Area 51
12-29-2011, 03:24 AM
Due to word count limitations for posts on this site, I've had to separate the offence & defence. Here's my breakdown of each player on defence grouped by position. Please keep in mind this is my personal assessment from what I have observed over the past year. If I were GM this is how I would identify the greatest areas of need. It's not intended to be an "attack" against any players but if you feel like your favourite Argo has been graded unfairly, please feel free to rebut it with evidence to the contrary - - ideally something with more substance than "he tries real hard" or "he autographed my football one time".
Gradings are broken into four categories:
Cornerstone - - Franchise player to build around. I grade Toronto with 5 Cornerstone players (4 on offence, 1 on defence).
Solid Contributor - - Player who belongs on a championship calibre team. I grade Toronto with 17 Solid Contributors (10 on offence, 7 on defence).
Look To Upgrade - - Player who would be a liability on a championship calibre team. I grade Toronto with 14 players to Look To Upgrade (4 on offence, 10 on defence).
Must Be Replaced - - Player who doesn't belong on any CFL team. I grade Toronto with 6 players that Must Be Replaced (3 on offence, 3 on defence).
Ron Flemons – Look for an upgrade. Played through injury last year, but that’s no excuse for being as invisible as he was. Teams ran at him all year and he had no answer. There’s been a number of import DEs that have recently come in and had instant impact, so it’s not as if there’s a shortage of potential replacements waiting for an opportunity.
Ricky Foley – Cornerstone. Coaching staff seemed dumbfounded about what his role should be. Drop into zone coverage? Spy the RB? Here’s a hint: Give him a two way go and let him get after the QB.
Claude Wroten – Must be replaced. Far too much of a distraction off the field for the marginal contribution that he provides. Freelances way too often and forgets his responsibility as a DT. Seeing how Milanovich & Jones handle this situation is really going to set the tone for their tenure.
Kevin Huntley – Look for an upgrade. Too broken down to be counted on for a full schedule. Like Wroten, he wants to rush like he’s a DE instead of collapsing the pocket like a DT should.
Alex Buzbee – Solid contributor. Versatile as a DT or DE, he’s a valuable backup to have. Because he hasn’t had a lot of playing time over the past two years, he may be under the radar as a free agent and able to be re-signed at a discount relative to his worth.
Alexander Robinson – Solid contributor. As with Buzbee this grade is based on what he’s asked to do, which is contribute on special teams, not his production as a DLineman. Can’t ever have enough young Canadian depth.
Ben Ishola – Must be replaced. Seems to be a permanent fixture on the PR. Makes no sense to waste a development spot on a 32 year old import DE.
Jordan Younger – Must be replaced. A 34 year old import LB who didn’t make a play all season. That's all you need to know here.
Anthony Cannon – Solid contributor. Made some plays when he had the opportunity, but I don’t think he was used properly to get the most out of his strengths. Good tackler but struggled when forced into pass coverage.
EJ Kuale – Look for an upgrade. My idea of a prototype MLB is a guy that can go sideline to sideline in pursuit and blow people up with big hits. Essentially, a tackling machine that hits like a truck. I thought Kuale had a chance to be that, but seemed like after he got thrown out for hitting Buck Pierce he went into a shell and was never the same.
Kevin Eiben – Look for an upgrade. Valuable NI depth, but I don’t know if he still has the ability to have much impact as a starting LB. Good for special teams and possibly situational substitutions, but not so much for starting anymore on defence.
Jason Pottinger – Look for an upgrade. Showed a lot of heart coming back to play on a torn knee, but I don’t think it was a good decision. Instead rehabbing to be ready for the start of 2012, he put his recovery timeline way back. This is a brutal business, and I don’t know how willing the Argos or any other team will be to pay top dollar for damaged goods. Very similar to Eiben – great for ST and NI depth, but not the athlete you need at MLB.
Jeremy Unertl – Look for an upgrade. Pressed into a starting LB role last year and was badly exposed. Useful contributor on special teams but a 34 year old import with a limited role is a prime candidate for an upgrade.
Tristan Black – Solid contributor. I don’t think he’ll ever be a starting calibre LB, but a young Canadian that can back up at LB and make some plays on teams is useful.
Sean Smalls – Look for an upgrade. Miscast in the zone defence. Would be much more effective in man coverage and if Jones finally brings some aggressiveness to the defence 2012 could be a big turnaround year for Smalls. But it wouldn’t surprise me to see him get released and go on to become a very effective CB with another CFL team.
Lin J Shell – Solid contributor. Made some plays but also struggled with consistency. As with Smalls, I think he’d be better suited to an aggressive coverage scheme. I’d rather see a few less tackles and a few more pass break ups.
Evan McCullough – Solid contributor. At times he was the best DB on the team. Biggest weakness is that he’s undersized and can be out muscled by bigger receivers. Witness his struggles against Montreal and how Richardson/Green manhandled him. An experienced DC should be able to compensate for this.
Byron Parker – Look for an upgrade. Effective when he has help and can float around in zone coverage as a ball hawk, but burned numerous times in man coverage. Wideside CB is the easiest position in the secondary, so I don’t see how a move to S would help. Will be interesting to see how Jones and Milanovich decide to handle his free agency.
Matt Black – Solid contributor. Badly underutilized. Deserves a shot to be the starting wideside CB, and if he gets the opportunity I think he can thrive there.
Willie Pile – Look for an upgrade. Struggled badly at S last year with blown coverages and missed tackles. Might be effective if shifted to LB, but at this point in his career I don’t know if he’s the best alternative for that.
