I was attending Queen's when Tom Denison was the Golden Gaels star QB, and he was just awesome to watch. I remember the Stamps and Blue Bombers gave him a shot, and I even remember Matt Dunnigan saying that he wanted to keep Tom around but management had other ideas.
So what happened? And why does it always happen? There are only a few positions on a University football team that make a star out of the player, and QB is one of them. Wouldn't it be nice to follow a Canadian QB for four years at your alma mater or local university and then watch him go on to be a starting QB in the CFL, or at least a backup? It would certainly make bigger stars out of our own talent, which the CFL is terribly lacking. And it would help raise the profile of university football in this country.
But how do we make it happen? Is it even a good idea?
I think the thing to do here is to add another man to each team's roster... and that has must be used to develop a Canadian QB. It may take a few years, but the fact that there may be a chance for CIS or Junior QBs to become a pro might be a first step.. then it could trickle down to minor levels. As long as teams don't develop Canadians at that position, the status quo will remain.
Well, there's two questions here - are we talking about CIS-Canadian QB's, or Canadian QB's. Because if a Canadian QB is NCAA-trained, does that really accomplish anything for the position at the CIS level?
Having said that, while the idea is good in theory, there are, what, 30 or so CIS teams? Out of that you have to find 8 QB's to go on to pro rosters? That's nothing more than an act of charity.
Your post answers itself, The management has to realize they are hurting their Own Buisness by not having ALL the best and high profile Canadians on their teams. " And it would help raise the profile of university football in this country." this is one good reason wich would lead to SELL OUTs in the East,IMHO
I would love to have good Canadian QB's in the CFL, but I don't think they should make a special position for them...any more than Canadian DE's or RB's.
If they are good enough, they will play, regardless of their position. Russ Jackson didn't need any special exemption to make the CFL, any more than B. Johnson, O. Lee or K. Eiben.
I would agree with at least counting Canadian QB's as Canadians, but that can open up another can of worms. Currently QB's are not counted in the import/non-import ratio.
We need programs that start kids at a young age and take them all the way to University, and then from there we need some really solid QB training programs available. After a decade or two of this, open a roster spot that MUST be designated as the N/I QB spot.
Have to agree, as it stands now, the Canadian kids are so far behind, their American counterparts. They have almost no chance to compete for a job.The Canadian qb’s are the 1st to admit it. They should be identified in their first year of high School and should be worked with all year around. Not just 10 games a year in high school. Then it’s back to hockey for the winter.
Ive wondered for many years how to do this in the CFL,All I could ever come up with is having your 3rd or 4th stringer being a Canadian QB.But the problem would always be they would never see any game action,except maybe in the preseason.
The best way to develop Canadian Quarterbacks are to allow each team one designated Canadian Quarterback and his salary does not count against the salary cap. If the team uses him in a different position than they take a cap hit.
Matt Dunigan's idea of a few years ago was to amend the 3 quarterback rule so as to allow a team to dress an extra import for duty elsewhere if one of the quarterbacks was a non-import. This would encourage teams to carry a Canadian QB without actually requiring it. Thoughts?
There are lots of junior teams to draw QBs from too, not just CIS. I'm OK with the idea of a developmental position for QBs that is outside of the cap, as long as it can't be used to stow another import. There really should be some way of helping develop some talent at the pro level. Most of them may only rarely play a down or two, but they would undoubtedly learn plenty that they could pass on in future years to developing young players. At the very least it should be tried for a few seasons.
Doesn't a Canadian QB come out of University around 4 years older than an american QB? most go from high school to 3-4 years of junior ball then onto university ball until they are 26-27, as opposed to americans who go straight to college ball and are done by 23-24. it may only be 2-3 years difference but that is big when the average pro athletic career is what 5 years?
I would think for a canadian to get that chance they need to be good enough to go straight to back-up at university level right out of high school and be ready for the pros at 23, skipping the whole junior level of football. it seems to me that it is up to the player which way he wants his career to go.
rpaege, junior QB's exist, but they are nowhere close to pro quality as junior grads. Most find the jump to CIS overwhelming in their first year.
To me the biggest issue is not how we get current CIS QB's onto pro rosters, because they simply are not good enough. They tend to be small, and arm strength is generally a question. No amount of coaching at the college or pro level will overcome this.
To do what you want, you've got to have better athletes playing the position as kids and through high school, so that when they get in to good CIS programs, they have the physical tools to go the next step.
