I have to admit, I don't know much about Printers. I know he had one good season a couple years ago. Is he another Maas? What's his style of play? Your analysis would be much appreciated. Thanks.
He is a mobile qb with a stong arm and is much like a mike vick with a little more size and he has pretty good accurtes
"accurtes"???
Translation please.
loli'm not a very good speller "accurate"
Well, I will give you the Reader's Digest Condensed Tome LOL from a somewhat keen fan perspective.
In terms of a comparable Qb currently in the league, Printers is perhaps closest to Kerry Joseph. Big, mobile, cannon for an arm -- in short, a QB with all the physical tools to challenge a defence from sideline to sideline.
To coninue the comparison, I consider Joseph a stronger tackle-breaker when scrambling, whereas Casey is more elusive. We aren't talking Mike Vick blur, but both are extremely dangerous when on the move.
Henry Burris would also be in the scrambling triumverate. Where he falters in comparison is his penchant for fumbling the ball (including at the wrong time!)...his ball management skills are Jimmy Jones-like in inconsistency.
Joseph has a stronger deep ball (up to 80 yards in the air at times), but Casey is more accurate throwing on the dead run. Not Tom Clements standard for accuracy, but Printers can throw through a brick wall off a pivot. Where Printers makes mistakes is a tendency to throw off his back foot on the run and force balls. His arm is very strong, but it isn't Bishop-freak-of-nature jugs gun style. Casey can put the ball up to 50 yards on a plane similar to Danny Mac, 1998 vintage. Quickly, but not Bishop or Dieter Brock 50-yard out on a rope style.
Releasewise: Very quick. Not Danny Mac quick, but for a big-armed QB, above average. He occasionally has a hitch in his mechanics (at least he did in BC) which pops up when throwing outs. It's not chronic and he has a lot of juice of the ball, so receivers are rarely left vulnerable in the air.
Reading defences: as a young QB in Canada, off the charts for a young star. Not Dickenson-like precision in his reads, but in the top 10% of QBs I've seen with three years or less. He has a blind spot occasionally against MLBs in Cover 3 and 4s when they get sufficiently deep on drops. I recall most of his picks off misreads that I broke down were from this. I am not familiar with the scope of his development in KC, so it will be interesting to see how he has tackled that weakness.
Casey's biggest weapon is his running threat and its related mobility. Faster than Flutie, but not as good at picking out open guys off broken plays (which DF was the greatest CFL QB I've ever seen do that). While Flutie had pinpoint accuracy in intermediate windows when being able to plant and throw off a roolout, Printers's asset is being able to gun the ball into tight intermediate spots with a far stronger arm than Doug. Tom Clements was the best QB I've ever seen throwing the ball when on the fly (purely off a pivot). Casey would be in my top five (Clements, Flutie, Warren Moon, Russ Jackson and Casey circa 2004 in that order).
Casey's timing has probably been enhanced while assimilating Al Saunders's multiple offense in KC quite a bit. Although not a WCO, he has had to adjust to a more rigorous way to get his feet in synch with receiver route depths and the reads necessary to find them. Taaffe will work with Casey to be more rigorous in that aspect.
Please note here that I am not saying Casey Printers is a better QB than Steve Young. But as Young flourished under the 49ers Walsh WCO inherited by Seifert, I am confident Printers will make Taaffe's CFL-adapted system far more dangerous as Tracy Ham did in Montreal. The capacity to scramble or bootleg from 40 yards out to paydirt will cause DBs and LBs to have their heads on swivels, allowing for more opportunities to receivers to slip through uncovered especially in zone approaches. As Young proved to be a more mobile improviser than Montana (Joe being a pocket eluder more), Casey will stretch the defense horizontally -- precisely what you are looking for in a WCO. It will cause DEs to play contain more, allowing for bigger windows to open for crossing routes underneath.
Young to John Taylor is the NFL equivalent of what crossing route strategies that Casey may be able to uncrack often.
The danger of having a guy like this is that teammates may actually make the mistake of watching him too much because Casey is capable of one Houdini per quarter at his best. Receivers cannot quit on the play -- they must keep working to get open since Printers's elusiveness on the wider CFL field can open up big broken play receptions downfield.
We obviously have tackle issues on the O-line and need a reliable possession receiver. If Casey and Chris Bauman can develop a rapport, Bauman will improve markedly. Having a deep threat like Armstead and Ralph will be fun to watch. Out and ups off play action could be scary. If you have the speed and ablity to make good reads for option routes (Simon a prime example), Casey is going to give you that extra steamboat or two to work free. If you can recall Kerrigan to Steve Stapler (Kerrigan was a pocket passer with solid pocket presence and elusiveness therein for a big man slow afoot -- strong as an ox lower body-wise), you will undertand what I mean. Steve Stapler went from a Ralph-quality route runner with speed to burn but inconsistent feinting skills to a beast at getting himself free as a hard worker who rarely quit on a play. His route running developed and Steve was a solid weapon for us being paired with Ron Ingram.
