Tuesday Morning QB (CFL Week 13)
It has been the constant story in the 2015 season as CFL teams continue to try to solidify the quarterback position.
In Week 1 it was all about the injuries that left the majority of teams without their starting quarterbacks.
Then the focus turned to the back-ups and who could help lead their team either for the rest of the season or until the starter could return.
In Week 13 the quarterback question is front and centre once again as a mix of everything has changed the look of the league.
For a few teams in Week 13 it was all good news as Montreal and Saskatchewan saw the return of their quarterbacks.
For the Alouettes it has been a rough year and the rough part of the year started almost immediately.
Both Jonathan Crompton and Dan LeFevour were injured in the first week of the season leaving the Als with an untested rookie at the helm.
When that rookie, Rakeem Cato, was hurt the Als were once again left wondering what to do before their season was officially over.
This week they got some relief as they saw Crompton return to the field and lead the Als to a win over the Blue Bombers.
The Roughriders also saw the return of a quarterback although not their starter.
After Darian Durant was injured in Week 1 the off-season back-up plan took over as Kevin Glenn took over the starting role.
He wasn’t particularly successful as he never won a game but the offence was better with him under centre.
Then Glenn went down and the Riders continued to struggle although they did pick up a win.
Glenn returned this week and once again the offence went to another level as their season is still alive.
They did take a loss to the REDBLACKs in a tight battle but they looked better than they had most of the season and hope to continue that progression into a late season run.
It wasn’t all great for every team though as two teams saw their quarterbacks fall late in the season.
The BC Lions were already reeling from the loss of their starting QB in Travis Lulay who is likely done for the season with a knee injury.
They went in to Week 13 with John Beck leading the way but that did not last long as Beck went down with a pectoral injury and could miss most of the rest of the season.
That leaves rookie QB Jonathon Jennings to lead the way as BC continues to fight for a playoff spot in the west.
As bad as it was for the Lions nobody had a worse week than the Hamilton Tiger-Cats who lost their starting quarterback and the likely Most Outstanding Player.
The Ti-Cats have seen the season of a lifetime from Zach Collaros who has thrown for 3,376 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions.
He has been the reason for the Ti-Cats’ dominant season so far and the reason why they seemed to be headed to another Grey Cup.
He continued that this week taking on the Edmonton Eskimos but then disaster struck for the Tabies.
Collaros went down with a knee injury early in the game and forced the Ti-Cats to play with their back-up.
Hamilton lost the game as both Jeff Mathews and Jacory Harris struggled to keep the Ti-Cats’ offence running smoothly.
They will get a week to prepare for their next shot as it was announced that Collaros had torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.
The big question now becomes whether or not either of these quarterbacks can find it in them to continue the roll tha tthe TI-Cats have gone on throughout the 2015 season.
They still have a great team with the best defence in the league but Collaros was the main reason for the strong year and if he’s gone the questions about their sustained strength are sure to dominate.
The CFL has once again seen a week go by where the quarterbacks in the league have been the main story.
It is a theme of the season and one that has kept the year in flux with changes at the most important position for every team.
Fourth Down:
(Thoughts on Week 13 in the CFL)
Trading Places
The Toronto Blue Jays are having a great year but that is not good news for the Argos who have moved their October 6th home game to Ottawa in order to free up the Rogers Centre for the MLB postseason
Medlock Most Accurate
To be an American kicker in the CFL means that you have to be better than average and Justin Medlock is just that as he has the distinction of being the most accurate kicker in CFL history over his five-year carer
First of a Long List
Ian Wild has reportedly agreed to sign with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after a stint in the NFL as he is the first in a long line of potential players that could move their way back to the CFL after trying out for the NFL and being cut
Week 13 Scores:
Calgary Stampeders 35 – 23 BC Lions
– The BC Lions went into their game against the Stamps with a new quarterback but lost him during the game as the Lions struggled to keep up with the defending champions who took the win and stayed atop the west
Edmonton Eskimos 25 – 18 Hamilton Tiger-Cats
– The Ti-Cats had only lost one game at Tim Hortons Field but they would lose their second one this week against the Eskimos who kept pace with the Stamps while the Ti-Cats took the loss and lost their starting quarterback
Ottawa REDBLACKS 30 – 27 Saskatchewan Roughriders
– The Riders welcomed back Kevin Glenn who was able to kick-start the offence but it wasn’t enough to get past the REDBLACKS who took the win with a last-minute field goal to move them into sole possession of second place in the east
Montreal Alouettes 35 – 14 Winnipeg Blue Bombers
– The Alouettes welcomed back Jonathan Crompton while the Bombers went with their new QB Matt Nichols but it was the Als and Crompton who came out on top with a big win that has kick-started their playoff hopes
Week 13 Matchups:
Calgary Stampeders vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Friday September 25th; 8:30 pm ET)
– The Bombers are still in the fight for the playoffs but they need to start winning before it’s too late while the Stamps are looking to continue to lead the west and get closer to clinching a playoff spot
Toronto Argonauts vs. Ottawa REDBLACKS (Saturday September 26th; 7:00 pm ET)
– The Argos won’t be back home for a while again as they face two straight games in Ottawa as both of these teams seem to be headed for a season long battle for second place and the next two games will determine the season series
BC Lions vs. Edmonton Eskimos (Saturday September 26th; 4:00 pm ET)
– The Esks are trying to keep pace with their provincial rivals in the Stamps and they will take on the Lions looking to do just that while the Lions have a long fight for the playoffs in store and hope to make progress
Montreal Alouettes vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders (Sunday September 27th; 4:00 pm ET)
– The Riders and Als are trying to get out of the basement of both of their divisions and they hope to start that process now before it is too late as they both hope that returning QBs Kevin Glenn and Jonathan Crompton can lead the way
The Sport Addiction 