Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca
The start of Chad Kelly’s career as the Toronto Argonauts starting quarterback is a great story but he is not yet “A Star.”
I need to make that distinction because so many of us, myself included, love to race to that sort of lofty proclamation, especially when it comes to quarterbacks. Let’s face it: we love stars. It’s the elite players that can push and market any league far more effectively than the majority of traditional advertising campaigns.
The headliner of the Toronto Argonauts is of course their defence and running game. Starting with the leaping, one-handed end zone interception by Qwan’tez Stiggers off of Bo Levi Mitchell in their opening win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Corey Mace’s defence wasted no time putting its stamp on the 2023 season. They lead the CFL in takeaways and interceptions, have registered 11 sacks and have scored two touchdowns for good measure.
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It should also be acknowledged the team’s nearly 34 offensive points per game is the result of a balanced attack that has seen Toronto lead the league in rush attempts, with 28 per game. The offensive line has been killing it not only in the run game, but Toronto is tied with Ottawa for the fewest sacks allowed.
I say all of this in an attempt to give proper credit where it is due not only to the entire roster but also to head coach Ryan Dinwiddie and the work that the coaching staff has done to put Kelly in a position to succeed by easing him into his first season as the unquestioned starter of the team.
Now that we have all the correct qualifiers out of the way I want to take one play in the Argonauts’ 45-24 win over the BC Lions — the smallest of small sample sizes — to highlight just how impressive Chad Kelly has been and why he deserves to be one of the biggest stories of this still very early 2023 CFL season.
It was 35-24 in the fourth quarter; Toronto faced a second and 10 with over three minutes left. Yes, the Argonauts were in control, but we know how quickly a lead can evaporate in this league, especially with the level of talent the Lions possess at receiver. You may have missed Kelly’s 12-yard completion to David Ungerer III. I don’t blame you, it was later in the evening on the holiday Monday. I was firmly ensconced in the sort of decade-old couch you find at a cottage that once it gets a hold of you it will put you to sleep, especially after a couple glasses of red wine with dinner.
But this one pass stood out for me so much that I had to go back and rewatch it over and over again. From a game perspective it ended any chances of a Lions comeback. The conversion extended the drive for over another minute and a half and ended with a Boris Bede field goal, giving Toronto a two-touchdown lead and leaving Vernon Adams Jr. and company with just 90 seconds left. Game over.
When you go back and watch that completion you soon realize there was nothing simple about that play at all. Soon after the snap, the Lions get pressure right up the middle, forcing Kelly to roll to his right as he is buying an extra second to find his target. Just as he releases the ball, Kelly is hit by the game’s best pass rusher, Mathieu Betts.
The former Ole Miss star hits Ungerer right in stride for the first down. What makes this “routine” play so impressive is the coverage is close and the man responsible for defending the rookie receiver is 2022 CFL All-Star Garry Peters. So, in summary on the play that put the dagger in the Lions, Kelly had to elude the rush, take a hit from the CFL leader in sacks and complete a difficult pass to a rookie receiver who is being guarded by one of the best defensive backs in the game.
There’s a reason why that one play made me sit up in my seat and pay attention. I have always preached that degree of difficulty is important when assessing just how good or bad a player is and on that down Kelly was facing all-star level talent and delivered on second-and-long. That is the best play I have seen from the 29-year-old passer.
If you stare at the statistics, you certainly would not be blown away by a quarterback averaging just 250 yards a game that has fewer touchdown passes than Jarret Doege, but it’s important to put his numbers in context. The Argonauts have more than twice as many rushing touchdowns (nine) as the next best team (Winnipeg) and they are tied with the Blue Bombers in offensive touchdowns, despite having played one fewer game. Kelly’s lower yardage totals are also the result of shorter fields created by Toronto’s stealer defence and large late leads means it’s A.J. Ouellette time which isn’t great news for Chad Kelly fantasy owners. Yes, high yardage totals are sexy for the passers, but total points scored is more important for the overall success of the team.
Even the most cynical, anti-Toronto football fan has to take note of Kelly’s accomplishments. Kelly has looked the part since his first start, pushing the ball downfield against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, dancing around Ja’Gared Davis for his first career rushing touchdown or uncorking a deep shot to Damonte Coxie late in the first half of that 32-14 win over the Tabbies.
Against the Edmonton Elks, Kelly did what all great quarterbacks must learn to do: shake off failure and have confidence in your abilities. Kelly hung up a deep out pass leading to an easy pick six for Loucheiz Purifoy. A couple possessions later there was the Argo signal caller escaping the grasp of A.C. Leonard, finding Ungerer for a broken play 44-yard touchdown.
So far Kelly has passed every test you could ask for. This not to say there won’t be mistakes and bad games in his future, there will be. But so far, he is setting up the building blocks for what could be a star career somewhere down the road and that’s a story worth telling.
