Dime-a-dozen quarterbacks

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/11/2010 (5451 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been 20 years since there was a Grey Cup parade in Winnipeg, two years without playoff football and nine seasons since the Blue Bombers finished atop their division.

Today, Free Press football writer Ed Tait begins a three-part look at the issues which have long been cited as to why the franchise is in the second-longest championship drought in its 80-year history and the longest-running drought in the CFL: the inability to develop or sign a marquee quarterback; a lack of depth in Canadian talent, and whether there is a flaw in the structure and spending practises of the front office.

THE ISSUE… Why haven’t the Bombers been able to develop or sign a marquee quarterback in eons?

— Only once in the last 23 years — Khari Jones in 2001 — has a Bomber QB been named a CFL all-star.

— Kevin Glenn was the last Bomber QB to be named a divisional all-star; selected to the East squad in 2007 (Saskatchewan’s Kerry Joseph earned all-CFL honours).

— Three of the four Bomber quarterbacks honoured as the league’s Most Outstanding Player — Don Jonas (1972), Tom Clements (1984 and 1987) and Jones in 2001 — were acquired by trades.

The exception was…

He arrived as Ralph, exited as Dieter.

Ralph Brock first set foot in Winnipeg in 1974 as a hard-throwing good ol’ boy from Alabama. ‘The Birmingham Rifle’ he was called and with a flick of his wrist he could fire a ball so far downfield most were convinced his right arm featured the latest in bionic technology.

Brock would twice be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player and four times led the CFL in passing. But during the 1983 season he became disgruntled, complaining the only thing to do in Winnipeg was go to the zoo. He became accustomed to hearing the ‘Brock’s-a-Crock’ chant before being shipped to Hamilton for Tom Clements.

And it’s guaranteed nobody then would have had any inkling that 27 years later Brock would remain the last quarterback discovered and developed into a star by the Blue Bombers.

It’s a criticism often fired at the club over the last few years, especially as the Grey Cup drought has reached 20 years.

But we ask: is it warranted criticism?

And is it THE key reason the last cup win in these parts dates back to the days when Brian Mulroney was prime minister, the Jets were blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup playoffs and Home Alone was the top box-office draw?

First things first: Let’s all agree that if the 2001 Bomber squad, a 14-4 powerhouse, hadn’t laid an egg in the Grey Cup and that if Matt Dunigan was healthy for the ’93 championship and Kevin Glenn healthy in ’07, history may view this organization differently.

That said, there’s also little question that since the days of Jones — and especially since the departure of Glenn after the ’08 season — this club has been on a frustrating quest to discover, develop or sign as a free agent the next great quarterback in this franchise’s history.

The two men who started games last season — Stefan LeFors and Michael Bishop — are long gone. And this year, largely because of injury, four different quarterbacks — Buck Pierce, Steven Jyles, Alex Brink and Joey Elliott — have all taken the first snap from centre in a game.

Little wonder, then, that with so much uncertainty at the most important position on a football team the Bombers have suffered through three straight losing seasons and are 19-34 since losing the ’07 Grey Cup.

Interestingly, discovering and developing a quarterback isn’t the perfect blueprint to Grey Cup success — the CFL’s best pivot, Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo, was tossed aside by two franchises before signing with the Alouettes.

Nor is throwing a lot of money at a free agent or star the answer: the club rolled out the dough for Matt Dunigan in ’92 and signed Jones to a million-dollar incentive-laden extension at his peak back in 2002. Both left Winnipeg without Grey Cup rings.

Consider, as well, that the last two real attempts by the organization to develop a prospect have met with mixed results. Danny McManus, signed in 1990, exited after the ’92 season because he was buried behind Dunigan on the depth chart. All he did was become one of the most prolific passers in CFL history and win Grey Cups in B.C. and Hamilton.

The other QB signed and developed by the Bombers was Kevin McDougal, but he flamed out during the ’97 season after just a few starts. Also worth noting: the last two QBs to win a championship for the Bombers — Tom Burgess in 1990 and Sean Salisbury in 1988 — would hardly be considered marquee names.

All this, unfortunately, is just opening old wounds for championship-starved Bomber faithful.

The questions the franchise again faces as the curtain comes down on a disappointing 2010 season Friday against the Calgary Stampeders are these:

Is there strength in numbers and should the club go to battle with the Pierce-Jyles combo as No. 1/1A?

Is Pierce too much of a risk given his injury history?

Is Jyles the long-term answer or just a stop-gap?

And what players on the negotiation list provide a long-term hope for the future?

“I don’t think you’re ever going to win with Buck,” said one of the CFL executives the Free Press spoke to this week under the condition of anonymity. “All you’re doing with Buck is delaying the future. He’s going to play, he’s going to win some games and he’s going to get hurt.

“As much as everyone loves him, I’d cut Buck, play with Steven and Joey Elliott and go get a legit third, a prospect who could become No. 1.”

Fair comment, as is the suggestion that as the club begins preparation for 2011, the Pierce/Jyles combo still gives the franchise its best chance to win in the here and now.

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And therein lies the underlying problem for this franchise. The frustration with the Grey Cup drought leaves little room for patience in developing another prospect. This is a win-now, bottom-line business.

And, lately, business hasn’t been too good for the Bombers.

TOMORROW: THE HOMEGROWN TALENT ISSUE.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca