Casey Printers has redeemed himself -- in more ways than one.
In leading the B.C. Lions to a 34-27 over Hamilton in the East semifinal, Printers showed why he was once one of the best quarterbacks in the Canadian Football League and has become that again.
He is playing similarly to the way he did with B.C. in 2004. Whatever happened in Hamilton for the 1 1/2 seasons he played there beginning in September 2007 could best be chalked up to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But here’s something interesting to consider going forward: Printers is now the starter for the Lions, which means all things being equal the Lions will likely try to re-work his deal going forward and extend him long-term. He is reportedly making about $70,000 on a pro-rated deal after signing a practice-roster agreement when he joined the team in September.
The top-end quarterbacks in the CFL are earning more than $400,000. When he played for Hamilton, Printers commanded a three-year salary reportedly worth $1.7 million that included a $500,000 signing bonus. The Cats cut him to avoid paying the final year.
The way he’s playing now, Printers can likely command an annual stipend of at least $300,000 a year with bonuses for playing time, statistics and awards.
The Lions have Buck Pierce and Jarious Jackson under contract for next year and between them it is believed their annual salaries combined are at least $400,000 a season. Expect the Lions to trade Pierce and/or Jackson and use the money to re-do Printers’ deal.
My guess is the Lions will likely keep Printers and Travis Lulay as their top two quarterbacks going forward next season. I’m also guessing Pierce or Jackson will surface with other teams -- i.e. Toronto or Winnipeg.
THE BIG OWE FACTOR: The raucous fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium made it tough for the Lions to hear Printers’ call at the line of scrimmage, resulting in several penalties for illegal procedure and time-count violations. It will be considerably louder in the Big Owe this Sunday in Montreal, where the sound reverberates off the roof unlike any other stadium in the CFL. If the Als try to do a promotion giving the fans inflatable thunder sticks to amp up the noise factor, it will be impossible for the Lions to hear Printers’ call. The only thing that will change that is if the Lions can take the fans out of the game.
The game should be a huge financial windfall for the Als, who routinely buy playoff games from the league, which charges $100,000. In addition, the team has to pay for the visiting team’s flights, hotel accommodations and per diems. The total cost could amount to $300,000-$500,000. The Als will be hoping for at least 50,000 in ticket sales for the Eastern final. If the average ticket price is $40, that’s a profit of more than $1 million.
EARLY LINES: Oddsmaker Randall the Handle has Montreal favoured by 9 1/2 and Saskatchewan by 3.
THE HAMILTON QB SITUATION: While his team lost to B.C., Kevin Glenn provided yet another example of why he will be the quarterback of the future for Hamilton. Quinton Porter, meanwhile, will likely face stiff competition from third-stringer Adam Trafalis for the backup role. Either way, the Cats look solid at quarterback going forward.
TRADE PAYS DIVIDENDS: Receivers Romby Bryant and Arjei Franklin scored touchdowns to help Calgary beat Edmonton 24-21, a dividend on the trade the Stamps made with Winnipeg a few weeks ago for rush end Odell Willis, receiver Titus Ryan and receiver Jabari Arthur.
But Calgary’s two best receivers, Nik Lewis and Jeremaine Copeland, continue to have struggles getting into the end zone. They will likely need to step up if the Stamps have a hope of beating Saskatchewan this Sunday.
One thing is also apparent: As Joffrey Reynolds goes, so go the Stamps. The running back who is the West Division’s Most Outstanding Player nominee is on top of his game.
NO RAY OF LIGHT: With only 18 completions in 30 attempts for a total of 162 yards and no touchdowns in the loss to Calgary, Eskimos’ quarterback Ricky Ray continued the struggles that basically began in a game against Saskatchewan on Sept. 20. He completed all 16 of his passes in the first quarter, then only eight of 19 in the second half and never found his stride going forward. After firing offensive co-ordinator Rick Worman and replacing him with offensive consultant Kevin Strasser, the Eskimos didn’t improve. It will be interesting to see what they do in the off-season in terms of their whole offence.
THE ARGO CO-ORDINATOR: If rookie head coach Bart Andrus is brought back next season despite his 3-15 record this year, he will hand over the offensive co-ordinator duties to someone else. Here’s a guess: Calgary running backs coach Dave Dickenson wouldn’t be a bad choice. He and Andrus know one another, and there had been rumours Andrus wanted to hire him in the off-season after he retired. Dickenson stayed with the Stamps, with whom he finished his career, and began his coaching career. Dickenson is one of the brightest minds in the CFL, and as a former quarterback he could tutor the pivots while also trying his hand at co-ordinating.
Look what Kent Austin did without any coaching experience. He moved up from Ottawa’s quarterback coach in his first year in 2003 to offensive co-ordinator of Toronto the next year and won the Grey Cup. Two years later, he won the Grey Cup as head coach of Saskatchewan. He is now a pre-eminent offensive co-ordinator with Ole Miss. You might say the Argos really missed the boat with him.
BRALEY’S HUMOUR: There had been a story that Lions’ owner David Braley told someone he was going to wear an Argo jersey to the game in Hamilton because of the persistent rumours he will buy the Argos. Braley continues to downplay that talk. But one other rumour is that Braley’s son, Rob, may buy the Argos or somehow enter into a partnership with the current Argo owners.