The recipe for success can be assembled. We need to find a consistent deep threat to complement the seesaw effect of a mobile gunner like Printers traversing around. Armstead could be that guy...I know Simon in 2008 WILL be that guy if he does indeed choose to hook up with Casey next year.
I hope that is a reasonably accurate fan-based peek at Casey's talents. I found his 2004 breakout year to be the most exciting season for a CFL Qb since the days of prime Matt Dunigan and Doug Flutie. He has to make safer choices at times because he can be too overconfident in forcing things. If he can be reined in under Taaffe to use his great mobility to open his ball distribution without that hubris, he can be lights out.
Michael Bishop throws into double and triple coverage because he either misreads the coverage or he expects to throw a 110 mph fastball through a wall of defenders because, hey, he's Michael Freaking Bishop.
Printers can be similarly overconfident. The thing is that Casey make adjustments and rarely gets burned once he stops forcing things. His multiple INT games are far fewer than Bishop's to date (Bishop has a pretty scary TD-INT ratio as a CFL starter -- bad scary).
I am bullish on Casey. His challenge will be to grow in an offense just finding out who can make plays and who can block, FFS LOL. The Cats will continue to rebuild, but the pace of becoming competitive will increase apace. It ought to be fun.
Oski Wee Wee,
Printers will get the cats a few more wins this seaosn, then lead them to the grey cup within 3 years.
he is just like a young warren moon in 1982,great presecne in the pocket,vision of the field,can run scramble,a strong arm,acruate thrower.plus has that skill to make a big play at any time.he loves to compete and win.he reminds me of warren moon rolling out throwing on the run which i bet gives defesive coachs nitemares lol.
The analysis of Casey Printer's play is very good. He is a great athlete, a strong arm and the good sense to know when to take off from the pocket and do a bit of running.
The one BIG factor no one has mentioned is his personality. There is a reason he wouldn't have been welcomed back in BC and why he was no longer welcome in Kansas City. His maturity level is closer to 16 than 26. It is good to be confident...but when you are so confident that you blame everyone else and everything else for any failure on or off the field...look out.
I wish Hamilton well, and think in Printers you have a great quarterback. I just hope he learns to be a team player or Hamilton is going to have the most disfunctional, in-fighting, split-faction team in the CFL.
I think Taaffe will work well with him. That’s my gut. I hope his outlook will satisfy all doubters. He’s in the best place in Canada to take that fire you can tell he has and channel it. Ivor Wynne is going to be ROARING again PDQ. 
I see Casey not unlike a young Matt Dunigan. He can take his NFL experience and its frustrations and reroute it to become a better team player and eventual champion. As Matt had to undergo, a fallow time makes the richest soil in potential yield grow to fruition.
I know that’s deep, it’s the fumigation of my place earlier todaay combined with a natural football high!
;)Oski Wee Wee,
Some good synopsis Russ, but you have to wonder...
Casey can run about better than the "slower" Maas and the "confused" Chang, and may have the "rifle" arm...but does this mesh with our current OLine? What about Hage and his penchant for high snaps?
You can fire a football on a rope for 80 yards, for all that matters, but if your reeiver has slacked off, or isn't running a precise route, that ability is "semantics"...(I think we must accept the balance of 2007 if not some of 2008 to getting the "count" down with a couple receivers!) and I wonder about the ones we have...
The CFL is transcending to a running back game, and we have one of the greatest potential RB's in Lumsden (and a couple other guys, Radlein and Dickerson, that tend to be forgotten!) that need to be considered with the "new style" of Offence that will be on offer, once Casey is effectively running the team...let alone what the OC is going to make of this "new weapon"...
This is a major change in the direction of the team on the Offensive side of things, and we all know things do not proceed as cleanly and quickly as we'd otherwise like...there will be some hiccups along the way!
How well will Casey adapt to the Hammer? How well will he be able to stifle his incredibly overpowering ego to eventually evolve to a "team" player, something he hasn't managed to show yet?
Tough one to answer, I know, but there you go...
I'll let you know my analysis of Printers at the end of the season. 
well casey will be running for his life so i hope he still has got his mobility.
we don't run the ball and our offensive schemes are predictable.
we might as well throw 6 receivers on the field every down.
With Printers here and receivers knowing much more than before that the ball will be there, you will see receivers running their routes completely when required and breaking them off when required etc. I think, less uncertainty. In the short term there will be some confusion getting used to a new qb but long term, run your friggin routes or else Casey will let you know in no uncertain terms. What is needed here.
Excellent analysis Russ.
It’s a new era in Ticat land!
I can’t wait for the show to begin.
One question: Is Printers fragile or were the injuries in BC just to keep the press from bugging Buono?
anyone remember john jenkins offence in 97?
we didn't have success running the ball and went shutgun every down, which in turn put a big old target on dunigan.
same offence nearly ruined calvillo.
please all i want is a decent coordinator to work with casey and utilize all our tools(lumsden) so this will be a success. i'm not seeing this offence work the way it is now and bringing in printers can't be the final step.
i will give working a few more weeks and see how it works.