By Perry Lefko,
CFL.ca
While the debate continues over whether or not Damon Allen should some day be chosen for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame – and this topic has certainly created quite a stir – it’s worth asking where would the Toronto Argonauts be without their veteran quarterback? And, to an even greater extent, where would the Canadian Football League be without Allen?
Right now the Argos are enjoying a four-game win streak after starting off the season 2-5 – a season that began with Allen injuring the index finger on his throwing hand in the first game and missing the next four. The Argos won the season opener with Spergon Wynn in relief, but stumbled badly afterward with Allen only available for one game in the next six and clearly struggling with his injured finger.
While it would be grossly inaccurate to say the team lost solely because of Allen’s absence – in fact, the team missed several key players to injury – it has often been said that in the CFL you are only as good as your quarterback; in particular your veteran quarterback.
Since his full-time return from the injured list, Allen has played soundly. Some of that has had to do with a change in the offensive game plan that saw general manager Adam Rita replace Kent Austin as offensive co-ordinator and hand over the play-calling to Allen. There is clearly a more simplified package in place – including a dedicated commitment to running the ball and, according to these eyes, a clear purpose to making wideout Tony Miles an integral part of the attack with a simple out route.
Allen isn’t burning up the league with his statistics – then again, there isn’t one quarterback right now who is (although Henry Burris is on a roll) – but all he wants to do is win.
Even in his pursuit of Warren Moon’s career record for passing yards, Allen repeatedly stated his principal objective is winning; that savouring the yardage achievement is something he’ll be able to do sometime in the future when he’s through playing football.
The fact that Allen is still playing at a high level into his 40s is something that should be noted. Moon acknowledged last week that at the tail-end of his career, when he too was into his 40s, he was merely a backup.
But Allen continues to defy critics who look for flaws in his game, whether it’s the numerous injuries he’s suffered in recent years or his age. If he has an off game, such as was the case when he returned to action this season while still affected by his injured finger, it was deemed he was too old and too brittle, that his best days were behind him.
At some point that will happen, but in the meantime he will do what he does best – make plays, lead his team to wins and seemingly defy time and age.
Remember, the Argos took a chance on Allen four years ago when the B.C. Lions decided they wanted Dave Dickenson, who is 10 years younger. It was a calculated move based on productivity and age and the assumption that, perhaps, Allen has surpassed his prime. But all he’s done is prove everyone wrong – everyone except the Argos, who have won a Grey Cup with Allen two years ago and came within a game last year of having a chance to defend their title in a year in which Allen was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player for the first time.
If ever there was an example of Allen’s competitive fire it is how he’s come back this year. Not only has he shaken off the awful memory of last year’s humbling loss to the Montreal Alouettes in the Scotiabank East Championship, but he’s played with an injury that directly impacts his ability to throw the ball. It’s been hard to notice that of late the way he seems to be putting added zip on his passes.
With every game and every play, Allen should be lauded as a timeless CFL treasure. His ebullient head coach, Pinball Clemons, who has never been one to use a modest adjective when a superlative will suffice, has repeatedly called him The Legend.
And, it’s hard to argue.
Right now Allen is helping the CFL garner tremendous publicity in North America with his recent accomplishment. While the debate seems split on whether or not Allen is future Pro Football Hall Of Fame material, what cannot be denied is that people are talking about the CFL beyond just Canada. In that respect, Allen has become an ambassador for the league.
The fact Allen has done it all in Canada should not be discredited. While some great CFL quarterbacks such as Moon, Doug Flutie, Dieter Brock and Jeff Garcia have gone to the NFL and made the grade, there have been numerous ones in recent years who have tried and failed to make any lasting impression. Even if they managed to last beyond the final cuts, they became backups who received little, if any, playing time.
Allen decided a long time ago he didn’t want to stand on the sidelines holding a clipboard. He wanted to play and he was more than happy to do it in the CFL.
Don’t knock him because of what he didn’t do in the NFL. Praise him for what he’s done in the CFL in a career in which he’s managed to get even better as he’s aged.
It’s truly an anomaly of the human and athletic condition. It’s not supposed to happen. He’s a freak in the most complimentary of ways.
As long as he continues to play at a high level, the Argos will be the beneficiaries and so will the CFL.
Perry Lefko is the Communications Director for the Canadian Football League.
