Being from Portland Oregon I followed Vernon at Eastern Washington and Oregon universities. I also witnessed probably the stupidest decisions made in the history of the NBA - the Portland Trailblazers chose not to pick Michael Jordan and years later not to pick Kevin Durant. Is there a good reason why Adams, after going 3-0(almost half their wins) at the end of the 2016 Als season wasn’t the starter in 2017? Or was it the Als using Portland Trailblazer stupid type of thinking.
:-\
Chapdelaine (HC) didn’t like him and brought in his own QB The Darrian Durant…
Look at Toronto, look at Montreal :)Chapdelaine is now running Toronto’s offense (59 points in four games).
Because they were against terrible teams and/or teams that had nothing to play for … like the September MLB call-up who hits .330 and a ton of homers for a last place doormat … unreliable circumstances for evaluation purposes … in 2017 with the Als he got beaten out by CFL veteran (on career life-support)) Darian Durant, even less impressive CFL veteran Drew Willy and two youngsters (Schiltz and Pipken) … he was the clipboard carrier begging Keven Glenn (THE Ultimate Journeyman), Brandon “All the tools but…” Bridge … dealt from there to carry Hamilton’s clipboard and then released in 2019 TC …
Watch the games… Those three wins in 2016 were because of the defence. Adams did nothing special in those games.
Let us say that I am a time traveler and returned to tell you before the draft that your team has a future HOF shooting guard already on your roster. Furthermore with your upcoming pick, the best player available to you will also bea HOF shooting guard. You would have passed on the SG and looked to fill a bigger hole on your team.
Unfortunately, the biggest hole was at center, and the person they drafted had a history of injuries even in college.
He didn’t throw 4 interceptions 
Hey jpomeroy, I too watched VA in college and have followed his pro career in the CFL. I wouldn’t say “Nobody”, but very few QBs are ready to come straight out of college in the U.S. or Canada and start in the CFL. Just like in most colleges it takes three or four years for guys to transition from H.S. to college, it usually takes three to four years for QBs to grasp the Canadian game. Fields bigger, the speed of the game is faster, three downs, 12 players, etc, etc. VA, has finally gotten the coaching, and is getting the experience to allow the game to slow down. Simply put, he’s going into his Senior year (4th yr.) and he’s being taught to think the game in a way that caters to his skill set. If he had been rushed into duty early on, chances are he wouldn’t have had much success… but thats just my opinion. Btw, I’m from Salem, Oregon, huge Duck fan.
A few of us here think he will do just fine but many question his arm strength and that is a fair question to have in his case.
Personally, I think he can make up for that once he puts his whole game together. He hurt Ottawa big time with his feet on the weekend. When these kids first come in the league, they look at the size of the field and think they can run with the ball at will as they mature they realize they need to use their feet to keep the defense off balance, nothing more.
He’s such a great young man too. Great attitude.
I agree, and you make some very good points. I personally think VAs arm strength, while not a cannon, is more than adequate. What I’ve witnessed over the course of the last four weeks is improvement in his decision making and calm demeanor in the pocket. He’s gotten away with some bad throws, but he’s also delivered some balls with accuracy and precision. Pass to BJ down the seem was perfect in tight coverage. TD to Weineke was exactly where it needed to be and on time. One way to make up for just having decent arm strength is getting rid of the ball on time before the receiver makes his last move. VA is getting the ball out quicker, allowing his playmakers to get yards after the catch.
I’ve seen the OCs gameplan, the last two weeks, take advantage of VAs running abilities by, first, stretching the field with deep balls, and then using QB draws and options on handoffs , leaving defences wide open for VA to use his feet…
, and Man, does this kid have some feet.
The Als Oline is still not great in pass protection, but has been helped by a combination of our run calls, allowing them to attack and wear down defensive front sevens, and VAs ability to tiptoe thru the tulips when our pass protection breaks down, turning sacks into gains. Second and five after scrambling for just five yards, is so much better than 2nd and 17. VA has excelled at running his whole life, why wouldn’t we use that ?.
Nothing frustrates a defense more than having a QB escape constant pressure… Then Stanback pounds the rock. And consider this. some folks say the Als are lucky to get the pass interference calls. what it actually does is rob VA of his passing yards and TD stats, because without the PIs, the receivers are catching those passes, and VAs passing yards go from 300+, to over 400 yds and 4 passing TDs. Those balls were delivered perfectly, thus the DBs having to take those penalties. I’m just saying, arm strength can be overrated.
