Montreal @ Toronto July 25

Farhan Lalji:

Yeah, Duron Carter one of those. In his comments (postgame) would indicate that he was throwing Offensive Coordinator Anthony Calvillo under the bus. Now I spoke to another member of the Als' offense this week and they said for the most part, the players are buying into AC the OC.

Jim Popp believes he is ahead of where he thought he would be and thinks he's been surrounded by some pretty good offensive people including long-time Offensive Coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine.

Now, there is some feeling AC calls the game like he saw it as a player. He was a master of getting the ball out quick. Rakeem Cato certainly isn't there yet. It doesn't look like he'll have to be this week as Kevin Glenn is expected to return.

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Also, Derek Taylor from TSN who does the "Details" segment said on a podcast yesterday that Rakeem Cato is a top 15 QB in the CFL and is no Mitchell Gale.

Top 15? So he's in the group of second-stringers in a nine-team league. Does anyone find that surprising? He's certainly not top-9 yet.

This is a bad sign. If your team can’t grasp the offense you’re installing, that’s your fault, not anybody else’s. Dumbing the offense down will just make it easier to read and stop.

I think it had to do with moving the receivers around too much in different positions rather than plays per se. I expect to see a far better showing Monday with the experienced Glenn.

It’s the same issue, though. All the moving around of receivers is intended to confuse defenses and ensure that receivers come free via motion, alignment, and picks/rubs. You stop doing that and you make it easier for defenses to read what you’re doing and react accordingly.

I expect to see a far better showing Monday with the experienced Glenn.
We'll see. The offense didn't look particularly great against Ottawa even with Glenn at the controls.

No more wounded Bear. Woods is back practicing as per Didier.

Nothing will improve until this team wins another game and the longer that takes, the worst things will get.

The offense has been hit with bad luck injury wise but considering the money put into it. It is still yugely under performing.

I'll add this. If KG could see well enough to read the play chart on the sideline last week, he was healthy enough to be dressed and backing up Cato. Somebody wanted Adams to dress and play.... These "agenda" can't continue.

:thup: It is unacceptable for the offense to tank when scoring is up league-wide and the new rules on contact are putting defenses at a significant disadvantage. Yes, they've had injuries but zero excuse for what we've seen in the past two games AT HOME.
I'll add this. If KG could see well enough to read the play chart on the sideline last week, he was healthy enough to be dressed and backing up Cato. Somebody wanted Adams to dress and play.... These "agenda" can't continue.
Depressing if you're right. And part of why I want Popp gone from this organization...

That was just Derek Taylor’s way of being polite as he has yet to be impressed with Cato. By top 15, he was generously saying that Cato is not much more than an average backup.

Herb Zurkowsky posted that former Al Cody Hoffman was at practice today for a tryout.

It's easy to say you're not impressed by Cato when the O-line is a sieve allowing 8 sacks and the rookie OC gets schooled by the enemy DC. I still think Cato can be a starter in this league.

Derek Taylor rewatches CFL games and creates his own stats. His opinion of Cato and other quarterbacks is based on numbers.

Before the season began, Taylor was looking at some numbers from 2015 and said a specific statistic (yards after catch) is not a good indicator of how good a quarterback is because 2 bad quarterbacks (Rakeem Cato and Brett Smith) were among the top 3.

Taylor also said that he had seen the play where Cato steps out of bounds and takes the team out of field goal range 6 times. He called it ridiculous.

Interpreted numbers. Numbers aren’t objective. Nothing is.

Before the season began, Taylor was looking at some numbers from 2015 and said a specific statistic (yards after catch) is not a good indicator of how good a quarterback is because 2 bad quarterbacks (Rakeem Cato and Brett Smith) were among the top 3.
Uh, that's just pure confirmation bias. He already dislikes Cato, so he zooms in on one stat that allows him to repeat that statement as if it's a fact.

On its own, YAC is not a good indicator of QB ability, except in cases when the pass is thrown well enough to allow the receiver to rack up yards after catch. Like every other individual statistic, you have to place YAC in context and balance it against other individual statistics.

Taylor also said that he had seen the play where Cato steps out of bounds and takes the team out of field goal range 6 times. He called it ridiculous.
Nobody's disputing that Cato has to improve his decision-making when scrambling, but getting treated like a pinata by the enemy team because your O-line is a sieve will tend to affect your judgment for the worse.

Generally, good analytics folk will present a compelling and complete case for their interpretations, not cherry-pick individual plays to pile on a player they already don’t like.

Cato did not impress last week, even allowing for the o-line and game plan handicaps.

But he had a good camp, enough to impress the coaches to move him ahead of Bridges, whereas he had been written off and was trade bait.

So he merits another chance, and the reality is the team needs to know soon enough if they can count on him for the future.

NOTHING in the last game makes me think that Cato wont succeed.
EVERYTHING in that game increases my doubts about Popp especially approving Cris Carter on the sideline. MADNESS.

and nobody should be giving interviews to the media but the HC/GM. Lock up AC. Popp is the voice and he is responsible.

I was really hoping the circus side-show was done with.

I wonder what JC was thinking when Carter was coaching his receivers ???

Even if they all agreed, the optics are bad.

Its a good thing Carter isn’t an Ex Offensive Linesman. Sweet might have knocked his head into the stands.

I agree. While the offense was not successful. I didn’t see happy feet. Eyes were downfield. Downs weren’t wasted. Cato has taken a big step forward.

Field position awareness is a minor thing that is easily fixed.

There is a reason Milanovich and a couple others were hoping he’d be released.

I just don't think Popp is very bright actually. Political, self serving, self protective for sure. But not very smart. I think that people think his "honesty" with the media is more like Forrest Gump.

Agreed. As Hfx said, sideline awareness can easily be coached. And hey, the best fix to that is to improve the protection so he isn’t running for his life every play.

EVERYTHING in that game increases my doubts about Popp especially approving Cris Carter on the sideline. MADNESS.
Yep.
and nobody should be giving interviews to the media but the HC/GM. Lock up AC. Popp is the voice and he is responsible.
Disagree here. As long as they're on the same page, what's the issue? Other teams' coordinators talk to the media all the time.

I don’t think coordinators give interviews all the time at all with other teams.

The good news here, if there is any, is that Popp is out of excuses. This is his team, roster, coaches, everything. He’s the head coach. It’s on him now to turn this team around and if he can’t, GOODBYE.