Hamilton's problems started long before McManus got hurt. The Argos have prooved they can win without Allen. Not win well, but they can. I would have to say Montreal. When Cal went down in the Eastern Final the Als went down with him.
Seriously, good post Turkey. I'd change your BC pick....If Ackles retires to the Bahamas, we're in trouble. Having a solid management base has taken us from the Laughing stock back to the top. Hamilton Needed a capable QB. They were on the slippery slope before McManus went down.
You can toss Glenn in there as well for winnipeg, He gives them respectability and a chance to knock off anyone any given Sunday
News FLASH.... Gainer did pull his Groin evading a crazed farmer with a BB gun as reported in the Western Producer.
When interviewed the farmer said, "I didnt know it was Gainer...I didnt see his Tie unitl it was too late..
But then the Farmer reiterated... "Hell when we get Printers & Owens we wont need a Mascot unitl the Grey Cup Game"
Leave Hamilton out of it. They've lost so much this season that it's clear that no one guy is the answer to their problems.
As for the rest:
BC: Probably the most well-rounded team in the league, but I still think all it takes is one injury in the secondary for their defence to get porous in a hurry. Not much depth back there.
Edmonton: Maas is a great QB, but he's no Ricky Ray. If Ray goes down, I doubt Edmonton even gets to the Grey Cup final.
Saskatchewan: They've already lost him, and his name is Matt Dominguez. As well, their D-line isn't the same without Nate Davis.
Calgary: Without Burris, I can't see this team winning.
Toronto: Minus Damon Allen or Noel Prefontaine, the Argos aren't very much.
Montreal: It hurts to say it, but without Calvillo, we ain't goin' nowhere.
Ottawa: Can probably survive a Joseph injury only because Brad Banks is a great young QB who will do big things in this league if given the chance.
Winnipeg: As Charles Roberts goes, so do the Blue Bombers.
No TORONTO are just the defending GREY CUP CHAMPS............EIBEN........is leading the league in tackles.........and what about Livingston........TALBOT and BRUCE?
Levingston is a worthless overrated piece of crap. I can think of at least 9 guys who are better than him at returning kicks. He shouldn't even start on special teams. Your own Bruce does a much better job at it, and he can play on offence too.
Last week the Argos were pritty bad untill Allen came in, and Livingston is all about him self and the team last so you can keep him, and for Bruce, you need Allen to get him the ball because your backup QB can't. So yes the Argos are in trouble if Allen goes down.
Good thread turkey! I think that the answer is hands down Montreal. We’ve all seen what happens when the Als are forced to play their backup QB!!
Gainer was a good response, but I think that since the Riders coaching staff sucks, they rely too much on Shivers finding good enough players to compensate for bad coaching. Remember the days when they combined bad coaching with Al Ford. Yikes!
Good pick, 3/10. Other than that, I don't know that the Lions would be in any real danger by losing any one of their key players - including players on their defensive line. The Lions seem to me to be a very resilient team, and they appear to be able to adapt; that being said, should one of their defensive linemen go down, I don't believe it would be long (one game, perhaps?) before they are able to adjust and turn it on again.
Honeslty Id hafta say Calgary if they lost Copeland. The guys such an amazing reciever he makes the rest of the team better. He gives Burris a target he knows he can throw one up to and will more then likely catch it. He also takes the heat off the other recievers. While Copeland is in double (sometimes triple) coverage catching balls. The other guys are in single coverage or open catching balls.
Um, by fine I think you mean 'just barely struggled to get by until Allen came back to put on a show in the playoffs'. Do you honestly think the Argos would have won the Grey Cup with Michael Bishop at the controls? Remember that five-minute stretch during the GC game when he DID come in and was utterly ineffective?
And I will say this to anyone: without Noel Prefontaine, the Argos not only wouldn't have won the Grey Cup, but they might not even have made the playoffs last year. That guy won you at least five games on the strength and accuracy of his leg, making field goals routinely in the low-40-yard range. His punts won you the field-position war game in and game out. At a time when teams like Ottawa, Hamilton, Calgary and Montreal were struggling with their placekicking, Prefontaine gave you 3 points time and time again when your offense stalled. If you don't believe me, check the scores from last year's games to see how much this guy contributed, and how consistently.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not slagging the Argos. They won the Cup. All props. You have to be good to be lucky and lucky to be good. But I think Argo fans need to be realistic about who was vital to their success. Hey, I'm an Als fan and I'm honest: if Calvillo gets injured, we have no chance. And I think the same holds true of Damon Allen.
