2007 Calgary Stampeder

[OzSome]

Training camp started since June 3 and it looks like the Stamps will improve in a lot of positions. I am very much intrigue with how many good receivers we have this season. Jeremaine Copeland, Nik Lewis, Ken-Yon Rambo and add Marc Boerigter plus surplus of Canadian receivers we have in Ryan Thelwell, Markus Howell and Brett Ralph. From what I heard there are other import receivers that might be able to make another team as a starter but might have a hard time making the Stamps. The DBs are also a good competitions and from what i heard Brandon Browner(sic) might unseat one of the veterans. In punting position, I would rather keep Burke Dales because I think he's got a lot of good potential than Duncan Mahoney. Anyways, I am looking forward in this year's CFL season.

[Thunderball]

Wonderful depth everywhere but where it counts... one of the weakest of the starting QBs, and an NFL washout as his backup.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

Wonderful depth everywhere but where it counts... one of the weakest of the starting QBs, and an NFL washout as his backup.

The guy finished third in CFL passing, 4th among starters in terms of QB efficiency. third in yardage, first in touchdowns. And he's one of the weakest QB's in the league.

wow.

[Pagal4321]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

...one of the weakest of the starting QBs, and an NFL washout as his backup.

[Cerebral]

The Stampeders have a ridiculously talented group of receivers but I believe they made too many changes on defence this year. They should be strong offensively (I'm not a fan of Burris though, the guy is the definition of the word "choke") but there are some big time questions on the other side of the ball.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

The guy finished third in CFL passing, 4th among starters in terms of QB efficiency. third in yardage, first in touchdowns. And he's one of the weakest QB's in the league.

wow.

And led the league in dumb plays.

Very talented, but is a page or two short of a full playbook.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

Wonderful depth everywhere but where it counts... one of the weakest of the starting QBs, and an NFL washout as his backup.

Best QB in Stamps, and CFL history was a NFL washout.

It's a different game, from a QB perspective one does not translate to another.

[OzSome]

I think Burris is capable of playing mistake-free. He just someone to guide him. With George Cortez on the helm, i think we will see a different Burris this year. Yes I was one of the Stamps fan who was yelling and screaming whenever he made mistakes last season especially the last game vs Riders. I think Buratto made the offense complicated last season or he became predictable. We have by far the best RB in Reynolds last season but Burratto for some reason would rather pass more even when Hank is struggling. I think Akili Smith will be a good capable backup. He is more suited to CFL than the NFL.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by OzSome

I think Burris is capable of playing mistake-free. He just someone to guide him. With George Cortez on the helm, i think we will see a different Burris this year. Yes I was one of the Stamps fan who was yelling and screaming whenever he made mistakes last season especially the last game vs Riders. I think Buratto made the offense complicated last season or he became predictable. We have by far the best RB in Reynolds last season but Burratto for some reason would rather pass more even when Hank is struggling. I think Akili Smith will be a good capable backup. He is more suited to CFL than the NFL.

Totally agree, Buratto had him looking deep to often without a safty valve last year ... especially in the first 5 or 6 games of the year.

His first look shoud be 10 yds downfield, run second. Once the defence tightens up on the line then he can go yard.

My other concern with him is how devoted he is to football. I know they brought in Akili very much because the team is concerned about his committment. He can be a real alternative that should push him to focus.

[Thunderball]

I came off a little harsh, but my point is, the Stampeder QB depth looks nothing like BCs... and that's what an elite team's QB depth looks like. Its nice to have allstar receivers like Boerigter, but unless he can grab the ball out of the opposition defense that Burris inadvertantly tossed it to, the problem remains. As for Burris, sure he had some decent stats, but he's a 33 year old QB who has won nothing at the CFL level, despite being on some decent teams. (I don't count sitting on the bench in 1998 when Garcia won the Grey Cup)... this is also a QB that goes hand-in-hand with choking... he's really the CFL equivalent of Roman Turek. Overpaid, underwhelming, but average to good stats.

Can an idiot proof game plan help Burris be a decent QB? Possibly, hopefully... but I kinda doubt it. I actually have high hopes for Akili Smith though. Traditionally, NFL players need a lot of time to adjust to the CFL game, so I don't anticipate him being much help for a while.

The CFL really is Quaterback centric, and I don't think Burris is good enough... regardless of stats... I'm a season ticket holder, I've watched him since he came back, and I watched him when Sask came to town... he's not a smart enough QB to win at the top levels and when it counts. Period. (I'd love to be wrong)

[CaramonLS]

Pretty much TB, Burris has a ton of trouble reading defenses, and there will be at least 2-3 completely boneheaded plays per game which no competent other CFL starting QB will do.

You can see them developing, where Burris goes to about his 3rd look at a receiver and then just gives it a good heave ho in the general direction.