You saw in the last two weeks the Als take over the game in the second half by keeping defenses on the field and pounding the ball in the first half.
The pass interference is a big part of the Canadian game sadly, The Als finally understanding that by pushing the ball downfield you will draw these and at the worst case if you get intercepted, it’s no worse than a punt.
We are finally starting to see some smarts from that coaching staff.
I think what we’re seeing is a whole new coaching staff. It appears the Als brass has taken the reins off of Khari Jones, and I think everybody, whose willing to admit it, sees a distinct change in leadership and coaching period. This not Mike Shermans staff, and his lack of leadership hindered everyones development, including the coaches. Robert Gordon and Marquay McDaniel are huge additions for young guys like Lewis, Bray and Weineke. Even Cunningham and Posey can learn from these guys. Nobody comes to the CFL as a finished product, and processes don’t take affect overnight… even though I have seen some remarkable improvement since Sherman was let go. Did you feel good about Mike Shermans Als ?. Did they feel good about themselves ?. Players know.
I heard the HC encouraging his troops, constantly, players and coaches alike. We saw the OC breaking down the plays for VA on the sidelines, before he went out and executed said plays. I saw players involved on the sidelines, offense and defense supporting each other. We didn’t see any of that the whole time Mike Sherman was around. Bowmans playing like hes five years younger. LBJ, if only for one game, looked like LBJ. My friend, thats more than coaching and schemes, thats leadership. Theres learning going on in the building. How can someone whose been a MOP QB not know what it takes to be a competent leader at this game ?. “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore”… but thats just me.
Its TWO games…
Whoosah, Whoosah
Agreed … those are means to compensate for not having a cannon … had some concern last game that his getting the ball out quicker may have been a result of keying on the first read … also, that the ball was generally thrown when the receiver made (had made) their last move … if right, both are correctable … time will tell
I think JTea’s estimate of Adams is optimistic but fair. I definitely agree that Adams looks better in the past two games than I’ve ever seen him look in the CFL. I don’t mean the scrambling, which he’s always been good at. Rather, his ability to deliver throws on the money is substantially improved. Yes, he underthrew or overthrew some guys, and I still have concerns about his deep-ball game – whether through lack of arm strength or accuracy he still misses passes he should absolutely have, usually about 2-4 times a game – but he is progressing. He looks calm and confident in the pocket, which is a huge step. Everything works together, though. As Hfx said, the coaches have finally started to implement a game plan to allow Adams to thrive, one that keeps the other team off-balance.
Remember at the beginning of the season. I mentioned leaving them alone and letting them play.
This is Adams progression
Game 1: 134 yards
Game 2: 173 yards
Game 3: 202 yards
Game 4: 327 yards
And if they go with Pipkin, you will see the same thing.
He reminds me of a young Damon Allen. Does not have the stocky build but similar throwing motion and sweet feet.
Nice comparison to Damon Allen, I can totally see it.
If the coaches are patient and injury doesn’t strike, we could have a nice little QB situation here. Adams as the more developed QB winning games right now, while Pipkin gets a chance to be brought along the right way, rather than being thrown into the fire in a QB carousel that never does anyone any good.
Heres todays story on Adams from Penton in The Athletic:
The hype surrounding Vernon Adams Jr. started before he even came north.
The B.C. Lions owned the Oregon quarterback’s negotiation list rights in the spring of 2016, and then Montreal Alouettes general manager Jim Popp surrendered a first-round draft pick to acquire those rights. It was a ridiculously high price to pay, although the third overall selection, receiver Danny Vandervoort, didn’t pan out for the Leos.
Adams didn’t exactly light the CFL on fire, either.
The Pasadena, Calif., product made three garbage-time starts for the Alouettes at the end of the 2016 season and was traded to the Roughriders midway through the 2017 campaign. The Riders then used him to land defensive end Charleston Hughes in a trade with the Tiger-Cats in February 2018. The Tabbies released him at the end of that year’s training camp and the Alouettes brought him back a week later, but he basically wallowed in obscurity once again, swallowed up in the wake that was the Johnny Manziel Show.
Along the way, however, Adams was taking mental notes while talking to the veterans in the quarterback room. He also heeded the tattoo on his forearm that says “Patience is the key.? Adams never panicked about his football future. He learned quickly that hardly anyone steps onto a CFL field and starts right away.
