Most popular player on a losing team is...

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1

...the back-up quarterback. :wink:

This is Charlie's joke and it carries some weight. There are many reasons a team loses and it is the Head Coach's job to study the tape after the game to see what went wrong on each play that did not work for us, and in each play that worked for our opponent.

Only once he and the rest of the coaching staff have reviewed all these plays do they make up their minds as to what the problems were and how to fix them.

Us fans are mislead by play-by-play commentators who, like us, are watching in real time. All we can see is that the play did not work. It is hard for us to see the reason the play did not work.

It might appear to us that the opposing QB and receiver were brilliant, when in fact the cause of the big play was some Ticat defensive back away from the play missed an assignment causing our safety to be drawn out of position allowing the opposing receiver to become open.

Or it might appear to us that our running back cannot find a hole to run through. When it was our offensive lineman who blocked the wrong guy leaving the guy he was supposed to block free to plug the hole our running back was supposed to run through.

Or our QB throws an interception straight to the opposing defensive back. When the problem actually was that our receiver cut left when he was supposed to cut right and our QB threw the ball where our receiver was supposed to be.

These are the mental mistakes and errors that the coaches catch on film that the rest of us, and even the TV "experts" cannot see during the game. Which is why I have faith in Charlie's decisions over the opinions of even the best informed of our fans.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, Bob.

2

Wounderfull post Bob Thank you for it.
I Agree .

3

Absolutely correct Mr. Young and if Charlie can get a win out of the team in the next two weeks the discussion re: Jason Maas by the fans ought to be concluded and apologies extended to Jason and Coach Taafe. However, should the team go 0-3 then the options should change in my opinion.

4

I agreeā€¦but I did state earlier in the winter that we would have to wait till game 4.

Still, that blatant mistake of missing Holmes WIDE OPEN and that one pass behind the goal-line to Brock Ralph??? Who do you pin that one on?

FACE FACTS PEOPLEā€¦2 points now are worth the same as 2 points in October! We could have won that game and indeed could have been in the lead at half time!

Comentators are perhaps a little more knowledable than us and they noticed the PaoPao type of O. What is with that? Was the O designed to help Mass with his throws? Is he hurt or not? No mention of that from the management.

If you think that Maas played wellā€¦Iā€™ve got a bridge to sell you! We donā€™t need Same-Old Same-Old.

I have faith in our teamā€¦I also have faith that we are looking for a competant STARTER who will work with our young guns. (what could have been if Dā€™Mac had not been dealt :roll: )I hope Maas is on a short leash!

5

[quote="Caretaker"]...the back-up quarterback. :wink:

especially when the starting quarterback has underachieved for over a season

6

It's funny how those missed assignments and mistakes dissappear when a quarterback who knows what he's doing is in there.

I'm no coach, I've never played pro football and my opinion doesn't mean squat. I know that, but here it is anyway - Maas doesn't have what it takes!!

7

I'm sorry but do we fans sincerely believe that a Coach who would cut two of the most popular players in recent team history would seriously risk his own job on a q.b. who cannot throw. I find that hard to believe.

It is my understanding that Jason does not call his own plays therefore the lack of deep throws either were not called or in the case of the first down play on the one before the Ralph fumble were interrupted by a good defensive play. I really don't know but that's what is great about being a fan I guess. I say again give Jason until game 4 and then see where we are.

8

While I agree with both you and Bob, the play calling handed to Jason has multiple outs and to even THINK of throwing a hitch pass in YOUR OWN endzone is a MAJOR brain cramp, there was no way that pass should have been made, and yet in the oppositionā€™s endzone Maas has the ā€œsmartsā€ to overthrow a reciever while Holmes is WIDE open 5 yards from paydirt, THOSE plays arenā€™t Coach Taaffe telling him to do that, its HIM not using his options!!

9

While I agree with both you and Bob, the play calling handed to Jason has multiple outs and to even THINK of throwing a hitch pass in YOUR OWN endzone is a MAJOR brain cramp, there was no way that pass should have been made, and yet in the opposition's endzone Maas has the "smarts" to overthrow a reciever while Holmes is WIDE open 5 yards from paydirt, THOSE plays aren't Coach Taaffe telling him to do that, its HIM not using his options!!
[/quote]
BINGO!

10

And when recievers don't run routes and drop balls that's Maas's fault?????

Or when the O line misses blocks and RB gets stuffed that's Maas's fault for not going deep too????
Get off his back, you may not like him Poeple ( not just you halftheD ) but holly crap........its a "TEAM" game win or lose.

Jason has made mistakes as well as every person on that team!!!!!

I know if I were him I'd be giving you all the BIG one finger salute!!!!!!!!!!

Jason is QB.....Chang is not ready.......just like Williams was not the answer nor Eaken and so on......
Mass has the stats!!!! He'll go deep and when he does most of the peanut gallery will find something else to gripe about with him!!!

Cheers!!!