I think in part CC, the stamps had one of the best offensive supporting casts last year too in receivers, running back, etc etc in the entire CFL - which helped Burris even come close to the numbers that he did. Still doesn't change the fact he can't read defenses well at all.

[I_H8_Crawford]

I am not a Burris supporter, but a couple questions for Thunderball:

1) Name one other team outside of BC that has an elite backup QB option in case their starter goes down... that is not something that happens often, and Dickenson has already sprained his finger which means BC is already on their backup.

2) Who would you name as an option better than Burris? Which teams out there have a better starting QB? I can think of 2: Edmonton and BC - Sask has Joseph who is even worse at protecting the ball than Burris
Wpg has Glenn who has won all of nothing, has a weaker arm, and crumbles under pressure i.e. 4th quarter comebacks
Tor who do they have? a 50 year old Allen or.....????
Mtl has Calvillo - he is on the downside of his career in a big way; I think he is going to have his worst season of his career since joining Mtl
Ham - Maas sure looked great last year...

So what other option do the Stamps have?

Its not like good QBs grow on trees... and the Stamps are actively pursuing servicable replacements, but that doesn't happen overnight.

[CaptainCrunch]

Just for fun there are a few points that I want to bring up.

1) The failure of the offense last year goes far beyong Henry Burris and his shortcomings. The receivers weren't in sync last year period. There were too many times where I say receivers quiting on thier routes or not following thier routes.

2) The offensive line was just ok, but there were too many times when Burris faced a lot of pressure and was running for his life. The addition of Garrick Jones as the backside tackle should help that.

3) Personally I think Burratto was a terrible offensive co-ordinator last year, especially in the second half. The Stamps had no possession game, no middle passing, and everything was either forced over the middle or long to the sidelines. Yes Henry has a strong arm, but there was some terrible game planning. In the Western semi, Burratto had two weeks to plan, two weeks to come up with a wrinkle, and he rolled out the same old thing. Burris has even said that Burratto didn't talk to the QB's at all. Cortez is a great offensive co-ordinator, and while he might not come up with some flashy formation like the double wing, he has always been good at playing to his QB's strengths, thats why the Stamps were a QB factory when he was here, because he knows what makes a player successful.

4) Yes Burris made some bad reads and bad plays last year, and he has to take some blame for that, but thats because he was playing away from his strengths, which is moving the pocket, and using his arm strength on medium passing plays, with the occassional air out to loosen up defenses.

5) Look at what a loaded receiver corp with a strong running back can do for a mediocre to poor QB like Marcus Crandall. We won the cup in 2001 not because he was great over the last 4 or 5 games, but because our offensive weapons carried him, he was still the same lousy QB that we chased out of town with pitchforks and torches when those offensive weapons went away.

6) We have something that we haven't had since Burris came to town, and thats a big physical receiver who's not afraid to make the catch over the middle and kill someone, Bo is going to be huge this year.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

I am not a Burris supporter, but a couple questions for Thunderball:

1) Name one other team outside of BC that has an elite backup QB option in case their starter goes down... that is not something that happens often, and Dickenson has already sprained his finger which means BC is already on their backup.

Essentially, good QB depth is having one proven excellent QB, one more than adequate backup and one guy that you could always take a flyer on if you had to... like the Stampeders in the 1990s always had... But for the sake of argument, i'd say Toronto, BC and Montreal fit that description or at least come very, very close.

2) Who would you name as an option better than Burris? Which teams out there have a better starting QB? I can think of 2: Edmonton and BC - Sask has Joseph who is even worse at protecting the ball than Burris
Wpg has Glenn who has won all of nothing, has a weaker arm, and crumbles under pressure i.e. 4th quarter comebacks
Tor who do they have? a 50 year old Allen or.....????
Mtl has Calvillo - he is on the downside of his career in a big way; I think he is going to have his worst season of his career since joining Mtl
Ham - Maas sure looked great last year...

Well, its pretty subjective, but I'd feel better with almost any of the other starters (and some team's backups) before Burris. Namely, Dickenson, Pierce, Ray, Brady, Calvillo (who is only 2 years older than Burris), Bishop, and Maas (who i think was more of a product of the lousy team he was on). I wouldn't feel better with Joseph or Glenn though. Allen is too old, but you know, he`ll still do better than Burris, which is sad.

So what other option do the Stamps have?

Its not like good QBs grow on trees... and the Stamps are actively pursuing servicable replacements, but that doesn't happen overnight.

