plus, you do have great abilities when it comes to spotting and skirting traffic jams, so you’re my guy.
Here are the Week 2 Takeaways.
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OVERALL, IT WAS A VERY GOOD SHOW. IT DID DRAG A BIT AFTER INTERMISSION, THOUGH
There will still be some questions after Chad Kelly’s debut as Toronto’s QB1 on Sunday night, but those will mostly spring from a less productive second half than the first. There will also be cautious brake-pumping on optimism, with many wondering what happens when opponents get quality film on the 29-year-old, going ahead. Fair.
But what the Argos got from Kelly in the first half of their win over Hamilton was pretty well what they’ve been telling people he could accomplish as their starting pivot, further cementing the things we’d seen in his Grey Cup relief appearance; good decision-making, strong arm, great running ability, toughness.
If the jury is still out, long haul, on Chad Kelly, that’s got to be fine with the Argos. It is much better than the alternative, the possibility of which must have been dancing in the heads of Toronto fans prior to the game; a quickly-returned verdict of “not guilty of being a starting quarterback.”
BONUS TAKEAWAY: You will see fewer things in life as mesmerizing as Wynton McManis working a toothpick in his mouth during a post-game interview. It’s absolutely terrifying when it disappears for a couple of seconds at a time.
IF THAT’S WHAT YOU WANT YOU’RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT
On the heels of Edmonton being shut out by the BC Lions on Saturday night, the calls for a change at quarterback reached a crescendo.
Two straight games of mostly gear-grinding offence will not be enough, however, for head coach Chris Jones to make the switch away from Taylor Cornelius. “We’ve got our quarterback,” Jones told reporters after the Elks’ 22-nothing loss. “We’re gonna do a better job of coaching him. We’ve gotta get his confidence back. Certainly it’s been rattled the first two weeks. We’re gonna get Taylor going.”
This, then, becomes a critical week in Taylor Cornelius’ season. If improvements aren’t shown this Sunday against the Toronto Argonauts, Kai Locksley – who posted very good numbers during pre-season – will be tossing more than just warm up throws on the sideline. And you’d have to suspect that he’ll be pressed into action sooner rather than later – meaning this weekend – if the Elks’ offence is stymied early by Toronto.
BONUS TAKEAWAY: Judging by social media comments, a lot of fans are bypassing thoughts of Locksley as the Edmonton quarterback and skipping right over to Tre Ford. That’s fine, but a look at Locksley’s pre-season numbers will tell you he deserves to be up next if the Elks make a change.
TARGET NOT ACQUIRED
It’s not just the Edmonton Elks’ offence that needs a kick in the pants, but Ottawa’s too.
And it’ll be interesting to see what REDBLACKS’ head coach Bob Dyce opts to do coming off a bye week when his team takes on Edmonton on June 30.
If Jeremiah Masoli is still not fit to suit up and go, does Dyce take the same route with Nick Arbuckle that Chris Jones says he’s taking with Taylor Cornelius?
The REDBLACKS’ offence has failed to find the end zone in their first two games and Arbuckle’s numbers over that time shape up like this: 31/56 for 286 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.
Third-string QB Tyrie Adams was given some playing time in Thursday’s loss to Calgary, and while his numbers weren’t super-thrilling either (9/17 for 129 yards and an interception), his different style of play and skill set – compared to Arbuckle’s – might be worth prepping for a week.
He thinks he’s ready. Maybe it’s time to find out.
YIKES. YIIIIKES. YIIIIIIIIIIKES
Yes, I believe “yikes” to be a legit takeaway.
Zach Collaros’ numbers over two games: 44/61 for 647 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions. His efficiency rating in the first two games? 142.9 followed by 127.5.
And he doesn’t. Even. Have. Kenny. Lawler. In. The. Line-up. Yet.
BONUS TAKEAWAY: Yiiiikes, Part Deux: Toronto’s defence looked like that and they didn’t even have Jamal Peters nor Henoc Muamba in the line-up.
ANOTHER INDICATOR THAT THIS IS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT VERNON ADAMS JR.
The Edmonton defence played a pretty stout game on Saturday night in Vancouver, and a plan to clog passing lanes by rushing three and dropping nine into coverage seemed a good idea, considering the opponent and considering his history.
Vernon Adams Jr. has had a track record of perhaps not having as much patience as some of the elite quarterbacks of this world, opting to try to force the square pegs of big plays into the round holes of ‘it’s not really there’ over the years.
Against the Elks, though, Adams wasn’t terribly insistent on that in the face of a crowded downfield view. Instead, he took what was given, again and again.
It was a grind-it-out kind of night on offence, and Adams showed off the type of decision-making that will be crucially important to him and the Lions if he keeps it up. He gets credit for that. So do the coaches, of course.
BONUS TAKEAWAY: Results so far set up a pretty tasty match-up in Week 3, between BC and Winnipeg.
AND FINALLY… That was high art, Tyler Ternowski. We’ll see more important touchdown catches, we’ll even see more athletic ones (not much, though). But we won’t see prettier ones.
