Quarterback questions swirl for B.C., Edmonton and Saskatchewan ahead of the playoffs
CFL quarterback injuries have been a recurring themethis year, and that's continuing ahead of this week's playoff openers. Only one of the four teams playing Sunday, the Montreal Alouettes, appears to be firmly decided on who will be under centre for them following the opening kickoff. For the B.C. Lions, Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders, things are much more up in the air, and who winds up starting may have a substantial impact on their chances of success.
In Saskatchewan, the situation may be the most dire. The Roughriders' passing attack declined more than any other team year-over-year this season, to a league-worst 196 passing yards per game. Some of that was about regular starter Darian Durant suffering a torn tendon in his throwing shoulder in September and missing the rest of the season, but the Saskatchewan passing attack was already struggling before that happened. None of the quarterbacks behind Durant have managed to do much to date, though, with 41-year-old Kerry Joseph (who only joined the team in October) proving the best of a bad bunch thus far.
Durant practiced and threw with the team Wednesday, but the Riders are still closemouthed on who they plan to start Sunday. Saskatchewan fans will likely be hoping it's Durant, though; regardless of his struggles this season, he was a good CFL quarterback as recently as last year, something that can't be said for Joseph, Tino Sunseri or Seth Doege. There's no guarantee Durant's return would lead the Riders to aerial success, but the odds seem better with him than without him.
What about the Roughriders' opponents Sunday, the Edmonton Eskimos? They've said that they're going to start backup Matt Nichols thanks to normal starter (and division all-star) Mike Reilly suffering a reported broken foot two weeks ago against B.C., but Reilly was practicing with the team Wednesday (albeit not moving around much), and the team says he should be available Sunday. Thus, the Nichols discussion could be a smokescreen to throw off Saskatchewan's preparations. The two quarterbacks are very different, with Reilly being a great runner who can pick up substantial yardage on the ground (he had 616 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns this season) and Nichols being more of a pure pocket passer. If Reilly is reasonably healthy, he's easily the choice for Edmonton with the great year he's been having. If he isn't able to be fully mobile, though, Nichols might be the way to go, as trying to limit Reilly to a pocket passer blew up spectacularly on the Eskimos next year. There are potential perils either way for Edmonton, but they at least seem to have a couple of decent options, which puts them ahead of Saskatchewan in that department.
The Lions may be better off still, as their choice could involve picking between two solid options. Kevin Glenn has been their starter for most of the year, and although he's been up and down at times, he threw for 3,918 yards this season (second only to Ricky Ray) with a decent 63.0 per cent completion rate. His propensity for interceptions is troubling (he has 17, against 17 touchdowns), and at 35, he's not as good as he was in the past, but he's still a viable starter. B.C. could get even a better option, though, as regular starter Travis Lulay (who initially missed time recovering from shoulder surgery, then dislocated his shoulder in his attempted comeback in Ottawa in September) has been practicing with the team this week. We'll see if Lulay's able to go or not, but if he is, he has a higher ceiling than Glenn. If that doesn't work out, though, at least the Lions have a reliable backup plan. Thus, while plenty of eyes will be on their quarterback situation this week, their decision may not be as potentially calamitous as the ones in Edmonton or Saskatchewan.
