Pratt talks about Printers

[LFITQ]

Just watching Pratt with Terry David Mulligan on Sportsnet pacific right now.

The two of them, talking about the Lions, are actually talking about Printers right now. Apparently Printers is going to be the topic for "Pratt's Rant" today.

I don't think FD45 should listen ..... 8)

And TDM even has an opinion on Printers. And a knowledgeable one at that.

[Bobbyp]

Missed it he was talking to some Hamberger guy from the nfl. o yay

[B.C.FAN]

Missed it he was talking to some Hamberger guy from the nfl. o yay

They're still talking about Printers. Best lines:
"He was 23 going on 12."

On locker room divisions:
"On one side were the players who didn't like him. On the other side were the one who hated him."

He played a lot of clips from Printers over time to show that he was always an "I" guy but he concluded with a hopeful clip from this morning in which Printers used the word "we." The conclusion was that maybe he's finally maturing.

[Wakesbetterthanyou]

Missed it he was talking to some Hamberger guy from the nfl. o yay

They're still talking about Printers. Best lines:
"He was 23 going on 12."

On locker room divisions:
"On one side were the players who didn't like him. On the other side were the one who hated him."

He played a lot of clips from Printers over time to show that he was always an "I" guy but he concluded with a hopeful clip from this morning in which Printers used the word "we." The conclusion was that maybe he's finally maturing.

Lol, they think like me.....except for the last bit....tho i try not to listen when casey speaks now......

[Toppy Vann]

Missed it he was talking to some Hamberger guy from the nfl. o yay

They're still talking about Printers. Best lines:
"He was 23 going on 12."

On locker room divisions:
"On one side were the players who didn't like him. On the other side were the one who hated him."

He played a lot of clips from Printers over time to show that he was always an "I" guy but he concluded with a hopeful clip from this morning in which Printers used the word "we." The conclusion was that maybe he's finally maturing.

I don't think Casey was regarded like that. Hated vs disliked. It might be true and maybe Pratt is getting that from inside the team and if he is, it is plausible. But I don't think it was like that.

Yes, they knew he had a big ego but I think despite that he was considered a good team guy. He was no favourite of Jacque Chapdelaine one little bit but I doubt he was hated by the team.

He is a guy who has poorly managed his career and may never be around long enough like Anthony Cavillo to experience some absolutely terrific times in football after a rough at times start.

1. he seems to get lousy to inferior career advice (maybe he doesn't listen to it, but hearing Medlock I'd say the advice was poor).
Listen to what he said when he went to the NFL. How much the President or some other non-coaching dude(s) wanted him. Hello, give your head a shake. Those guys aren't making the football decisions as they weren't like Jerry Jones - an interfering owner. An advisor would have said 'Whoa Casey. Let's sit down and evaluate the situation - not just the money and how well they made you feel welcome in their OFFICES. The money will take of itself if you make a good decision about where to show case your talent and where you will have the best chance to succeed and be a pro QB for many years like Warren (I played in GC games in the CFL before going south) Moon who you like to model yourself on. '

2. his ego and how he is wired make things he perceives to be personal attacks magnify. He can't forget or forgive. He's not a bad person for it. He is not hated or disliked as a team mate. These guys don't all love each other or have other guys over for dinner. I felt it best he go after the Grey Cup in 04 when it became clear that he took that as hard as he did (not playing). Even if he had a busted leg or neck, it was important to him to get a series or more to showcase and cap off his MOP winning year and that week with his family and friends in Ottawa to see him get this award. Other players like Buck Pierce or Jarius Jackson would have taken that hard too but in my view given their make up and wiring, they'd not have let that destroy their relationship with the team and coaches but Casey is just a different sort of person. The next year, yes, wasn't so good and how much was that end of year debacle affecting him - I think it was a lot. Hey Joe Smith probably would have thought. Hey it was their loss. I got paid in full and didn't get hit once and I got to stay home and garden and read. Oh yeah , I forgot the game time was three hours difference. But, Casey is just not like that sort of guy who is the polar opposite in fact. Most of the rest of the players like people everywhere are somewhere on that continuum.

3. Choosing Hamilton. Yikes. Most advisors would suggest hey Casey, maybe this is not such a good situation. Lets look at this team. Who you are going to throw to, how the offence is structured, etc.

