Steinberg’s MMQB: The storylines keep coming

We here at the Monday Morning Quarterback will admit there have been weeks where writing this submission has been a challenge. Sometimes it can be tough coming up with new and entertaining topics to write about.  

The MMQB can also tell you that that hasn’t been the case once in the 2013 calendar year.  The Canadian Football League is making life too easy here, and Week 11 was no exception.

Strangely reminiscent

The 2011 BC Lions and 2013 Toronto Argonauts don’t really have a whole lot in common.  Yet, I can’t help get this crazy sleeping giant vibe from the defending Grey Cup champions.  

If you’re reading this and wondering what I’m talking about, I’m going to try and explain as best I can.

In 2011, BC started 0-5 and 1-6 and then only lost one more game before finishing the season as league champs.  We all knew they were a very good team at the beginning of the season and seeing them slump so badly off the start was head scratching.  

When they finally started to click, it wasn’t a massive shock to see them play the type of football they did.  They truly were sleeping giants that figured it out a little later than most teams.
    
So how does this relate to the 2013 edition of the Argos? It’s mostly because this team scares me down the stretch.  Not because they got off to an awful start and couldn’t get their ducks in a row.  

Heck, Toronto completed a thrilling victory over Montreal on Sunday afternoon without three of their star players.  They’re the top team in the East Division, yet I still think they’ve got a whole lot more in them.
    
Toronto pulled off their Week 11 victory without the services of their three most important offensive pieces.  It’s impossible to even argue that point, as the Argos played minus quarterback Ricky Ray, running back Chad Kackert, and receiver Chad Owens.  

Those are three elite players, and they’ll all be back playing together near the ending stretch of the season.
    
That’s where it all comes full circle in our comparison to the 2011 Lions.  BC didn’t crank it up because they got a bunch of injured bodies back, but they elevated drastically and were playing their best football heading into the playoffs.  If all goes according to plan, Toronto will have Ray, Kackert, and Owens all healthy heading into the 2013 post-season.  

Would it surprise anyone if they were playing some rather formidable football at that time? Now let’s see how they hold down the fort in the meantime.

Worthy of recognition

I know we’ve touched on this already this season, but I think there are a lot of people who are now starting to catch on.  Hamilton quarterback Henry Burris is having an incredible season.  The fact he’s doing it at the age of 38 only makes it even more impressive.
    
Currently, Burris is on pace to shatter his career high mark for passing yards in a season.  He set that mark in his first season with the Tiger Cats in 2012, throwing for over 5300 yards.  

Right now, Burris stands to best his total from last year by almost 400 yards.  And it’s not as if the guy is just throwing the ball around with reckless abandon, either.
    
Through 10 games in 2013, Burris’ completion percentage is higher than it’s ever been.  He’s connecting on 67.4 per cent of his passes in 2013, more than a full percentage point higher than his 2010 career mark.
    
Most significantly, Burris has been the key reason why Hamilton’s aerial attack has become the most feared in the nation.  He’s helped Greg Ellingson and Bakari Grant turn into two of the top weapons league-wide, and it’s gone a long way in making up for a ground game that is starting to find its footing.
    
So why hasn’t Burris been getting a lot of buzz for Most Outstanding Player chatter? I was thinking about this while watching his four-touchdown, 375-yard performance against the Lions on Saturday.  

I think it comes down to a couple of different factors.
      
First, his name isn’t Kory Sheets , Jon Cornish, or Chad Owens.  Since the start of the 2012 season, one of those three names seems to have dominated the discussion for MOP.  

As such, it’s overshadowed a number of noteworthy performances; especially from guys we’ve become so accustomed to watching.
    
Secondly, when Travis Lulay was MOP in 2011, it was on a team that had gone on an incredible run to the playoffs, one that was very much led by him.  
It can sometimes be easy to overlook outstanding performances from guys on teams that aren’t quite playing at that level.

Hamilton is on the rise right now.  Fortunately for them, they’re being lead by a quarterback playing some of the best football of his career.

Zero clarity

Bo Levi Mitchell is now two for two as a starting quarterback with the Calgary Stampeders.  The sophomore pivot racked up 175 yards and a touchdown on 19-for-26 passing on Friday night in Calgary’s 22-12 victory over the Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium.  

The win vaulted the Red and White into a first place tie with Saskatchewan for top spot in the West Division, thanks to a Riders loss in Winnipeg.
    
For a team that is winning games in all kinds of ways, there sure isn’t a whole lot of clarity regarding their most important position.  

With three different quarterbacks starting, and winning, games this year, we all know it’s been a bit of a revolving door at the position.  What is amazing at this point is that we still don’t have any clue what is going to happen going forward.
    
Being situated in Calgary, you’d think the MMQB would have a better handle on the story, but we just don’t.  In fact, most of the Calgary media is doing nothing but guessing when talking about this quandary.  

Who’s starting the next game? Who’s the number one under ideal circumstances? Who’s going to be exposed in December’s Ottawa expansion draft?

All of these questions are being asked on a daily basis, and all of them are being answered unsuccessfully by those interested.
    
Personally, I think, and I stress think, Drew Tate is still the number one quarterback for the Stampeders.  While I think it’s time to go in a different direction, it doesn’t seem like Head Coach John Hufnagel shares my opinion.  

If and when Tate is ready to return to full game action, I believe he’ll be the guy re-inserted to the top spot on the depth chart.
    
I think the Stamps are going to protect Mitchell come December, but again, I stress the word think.  The team has put significant resources into Tate over the last number of years, so it’s not out of the question they’d save him from exposure.  

It just seems to make the most sense, however, to protect a 23 year old with as much talent as Mitchell has.  Worst case, one of Glenn or Tate is in Ottawa for 2014 and Mitchell backs the other up.

As for the final question, I just don’t know how to answer.  Who’s starting on Friday night when Calgary welcomes Hamilton? Coach Huf, why don’t you consult your magic quarterback eight ball.

Good to see

It’s been a difficult season to say the least in Winnipeg.

The saddest part of it all is that Winnipeg’s football issues have made many forget about just how ready Bomber fans are to cheer for their team.
    
Winnipeg has a brand new football facility, which is something that can’t really be glossed over.  A state of the art facility was built in the CFL for a primary use of football.  

Yet the team playing out of lovely Investor’s Group Field have yet to have anything to cheer about.
    
Sunday finally put an end to that, however.  In Week 11, Winnipeg finally notched their first home win of the season, taking out their archrival Saskatchewan Roughriders 25-13.  

Not only did the Bombers finally win at home, they also snapped a seven game losing skid.  And they did, of course, win the Banjo Bowl.
    
This column tries very hard to not play favorites when it comes to teams, and this blurb is no different.  I’m not going to lie, though: it was awesome seeing the Bombers win in that atmosphere.  

I’m sorry, seeing dudes with inflatable banjos and seeing how nice the weather looked in Winnipeg on Sunday, it was just nice to see.
    
The Riders are going to be fine, even though I know local phone-in shows were probably livid all day long.  But for the Bombers to win their first home game of a hard season on this particular day is pretty special.  

They’re not going to the playoffs, and most fans are going to do all they can to forget 2013.  With their win over Saskatchewan, there will be at least one positive memory.