2024 Week 5

[Toppy Vann]

Big second half for the Als and another 375 yds passing for Cody Fajardo. Jason Maas is doing an excellent job as HC.

Stamps might be better off running Tommy Stevens over throwing hitch screens with Jake Maier. Average pass was 3.8 yds and they must have tried that wide out screen play 10 times. Stevens seemed to be the guy Montreal had trouble with.

I think Calgary is in the same boat as Winnipeg the past couple of years. In Winnipeg Prukop gave the appearance of being #2 based on the short yardage reps and often a couple more plays after getting the 1st down but the real #2 was always Brown. It's the same in Calgary. If Dickenson wants to change it up at QB it's Matthew Shiltz who is next man up,

I forgot Shiltz signed there. He had some good games last year and he was not exactly on a great team.
It'd be tough to make Shiltz their starter during this season but in the days of Hufnagel more in the football side, they used Kevin Glenn with some success.
I just don't see Maier being dumped but maybe they need more of Tommy Stevens running.

[Hambone]

Fajardo is an interesting case. Rider fans laid the blame for his ineffectiveness in 2022 about 80/20 at the feet of then-OC Jason Maas with the OL getting the 20 portion. Yet here he is playing fantastic football under HC Jason Maas and OC Anthony Calvillo. AC works from the booth but not sure if he's calling the plays from there or if Maas is doing that from the sidelines. Whatever the case might be it's worked exceptionally well.

Marsh's comments are valid with perhaps some chicken and egg to it. Was it lousy coaches that made for the revolving door of QBs or inability to address the QB situation that led to a revolving door of HCs and OCs? Montreal went thru 9 HCs including interims from AC's final year in 2013 until Maas was hired in 2023. They also had something like 7 different OCs and 5 different QBCs over that period. That sort of turnover/turmoil is not conducive to QB development. Marsh was there from 2013 thru 2015. In that time period he had HCs Dan Hawkins, Jim Popp, Tom Higgins and Jim Popp again. OCs were Doug Berry, Rick Worman, Turk Schonert and Ryan Dinwiddie/Anthony Calvillo as Co-OCs. QBCs were Mike Miller, Jeff Garcia, Schonert and Calvillo. In Marsh's final season the Als used 5 different starters including Brandon Bridge, Rakeem Cato, Jonathan Crompton, Kevin Glenn and Marsh. Their collective heads had to be spinning.

[Sir Purrcival]

I suspect that Maier may have the balance of the season to prove himself but if he falls off an edge or the teams season goes down the tubes, his #1 status may be in jeopardy. It isn't that he is losing games but that there hasn't seemed to be any appreciable change for the better in his game from when he took over from BLM. He still makes questionable decisions. If the game plan went uber conservative yesterday, you would have to ask why? When you start seeing calls for short, safe pass routes, low risk plays, it says something about the coaching staff and their level of confidence in the personnel. It isn't like Dave D, has forgotten what a good offense looks like. He was one of the smartest QB's in the league in his time. So if the coaching staff did indeed shorten the leash, it was probably out of fear that the Stamps O wasn't up to the job and that falls mostly on the strength of the QB.

[Toppy Vann]

I suspect that Maier may have the balance of the season to prove himself but if he falls off an edge or the teams season goes down the tubes, his #1 status may be in jeopardy. It isn't that he is losing games but that there hasn't seemed to be any appreciable change for the better in his game from when he took over from BLM. He still makes questionable decisions. If the game plan went uber conservative yesterday, you would have to ask why? When you start seeing calls for short, safe pass routes, low risk plays, it says something about the coaching staff and their level of confidence in the personnel. It isn't like Dave D, has forgotten what a good offense looks like. He was one of the smartest QB's in the league in his time. So if the coaching staff did indeed shorten the leash, it was probably out of fear that the Stamps O wasn't up to the job and that falls mostly on the strength of the QB.

Went back to the Als game and saw it out although had seen the highlights on TSN.

How on earth with 7 men on the LOS basically did the Stamps believe that run by Fletcher for the winning TD was a play going down the opposite side just because Philpot and others were out that way. Roberson seemed to waving to that side even after the snap and when he had a chance to tackle Fletcher head on or at least attempt a tackle to delay him, he got deked out. It loooked like he redeeemed himself on the INT on the 2 pt convert but I guess he not only ran out of gas he had no one close to lateral to as that two points for Stamps would if successful should have been important.

