With Labour Day now well in the rear view mirror the Canadian Football League heads into the homestretch of another season.
Like most seasons on all sports, there have been ups and downs with the CFL in 2019.
To start with only one of the nine anticipated starting quarterbacks across the league has not gone to the sidelines hurt, the exception being B.C. Lion Mike Reilly. The irony in this of course is the fact that Reilly has been sacked more than any other QB in the league. The Lions offensive line is more porous than Swiss cheese leaving Reilly looking at times like the mole in a game of whack-a-mole.
What is surprising, other than Reilly is still in there chucking every week, is that there truly has been a silver lining to all the quarterback injuries this season.
While no one want to see the likes of Bo Levi Mitchell and Jeremiah Masoli out hurt, the Hamilton pivot gone for the season, it has opened the door for a bevy of back-ups to get extended playing time, and for the most part the results have exceeded expectations.
Nowhere is the back-up shining brighter than in Saskatchewan where Cody Fajardo, his and the team’s most recent effort in the Banjo Bowl notwithstanding, has become a bonafide blue-chipper.
Not that is was a very high bar, but Fajardo has exceeded anything I had expected from the oft-injured, and now traded, Zack Collaros.
Fajardo was a player that really came out of nowhere, having hung around the Lions behind a star when healthy in Travis Lulay, and highly touted, but underachieving Jonathon Jennings. As a result there was rarely a chance for Fajardo to touch more than a clipboard. Credit the Saskatchewan brass for seeing something in the pivot worth taking a chance on, because after 11 games, he is the number four rated QB in the league with 2608 passing yards.
Not surprising, Trevor Harris tops the list after 12 games, with 3706 yards, although he missed most of the Eskimos most recent tilt against Calgary with an apparent hand injury.
Reilly is still third with 2667 yards.
Sandwiched at number two is McLeod Bethel-Thompson. While the Toronto Argonauts rarely hold leads to get wins, it’s not because of their quarterback. Bethel-Thompson has thrown for 3004 yards, and has gotten better as the season wears on. I never thought he had it in him to be a quality starter, but he’s proving that he does.
I can write just about the same thing about Vernon Adams in Montreal. I thought the former Oregon Duck was going to be another big school flop in the CFL, but suddenly he is managing an Alouette offence that has looked very good, making Montreal my dark horse come playoff time.
Nick Arbuckle showed enough in relief of the injured Mitchell in Calgary to think he will one day be a starter in the CFL, and Dane Evans while lacking consistency has been solid as the now starter in Hamilton.
Of course there are a couple of bumps on the back-up road too, as might be expected when so many have been thrust into the spotlight.
Chris Streveler, who I had expected big things from based on a couple of appearances last year, doesn’t look like he can throw well enough to be a starter in the CFL, at least as a quarterback. With his size he might be a great tight end.
Dominique Davis hasn’t shown a lot in Ottawa either. The Redblacks are not a very good team, so you can’t expect quarterbacks to be brilliant, but 14 interceptions versus five touchdown tosses don’t cut it.
Still, a lot of positives for the CFL in terms of emerging talent at quarterback in a league where passing rules.
