Rah Rah Rakeem

Rakeem Cato’s debut was more than impressive: 80% passing, 3 TDs, 0 Ints, pinpoint accuracy, and a W against the GC champs. Wow!

Loved that last-second sidearm to SJ. Loved that Rakeem was finding his target on the run, awesome pass to Giguere on a scramble.

Stamps were shooting themselves in the foot all game long with stupid penalties, and there was a lack of sync between Mitchell and his receivers. But the Als seized their opportunities and won a game that, on paper, they should have lost.

Is RC going to fill AC’s shoes? Who knows, but the Als have a legit starter and the 2015 season is looking a whole lot better than it did 2 days ago.

Rah Rah Rakeem? Don't forget, Bomber fans were singing Doo-Wah-Diddy after Dinwiddie's first win as a starter, which was also his last. (Gosh these grapes are sour. :wink: )

Seriously, the league can always use a new star. Best of luck to him.

Cato will probably get the nod as offensive player of the week.

And so here's the caveat. . . So did Joey Elliot, not just once but twice, and where's he now?

TSN kept mentioning that Crompton could be back in a couple of weeks.
Take your time Crompton, no need to rush back right now.

A lot of things are going to happen over the next month or two but the only way Crompton is pulled from the six game injured list is another QB goes down with a serious injury. Many decisions will have to be taken over the next month. Sean Whyte, Crompton, Hebert…

If the guy with the bad haircut is out any length of timr, I think Hebert is safe for now.

Cato had a stellar debut, but as I said in the Als @ Stamps string, can he or another QB be consistent over the season? That's the issue.

Lest we forget, Chris Leak had a great game also, but proved to be a one-trick pony. Over the years, there have been plenty of "flash-in-the-pans"! So I won't raise the Rakeem Cato flag just yet. He did have a great game, and against the GC champs to boot. That is cause for celebration, but as of next week they have to prepare for Winnipeg.

To his credit, Cato seems to have the intuitions of a QB that cannot be taught; either you have it, or you don't. As he progresses and gets more starts, he will improve, reach dizzying heights, be average, or (God forbid!) be a total bust.

So, let's hope he keeps moving forward and if such be the case, we could indeed be witnessing the start of a great career. I also agree that there is no great urgency for Crompton to return. To me, he is a good back-up, but I never thought that in his performances he displayed that he has what it takes to be a great starter. Let's face it, replacing AC was never going to be an easy task!

I know it's always wiser (and safer) to say "let's see after a few games, or after a full season, etc".. but I really don't need to wait. It's not what he did, it's how he did it. His reads & decision making will only get better with more experience, not worse.. and they were already the best since Calvillo.
The poise, calm demeanor.. almost Price-like confidence, then very Price-like praising his team after the game.

I've seen all I need to see.. he has it, Calvillo has said so himself during camp, and he should know.

My concern now is his continued health, and if he does too well whether a desperate NFL team is tempted to give him a shot at one point and we lose him that way in the coming years. Ends up lured by the NFL promise, most likely only to hold a clipboard for a few years.. and somehow they sometimes don't come back as good, Printers was a sad example of this.

Barring one of those 2 scenarios, I'm ready to say he'll be our QB for the next decade.
This is not Leaf or any other flash in the pan QB..he is for reals. :wink:

I saw that right in pre-season. He is very accurate and throws a very catchable ball. A lot like Ray…
there were a couple long balls yesterday where he and the receiver were a little off but that will come with practice and time. He looked like a young man relieved and excited at the same time during his RDS interview after the game. Like " I found a home" kind of relief.

This is a lot of fun to watch! He was given a real opportunity and he made something of it. He took the job over. Higgins just has to let nature run its course now :wink:

Well GMan, I hope you’re right.

The Als have all the offensive weapons they require on O, including an all-star O-line. What they need is a field general to make the plays and use those weapons to their best advantage. Is Cato the one? I’m very impressed with him, but I will wait to see how he continues over the season.

Your concern about a jump to the NFL is well founded. NO American has the CFL as his first choice; they all want to play in the NFL. And indeed a few did so - Warren Moon, Wilkinson, Flutie…, so that possibility is definitely there and as long as both leagues are what they are, that threat will never go away. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves at this point. Let’s see him make his mark here for starters. Hopefully, he’ll be the one and Popp may be able to sign him to a long-term contract.

For me, I want to see him do well against Winnipeg next Friday.

His lack of height works to our advantage. If he's a few inches taller, he's probably already in the NFL by now and not on our roster. But fortunately for us, a bunch of bone-headed NFL talent scouts won't give him a look because he's too short. :roll:

Lack of “meat on the height challenged bones” helps too.

Agree. Cato not only throws a catchable ball, from an easy motion and showing amazing touch, but he also seems to throw it to the right place.

Couple more QBs go down on other teams and there might even be a market for Crompton. :wink: :lol: :wink: :lol:

Ain't nothing wrong with being excited about our QB, FOR ONCE, as opposed to the parade of ineptitude we've had since AC.

[i]If the Als win the next game, Johnny will start a campaign for:

CATO FEVER :rockin: [/i]

And when that happens (and there is no doubt about it), Islandherd1, TimothyHay and a whole bunch of lurkers,

we will designate Johnny all charm and class as the official

CATO FANATIC :rockin:

for the exclusive Cato Booster Club - so named by Johnny all charm and class, himself.

As proclaimed at our collegiate football games at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, "We Are Marshall!
So join us at the Joan on August 30 to watch the destruction of the B1G’s Purdue University Boilermakers. Boiler Down!
Perhaps we can even arrange a special award ceremony for the CFL’s most recent star quarterback.

Je dois ici lever mon chapeau à notre ami NiagaraAls.

Pendant des semaines, il a milité pour que les Alouettes recrutent un bon jeune prospect de la NCAA et le mette sur le terrain assez tôt pour qu'il se fasse la main. J'étais des plus sceptiques au sujet de cette suggestion, considérant que l'adaptation nécessaire était trop importante pour expédier une verte recrue dans la fosse aux lions.

Cato a non seulement montré à tous qu'il comprend très bien le football, mais il a aussi prouvé que ce que notre ami Niagara avançait pouvait avoir tout son sens. Certes, il est très tôt pour conclure que Cato est un vrai partant et un quart de premier plan, mais on a certainement pu constater qu'il a la base qu'il faut pour devenir un excellent quart-arrière. NiagaraAls avait apparemment raison, le sort a forcé les Alouettes vers cette voie.

À tout seigneur, tout honneur! :thup:

Thanks LeStaf: I'm likely the oldest respondent (77) to this Forum and, I do believe that if one wants to predict the future first, one should always examine the past. As I have noted, the NCAA has directly provided wonderful QBs to the CFL. Durant, Calvillo, Kevin Glen, R Cato, Theisman and dozens of others going back to 1953 when Sam Etcheverry came from Denver U to Montreal. Sam replaced George Ratterman a highly touted NFL QB from the Chicago Bears, who flopped in Montreal. The NFL prefers the 6' 4 225 lb guys and,there has always been smaller QBs from small colleges who don't make the NFL draft and, provide great QBs to our CFL.

[i]On the topic of his size, check out the video on the top of this page (you’ll need to copy and paste it in your browser):

http://www.rds.ca/football/alouettes/des-raisons-de-rêver-1.2481459

Cato is between Vercheval and Hepell. He looks like a little kid without his shoulder pads![/i]

On the cfl.ca site, under the question "who impressed you the most in Ottawa on Friday night?"' 33% of over 7000 respondents picked Rakeem Cato, making him number one - even over Henry.