Montreal Alouettes
There is a quarterback in Montreal right now creating excitement due to his unique style of play and passionate, emotionally-driven on-field antics. He scrambles around wildly and isn’t afraid to take shots down the field.
It’s not who you thought it would be, but the facts remain the same.
After Johnny Manziel was traded from Hamilton to Montreal, everyone rolled out the red carpet – as they should have – for the Heisman Trophy winner, giving him the job over Vernon Adams Jr., Matthew Shiltz, Jeff Mathews, Drew Willy, etc.
The list of quarterbacks to don the blue, red and white goes on and on this year, as it has for many since Anthony Calvillo retired.
The Alouettes have struggled to find an answer at quarterback that can provide both productivity and consistency while remaining healthy. Multiple times quarterbacks have shown up in Montreal labeled with immense pressure of being the solution, only to fall to the wayside and disappear from the Montreal football scene.
The Waggle, Episode 122: Pipkin ain’t easy
EPISODE OVERVIEW: This week we’re talking D.C. in T.O., our two cents for Nichols’ and should the Als sit down Manziel for “Tony Football”? Later, Antonio Pipkin himself stops by to chat with Cybulski.
RUNDOWN: Double Blue Duron (0:20); Manny goes down and Lions struggles (17:00); Two Cents for Nichols (23:20); Stamps back on the horse (38:45); Pipkin’s Play (41:00); Exclusive interview with Anthonio Pipkin.
Troy Smith, Rakeem Cato, Darian Durant just to name a few, but the next example of this strange positional conundrum for Montreal looks to be the real deal, more than any of the names before him.
Antonio Pipkin was cut by Montreal in the off-season this year after getting live snaps in just the season finale at Hamilton last year.
He was pushed out the door, ignored, forgotten and deemed expendable. His last two games have shown he is anything but that.
In Week 10, Pipkin took the starting role after Johnny Manziel sustained a concussion against Ottawa the previous week and while his numbers might not blow you away, there were aspects of his game that showed why Montreal fans should be excited regardless of the Manziel situation:
The first thing that jumped out to me in Pipkin’s first opportunity was his poise and patience in the pocket. You can see his eyes and hips progressing from read to read comfortably without appearing choppy or ‘jumping’ from receiver to receiver with his eyes.
This allows Pipkin to get through progressions comfortably – when given time – and make his way to outlet routes. Once he arrives at a throw he likes, his ball placement and arm strength have quickly made Pipkin an easy replacement for Jonathon Jennings as the CFL’s young arm talent eye candy.
Time and time again Pipkin planted his back foot in the pocket and stepped forward into throws that make every offensive coordinator drool:
The sideline comeback is a tough route to complete requiring timing, precision accuracy and trust. In Week 10 Pipkin completed four such routes in an impressive display of raw ability:
While stepping into a throw aggressively is a novelty, being able to fade away from pressure and maintain accuracy on a crossing route is a necessity of the Canadian game. Pipkin showed that off in his debut as well:
The end camera really puts this into perspective. With pressure in his face, Pipkin, fading away and looking over the top, maintains velocity and safe placement on the ball, leading to a big gain for Montreal, a simple but essential skill:
Perhaps the most surprising part of studying Pipkin’s game is his willingness to make a living in the pocket. In his first pro start with bullets flying all around him and defenders wrapped up around his legs – which is an uncomfortable feeling for any passer – Pipkin stands tall, works his way across the field and somehow gets enough pop on the ball to find a receiver all alone on the wide side of the field 33 yards away:
Again from the end cut. A young and athletic quarterback typically has a reliance on using his wheels in the first sign of danger. Not Pipkin:
What has made Pipkin so dynamic in his first two games is his passing. No doubt that has been the hallmark, but the Alouettes have worked in nine called quarterback runs for Antonio. He clearly has the ability to get away from pressure, as shown against Edmonton:
And Toronto the following week:
But choosing to call your own number in your first start, and doing it in an audible at the line of scrimmage no less, shows the type of huddle command that should endear Pipkin to his peers.
The danger for a quarterback – regardless of age – who splashes onto the scene creating wins and excitement is that defences catch up to your game. While the jury is obviously still out on Pipkin, it was encouraging that in his second game he only got better.
Pipkin finished 22-of-32 (68.7%) for 303 yards in his home debut. Those numbers are all improved from Week 10 in Edmonton. For Alouettes fans hoping to find Ernest Jackson’s production from 2016 in Ottawa, perhaps Pipkin is part of the solution. He throws a receiver friendly ball, was 4-of-8 to Ernest vs. Toronto last week and has already reminded CFL fans of what Jackson can do with a perfectly placed pass, all the while looking off Argos free safety Jermaine Gabriel just long enough to open a window:
His deep ball accuracy is helped by a beautiful arc and touch Pipkin puts on the football. There’s no wonder he was dominant in NCAA division two with mechanics and arm strength like this:
While everyone loves the deep ball and quarterback running game, I thought Pipkin’s best two snaps both resulted from a different type of play during Week 11 against Toronto.
In the first, Pipkin gets pressured, reads his blocks, and escapes the pocket before gearing up to set up more blocks, all the while scanning the field before finding Eugene Lewis on the wide side 40 yards away.
Some might say this is pro football quarterback beginner’s luck, but it is obvious Pipkin has all the fundamentals and understanding of football time and space to make his elusive playmaking a consistent feature of Alouettes games if he is allowed to hold his starting job.
The second top-flight play shows all those little quarterback points a coach goes looking for when scouting a college kid. On this play – which actually came immediately after the previously mentioned long completion to Lewis – Pipkin rides a ball fake deep into the offensive line to hold the defensive end, who he is ‘reading’ before pulling he ball, gaining depth away from the rush getting his hips downhill towards his target and throwing a strike.
That is not a fluke. That’s a talented quarterback with a great skill-set who has been waiting patiently through the ups and downs of pro football life to show it off.
Antonio Pipkin has his chance now in Montreal. For how long remains to be seen, but I wouldn’t bet against him having success anywhere he gets a chance based on the last two weeks that have Alouettes fans wondering if maybe, just maybe they finally can stop asking “who is next”.