[Blitz]

Just watching Pratt with Terry David Mulligan on Sportsnet pacific right now.

The two of them, talking about the Lions, are actually talking about Printers right now. Apparently Printers is going to be the topic for "Pratt's Rant" today.

I don't think FD45 should listen ..... 8)

And TDM even has an opinion on Printers. And a knowledgeable one at that.

Well, one player who certainly did not hate Casey Printers was Geroy Simon. Here is his quote today...."He has a young group of receivers," says the Lions slotback. "That wasn't the case in B.C. We took a lot of pressure off him. If he got in a jam, he could throw it up and know we'd go get it. But Casey's still a great quarterback. His guys need to step up for him." (Geroy Simon..Vancouver Province)

I think Simon's comments would reflect what the majority of Leos players thought of Casey Printers. Perhaps not not Murphy, but he arrived after Casey Printers or a few players who were very closely aligned to Dickenson. However, most Leo players want to win and they won a lot in 2004 with Printers, who only started his first football game in the CFL that season and went on to become the MOP in the league. Printers spent a lot of 2005 injured and also played injured.

Of course there was a lot of stuff, outside of the playing field that took place and the controversy took it's toll. Wally certainly didn't help things by refusing to name his starter until Game Day, on the few occasions that both Dickenson and Printers were actually both healthy that season, making the situation worse. However, if Printers had been that hated by his teamates, Wally would never have tried to sign Printers as his starting quarterback at the end of 2005 for a massively huge raise. Wally may not always get it right but being so close to this situation, he wasn't stupid enough to try to sign Printers, unless he felt that he had a team that would play for him.

Why Casey Printers signed with Hamilton is beyond me. I understand why he left B.C. and chose the NFL option instead. First of all, it was a chance that most import players would jump at and secondly, it couldn't have been a lot of fun competing for the starting position against an incumbent quarterback in Dickenson, who had a lot of loyal fans and was also the guy a lot of the press were more inclined towards. Printers mistakes, as a young pro quarterback who had a lot of early success, didn't help either.

However, while I believed it was wise for Printers, when he returned to the CFL, to go to another team rather than look to return to our Leos (and we were interested for the following season) his choice of Hamilton was more than questionable. Printers is a quarterback who struggles more than most with losing and he's had a steady dose in Hamilton..a team constantly rebuilding.

Marcel Bellefeuille, who had his struggles in both Saskatchewan and Montreal, runs an offensive structure that isn't a good fit for Printers style (or Printers style doesn't suit Bellefeuille's offence) Printers has young inexperienced receivers and lacks a deep threat. Hamilton's offensive line, which lacked talent prior to this upcoming game with our Leos, will now have both of it's starting tackles gone, as they face Wake and Johnson, which will mean Printers will be under unbelievable pressure. Add in the fact that Printers had not played a lot prior to coming to Hamilton, has suffered injuries, and has also not played well, and you have a very tough recipe to try to find success.

it's easy to trash Printers as he struggles in Hamilton. He got trashed a lot here in B.C. when he was much more successful. He wasn't my cup of tea off the playing field. However, I really liked him as a quarterback on the playing field. It's easy to forget he went 20/22 against Hamilton, when he played against them his first season as a starter in 2004, a passing game which still stands as a record for highest passing percentage in a football game. It's also easy to forget how he ignited fans and our football team here in B.C. in 2005. He was a quiet, third string quarterback in his rookie season. There was only the 2005 season that was controversial, following the 2004 Grey Cup decision and it was Wally who said Printers would compete against Dickenson for the starting position in 2005.

Printers deserves some criticism for the way he handled things in 2005 but certainly he wasn't the only one at fault and he has taken way more of a trashing than deserved. Other than being dum in taking a cell phone call while on the sidelines during a game, he really didn't do a lot wrong other than want to compete for the starters position and believe he was the better choice. Dickenson also thought he was the better choice. Printers played so injured and was in such pain in 2005, that he couldn't even go back into the game for the last drive against Montreal late that season. Implored by his teamates, he went in and drove us for a go ahead touchdown before our defense lost the game in the final seconds. His teamates called him courageous. He couldn't even practice throwing overhand that 2005 season or even warm up, when he started the last six games with Dickenons hurt but still he played and risked his future by doing so. He played with a horrendous turf toe in 2004, that even his own teamates winced at the needles he took each game to play.

