There will be a brand new team in the Canadian Football League next season, and the men who will be running it couldn’t have asked for a better season for scouting purposes.
The expansion Ottawa Redblacks will begin assembling a roster this December in a three-round CFL expansion draft. The team will be able to select two quarterbacks, while each of the CFL’s eight current teams will only be able to protect one. That will take the Ricky Rays, Travis Lulays and Darian Durants of the world out of the equation, but with so many untimely injuries to starting quarterbacks this year, most team’s second stringers have had an opportunity to display their abilities – and many have impressed.
It appears the Redblacks will have plenty of options when choosing the man who will lead the team’s offence. Here are the six backup quarterbacks who have already provided Ottawa’s staff with lengthy audition tapes.
Zach Collaros (Argonauts)
The East Division leading Argonauts’ worst nightmare became reality in late August at Rogers Centre when Ricky Ray – in the midst of an MOP season – was knocked to the turf on a scramble, landing awkwardly on his side and tearing the teres major muscle in the back of his right shoulder.
That meant Collaros – who had 11 career CFL passing attempts coming into this season – would suddenly be filling in as Toronto’s starter for at least six weeks while Ray healed. It didn’t look good. But Collaros hit his stride immediately, throwing for 221 yards in relief of Ray against Calgary and leading Toronto to wins in three of its next four. In those four games Collaros has thrown for 1,147 yards and eight touchdowns while being picked off only three times.
The Argonauts will surely protect Ray in the expansion draft, leaving Collaros as one of the most attractive options available.
Tanner Marsh (Alouettes)
Marsh has easily been the most exciting of the backup quarterbacks to be thrust into the spotlight, playing like he came from a video game after jumping off the bench to author the Alouettes ridiculous 39-38 triumph over the B.C. Lions in the pouring rain on Aug. 22.
The 23-year-old led his team in rushing with 71 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, while also throwing four interceptions. He finished the game with 329 yards passing after engineering an outrageous drive in the final 48 seconds that began at his own five-yard line and set up the game-winning field goal on the seven-yard line at the other end.
He started the Al’s next game and was solid again, but struggled against the Argonauts a week later -throwing three picks – and hurt his thumb the next week against B.C., giving way to…
Josh Neiswander (Alouettes)
Neiswander replaced Marsh off the bench against the Lions and experienced mixed results in his first CFL action, throwing a pair of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. But a week later against Hamilton he was solid, completing 26 of 36 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns.
The Texan may just be filling the seat until Marsh recovers from his injury. Or he could get hot and hang on to the job. Regardless, the Alouettes will almost certainly be protecting one of currently-injured starter Anthony Calvillo – should he decide to return for another season – or Marsh, which will make Neiswander available.
Justin Goltz (Blue Bombers)
Goltz got the first crack at the Blue Bombers starting job in August when incumbent Buck Pierce went down to injury.
The Occidental College product is big – 6-foot-5, 217 pounds – and elusive, a tantalizing combination that has allowed Goltz to rush for 252 yards and eight touchdowns this season. But throwing the ball has been the issue – the 26-year-old has tossed just two touchdowns (both in the same game in July) while being picked off seven times. It’s that inconsistency that forced the Blue Bombers to look elsewhere for an answer under centre, turning to…
Max Hall (Blue Bombers)
This 27-year-old pocket passer actually played six games in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals just three years ago and has taken well to the Blue Bombers starting role since he replaced Goltz, completing 64.2 per cent of his passes for 658 yards.
Like Goltz, Hall has thrown too many interceptions – five picks to just two touchdowns – but with the starting job likely his for the rest of this utterly forgettable Blue Bombers season (Winnipeg is 2-10) the former BYU starter and coach could audition well for a job next year in the nation’s capital.
Thomas DeMarco (Lions)
This 24-year-old Californian had a first career CFL start to remember this past weekend in Regina. DeMarco started the first quarter, was benched in the second quarter for poor play, threw two touchdowns passes in the third quarter after being put back in and, finally, made a pair of clutch completions with less than 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter to help set up a game-winning field goal.
He finished with two touchdowns and 208 yards and, although he is clearly just keeping the seat warm until Travis Lulay recovers from a shoulder injury, DeMarco showed the kind of late-game poise and timely execution that coaches covet in a quarterback.