I don't think they really tried to get a replacement, frankly. I think they knew no one would take Burris and his bloated contract, nor did they think he was quite bad enough to take the heat of cutting him outright. They likely felt that signing an NFL washout like Akili Smith might be enough to motivate Burris and they probably hope that if he can click with the CFL game, they might be able to harness lightning in a bottle. Good QBs don't grow on trees, you`re right, but what troubles me is that BC seems to have no problem finding them... just in the last two seasons.... Dickenson, Printers, Jackson, Pierce... all of which are on par or better than Burris. Hell, I almost felt better with the Venerable Danny McManus on the field.

..

[JayP]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

And led the league in dumb plays.

Very talented, but is a page or two short of a full playbook.

Uh, I think Kerry Joseph took home that crown last year.

[Cowboy89]

With regards to Burris, coming to his rescue by saying that there is worse in the CFL isn't good enough to justify good things for this team this year. Fact is at 33, he's not getting any better or any smarter. He is what he is and he throws ducks. What makes it worse is that he throws ducks at points in the game that it matters most. Yeah they'll finish second in the west again this year because on average other teams are worse, but the question is whether or not the McMahon faithful get to witness a Saskatchewan or Edmonton trip through town en-route to BC in November. The reason why they choke is partly a derivative of their receiving corps. All those dances, mouthy words, and general hot-doggyness have a way of making those guys on the opposing sidelines remember in November what was said and done in July. West opponents would love to beat Calgary more than any other team due to our yappy ######baggery. Tom Higgins is too much of a wuss to stand up to these guys. Hopefully Marc Boerigter will deminish these antics somewhat.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

6) We have something that we haven't had since Burris came to town, and thats a big physical receiver who's not afraid to make the catch over the middle and kill someone, Bo is going to be huge this year.

Generally agree with your points except this one. Nik Lewis exactly the type of guy you just described that we don't have, and gets tons of YACs as well.

It will be interesting to see how Bo is, a good case scenario is that he has only lost a step. He is older but more importantly he had a serious injury while down in KC.

[worth]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

With regards to Burris, coming to his rescue by saying that there is worse in the CFL isn't good enough to justify good things for this team this year. Fact is at 33, he's not getting any better or any smarter. He is what he is and he throws ducks. What makes it worse is that he throws ducks at points in the game that it matters most. Yeah they'll finish second in the west again this year because on average other teams are worse, but the question is whether or not the McMahon faithful get to witness a Saskatchewan or Edmonton trip through town en-route to BC in November. The reason why they choke is partly a derivative of their receiving corps. All those dances, mouthy words, and general hot-doggyness have a way of making those guys on the opposing sidelines remember in November what was said and done in July. West opponents would love to beat Calgary more than any other team due to our yappy ######baggery. Tom Higgins is too much of a wuss to stand up to these guys. Hopefully Marc Boerigter will deminish these antics somewhat.

You must not have been paying much attention to training camp this year then as all the dancing and messing around and individual stuff is over. This actually sounds like a cohesive team this year, and one i'm extremly excited about. I've bought into it and I think the players have too.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by worth

You must not have been paying much attention to training camp this year then as all the dancing and messing around and individual stuff is over. This actually sounds like a cohesive team this year, and one i'm extremly excited about. I've bought into it and I think the players have too.

That's the wonderful thing about training camp, everyone on every team is optimistic about the upcoming season and fully commited to the team.

I like the fact that they brought in a lot of recievers who might end up displacing players like Rambo, Copeland, and Nik Lewis. I like all of them individually, but when the balls start going to other people they'll be the first to complain or the first to celebrate when they do get it. We're talking about Nik Lewis a guy who called himself the 'TO of the CFL.' That being said TO himself expressed the same optimism with the Cowboys last year in training camp. Sorry I'm wait and see.

[I_H8_Crawford]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

That's the wonderful thing about training camp, everyone on every team is optimistic about the upcoming season and fully commited to the team.

I like the fact that they brought in a lot of recievers who might end up displacing players like Rambo, Copeland, and Nik Lewis. I like all of them individually, but when the balls start going to other people they'll be the first to complain or the first to celebrate when they do get it. We're talking about Nik Lewis a guy who called himself the 'TO of the CFL.' That being said TO himself expressed the same optimism with the Cowboys last year in training camp. Sorry I'm wait and see.

In the years he has been in Calgary, I have never heard Lewis complain about not getting the ball.

I agree with you that right now it is all talk, but honestly it SOUNDS different - just listening to the way Copeland speaks to the media, (and the fact I think they have been told by Stamps ownership that if they try the dancing stuff anymore, they are gone) but I will give them a benefit of the doubt.

I personally don't mind the dancing and whatnot, as long as it is secondary to winning, which IMO wasn't the case last year.

Also, sorry to disappoint you, but there aren't any receivers in camp that will displace either Lewis or Copeland. Now the Stamps will have 4-5 weapons instead of 2 in the receiving corps.

Should be an interesting year this year.