I am beginning a new thread as I would apprecriate your evaluation of McPherson's play. As for myself, the first thing I noticed about AM is that he is a big man and, he has lots of strength. I see that as a plus, he has arm strength as evidenced by his long throws. He threw mostly short passes [ to Cahoon ]but he did demonstrate ability to throw long. He completed 20 out of 35 attempts for 232 yards. A couple of his long throws were dropped otherwise his stats would have been better. He played like the rookie that he is. Frequently instead of finding a receiver he ran the ball himself. Most rookies do this. He is mobile and is a good runner. He ran 11 times for 95 yards and, is definitely a running threat [ his strength helps here ]. He was a victim of QB sacks which would mean he has to learn to throw the ball away [ when he can't spot a receiver ]. I don't know if he called all his own plays but, if he did there is room for improvement here. Colbourne was not utilized. He was the QB for 25 points but the defense's play meant he has less time on the field because Winnipeg controlled the clock. In summary, I like both his size and his strength which he used for advantage in this game. He is a rookie making rookies mistakes. He is a good passer- both short and long. And, for a change Montreal has a QB who can run! He is the best second string QB we have had in years and, with coaching and experience I believe McPherson has the abilities to succeed in the CFL. Calvillo would be a good tutor in 2010.
If AC hangs them up next year…The Als wont dominate like they have over the last 10 years but their future is bright with AM
If guys like Richardson and Watkins make a few big catches early on, Adrian's confidence might have improved. I also didn't like the playcalling for him in certain situations, as well as the fact that we completely abandoned the run early in the game. Cobourne got six damn touches. That's it. How do you throw a rookie QB into his first game as a starter and not lean on the veteran RB just a little?
They weren’t running because Winnipeg was stuffing our run everytime we tried. (We couldn’t even make 2 or 3 yards for a 1st down.) Just part of the poor play from our O-line.
MacPherson started off great but was slowly losing confidence as the game wore on. He was very accurate early on and was missing badly near the end (and taking off too soon). That’ll happen to most qbs who are consistently getting hammered throughout the game. The O-line should be ashamed of themselves, especially Parrot (??? No. 54).
What really pissed me off was that Winnipeg was trash talking during the week and the Als did nothing to deal with that. Their play actually gave the trash talk credibility. They had better have a response ready next week, and I mean, a big response, or we might have created a playoff problem for ourselves.
......an outsiders assessment.....Young....lots of strength running the ball.....throws accurate ..long and short....good field sense,,,,resilient...takes a good 'smack'....All in all what's not to like....I think he'd look good on the BigBlue roster...but heh....the Als. will probably never let their 'future' head down the road 
I’d have to disagree. Yes, Winnipeg got a couple of early stops, but Cobourne also had a 15-yard ramble against them on second and short. Again, we only gave the ball to him 6 times in the game. If we’re going to give up that easily on the run, what’s the point? I also didn’t like the predictability of some of the draw plays Milanovich was calling.
MacPherson started off great but was slowly losing confidence as the game wore on. He was very accurate early on and was missing badly near the end (and taking off too soon). That'll happen to most qbs who are consistently getting hammered throughout the game. The O-line should be ashamed of themselves, especially Parrot (??? No. 54).Agreed. The O-line needs to get themselves correct in the weeks ahead. Perrett wasn't great, and neither was Lambert IMO. Chiu had the gaffe with the snap and Bourke was getting beaten to the outside far too frequently.
A guy like Calvillo makes an O-line’s job easy most of the time because he makes his reads quickly and gets rid of the ball. With Adrian, it’s crucial that the O-line step up and give him a bit of time to find a receiver.
My evaluation is that he has crazy skills. He's more suited to a play action rollout offense like Flutie than the current Als offense. Yes his strategy changed as the game went on as it was clear that there was some protection issues and they had fallen behind on the scoreboard. He's a cool cat with a powerful and acurate arm and good wheels. He needs to learn how to lead and get some seat time, everything else will fall in place. As I mentionned earlyer this week for me the score of this game means nothing. We know if AC goes down or gets a panic attack during the GC we have a "relief pitcher" I also liked Chris Leak's demeanor during the game, he's constantly encouraging his fellow QB's and interested.
I liked what I saw from AM on Saturday. He's a keeper. In due time he will shine.
True dat. I’m really impressed by Adrian’s skill set. Big, strong, cannon arm, accurate relative to his experience, good pocket presence, can throw on the run, can make plays with his feet … what’s not to like? All he needs is seasoning so he can read defenses quicker and hit receivers on short and intermediate routes with a bit more accuracy.
All he needs is game experience that's why it is important to use these rare opportunities to allow him to improve. Now he has some film of himself to look at and improve his game. Every game he gets now is one less game experience when he takes over from AC (he will).
Also keeps him interested
20 for 35 232 yards 1TD
Rushed for 95 yards and 1 TD
0 Interceptions
His first ever start ! Wow !