“This is a pay-your-dues league,? Adams said this week from Montreal. “Everybody knows that, especially at the quarterback position. You have to be as patient as they come. Khari (Jones) didn’t get his real first start until he was about 29. (Kevin Glenn), Darian Durant, those guys didn’t get going until their third or fourth season into the CFL. Bo Levi Mitchell, second or third.
“It’s tough to come up here first year and people have high expectations of you, and you’ve never touched a Canadian football before, you don’t know any of the rules, you don’t know how wide the field is, how long the field is. You don’t even know it’s three-down football until you go there. It’s tough. So you have to be patient and just keep on plugging.?
It looks like Adams might finally be arriving. The 26-year-old has made only three starts this season in place of the injured Antonio Pipkin, but he’s coming off two impressive victories over East Division opponents and looks like he has finally earned that No. 1 role for the 2-2 Alouettes, whose on- and off-field situations could not be more disparate than they are at this moment.
While the organization’s front office and ownership dumpster fire rages, Adams will attempt to continue to provide Alouettes fans with something they haven’t had in several seasons: hope.
Adams is making smart decisions under Jones, who was appointed head coach less than a week before the start of the regular season. Adams is hanging tough behind an offensive line that is coming together. His running back, William Stanback, is a beast. Adams is moving the pocket when he has to. He has a history with his receivers because some of them were there when he arrived in Montreal in 2016.
He also has support and coaching from his girlfriend, Dr. Liz Griffin, who earlier this year earned a doctorate in educational leadership. In fact, he gives a lot of credit for his last two starts to Dr. Griffin herself.
“If you notice in that first Hamilton game I started, we lost 41-10, and I got sacked six times and I wasn’t playing as well. I wasn’t playing like I normally do,? Adams said. “She was here for the last two weeks, for these last two wins we got. And basically we did a lot of relaxation and visualization, and it just helped me calm down, control my breathing, visualize perfect plays and things like that.
“She was just calling the plays out for me while my eyes are closed and just telling me what to visualize and focusing on nothing but execution. That’s how we got it done.?
Adams has never lacked the confidence, and now he has his opportunity to prove it. Saturday’s home tilt against the Eskimos will be his toughest test yet.
“It’s just never been the right situation for me,? he said. “I’m probably the smallest quarterback in the CFL (5-foot-11). I’m probably the lightest quarterback in the CFL (200 pounds). It’s things like that where people don’t think I can take the hits or GMs don’t think I can do this or do that.
“I’ve been doing this all my life, so it’s nothing new to me. I always knew that I could compete and do what I can do, but it’s taken that time and being patient, just working to get better.?
Vernon Adams Jr.
CFL career
May 20, 2016—negotiation list rights traded from Lions to Alouettes for 2017 first (WR Daniel Vandervoort, who was released earlier this year)
May 26, 2016—signs three-year deal with Alouettes
Aug. 15, 2017—traded by Alouettes with 2018 fifth to Roughriders for DB Tevaughn Campbell, 2018 third and 2019 third
Feb. 2, 2018—traded by Roughriders to Tiger-Cats for DE Charleston Hughes
June 21, 2018—released by the Tiger-Cats
June 26, 2018—signs a one-year deal with the Alouettes
Oct. 28, 2018—signs two-year deal with the Alouettes for the 2019 and 2020 seasons
I also question the arm strength. Below avg pro power. Also in the big win against Ottawa he threw into traffic a lot and was bailed out by some amazing catches. Moore, Weinike, BJ, Lewis, and his timing throws on down-and-outs was off. Didn’t lead them by enough. Some of this could have turned into interceptions and might next time.
Plus how about that fumble recovery by Campbell - The receiver handed him the ball - that’s not going to happen again and there were a few bad calls that went against Ottawa. So I say this game didn’t prove anything. I like VA and pull for him, but I’m agnostic so far. I did like the excellent tackling, especially in the first quarter. Bravo Levels and Reid.
Paragraph 1: The throwing into traffic thing is my biggest concern. Arm strength, even if an issue, isn’t the end of the world with a guy who can make plays with his feet. But if he’s serving up the old Michael Bishop Triple Coverage Special multiple times a game, every game, it is going to result in interceptions sooner or later. Having said that, he’s getting the reps and looking more confident every game. So hopefully his decision-making continues to improve.
Paragraph 2: Well, I do understand your point, but every win could be attributed to the other team’s mistakes if you look hard enough. I mean, God, teams get to play us when Boris F. Bede is our punter. He’s like a gift of at least 10 points to the other team all on his own.