By Jaime Stein
CFL.ca
It goes without saying that the CFL is a quarterback-driven league. When TSN announced their Top 50 CFL Players of all-time, five of the top 10 selections were quarterbacks. As each new season begins, the talk of the town quickly turns to the pivotal position.
Enter the 2007 season and we are left with more quarterbacking questions than in recent memory. Adding to the drama is the fact that there are several big name rookies fighting for a roster spot – and possibly a starting position – come the start of the regular season.
With training camps nearing the midway mark, I present the CFL’s five most intriguing quarterback prospects.
The first stop is in Toronto where there have been questions about Damon Allen’s ability to play going back almost half a decade, now. A Grey Cup ring and an MVP award later, Allen is back for another kick at the can, but this time Adam Rita et al. have brought in some serious competition for the aging veteran.
Mike McMahon – our first prospect – impressed the Argos brass enough during his winter workout at the University of Toronto sports bubble to earn an invitation to camp. McMahon has spent the majority of his professional football career in the NFL as a back-up quarterback. He played with the Detroit Lions from 2001-2004 but might be better remembered for having started in place of an injured Donovan McNabb for seven games during the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2005 campaign.
McMahon was impressive during his CFL debut last weekend against Montreal, albeit his reps came against the lesser knowns from the Alouettes’ camp.
Eric Crouch is the second prospect to watch – and the only second year player in the bunch. The former Heisman Trophy winner spent the off-season working out like a man on a mission. He was in Toronto whenever possible to meet with new offensive coordinator Steve Buratto. Unfortunately for Crouch, his 2007 campaign didn’t get off to a great start as he struggled to mesh with an inexperienced group of receivers in the Argonauts’ first pre-season game.
Word out Toronto is that they will keep three quarterbacks and offer a practice roster spot to a fourth quarterback. At this point, it appears that Crouch is in a battle with McMahon for the third spot on the roster. That being said, in the most remote of possibilities, the Argonauts could decide to start Michael Bishop and elect to use both McMahon and Crouch as their back-up quarterbacks. That would leave Damon Allen the odd man out.
It appears as though Southern Ontario may be the place to be for an incoming quarterback. Jason Maas is coming off a sub-par season in Hamilton. Injuries caught up to the man who seemed to have a million rabbits in his hat en route to the Eskimos’ championship run of 2005. Wanting to lay his mark on the team, Tiger-Cats general manager Marcel Desjardins brought in a couple of exciting prospects in Timmy Chang and Shaun King.
Chang was outstanding at the University of Hawaii where he climbed near to or surpassed several of Ty Detmer’s passing records. The agile pivot could be the dark horse in the five man race for the starting job in Steeltown. The scouting report on Chang is that he is fluid and has quick feet. Chang also throws a tight spiral according to the early observations of head coach Charlie Taaffe.
Shaun King is the other new face in Hamilton and our fourth prospect to keep an eye on. He was a late addition to the Tabbies’ training camp roster, but he arrives on the scene with an impressive resume. King was off to a great start with the AFL’s Las Vegas Gladiators (27 TD compared to only 8 INT) this season before signing with Hamilton on May 30. If he can carry that momentum forward he has a shot at the starting job which might not belong to Maas – at least not at the beginning of the season.
Maas may be unable to go in the season opener on June 30 as a result of off-season surgery. That leaves the door open for Chang and King as well as incumbents Richie Williams and Rocky Butler – neither of whom have impressed Taaffe as of yet.
Lastly, out west most teams appear to have the quarterback situation under control. Wally Buono has an abundance of riches at the position in B.C. while Ricky Ray and Kerry Joseph appear to have the No. 1 jobs locked down in Edmonton and Saskatchewan respectively. In Calgary, Henry Burris is the top guy, but that didn’t stop Tom Higgins and Jim Barker from stating that they will turn up the pressure on Smilin’ Hank during training camp.
The top challenger to Burris, and the fifth quarterback prospect to keep an eye on during training camp, is former NFL first round draft pick (third overall) Akili Smith. Smith has had more failures than success in the NFL, but sometimes NFL experience doesn’t translate to the CFL (and vice versa).
Early reports out of Calgary, however, state that the former Cincinnati Bengal has been making a strong first impression both on and off the field. Smith has the skills to succeed in the CFL, only time will tell if he turns into a legitimate starter or the next edition of Andre Ware.
In a league where strength at quarterback may be the No. 1 ingredient for success, the list of prospects for the 2007 season provide the potential for this year being one of the most exciting in recent memory.
Jaime Stein is the former play-by-play voice of the Toronto Argonauts.