Wes Lysack – Look for an upgrade. Injuries hurt his effectiveness last year, but even when healthy he was underutilized. Just a hunch, but I think he can be an effective situational DB now that his old DC is running the show. Being Canadian and a great team guy in the locker room help improve his value.
Gradings are broken into four categories:
Cornerstone - - Franchise player to build around. I grade Toronto with 5 Cornerstone players (4 on offence, 1 on defence).
Solid Contributor - - Player who belongs on a championship calibre team. I grade Toronto with 17 Solid Contributors (10 on offence, 7 on defence).
Look To Upgrade - - Player who would be a liability on a championship calibre team. I grade Toronto with 14 players to Look To Upgrade (4 on offence, 10 on defence).
Must Be Replaced - - Player who doesn't belong on any CFL team. I grade Toronto with 6 players that Must Be Replaced (3 on offence, 3 on defence).
Ron Flemons – Look for an upgrade. Played through injury last year, but that’s no excuse for being as invisible as he was. Teams ran at him all year and he had no answer. There’s been a number of import DEs that have recently come in and had instant impact, so it’s not as if there’s a shortage of potential replacements waiting for an opportunity.
Ricky Foley – Cornerstone. Coaching staff seemed dumbfounded about what his role should be. Drop into zone coverage? Spy the RB? Here’s a hint: Give him a two way go and let him get after the QB.
Claude Wroten – Must be replaced. Far too much of a distraction off the field for the marginal contribution that he provides. Freelances way too often and forgets his responsibility as a DT. Seeing how Milanovich & Jones handle this situation is really going to set the tone for their tenure.
Kevin Huntley – Look for an upgrade. Too broken down to be counted on for a full schedule. Like Wroten, he wants to rush like he’s a DE instead of collapsing the pocket like a DT should.
Alex Buzbee – Solid contributor. Versatile as a DT or DE, he’s a valuable backup to have. Because he hasn’t had a lot of playing time over the past two years, he may be under the radar as a free agent and able to be re-signed at a discount relative to his worth.
Alexander Robinson – Solid contributor. As with Buzbee this grade is based on what he’s asked to do, which is contribute on special teams, not his production as a DLineman. Can’t ever have enough young Canadian depth.
Ben Ishola – Must be replaced. Seems to be a permanent fixture on the PR. Makes no sense to waste a development spot on a 32 year old import DE.
Jordan Younger – Must be replaced. A 34 year old import LB who didn’t make a play all season. That's all you need to know here.
Anthony Cannon – Solid contributor. Made some plays when he had the opportunity, but I don’t think he was used properly to get the most out of his strengths. Good tackler but struggled when forced into pass coverage.
EJ Kuale – Look for an upgrade. My idea of a prototype MLB is a guy that can go sideline to sideline in pursuit and blow people up with big hits. Essentially, a tackling machine that hits like a truck. I thought Kuale had a chance to be that, but seemed like after he got thrown out for hitting Buck Pierce he went into a shell and was never the same.
Kevin Eiben – Look for an upgrade. Valuable NI depth, but I don’t know if he still has the ability to have much impact as a starting LB. Good for special teams and possibly situational substitutions, but not so much for starting anymore on defence.
Jason Pottinger – Look for an upgrade. Showed a lot of heart coming back to play on a torn knee, but I don’t think it was a good decision. Instead rehabbing to be ready for the start of 2012, he put his recovery timeline way back. This is a brutal business, and I don’t know how willing the Argos or any other team will be to pay top dollar for damaged goods. Very similar to Eiben – great for ST and NI depth, but not the athlete you need at MLB.
Jeremy Unertl – Look for an upgrade. Pressed into a starting LB role last year and was badly exposed. Useful contributor on special teams but a 34 year old import with a limited role is a prime candidate for an upgrade.
Tristan Black – Solid contributor. I don’t think he’ll ever be a starting calibre LB, but a young Canadian that can back up at LB and make some plays on teams is useful.
Sean Smalls – Look for an upgrade. Miscast in the zone defence. Would be much more effective in man coverage and if Jones finally brings some aggressiveness to the defence 2012 could be a big turnaround year for Smalls. But it wouldn’t surprise me to see him get released and go on to become a very effective CB with another CFL team.
Lin J Shell – Solid contributor. Made some plays but also struggled with consistency. As with Smalls, I think he’d be better suited to an aggressive coverage scheme. I’d rather see a few less tackles and a few more pass break ups.
Evan McCullough – Solid contributor. At times he was the best DB on the team. Biggest weakness is that he’s undersized and can be out muscled by bigger receivers. Witness his struggles against Montreal and how Richardson/Green manhandled him. An experienced DC should be able to compensate for this.
Byron Parker – Look for an upgrade. Effective when he has help and can float around in zone coverage as a ball hawk, but burned numerous times in man coverage. Wideside CB is the easiest position in the secondary, so I don’t see how a move to S would help. Will be interesting to see how Jones and Milanovich decide to handle his free agency.
Matt Black – Solid contributor. Badly underutilized. Deserves a shot to be the starting wideside CB, and if he gets the opportunity I think he can thrive there.
Willie Pile – Look for an upgrade. Struggled badly at S last year with blown coverages and missed tackles. Might be effective if shifted to LB, but at this point in his career I don’t know if he’s the best alternative for that.
Wes Lysack – Look for an upgrade. Injuries hurt his effectiveness last year, but even when healthy he was underutilized. Just a hunch, but I think he can be an effective situational DB now that his old DC is running the show. Being Canadian and a great team guy in the locker room help improve his value.