I've stuck up for him because he was a talented quarterback who was unfairly maligned and in many ways, unfairly treated, in my opinion. He made mistakes and was unwilling to play second fiddle to Dickenson but he wasn't the first quarterback nor will he be the the last quarterback to not accept being a backup. Wally liked him and also said he understood why Printers left B.C. and wished him well. There was no animosity between Wally and Printers when he chose to take his NFL shot. However, I'm sure Wally was happy that Medlock went with him.

Printers, who often suffers from insomnia, when he plays poorly or his team loses, will likely find himself sleepless after he plays our Leos and he will likely find himself on his back even more times than he has already. He's a different guy, sometimes egotistical and sometimes insecure, complex, confusing, and I also believe often misunderstood. Hamilton is the worse place for him. He needed to be with a good surrounding cast, with some receivers who can threaten deep. He looks like he's lost his confidence, no matter what he says off the footballl field, which is more show than what I believe is happening inside.

The best thing that could happen would be for Hamilton to trade Printers but his salary will make that difficult, especially based upon Printers performance in Hamilton to date...although that performance has also been hampered by rust, injury, and a lack of a good supproting cast. Perhaps Printers will never regain the form that he showed here in B.C. A lot has happened since then.

However, the comment that 'on one side was the players who didn't like him and on the other side were the players who hated him' is complete b.s. When Printers returned for his visit here to B.C. he was surrounded by former teamates, even though Murphy said he didn't want him in the dressing room and on the sidelines. It's easy to distort what happened here. Dickenson had his loyalists as teamates and so did Printers. However, most players didn't give a *poop*. They just wanted to win and the offensive line just wanted to know who was starting, during the week, so they could mentally prepare for the two different styles of our quarterbacks during that time.

Printers handled some things wrong but also deserves credit for doing a lot of good things too. He almost brought us back, with only a litle over three minutes of playing time at the end of the 2005 Western Final, giving us a most exciting three minutes one could hope for and almost pulled out a miracle and perhaps really did, if the refs would only have called the pass interference call on Simon in the end zone. I don't long for Printers back here in B.C. but I still remember a lot of games that he played in and they were a treat to watch.

[PigSkin_53]

Missed it he was talking to some Hamberger guy from the nfl. o yay

They're still talking about Printers. Best lines:
"He was 23 going on 12."

On locker room divisions:
"On one side were the players who didn't like him. On the other side were the one who hated him."

He played a lot of clips from Printers over time to show that he was always an "I" guy but he concluded with a hopeful clip from this morning in which Printers used the word "we." The conclusion was that maybe he's finally maturing.

I don't think Casey was regarded like that. Hated vs disliked. It might be true and maybe Pratt is getting that from inside the team and if he is, it is plausible. But I don't think it was like that.

Yes, they knew he had a big ego but I think despite that he was considered a good team guy. He was no favourite of Jacque Chapdelaine one little bit but I doubt he was hated by the team.

He is a guy who has poorly managed his career and may never be around long enough like Anthony Cavillo to experience some absolutely terrific times in football after a rough at times start.

1. he seems to get lousy to inferior career advice (maybe he doesn't listen to it, but hearing Medlock I'd say the advice was poor).
Listen to what he said when he went to the NFL. How much the President or some other non-coaching dude(s) wanted him. Hello, give your head a shake. Those guys aren't making the football decisions as they weren't like Jerry Jones - an interfering owner. An advisor would have said 'Whoa Casey. Let's sit down and evaluate the situation - not just the money and how well they made you feel welcome in their OFFICES. The money will take of itself if you make a good decision about where to show case your talent and where you will have the best chance to succeed and be a pro QB for many years like Warren (I played in GC games in the CFL before going south) Moon who you like to model yourself on. '

