Quarterback Injuries Damage the CFL

[jerrym]

Last year, every starting qb missed some games.
After one game, the situation is even worse: it's uncertain when Ray will be back; Durant is out for the season; Reilly is on crutches; and Crompton injured his shoulder.
In addition, Crompton's replacement, Dan LeFevour, was out with a serious injury.
In qb dominant league, this damages the quality of the CFL game.

[jerrym]

The following article examines the CFL fans response to Durant's season-ending injury. The first four tweets are from CFL qbs Burris, Lulay, Mitchell, and Reilly, showing they are concerned about the issue.

http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/sas...tory/1.3131206

[ArgoRavi]

Last year, every starting qb missed some games.
After one game, the situation is even worse: it's uncertain when Ray will be back; Durant is out for the season; Reilly is on crutches; and Crompton injured his shoulder.
In addition, Crompton's replacement, Dan LeFevour, was out with a serious injury.
In qb dominant league, this damages the quality of the CFL game.

I totally agree although I don't know what else the league can do about this issue. I have been watching this league for a long time, as I know you have, Jerry, and QBs are better protected by officials today than they ever have been. Yet, we see more QB injuries today than we ever have. I really don't know what the answer is to this problem.

[KCargosfan]

All these were just very unfortunate injuries that could not have been prevented by some rule. It is bad for the league as a whole, but what do you do? It is somewhat ironic we signed McPherson last week, as I believe he would possibly have been called by three other teams by now.

[AngeloV]

I see a couple of factors.

At the risk of agreeing with OV, the defence today really gets to pin their ears back and go full speed at the QB. You have basically 5 lineman and a back on pass protection today. Used to see 7 guys at all times in the 2 back/TE days.

QB's also get confused with the multiple looks they see on D now, and often just hold on to the ball too long, leaving themselves really exposed.

[Argo]

I totally agree although I don't know what else the league can do about this issue. I have been watching this league for a long time, as I know you have, Jerry, and QBs are better protected by officials today than they ever have been. Yet, we see more QB injuries today than we ever have. I really don't know what the answer is to this problem.

Yet we still regularly see illegal hits to the QB (e.g., helmet-to-helmet) that are not caught / not called.

Reilly-Laing-type injuries are a different kettle of fish. In any case the pocket can hardly be made a no-contact zone. Perhaps some as yet undetermined tweaking of the rules of the game might be able to improve quarterback safety. There does seem to be problem beyond basic bad luck.

[doubleblue]

I see a couple of factors.

At the risk of agreeing with OV, the defence today really gets to pin their ears back and go full speed at the QB. You have basically 5 lineman and a back on pass protection today. Used to see 7 guys at all times in the 2 back/TE days.

QB's also get confused with the multiple looks they see on D now, and often just hold on to the ball too long, leaving themselves really exposed.

I agree the QB's seem to be hung out to dry if a defense blitzes with the blockers being out numbered. No big FB to pick up these guys.
However, IMO Durant and Reilly's injures were more or less flukes but unfortunate just the same for their teams and the League.

[1argoholic]

The CFL is looking into having the qb's wear flags for next season. It's a JOKE!!! One year every qb stays healthy the next everyone gets hurt. Who knows from year to year.

I think guys should get flags tossed when they celebrate a huge hit that hurts a guy and leaves him injured on the field. I hate that disrespect. The older I get the more I feel for these guys. I have tons of aches and pains from my sports days but mostly from years of landscaping. These guys take a beating. Voltarin is my best friend.

[paulwoods13]

The CFL is looking into having the qb's wear flags for next season. It's a JOKE!!! One year every qb stays healthy the next everyone gets hurt. Who knows from year to year.

Well, this marks two years in a row that a lot of QBs got hurt.

[AngeloV]

I agree the QB's seem to be hung out to dry if a defense blitzes with the blockers being out numbered. No big FB to pick up these guys.
However, IMO Durant and Reilly's injures were more or less flukes but unfortunate just the same for their teams and the League.

Agreed on those 2. I was speaking in general terms for over the last few seasons.

[jerrym]

A number of factors are leading to increasing QB injuries. As the league has become more and more pass-oriented, the more chances there are for the qb to be hit, but more important the greater the incentive to focus on rushing the qb and to ignore the chance a running play is being called in case one is caught off-guard. Physics also says that as the weight of defensive linemen has increased, the greater the average force of impact on the qb and thus the greater risk of injury. The expansion of rosters has also meant there is a greater opportunity for a player who is primarily a qb rusher to make a team. The loss of twin RBs and the tight end also means there is less protection for the qb.

[Argo]

Now Drew Willy :- (

"Drew Willy has left the game as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers trail the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 24-7 in the second quarter from Investors Group Field. Willy suffered a hit to the head as he was sacked in the first quarter."