Saw the long hug and talk by Nik Lewis with Tyson Philpot post game and hopefully for Stamps fans he's saying that they're going to give Jalen a bigger role in their offense as despite his injuries last year he's as talented as Tyson. His last catch running backwards was as special as it gets. I love seeing this guy excel and I have as much a belief in his brother as I do Tyson.

Maas got incensed that on their two pt conversion attempt that they got that delay of game penalty as that would have given them a tie game. First time I saw him Maas lose it angrily while calling the next play that Stamps intercepted.

[Toppy Vann]

Fajardo is an interesting case. Rider fans laid the blame for his ineffectiveness in 2022 about 80/20 at the feet of then-OC Jason Maas with the OL getting the 20 portion. Yet here he is playing fantastic football under HC Jason Maas and OC Anthony Calvillo. AC works from the booth but not sure if he's calling the plays from there or if Maas is doing that from the sidelines. Whatever the case might be it's worked exceptionally well.

Marsh's comments are valid with perhaps some chicken and egg to it. Was it lousy coaches that made for the revolving door of QBs or inability to address the QB situation that led to a revolving door of HCs and OCs? Montreal went thru 9 HCs including interims from AC's final year in 2013 until Maas was hired in 2023. They also had something like 7 different OCs and 5 different QBCs over that period. That sort of turnover/turmoil is not conducive to QB development. Marsh was there from 2013 thru 2015. In that time period he had HCs Dan Hawkins, Jim Popp, Tom Higgins and Jim Popp again. OCs were Doug Berry, Rick Worman, Turk Schonert and Ryan Dinwiddie/Anthony Calvillo as Co-OCs. QBCs were Mike Miller, Jeff Garcia, Schonert and Calvillo. In Marsh's final season the Als used 5 different starters including Brandon Bridge, Rakeem Cato, Jonathan Crompton, Kevin Glenn and Marsh. Their collective heads had to be spinning.

Fajardo was struggling with the fans heat on him it seemed and Maas wasn't overly helpful but the overall team wasn't doing great either. Maas was better than during his days as HC of EDM but started in MTL as HC with a solid DC and an experienced OC in AC so he didn't have to build from scratch. I think he developed a plan with his GM likely and he has built a culture of performance and team. To do that fast he had to do his part and he needed key ingredients in the players. Noel Thorpe too deserves tons of credit.

Instability in a team that stems from the top is a tough tough thing to get out of. Who knows if the Elks will get out of it under Chris Jones and now it seems Hamilton's in that situation.

Edmonton Elks sign former all-star SAM Derrick Moncrief, DT Shawn Oakman
By 3Down Staff -July 7, 202

Signing Oakman to the Elks is a no brainer but Derrick Moncrief's been available since January.

https://3downnation.com/2024/07/07/edmo ... wn-oakman/

[Toppy Vann]

Ryan Dinwiddie committed to Chad Kelly as Argos’ starting QB after suspension

Not sure that this will boost Cameron Dukes's confidence but undoubtedly he's got to be happy with the time to start he's been given.

If this is true, the Argos are in a tough situation here. Even their die hard fans turned against Chad Kelly when the allegations broke out in the news and they only hardened with that security firm's report. Despite the Argos being part of MLSE, they best figure a way to get his return sold to the fan base and people of Toronto. It's nearly impossible with the full weight of the accusations never countered in court.

I wondered if Kelly being absent from the team meant he was on his own with no support system given the accusations that were never presented in court where the plaintiff would have had to fully disclose and testify under oath.

Turns out he's been in contact with the Argos:

“We feel like Chad’s our starting quarterback, he’s not in the building right now,” Dinwiddie said. “He’s watching the film from home, we’ve got him on the internet with all the practice notes and all that stuff. He’s learning as much as he can through his situation.”

“Mike Miller talks to him more than anybody, his position coach, and then I’ll talk with Chad as well. We just want to make sure that he’s in the right frame of mind, doing what he needs to do,” Dinwiddie explained.

“... When you’re missing football games and with how much Chad loves it, I know it’s eating at him a little bit. We always try to have that open line of communication that makes him feel he’s still part of the team

The Argos handling of this and that of the CFL puts Kelly in an impossible situation to gain redemption. I'm just not sure how he can do it given his banishment.

https://3downnation.com/2024/07/07/ryan ... uspension/

[B.C.FAN]

The Lions were the only road team to win in Week 5. Overall, home teams are 13-7 this season. The Lions are one of five teams who have yet to lose at home.

[don corleone]

Sounds like done deal with Lucky heading back to Winnipeg.

Happy to see it and think he will help the Bombers. We'll see if he comes with a pot belly.