11

After getting less than 25% of the time on the field and getting some results...I think he may be ready!

12

Perhaps you missed the part where he points out the turning point in the game!

http://www.thespec.com/Sports/article/214170

That game was winable! Sure it was a team effortā€¦but he was our LEADER and he failed miserably! Iā€™m all for giving him another shot, but this time a short leash!

At the same timeā€¦I hope that our scouting staff are still dilligently scouring the earth for a STARTER! Lord knows we canā€™t trade away his ā€œgood arm/bad arm overpaid contractā€!

When do we actually state that a player has sat on the bench long enough to be declared a starter???

I thought that play determined the position! :roll:

Who has out-played who??? :wink:

13

Play does determine postion, but every time every day its the same thing....start Chang he's our man now start williams....he's our man now blaa blaa blaa!!!!!

Chang will play as a starter one day but not now. He'll get to play now and then and when he does I'll be cheering for him too.
Maas is QB get ovet it!!!!

In response to the "turning point"
Mass stated:
"Maas, who completed 17 of 23 for 170 yards with no interceptions, said the turnover proved the turning point.

"The one throw I definitely would like to have back is the one to Brock. I would have liked to have thrown a better ball, so maybe he could catch it and just get four yards. It was just a bad throw, and the guy was there to knock it out of his hands for the touchdown. That was the turning point in the game." ".

First off he did not call that play coach did.
Second, that is just Clasic Jason Maas...A VERY classy play who always owns up to poor play even if its not his fault!!!!!

He did not say I sould have called a diff play or should have gone deep and so on.
He quietly defends coaches call and finds room to carry the blame on his shoulders like he has EVERY game he has been in in the black and gold!!!

Brock Ralph needs to protect that ball...he is a pro!!!!

Bad call YES it was, non the less he needs to make that catch just like Radeiln before!!!!!!!!
Curry pulled one in that was way out of reach so what's Radeiln and Ralph's excuse???

Mass is class act and takes the blame for the whole team time and time again.

He played with a bad hip and torn bicep for crying out loud and STILL came out saying on record he needed to play better.

How many of us would have the nads to do and say this????? ya thats what I thought!!!

This guy is tough, and he is a leader!!!!
We need more of his kind of character on the team!!!!!!!

Cheers!!!!

14

Viewing or listening to a play unfold is alot like viewing an iceburg. Most of it's mass is submerged and only a small part visible to the naked eye. Yes it's not just black and white. There are several factors that set in motion the chain of events. But the effect is only as good as your stimuli. If you have the correct stimuli, the desired effect will be achieved. I don't believe we have the right fingers on the guitar strings if we're hoping to strum a decent tune with Maas. He causes confusion and breakdowns for some reason. Chang waltzes on like Fonzerelli and he and Lumsden hook up for an immediate 55 yards. The offensive lineman that would not block for Maas for some reason did for Chang and the electricity in the air was evidence of the difference.

15

I donā€™t disagree. There is something about Changā€™s play that defies statistical analysis.

But he is only recently out of college and he did set both NCAA passing records -and- NCAA interception records.

Once he learns Charlieā€™s sophisticated professional systems, heā€™ll be able to play within a reliable system -and- bring his waltzing-ability to add capability to that system.

16

He must have learned something so farā€¦He moved the ball nicely for the short time he was in! In spite of the INT he has out-played Maas! PERIOD!

BESIDESā€¦How many times and by how many people have we heard ā€œWe will go with the guy who gives us the best chance to winā€?

WELL HELLOā€¦are we going to start a hurt QB? OHā€¦heā€™s not hurt??? Why are we starting him???

17

Maybe the next Flutie on hand here, who knows!

18

Thank you for your reply Bob. It feels nice to have some communication with you other than when you have to rap my knuckles for a posting violaton of some nature, which unfortunately in the past, were times too numerous to mention.... So we agree that there's something about Chang. That he seems to take command and the team responds to him although he's a rookie and lacks any CFL experience. Maybe he's an anomoly. He has that certain untangible that inspires others around him to elevate their play and if that is true, it is a major ingredient to greatness. The great ones can not only elevate their own performances, but more importantly, those of his team mates. I think that players have their own private opinions about who they prefer and this is showing by virtue of the fact Chang is able to move the ball, where Maas hampered by an unrecovered injury, fairly or unfairly, struggles.

19

Regardless of my opinion on this subject...I really gotta hand it to Bob.

Not many people in his position would stand up for his organization AND be part of the general football-talk of the fans.

I like it!

It's nice having an owner that cares--and who can have fun with it.

(Much unlike my 'other' favourite team--the Leafs. Ugggh. If,,nay, WHEN Hamilton gets a team, I'll be handing in my Leafs Nation passport stat.)

20

Yes, and regardless of our occasional disagreements, I arrived at a new appreciation for Bob Young's professionalism. In light of the many difficult challenges he faces it's a wonder how he keeps it all under wraps and never blows his cool. End of butt kiss. :wink: