THE CANADIAN PRESS
It’s been too long. With a bevy of good stories and a promising season ahead, the first installment of 2015’s Monday Morning Quarterback has lots to talk about. We’ve got a mixed bag in Hamilton and some interesting questions for the defending champs to get to, among other things. We’re glad to be back, so let’s get it on.
Early hurdles
The start of this season for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats was going to be somewhat difficult to begin with. Thanks to scheduling conflicts beyond their control, the Ticats won’t get to have their home opener at Tim Hortons Field until early August.
Might that be a little frustrating? Yeah, I can see why. After all, they did spend half of last year waiting to get in to their gorgeous new facility and now they have to play the first four games of this season on the road, too. Oh well, stuff happens, right?
Well, apparently, when it rains it pours. Hamilton found out in late April that defensive tackle Linden Gaydosh was going to miss the entire 2015 season with an Achilles injury. For a guy who seemed poised to be a true difference maker this season, that was a really crushing blow. A healthy Gaydosh for an entire CFL season is an extremely terrifying prospect for opposition teams.
Then the news got worse this past week. Now it’s defensive tackle Brian Bulcke done for the season with an ACL injury. That’s two Canadian impact makers in the middle of the defensive line gone before even seeing a regular season snap. Just imagine the ratio busting capability the Ticats could have had.
I feel really bad for both guys. For various reasons, Gaydosh has barely seen any time with the team that selected him first overall 2013 while Bulcke has had a nightmare last two seasons. Last year it was a bicep injury that cut Bulcke’s season short eight games in, and now this.
So how will Hamilton deal with losses like this? Well, luckily line depth defensively isn’t much an issue. Despite not dressing for the preseason opener, tackle Ted Laurent is back looking to build on his outstanding 2014 campaign. Defensive end Justin Hickman, on the other hand, is taking part in his first CFL training camp since 2011. These guys are both among the league’s best at their position.
So, you see, it’s not all bad news for Hamilton right now. Laurent and Hickman form one promising pair heading into the season, and last Monday’s 37-10 preseason win over Ottawa allowed us to see another potentially promising pair in action as well.
The Tiger-Cats went with Jeff Mathews and Jacory Harris at quarterback and both of them made favourable impressions. Mathews is the one that intrigues me the most, however. 2014 saw him bounce around the NFL with three different teams, so first off some stability could end up being huge for him. Stability mixed with familiarity, however, could be even better.
If you’re not familiar, Mathews finished his college career at Cornell with 47 school records to go along with 18 Ivy League conference marks. And it just so happens three of those four years were played under current Tiger-Cats Head Coach Kent Austin. I think there’s a potential fruitful relationship to exploit there.
Zach Collaros is Hamilton’s starting quarterback, and there should be no debate about that. But to have Mathews impress in his CFL debut on Monday (9 for 15, 188 yards, two touchdowns) was promising. Add in Jeremiah Masoli and you have a number of quarterbacks you can feel comfortable with if you’re Austin.
Sophomore studies
Jonathan Crompton tops my list of players I’ll be really focused on throughout the 2015 campaign. The Alouettes quarterback burst onto the scene midway through last season and finally gave them some stability at the position. Year two interests me for a couple different reasons.
First off, Crompton enters a pro season as the unchallenged starter for the first time. That’s a different challenge, because it comes with expectations and pressure. He seems like the type of personality to have no problem dealing with challenges like this, so I’m not really worried, to be perfectly honest.
The second thing I’ll be watching for is far more important, and that’s how Crompton matures as at the position. There are a lot of things to like in his game, but we also saw some things that needed refining last year. Will we see progression in those areas this season?
The biggest thing for Crompton will be his accuracy and decision making, because the athletic tools are all there. It was those athletic tools I thought he relied a little too much on last season, though. Crompton can throw the deep ball and he can fire it into tight coverage very nicely. But I want to see him use the whole field a little more.
Crompton was a 58.1% passer last year, which is a figure I think he can raise significantly in the next few years. Working through his progressions and relying less on stretching the field will help him do that. With the weapons he has in his arsenal, Crompton could be a force if he can raise that completion rate even five points.
All eyes will be on Jonathan Crompton this season, as the Als need their unchallenged starting quarterback to take another step forward.
Line shuffling
Names like Nik Lewis and Maurice Price headlined the list of notable departures for the Calgary Stampeders this past offseason. But the two that could end up being the most important don’t get quite the same fanfare.
The Stamps said goodbye to Stanley Bryant and Brett Jones on their offensive line. Bryant joined Winnipeg as a free agent while Jones has gone south to try his hand with the NFL’s New York Giants. Once again, Calgary’s O-line factory is going to be put to the test once again.
Under John Hufnagel, the Stamps have dealt with injuries and departures on a stunningly regular basis at the position. And they always seem to overcome and thrive. As such, I’m confident they’ll be just fine. But until we see the snaps start to matter, you never know.
Edwin Harrison is the man tabbed to take Bryant’s place at left tackle. Now in his sixth season with the team, Harrison has played both tackle positions and has spent the last couple campaigns mostly as a guard. He’s entering this season with a chip on his shoulder and feels like he has something to prove, which is great if you’re the Stampeders.
Harrison has a very reliable track record and I think he’s the perfect guy to fill Bryant’s very big shoes. So what of the departure of last year’s Most Outsanding Lineman Jones? That falls on 2014 first overall pick Pierre Lavertu.
Jones has been an absolute rock at centre since joining the team at the start of the 2013 season, so he’s going to be hard to replace. But Calgary paid the price to move up to number one last year for a reason. Lavertu is an extremely promising prospect and already has a year under his belt, albeit in a slightly reduced role.
Both guys played in Calgary’s 20-6 preseason win over BC on Friday. Much like the rest of the first team offence, they didn’t get enough time to truly get a gauge as to their effectiveness. One place the Stampeders seem to always be effective in, though, is adding the right pieces on their offensive line. So why would this year be any different?
Quick hits
Edmonton’s 31-24 win over Saskatchewan on Saturday night was fun to watch. It was even more fun to see the game get played in Fort McMurray, Alta. I thought the visuals looked great on television and the atmosphere seemed fun. It should be even better in a few weeks when the Esks and Argos play there on opening weekend.
I know we touched on the Stamps already, but I think I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Andrew Buckley. The seventh round pick in this year’s Canadian Draft got to live a dream playing for his hometown team at McMahon Stadium. The University of Calgary product got the job done on the field, too, racking up 72 yards on 8-for-10 passing in his professional debut.
Finally, it’s good to be back for another year at the MMQB. We’ve got a lot of fun things planned this year at CFL.ca, both on this column and elsewhere so stay with us. 2015 looks to be our best year yet.
