Greg Marshall waited a lifetime for his first CFL head coaching job, but will he wait just as long for his first win?
At 0-3, some passionate Saskatchewan fans are calling for the new coach’s head on a platter while other scapegoats range from erratic starting QB Darian Durant to defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall, who replaced ‘D’ guru Gary Etcheverry in the off-season.
Hamilton stomped on Saskatchewan in a 33-3 victory last weekend that could have been even worse if the Tabbies offence had clicked on several scoring chances.
Last year’s West Division champs, who’ve represented the West in three of the last four Grey Cups, are in need of a shakeup and not so much for their record, but for the way the team has lost.
Durant has tossed up twice as many interceptions (six) as touchdown passes this season and his team has been dominated in consecutive weeks by Edmonton, Montreal and Hamilton. The D-line is unable to supply any pressure on opposing QBs while the secondary has been dissected in each loss.
The focal point for fan frustration is Marshall, who must be wishing he had chosen a less stressful line of work.
Cleo’s on the clock:
It’s year two of the Cleo Lemon Experiment, and as the Toronto Argos prepare for their home opener Saturday against Winnipeg, the status of the team’s No. 1 pivot is getting shaky.
Yes, he managed to guide the Double Blue to the East final last season — thanks in large part to a fine Argos defence — and helped beat Calgary in Week 1 this season, but at some point he needs to shows signs he’s developing into a CFL quarterback. Nobody expects Lemon to be another Doug Flutie (although that would be nice), but Lemon’s inability to pile up touchdowns or captivate the Argos fan base has reached a critical point.
In a quarterback-driven league, Lemon needs to grab the wheel and start driving or the Argos will have to turn to backups Dalton Bell or Steven Jyles. It’s their turn.
B.C.’s slow star nothing new under Buono:
Is it time to fire Wally Buono? When the B.C. Lions last started a season 0-3 in 2002, the perfect solution was to gas Steve Buratto and replace him with Adam Rita.
Lions owner David Braley said this week he’s confident in Buono (for now) and you can’t really blame him for sticking with a winner.