You are making statements as if they are fact-re" because they simply are not good enough. They tend to be small, and arm strength is generally a question." this may be true of many of the 10 to 20 NCAA qb,s who get training camp invites to the CFL, the Fact is there ARE Talented CIS qb,s who have the size and arm strength , and have been trained at the Canadian game on Canadian size fields, IMHO it comes down to the Ratio and its inhibiting the oportunities for Candian,s(nonimports) at the QB, position, it has to be Management who realize they could be selling more tickets if they have a Candian at QB , and they have to be willing to make the neded ratio changes to make it work. How many lafores,Bishop,s and Changs do CFL fans have to watch before we get to see a player like Sacobie, or Laval quarterback Benoit Groulx leading CFL teams ?
everyone sounds so hopeful and positive about this… when in fact, it’s going to take a hell of a lot more than what you’re all saying before a Canadian QB will ever get close.
First off, High School football in Canada, in most cities is a joke. they play maybe 5-6 games in a season. that’s barely enough games to get anyone any real experience for a year. it takes 3-4 games just to get a team’s rhythm going. and the qualitiy of coaches on most teams is poor! very poor! they really don’t focus very much on positions as much as they do on a group play. they don’t have enough time during a typical season to worry about making sure their QB’s and RB’s and lineman and reeivers, etc. get plenty of individual training each day.
Football in Canada, especially in the Minor levels is so far behind the Minor football programs in the USA, we’ll never catch up.
considering that you have in many states, the ability to play football for a much longer time each season… plus you can have off season camps during the winter, when it’s virtually impossible in Canada.
Plus Football in the US is like Hockey in Canada. they eat, sleep, breathe and sweat football down there! where as up here, in most places, football is more for fun… yea when you get to the University and Junior levels, you get more competitive and things finally are serious. but by then you barely have the training to compete with the Americans.
Most players when they go to university to play ball, have on average 3 years of football under their belt. that’s not very much.
now you look at the USA, many kids get the chance to start playing football at a very young age. they have minor football programs for kids that are 6-8 years old… and then they go up from there.
so before you even get to HS football, you’ve already gone through 7-8 years playing in the minor system. and when you enter into College ball, you’ve already got 10 years playing!! jee, i wonder who will go further? the Canadian with 3-4 years playing time? or the kid with 10?
NOW… today, in Canada with the number of Minor football teams rising, there are more players who are getting more years in football before they hit High School.
Heck, where I live. there are 52 minor league teams in the area! you get to start playing football at the age of 9! you have 2-3years of Atom, then 2 years of Pee-Wee, another 2 of Bantam! maybe a year of Midget at the same time. So there is 7-8 years of minor football when you enter into High School football!!
look at Keith Shologan… he’s from the Edmonton area, played Minor Football in Spruce Grove… so he had 7 years of football before he went to the US down in California.
STILL… there is not as much emphasis on Minor football in Canada as there is in the USA.
it’s going to take years for Canadians to ever catch up to the level of playing in the States… because not only do you need to have players with many years of experience, you need coaches that will work with these players year round! you need Winter camps, spring camps… conditioning camps, position camps where you do nothing but work on your specific position.
until then, you will NEVER see a Canadian QB in the CFL.
Coaches and GM’s here know the Canadians are not even close to par to the Americans at the Quarterback spot.
bottom line, is it takes close to a lifetime of playing football in order to be ready to play at the Pro level as a QB.
If Canadian quarterbacks are not good enough to be pros, they do not deserve a job in the CFL. Mandatory job would be unfair for other Canadians and better imports competing for jobs. Since bad Canadian quarterbacks do not generate more revenue, there is no financial reason to hire them.
How can they be writen off if no one has seen one in 30 years? thats a fact. sorry Art cant agree that the best athletes dont play QB in cis, this argument only came up recently, They anti CIS qb, faction is grasping at tall tales, not fact, the CIS in 2009 is not the cis of the 1980,s , there are partial scholarships now and even U.S players are signing with CIS teams. The Sacobies of the CIS deserve the same chance as the Changs of the ncaa, IMHO - now back to -Re: How can we develop Canadian QBs?
Well, given the dearth of QB quality at all levels of pro football, do you think that if a CFL-viable CIS grad existed, some CFL team would sign him? Or, in other words, what logical explanation exists that he NOT be signed (other than he's not good enough).
If you are assuming there is a player good enough, but is not signed by anyone, then to me you must also assume that teams either don't know about him, or they know about him and yet choose not to sign him. I find both of these assumptions harder to swallow than the simplest explanation - he ain't good enough.
I believe creating a 4th QB slot for a Canadian kid only would be great. I thought Teale Orban would make a good young QB but Sask cut him only because of the ratio not because of talent. Some Canadian QB's do make it in other positions Ala Matt Bertrand but I would love to see another Ron Lancaster, Russ Jackson, Greg Vavra etc. if the 4th QB slot gives them a shot then I would be all for it.