[jerrym]

Drew Willy's injury could leave Winnipeg vulnerable, add to CFL's QB issues

Late in the first quarter, Willy was wrapped up by Hamilton linebacker Taylor Reed and then hit by defensive tackle Adrian Tracy in what looked like helmet-to-helmet contact. Willy was falling at the time, so Tracy's intention may not have been to hit his head. However, the result saw Willy lie dazed on the ground for several minutes while receiving treatment, and he was eventually helped off. If Willy winds up out for a while, what could that mean for the Bombers and for the CFL?
For the Bombers, any prolonged absence from Willy could be highly problematic. Willy was huge in their 30-26 Week One win over Saskatchewan, completing 22 of 25 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns.

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/cf...014837252.html

[jerrym]

TWEET OF THE WEEK
"#Ridernation its unfortunate for the loss of Double D.. But I'm available to come back and help.. #CFL #CFLStrong #ImReady."
- Quarterback Casey Printers (@CaseyPrinters), who isn't ready to hang up the cleats just yet but shouldn't expect his phone to ring any time soon

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2015/07/0...es-awful-games

[Argo]

If Printers plays again, it must be ASAP as he's now 34 years old. I'd like to see him be called upon to QB a team whose starter is out for an extended period.

Printers had an idiot for an agent (a relative, IIRC), a crappy situation in Hamilton, and he received rather a bum rap, much the same as the "Flutie is a cancer" BS that circulated for a month or two before Flutie was finally shafted in Buffalo.

[jerrym]

The Bombers know they have a big problem with the loss of Willy as the number of injured qbs continues to grow.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/spo...311539561.html

[Fumblitis]

Here's something to ponder. I wonder with all these QB injuries if teams will be tempted to revert to 4 receiver sets with 2 back sets or tight end formation to protect their QB's better?

[ArgoRavi]

Here's something to ponder. I wonder with all these QB injuries if teams will be tempted to revert to 4 receiver sets with 2 back sets or tight end formation to protect their QB's better?

I was wondering the same thing. If it is seen that the cause of these QB injuries is increased blitzing due to the new rules - and I think that the jury is still out on that one - it would seem to make sense that the next step in the "evolution" of CFL offences is to revert back to what we used to see in the 1980s when a fullback was used on a full-time basis to help with blocking.

[jerrym]

Hit on Willy Hits Home with Argo's Harris

Trevor Harris couldn’t help but wince when he watched on TV as Drew Willy got clocked in the head on Thursday night. ...
Harris, who plays quarterback for the Argonauts, knows that he can be part of such a play every time he walks on to the field. ...
“Mike, Darian, Drew, those guys are the face of our league and it’s unfortunate when they go down,” Harris said following practice on Friday. “But it’s football and it’s a physical game and those things happen. It really stinks. My prayers and thoughts go out to those guys and I just hope they can get healthy quick.” ...
“Shoot, any time you can walk out of a game healthy, it is by the grace of God. Any time you can walk off the field, period,” Harris said. “You just have to play the game. When injuries happen, you have to weather it and hope for the best and rehab as quickly as you can. When it’s a head injury, it’s really scary, and scary for Drew, and you hope for the best for him.”
Argos head coach Scott Milanovich also was watching the Winnipeg-Hamilton game though he acknowledged he did not see much more of it after Willy was injured. “It was a brutal hit,” Milanovich said. “(Injuries to quarterbacks) seem to come in bunches and hopefully that will be the end of it for a while.”
For Harris, the sharper focus is on trying to come anywhere close to the level of success he had in the Argos’ opener last week in Fort McMurray, Alta., against Edmonton. While the Toronto defence stymied the Eskimos offence, especially in the second half, Harris was excellent from start to finish, making 24 completions on 27 pass attempts for 347 yards and three touchdowns. The completion rate of 88.9% was not far off the CFL record of 92% (with a minimum of 25 attempts). ...
“I don’t know that you can improve on that,” Milanovich said of Harris’ production against the Esks. “He just needs to have another good performance. He needs to continue to protect the football and manage the team, get us in and out of the huddle. Take what is there when it’s given and, if he needs to, run for the first down — do those things. Expect him to play well.

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/07/03...h-argos-harris

[jerrym]

Kevin Glenn has been added to injured quarterback list in the Rider's loss to Hamilton. The rarely used backup quarterback Brett Smith replaced him to no avail.

It appeared Glenn injured himself late in the third quarter after he was intercepted by Rico Murray. Glenn was in on the tackle of Murray and was spotted on the sideline grimacing when he tried to move his right shoulder.
“I don’t think it’s snake bit,” Smith said. “Football is a rough sport. Quarterbacks bodies aren’t really meant to tackle guys sometimes. Kevin is a hard worker and he’s a great teammate. He’s going to do what he can to prevent a touchdown and help the team.”

http://globalnews.ca/news/2132996/gl...to-tiger-cats/