Quote:
Originally Posted by tvp2003
Posted this on GSG, but thought it would be fair to re-post here based on my comments above (hope that's okay):
Tate proved he's got a future in this league. He's obviously had time to prepare these past few years, and it showed last night (I didn't watch the game in Toronto).
Good things:
Looked very poised in the pocket. No deer in the headlights. VERY decisive in hitting the first read, VERY accurate in getting the ball there (don't recall seeing a wildly inaccurate pass all game, although I must have missed the first pick as for some reason I don't remember it). On a couple of plays, showed he could progress down to the second, third, and even fourth read -- Dickenson must have been loving it.
Bad things:
Obviously doesn't have the overpowering arm strength like Hank. Deep balls floated a bit and therefore ended up slightly underthrown. However, as I mentioned above, his accuracy in the short to medium game was stellar and I think that's what has been missing with Hank. Although he spins the ball well, his mechanics are a little "quirky". Not a big deal though -- he seems to get the ball off quickly enough, which is the important thing.
Unknowns:
Toronto was in a dome and last night was a perfect night for football, so I'd like to see how he does in a cold/snow/bad weather environment. Also, Toronto and Sask are the two worst teams in the league, so a good test will come next week at MTL. The package last night seemed very basic -- lots of quick slants, crossing routes, swings into the flat. Was effective last night (and perfect for a guy making his first start), but they'll need to start adding in some misdirection, bootleg, and play action against teams with a better pass rush. He also has some athelticism, and will need to be able to make some plays on the run and when things break down (showed a bit of this last night). Not sure if he'll be much a running threat (i.e. designed runs), but that can be a difference maker, especially in bad weather and against a good pass rush.
Overall, as good a game as we probably could have hoped; the last INT wasn't great but I'm glad he threw that late in the fourth when his team was ahead and not in the first when the game was still even.
Not sure how things will shake down heading into the playoffs (let alone next year), but I think this puts us in a great position. Tate will obviously get the next start, and I hope he can build on this performance against better competition. It's also good to know that once the playoffs arrive (assuming Tate is still the starter), we still have the reigning MOP -- now with something to prove -- ready to step in if Tate falters. Something tells me Hank would perform very well in that situation.
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Agreed...good game overall against a garbarge team. Clearly a pretty simplfied offensive playbook last night in order to get him some confidence. Against a tem like that, it allows everyone to get some confidence and back on page though, and a better test is against a very good Montreal team.
I agree that the cold weather will certainly affect Tate's mechanics. He certainly puts a lot of body into each throw and that opens up a bunch of issues...poor field conditions and he can't use his legs as much for leverage, a knock against his legs or any sort of bump or bruise on a cold day means it will be harder for him to use that whole body in a throw.
Not knocking him, but all the ups and down of the CFL season come down to winning one or two or three playoff games.
Kudos to Renyolds too, for stepping in and taking his demotion with class. Make no mistake, given potentially poor conditions from here on in to the GC, having a guy used to the cold weather and running the ball in it, is going to be a huge advantage. Cornish doesn't have as much game experience in the cold as Renyolds does, and I am guessing Coker has barely any.
Overall, I think that Stamps will be fine...no matter what obviosuly, its coming down to playing well on those particular playoff dates, whatever position they end in.