Insider Talk: young quarterbacks, player retirements, Quan Bray’s suspension

Photo courtesy: Hannah Souster

This week’s Insider Talk is full of discussion about the play of young quarterbacks, Ottawa’s retirements along the offensive line, and player suspensions.

Insider Talk includes anonymous quotes from people around the CFL — players, coaches, personnel experts, and agents — regarding the latest news around the league. It’s a combination of insight, analysis, rumours, and friendly gossip.

Enjoy this week’s quotes and come back next Wednesday for another edition of Insider Talk.

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It’s always a lot tougher for a quarterback to have success once everyone’s had an off-season to study the film. A lot of guys had big first years in 2019 — Cody Fajardo, Vernon Adams Jr., Dane Evans, Nick Arbuckle. I’m curious to see which guys can keep it up and which ones fade away.

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Ottawa has a lot of good Americans along the offensive line and they’d be smart to start at least three (following Alex Mateas’ retirement and Alex Fontana’s opt-out). They can start two Canadians along the defensive line with Cleyon Laing and Stefan Charles, plus two Canadian receivers with Anthony Coombs and Nate Behar.

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It’s tough to say with all these suspensions. I know there are some guys who are going to retire, some guys who are taking the year off, some who are still waiting on passports, and some who are having issues with child support. It’s a mixed bag and teams are hesitant to provide concrete answers because many of the situations are fluid.

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Poor (offensive line coach) Bob Wylie must be having a heart attack in Ottawa. That offensive line is suddenly a mess.

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(Canadian offensive lineman) Logan Ferland is a dark horse in Saskatchewan. Not many people have seen him since he didn’t play U Sports but I think he could potentially help them.

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I’ve had to do the legwork to get guys over the border before and I’d be shocked if Montreal gets Quan Bray on the field anytime soon if at all. He’s got a criminal record now, so it’s really easy for the authorities to deny him entry into the country.

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The last thing I want is a quarterback who *wants* to run. Obviously, you love to have a quarterback who *can* run. But *wants* to run? No. You’re a quarterback. Throw the damn ball.

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The 2022 CFL Draft is not deep along the offensive line — that’s why so many teams loaded up along the line this year. They’ll be happy they did, too, considering how many o-linemen have retired over the past year.