2. his ego and how he is wired make things he perceives to be personal attacks magnify. He can't forget or forgive. He's not a bad person for it. He is not hated or disliked as a team mate. These guys don't all love each other or have other guys over for dinner. I felt it best he go after the Grey Cup in 04 when it became clear that he took that as hard as he did (not playing). Even if he had a busted leg or neck, it was important to him to get a series or more to showcase and cap off his MOP winning year and that week with his family and friends in Ottawa to see him get this award. Other players like Buck Pierce or Jarius Jackson would have taken that hard too but in my view given their make up and wiring, they'd not have let that destroy their relationship with the team and coaches but Casey is just a different sort of person. The next year, yes, wasn't so good and how much was that end of year debacle affecting him - I think it was a lot. Hey Joe Smith probably would have thought. Hey it was their loss. I got paid in full and didn't get hit once and I got to stay home and garden and read. Oh yeah , I forgot the game time was three hours difference. But, Casey is just not like that sort of guy who is the polar opposite in fact. Most of the rest of the players like people everywhere are somewhere on that continuum.

3. Choosing Hamilton. Yikes. Most advisors would suggest hey Casey, maybe this is not such a good situation. Lets look at this team. Who you are going to throw to, how the offence is structured, etc.

Nice analysis on how Casey ticks Toppy…

His loyalty to his uncle has cost him dearly and still continues to mount to this day.

One look at his face after the labour day lose said it all, how Casey’s repeated disappointments should have matured him years ago, why he should have parted ways with Medlock after he left BC, but blood apparently is thicker than water.

Pity for Casey who has suffered in the past, but will suffer even more greatly in the future.

[Rick James]

The quote about half the team not liking him and the other half hating him was in regards to his hamilton teammates. Pratt probably pulled that out of the air.

[pennw]

He cooled off considerably in the final 6 games or so in '04 and was a non factor in '05...and had 1 td pass in '07 and '08 seasons so far. 8)

Good of you to bring up this point .Amazingly selective or poor memory so many have of Printers of '04 , yes he did have an amazing run then , but then teams figured him out and he became very ineffective in the later part of that season . And he never regained the form he had during that early streak , to this day . If you did not see those early '04 games you'd wonder why he even still is on any roster.

Of course maybe our own Lions playing him today (with the way they played lately) will make him look like an all-star and I'll then eat those words.

[Hambone]

Most of Pratt's shows are just reruns and that's within the same show. When I was working in Fort St. John through the winter of 2005 I could pick it up through most of the 4+ hour drive back to Prince George. The 3rd hour was the same as the 2nd hour which was the same as the 1st hour. Same topic theme through the whole thing with different guests answering the same questions. 25 or 30 times through that Pratt would say "I have no problem with that, BUT......" then he'd go on about all the problems he had with it. Interpersed Taylor would throw in a few Nyuk, Nyuks and some double-entendre jabs. By the end of the 3rd hour I was never sure if Pratt and Taylor were still in the studio or if the producer was just splicing the new guest's responses into the tape produced in the first 2 hours. It seemed to be the same line of question and the same Pratt responses and rebuttals. Thus it is with Casey Printers. Pratt has had a running "rant" on Printers dating back to 2004. Here in 2008 Pratt is still on the same rant re: Printers and using the same boring clips he used over and over again during those long drives back home in 2005. It's as out of date as his leather pants.

[Solar Max]

Gee Dale, tell us what you REALLY think.

:lol:

At least Pratt is a Lions fan, we can be thankful for that, and I do agree with your onsevations.






disclaimer: there will be a repeat of this post in one hour.

[Ravi]

All I can say is that other than Doug Flutie in '91, the most exciting football that I have seen the Lions play and some of the most exciting CFL football that I have ever seen is when Casey Printers ran the Lions offence in '04. You just got the sense that anything was possible with Casey at the helm back in those days. He certainly rejuvenated fan interest in the Lions and electrified Lions fans like no player since Doug Flutie in '91. I would take a healthy Casey Printers on my team any day and, considering that the Argos just moved Michael Bishop anyway, I wish that they had signed him when they had a chance a year ago.

[Wakesbetterthanyou]

casey signed in hamilton cause they offered the biggest contract.

[pennw]

I would take a healthy Casey Printers on my team any day and, considering that the Argos just moved Michael Bishop anyway, I wish that they had signed him when they had a chance a year ago.

Your Argos may well have that opportunity this off season , should Printers be a free agent by then . And it sure looks like he should be , makes way to much money to be a #3 QB , where he should be .