Breaking down all six of Vernon Adams Jr.’s interceptions against Toronto

By
Ben Grant
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Photo courtesy: David Dermer/B.C. Lions

The quarterback position is a ridiculously difficult job to perform at the professional level, so much so that only a handful of people on the planet are really good at it.

That’s not to say Vernon Adams Jr. shouldn’t be blamed for throwing six interceptions on Monday night, but I wanted to shed some light on the number of moving parts that led to him throwing a half-dozen picks against the Argonauts.

Without further ado, here is a break down of all six interceptions he threw explaining how and why they happened.

Interception No. 1

On the last play of the opening quarter and with the score tied at seven, Adams threw a ball down the middle of the field to Dominique Rhymes on a post route that was undercut and intercepted by defensive back Robertson Daniel.

Toronto defensive coordinator Corey Mace lined up defensive end Folarin Orimolade to the right of B.C. centre Michael Couture. This ensured right guard Sukh Chungh would be left alone with Shawn Oakman, which is a challenging matchup.

On the snap, Oakman bull-rushed Chungh right into Adams’ lap while Orimolade blew past Couture. Downfield, Toronto showed cover one pre-snap with safety Royce Metchie in the deep middle part of the field, but as the ball was snapped, Metchie rolled to his right as field-halfback DaShaun Amos dropped back deep making it cover two.

But wait, there’s more!

As this was happening, Daniel quietly slipped into the underneath hole making it a variation of Tampa two. Adams probably saw cover two, which is why he threw the post route to Rhymes, but with Oakman and Chungh in his grill and Orimolade throwing him to the ground, he didn’t see Daniel creep in to make it Tampa two.

Blame: Chungh and Couture

Interception No. 2

With under four minutes remaining in the first half and the score tied at 14, Adams fired a ball to Dominique Rhymes on a dig route that Robertson Daniel broke up, deflecting the ball into the hands of linebacker Jonathan Jones.

Believe it or not, this was a great throw. Rhymes ran a lazy route from the left slot. By rounding his break, Rhymes not only tipped his path to Daniel but drifted downfield, which allowed the Toronto halfback to make a play on the ball. If Rhymes had run a crisp dig, the ball would have hit him in the numbers and he’d’ve had room in front of him.

Blame: Rhymes

Interception No. 3

On third-and-four from Toronto’s 48-yard line as the end of the first half neared, Adams threw a rainbow to Rhymes on a corner route but field-side cornerback Tarvarus McFadden came down with it instead.

The Argos positioned eight men on the line of scrimmage, including McFadden, who convincingly pretended to be pressing Keon Hatcher. Metchie and Daniel were back deep, splitting the field in what could only have looked like cover two. On the snap, McFadden bailed to make it cover three and Adams never saw him.

Blame: Adams

Interception No. 4

With three minutes to go in the third quarter, Adams rolled to his right and threw a pass directly to Robertson Daniel for the interception. To B.C.’s right side, Toronto cornerback Jamal Peters had the deep sideline and Daniel had the flats in cover three hold.

The Lions lined up three receivers to that side with Keon Hatcher wide, Hollins in the middle, and Rhymes inside. Hatcher cleared out to occupy Peters while Hollins ran a 15-yard out and Rhymes ran a diamond-release slant.

Daniel initially had Rhymes covered, leaving Hollins open. Adams saw Hollins, but just as he released the ball, Daniel dropped to undercut the out route. Adams tried to redirect the ball to Rhymes, but it ended up sailing between them, right into the hands of Robertson Daniel.

This wasn’t a designed rollout. The Argos sent seven pass rushers and Orimolade and Dewayne Hendrix went untouched, forcing Adams to escape immediately, throwing off the play’s timing and launch point.

Blame: Adams, Perkins, Chungh

Interception No. 5

Trailing by 11 with just over six minutes remaining, Adams threw to Hatcher on a post route but Qwan’tez Stiggers came down with it instead. The Argos were selling cover three pre-snap, which would have had Stiggers pinned to the sideline covering Jevon Cottoy’s corner route.

Instead, the 21-year-old passed him off to Peters and made a great play on the ball.

Blame: Adams

Interception No. 6

No one can blame a quarterback for throwing an interception with a minute remaining in a two-score game. The Argos dropped eight into coverage, rushing four. Thomas Costigan and Robbie Smith both got through with inside moves, as did Hendrix, who threw Chungh into Couture.

Adams broke Costigan’s tackle but the ball got knocked loose. Adams regained control of it with his left hand as he ducked between Hendrix and Smith. He switched the ball back to his right while being brought to the ground by Oakman and fired it in the direction of Justin McInnis, but Daniel was there waiting for it.

Blame: Broxton, Perkins, Chungh

Football is a team game, and while Vernon Adams didn’t play well at all, the blame for his six interceptions must be shared. Adams played spectacular football to start the season, as did the rest of the Lions.

How will they respond to this blowout loss to the Argos? With B.C. set to host the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday night, we don’t have that long to wait.

Ben Grant
Ben Grant
Ben Grant has been the radio colour analyst for the Toronto Argonauts since 2023 on TSN 1050 (Toronto). He coached high school football at Lorne Park Secondary School 2003-2018 and semi-pro football for the Northern Football Conference's GTA All-Stars 2018-2023.
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