Damon Allen
Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 6:57 pm
No surprise, but congratulations to Damon Allen for his Canadian Football Hall of Fame induction. 
First, a tribute on him.
Most of this must be review as I may have stated this before, but it looks like Damon Allen will rarely remembered as the best or even one of the best BC Lions QB. I say with certainty that when ranking historical Lion QB's, most of them will rank Doug Flutie, Matt Dunigan, Danny McManus, Roy Dewalt, Dave Dickenson, and perhaps even Joe Kapp and Casey Printers above Damon Allen. I wonder how Eskimo fans rank Damon Allen. Perhaps they rank Ray more than Allen, but perhaps less than Dunigan and Ham given the fact that Allen came to the rescue after Dunigan was injured in the 1987 GC and brought home another championship in 1993 and Ham won 1989 MOP but the 16-2 team was upset in the WDF. As for Argonauts fans, that's tough to say. I'm sure most of them rank Flutie over him but he was only there for two years, albeit championship seasons but perhaps more than Holloway and Barnes. I cannot speculate on how Ottawa and Hamilton fans rank him.
I mentioned this point before and I'll say it again. When it comes to Lion QB's and free agencies, by far the biggest and saddest loss was when after the 1991 season Doug Flutie was lost when he was signed away by the Calgary Stampeders and then-owner Murray Pezim wasn't willing to match the offer presented by Larry Ryckman. But for some reason, there didn't seemed to be any emotions when after the 1995 season the Lions decided not to re-sign Danny McManus, who had a very good and decent season as a QB starter even though the team win the playoff game. When McManus signed with the Eskimos, the led the team to a GC appearance. With new coach Paopao and owner Skalbania, they decided to take their chances on Andre Ware who was a huge flop after four games. And at the same time Damon Allen was looking for work after his Memphis Mad Dogs folded. IMHO, I'd say the signing of Damon Allen was one of the best long-term signings the Lions ever made. Unlike say, with Matt Dunigan who came at a huge cost of six good players in the trade and who only played two seasons, there were no strings attached and he played for seven seasons with the team.
I posted these two pictures several times before and with his induction, I feel it's appropriate to post them yet again. Just like late in this 2011 season the Lions are fighting for first place, since 1987 the Lions came oh so close in finishing first in the west but several times it was very frustrating especially in 1991 when the Lions chocked in the latter part of the season. But with Allen in the 1999 season the Lions were fighting Calgary for first place and this time the team did not choke and as a result, the team finished first and hosted the division final for the first time in 12 years. Yes, Allen made a mistake with his fumble in the 1999 but the defense was also to blame to allow the Stampeders to jump to a 23-7 lead and to allow them to drive for the winning FG late in the fourth. The only thing he could do is redeem himself in the future and that he did. Despite a bad 8-10-1 regular season, everything came to place in the playoffs and Allen and company deservedly won both playoff games. Perhaps it's because it will always be shadowed by 1994, but I must commend the Lions on one of their best road game playoffs ever as they handled 2000 MOP Dickenson easily 37-23 and Allen had every right and honour to hoist this trophy.
And of course as I stated, the 2000 Grey Cup championship is the most under-appreciated even though it would be the last game as a player for Lui and what way to end it with a bang with the help of another CFL (and Lion?) legend!
First, a tribute on him.
Most of this must be review as I may have stated this before, but it looks like Damon Allen will rarely remembered as the best or even one of the best BC Lions QB. I say with certainty that when ranking historical Lion QB's, most of them will rank Doug Flutie, Matt Dunigan, Danny McManus, Roy Dewalt, Dave Dickenson, and perhaps even Joe Kapp and Casey Printers above Damon Allen. I wonder how Eskimo fans rank Damon Allen. Perhaps they rank Ray more than Allen, but perhaps less than Dunigan and Ham given the fact that Allen came to the rescue after Dunigan was injured in the 1987 GC and brought home another championship in 1993 and Ham won 1989 MOP but the 16-2 team was upset in the WDF. As for Argonauts fans, that's tough to say. I'm sure most of them rank Flutie over him but he was only there for two years, albeit championship seasons but perhaps more than Holloway and Barnes. I cannot speculate on how Ottawa and Hamilton fans rank him.
I mentioned this point before and I'll say it again. When it comes to Lion QB's and free agencies, by far the biggest and saddest loss was when after the 1991 season Doug Flutie was lost when he was signed away by the Calgary Stampeders and then-owner Murray Pezim wasn't willing to match the offer presented by Larry Ryckman. But for some reason, there didn't seemed to be any emotions when after the 1995 season the Lions decided not to re-sign Danny McManus, who had a very good and decent season as a QB starter even though the team win the playoff game. When McManus signed with the Eskimos, the led the team to a GC appearance. With new coach Paopao and owner Skalbania, they decided to take their chances on Andre Ware who was a huge flop after four games. And at the same time Damon Allen was looking for work after his Memphis Mad Dogs folded. IMHO, I'd say the signing of Damon Allen was one of the best long-term signings the Lions ever made. Unlike say, with Matt Dunigan who came at a huge cost of six good players in the trade and who only played two seasons, there were no strings attached and he played for seven seasons with the team.
I posted these two pictures several times before and with his induction, I feel it's appropriate to post them yet again. Just like late in this 2011 season the Lions are fighting for first place, since 1987 the Lions came oh so close in finishing first in the west but several times it was very frustrating especially in 1991 when the Lions chocked in the latter part of the season. But with Allen in the 1999 season the Lions were fighting Calgary for first place and this time the team did not choke and as a result, the team finished first and hosted the division final for the first time in 12 years. Yes, Allen made a mistake with his fumble in the 1999 but the defense was also to blame to allow the Stampeders to jump to a 23-7 lead and to allow them to drive for the winning FG late in the fourth. The only thing he could do is redeem himself in the future and that he did. Despite a bad 8-10-1 regular season, everything came to place in the playoffs and Allen and company deservedly won both playoff games. Perhaps it's because it will always be shadowed by 1994, but I must commend the Lions on one of their best road game playoffs ever as they handled 2000 MOP Dickenson easily 37-23 and Allen had every right and honour to hoist this trophy.
And of course as I stated, the 2000 Grey Cup championship is the most under-appreciated even though it would be the last game as a player for Lui and what way to end it with a bang with the help of another CFL (and Lion?) legend!
