Hamilton quarterback Kevin Glenn should take a lesson from Casey Printers, a former MVP whose big mouth and attitude had him punted from the Canadian Football League.
Going public with his displeasure after being pulled out of Hamilton’s season-opening loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Glenn said, “It just felt like a smack in the face.”
It was Printers who overreacted in a similar situation with the B.C. Lions two seasons ago. He was released and the former MVP hasn’t been seen since.
Quarterbacks are supposed to be team leaders, especially when everything goes wrong.
How they react to adversity is just one of the many ways they are evaluated.
Glenn was pulled in favour of backup Quinton Porter with the Tiger-Cats down by four points after the Hamilton starter threw his third pick.
He was back on the field this week, hopefully with a better attitude, taking reps with the Tabbies’ first-team offence as the club prepares for the Edmonton Eskimos.
Buckin’ Tough: If Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans are convinced the team is going nowhere without Buck Pierce at QB this season, they must have been terrified to see their star get thumped in Week 1. Although Pierce bounced back on his feet, Hamilton linebacker Jamal Johnson hit him so hard it knocked the breath out every Manitoba resident.
Pierce proved he’s a tough dude, but the Bombers need to evaluate their pass protection to keep him on his feet.
Esks’ ace in the hole: The constant recycling of CFL coaches often comes back to bite teams. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a case in point after the Eskimos exploited the Green Riders’ defensive tendencies in Week 1.
Edmonton offensive co-ordinator Marcus Crandell quarterbacked the Riders and knows the patterns of Riders defensive mastermind Richie Hall, who is back in Regina after two years in Edmonton as head coach. Esks QB Ricky Ray shredded the Riders D in Week 1, going 21-for-27 for 294 yards and three TDs.
Kicking crisis in Calgary: Lose an import receiver or running back to injury and you can have a plane full of recruits in town overnight. Lose a Canadian kicker, as the Calgary Stampeders did last week against Toronto, and you really understand pain.
The Stamps are without injured placekicker Rob Maver (leg) this week and have added Rene Paredes, a player so obscure he isn’t even a household name in his own house.
Paredes spent four seasons at Concordia, where he converted 54 of 79 field-goal attempts. The 26-year-old non-import emerged from a pack of kickers the Stamps airlifted into town for a tryout, including CFL veterans Jamie Boreham and Matt Kellett.
