No Ordinary Joe wrote:Blitz wrote:Steve Kruck pointed out that our Leos will not have to change any of the offence for either one. He said that Buck and Jarious were very similar as quarterbacks and that there was more similarity in their styles than differences. Buck was given the starters osition because he was more consistent. Jarious said he was disapppointed but that he was not going to have a 'pitty party' and would continue to work hard.
Hmm, interesting. I'm not sure that I totally agree with that. I think in terms of heart and the ability to play through pain that both guys are very similar, but I feel like Buck does a better job with the short and intermediate routes and Jarious is a better downfield passer. Plus, I think Buck is more comfortable to scramble and make a play with his feet and Jarious seems a bit hesitant to do so and instead checks down to other receivers so he can still make a play with his arm.
I would love to see JJ run more, the guy is built like a tank and I think would be hard to bring down in the open field, plus, he's also a very good athlete who could be elusive in he gets out of the pocket and tries to scramble for a 1st down. I honestly haven't paid much attention to the pre-season games because of work so maybe he's improved on that aspect. I think he could be a much more effective QB if he runs more. To me, that's what sets Buck apart from Jarious right now is that he's slightly more versatile, but both can win games when their name is called and that's all that matters at the end of the day.
I have to admit I was surprised by the decision that Buck would start the season. Certainly, I believed Chapdelaine would want to go with Buck but I guessed wrong that Wally would still want to begin the season with Jarious. It's been an interesting decision for our Leos but the story will probabably have a few twists and turns before this season is over.
I recognize that, on occasion, my posts go against the grain on Lionbackers. When they do, the response is often very tough on me! It wasn't easy to make the call I did on beginning the season with Jarious. I consider both Toppy Vann and Mighty Buck great Lionbacker colleagues and they are very, very passionate Buck fans. I'm a Buck fan too and had much more to lose than to gain by stating that we would be wiser to begin the season with Jarious, even though I preferred us to to end the season with Buck being our starter.
The "Who Should Be Our Starting Quarterback' on Lionbackers has been a topic on Lionbackers that has created a lot of emotion and often been very divisive, with hurt feelings sometimes the order of the day. In some ways, that hasn't changed but overall, this time, the conversation about the quarterback starting position has been much healthier than the days of Dickenson/Printers.
I was very much a Printers supporter in terms of who should be our starter when that topic was more than a consuming topic on Lionbackers. There is also no question that Dickenson was by far the favored quarterback on Lionbackers and he drew very strong loyalty by most who posted regularly on the Lionbackers site.
I believe, as a number of Lionbackers have posted, that Leos fans want the best quarterback to play, no matter what his skin colour is. However, I also believe that it's tougher for a black quarterback to garner loyalty from fans. The CFL has mostly been colour blind, with regard to black quarterbacks, in comparision to the NFL, and players like Warren Moon and many others came to the CFL and got the opportunity they couldn't get in the NFL.
Still, my experiences in college football, contained numerous examples, stories, and situations that provided me with a strong perception that it's tougher to be a black quarterback. My best friend was a black quarterback and I also knew what he went through. Black quarterbacks in the CFL have also shared that not everyone was color blind when they played up here.
The decision between Buck Pierce and Jarious Jackson was almost a coin toss for Wally. However, on Lionbackers Buck was by far the favored quarterback to start, at over 75%. The percentage on Lionbackers was around the same when Printers was here. I really believe, that if we switched colours, and Buck was the same player and black and Jarious was the same player but white, Jarious would have been the choice on Lionbackers by a 75% margin. No one will agree with that but I still believe it to be true.
I won't comment again on this....and you can fire away...but it's truly what I believe.
However, whomever Lionbackers favor as their starting quarterback, I also believe that Buck won the starters position in training camp fair and square, from our Leos coaching staff. This is a young guy who impressed us so much with his poise as a raw rookie, who won some big games for us in 2006, who suffered and played in pain through some tough injuries in 2007, and who must have been so disappointed last season, when a golden opportunity presented itself and disappeared in front of his eyes.
Buck came into camp with a lot of rust on him from last season, along with having to test out last season's shoulder injury. That he overcame those obstacles to win the starters position is a testament not only to his skill but also his character.