QB competition ‘a great problem to have’

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This article was published 09/08/2022 (1440 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a common cliché in football: If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.

The University of Manitoba Bisons are determined to prove that wrong. This year’s training camp, which begins Saturday, will see two worthy starters go head-to-head and the Herd wouldn’t want it any other rway.

“I don’t (believe that). I think if you have two quarterbacks that are pushing each other and you feel both can play, I think you have two quarterbacks that can play and be productive,” said head coach Brian Dobie on Tuesday, when reminded of the old adage.

The contestants are senior Des Catellier, a 24-year-old who tore his ACL and meniscus in Week 1 last season, and second-year player Jackson Tachinski. When Catellier went down, Tachinski was thrown into the fire as a freshman. He filled in admirably and led the team to the Hardy Cup final.

“I think going into the camp, we have a 1A and 1B with Des being 1A and Jackson being 1B which is a really thin line. We’re looking at it as a coaching staff as a great problem to have in making that decision,” Dobie said.

“I think Des is really seen within our team as the man, as the guy, but Jackson, what he did last year, coming off the bench, coming in cold, leading our team, gained a ton of respect and confidence from his teammates and our coaching staff.”

Last season was supposed to be Catellier’s fifth and final year, but since the injury occurred in the first 25 per cent of the season, U Sports granted him permission to return for 2022. The expectations for Catellier, a Calgary native, were sky high in 2021 and for it all to come to an abrupt end after only three quarters was devastating. The injury occurred when Catellier was scrambling with the ball and a defensive back from the Regina Rams hit him low.

“I got to the bench, to the doctor’s table, and he looks at me for no more than five seconds and then he just looks at me and says, ‘Yeah, you tore your ACL.’ I won’t forget that moment. It was heartbreaking,” Catellier said. “That one hit deep and then it sunk in that my season was done.”

In seven games, Tachinski threw nine touchdowns to six interceptions and completed 56 per cent of his passes for a total of 804 yards. Back in 2019 (there was no 2020 season owing to the pandemic), Catellier tossed for 12 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and 2,101 yards in 12 games while completing 56 per cent of his throws.

After nearly a year of rehab, Catellier was officially cleared to return on Tuesday. He didn’t expect the keys to the offence get automatically handed back to him and understands that he’s going to have to work for it.

“Jackson and I are friends and we both understand what the situation is here going into camp. He had a good year last year and deserves to be in the competition and I’m excited to compete,” Catellier said.

“I feel like maybe the last couple of years here with the Bisons, a lot of the quarterbacks we had were younger and I was more established, so I never really walked into training camp with a quarterback competition. I love to compete and I think it pushes both of us to get better and better and at the end of the day, that’s kind of what we’re after. I’m excited to go through that process again.”

While Tachinski is the underdog, his potential, and the athleticism that he brings to the table, make him an intriguing option. Tachinski, a two-sport athlete out of Vincent Massey Collegiate, also plays guard for the U of M’s men’s basketball team. Tachinski also got to spend training camp with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a part of the CFL/U Sports Canadian QB initiative.

“The fact that he can play two sports and be an academic all-Canadian and play the quarterback position at this level says so much about him,” Dobie said.

“His upside, his ceiling, is still up there and he just keeps moving towards it. He still has a ways to go, but he’s gonna be something else. He really is.”

Tachinski is confident he has what it takes to win the job and feels a lot more comfortable in the position after getting the chance to play against every team in the Canada West a year ago.

“I think they’re going to give Des and I a fair shot to start on this team… Whoever gets the job, gets the job,” said Tachinski.

“I think this team will definitely use both quarterbacks in a way. I don’t think just cause one of us is starting that the other guy will be just sitting on the bench. I think both guys will be used.”

When you talk about the position with Dobie, however, he quickly reminds you the stable also includes Sawyer Thiessen from Steinbach Regional Secondary and Jordan Hanslip, another quarterback from Vincent Massey. Thiessen and Hanslip were both in their first season with the Bisons last year.

“There’s a number of U Sport teams that they could walk into that program and start at that school. I’m not kidding you,” said Dobie.

“We have a great group of four, arguably as good as we’ve ever had in our program as a group of four. But only one can play.”

The Herd will play the Saskatchewan Huskies in pre-season action on Aug. 25.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31