just out of curiosity, which CFL QB would you prefer to have as the TiCats starter?
and if other, please indicate who.
I like Collaros, but I think Reilly is further up the learning curve right now. Reilly also showed a lot of courage in the face of on-field adversity last year, and I think that’s worth something. Reilly is the guy we should hope Collaros will become.
You should probably include Lulay in your list, though his re-injury of his shoulder puts a big question mark on his future.
I tried to include Lulay and a couple others but there is a limit of 10 options max permitted for polls.
If another QB not listed is preferred, please indicate who.
Collaros faced on-field adversity last year, too. Following Ricky Ray’s elbow injury, Zach was thrown into a starter’s role and responded with a 5-2 or 5-3 record. That included winning a record-setting four road games in a row, several of which included furious come from behind victories. He was even called “Captain Comeback” by the Toronto paper, I believe. The Argos probably would not have made it to the playoffs without him. Also, this past week threw quite a load of adversity at him. After running for his life and not completing a pass in the first quarter, all he did was lead the team to three TDs in the process of extinguishing a 0-15 deficit. If the defense had held on to that advantage, everybody would be talking about his resilience.
The young QB has struggled some this year, but what pivot doesn’t? Don’t forget the first game against the Blew when Ricky Ray, plagued by lack of protection and a depleted receiving corps, was HORRIBLE. Give Zach average protection and fairly open receivers, and he will burn you. He is leading the league in 300 yard passing games and is among the pacesetters in completion percentage, without the luxury of playing his home games in a sheltered environment like Ricky Ray.
He a great person with a super work ethic and is admired by his teammates. Zach never makes excuses or criticizes his fellow players. His humble attitude and penchant for taking blame probably, if anything, hurts his public perception.
IMO you haven’t seen anything yet. If Collaros can stay healthy and the Cats can continue to improve the team, the sky is the limit.
I like Collaros, and I think the Cats should give him time and resources to continue to develop. And I agree he’s done good things this year and with Toronto last year. I also appreciate the maturity and humility he’s shown in his public statements. But for the sake of this exercise, if I had to pick one of them to lead my team tomorrow, for now I’m picking Reilly.
Gotta be Mr. Perfect, Ricky Ray. This isn't a knock on Collaros, Ray is just one of the best to play the game and what's more, he's not actually that old, his 35th birthday was only a week ago. He's not young either but he's not on the verge of imminent retirement. If I can have the best in the league for 3 years then the future is now and I'm not wasting my time on a development guy.
We don't have him though, so the development guy is the next best thing. I'm pretty happy with Collaros
Well said. :thup: :thup: :thup:
First off ... great post/poll.
Second .. my thoughts;
Ricky Ray is the only premiere/elite QB in the league right now. I shudder to think of the things he could do with this offense, Dink & dunk it to play makers. Find Fantuz for a guaranteed 8 yards. Hit Tasker or Ellingson cutting across the middle. Bubble screen passes to Gable or Madu. Flairs and wheels. Hitches to Sinkfield & Banks. Beautiful over the shoulder corner routes to Giguere, Banks, Sinkfield, Koch ...
Wait a minute ...
Zach can do that and does do it when called upon ... except for the over the shoulder corner routes which no one does better that #15!
When Zach gets the ball out of his hands. When they let him dink & dunk. Get it to the playmaker. Quick hitters. Move the ball. Move the chains. He does it. And he does it very well.
When Zach runs the same offense as Ricky ... Argo fans crinnge ... "why'd we let this guy get away!"
All that being said ... Ricky Ray is the best QB in the league. Naturally I'd like him in Black'n'Gold. Durant is behind him.
To me then it's between Reilly & Collaros & Mitchell & Tate. I'm a Reilly fan. Also a Mitchell fan. Not much of a Tate fan because I don't think he's a team player.
Reilly, Mitchell, Collaros ... Those are the next three. Too close to call in my books.
I'm just glad we have one of them!
Okay,all I want to know is who was the putz who voted for Tate ? :roll: Calgary doesn't even prefer him at QB and they have the best record in the league. I'm honestly quite happy with Zach,but if I had to choose someone else I guess my top 3 would be:Mitchell,Reilly and Durant. I honestly believe that Collaros will be considered one of the top QB's in the league in the very near future,and hopefully he'll be here for a long time and the team will finally end the QB carousel that it's been on since Danny Mac was here for an 8 year stretch in the late nineties early two thousands. Since then it seems we are lucky if a QB is here for a three year stretch or shorter before casting him aside for someone else. Here's hoping that Collaros finally gives this team some much needed stability at a position where we haven't had any for a long while.
Bo Levi Mitchell Kid IMO is best Young QB in League now
I Rank them this way
1 Bo Levi Mitchel
2 Drew Willy
3 Jonathan Crompton
4 Zach Collaros
5 Drew Tate
I only Put QB under 30 in this …
Collaros is the QB of the future for Hamilton. Dan LeFevour a close second. I would take either one of these guys over anyone else in the league. The only problem is you have to give them a damn freekin offensive line that can do the job. They are good QB's with incredible potential. Maybe we can convince Calvillo to be the QB coach to mentor them. Both can run, stay in the pocket (if protected) and they can throw on the run. They are just green but the potential is definitely there. But nobody no matter who you have will do anything without a GD o-line that can protect their QB.
Well we already knew that you were a Zach supporter 
but I agree. :thup: BTW if you check out the CFL MOP watch this week his stock is up precisely because of his play in bringing the team back from that 15-0 disadvantage.
This is a young team with a young and potentially excellent QB at the helm. I’d rather take probable long term success and development with Collaros than immediate success with someone like Ricky Ray who may still have a few years of playing time left but won’t be around nearly as long as a healthy Zach. The other reason I prefer Zach to Ricky is because he is a mobile QB rather than a pocket passer. In time I think he will be every bit as effective as Ray in making plays under pressure - he’s already doing it although not consistently. I too really like his attitude and work ethic. :thup:
My second choice would be Reilly because he too is a good mobile QB. He has the advantage of a year’s experience under his belt but I think Zach could do as well next season when he knows the offense and players even better
.
While I won’t knock that Mitchell is a good young QB, I think that part of his success this season is due to being in Huff/Dickenson’s system a year or two before becoming the starter and having a very good supporting cast. He has definitely had games where he didn’t play all that well but the Stamps won Had he been on any other team those games might have been losses.
I agree with most of the sentiments here.
I included future potential when I voted for Collaros. No question that Ricky Ray is the best QB in the CFL right NOW. But given the existing talent AND future potential, I think Kent Austin struck gold when he grabbed Collaros.
I just hope the coaching staff uses Collaros to the best of his ability and does not bury him in some "system". I think he is capable of being more than just "the bus driver"...which is is how Bill Parcells used to describe the QB's job.
A handful of people were talking up Tate in this thread:
[url=http://forums.ticats.ca/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=91765]viewtopic.php?f=5&t=91765[/url]I find it hard to imagine anyone from the East will win league MOP this year. There are guys in the West worthy of the conversation who may not even win their team nominations this year.
There is no question that Ricky Ray is the best by a substantial margin, but Zach is nine years younger and actually outperformed Ray at times during the three games with Toronto. Reilly is similar to Zach in ability and toughness. He would be my co-pick if not for my admittedly strong pro-Collaros leanings. LOL
I would have preferred if Hamilton kept Burris, and slowly integrate Collaros into the mix. There is too much pressure on him to produce right away, and any failings could negate his progress.
I remember when Danny Mac was with B.C., and sat a good few years on the bench, learning the trade. Only when he had a really good grasp of the offense, was he given the 1st-string label. Add to that the fact that Hamilton is playing a complicated offense, and the results are what you are seeing today.
Collaros will be good ( maybe even great ) given time, and barring any injuries. But now - what you see is what you get, and I am O.K. with it, given that Burris is gone.
The Eagle
I’d be surprised if LeFevour is here next year. The only way, IMHO, is if his knee injury scares away all of the team’s that might have an interest in him as a free agent. I believe he had his surgery and is doing his rehab at home, in the USA, which says to me that he’s not in the Cats’ plans for the future.
In Kirk Penton’s Sun Media column called “The Insiders,” where he prints quotes from CFL coaches, GMs and personnel staff, anonymously, he offered this one up, this week: “Why does Hamilton keep Collaros in the pocket? He’s not a pocket passer, but they never move him around. They don’t game plan for his athletic ability. He could be one of the best Sally guys (offensive play where the QB runs) since Damon Allen, but he only runs when things break down. We think Collaros would be better if Hamilton used him better.”
I completely agree with whoever made those statements. And, I believe that, as long as he doesn’t get his bell rung a time or two more over the next season or two, that we’ll all very happy that Austin decided that he’s our guy … for now and the future.
I’m not saying that Zach should win MOP and I highly doubt that he will. In fact I’m not even sure he should be in the discussion since he did miss more than 5 games - just like I thought it was ridiculous for RR to be considered last season when he hardly played half the games.
I agree that there have been many worthy candidates in the West this season and I suspect that the MOP in the long run will be the West nominee.