Bring Back Kevin Glenn

One of the biggest points of conversation during the 2014 season was backup quarterbacks. Only one team, Ottawa, started the same quarterback for all 18 games (the somehow indestructible Henry Burris). Every other team was forced, at one point or another, to start a backup quarterback. We saw the importance of backup quarterbacking in 2014, especially in places like BC, Saskatchewan and Hamilton.

The Lions had their backup, Kevin Glenn, start 17 games this season as Travis Lulay recovered from a shoulder injury; the Roughriders saw their season essentially go down the toilet when they lost their Grey Cup-winning pivot, Darian Durant, in the fall; and the Tiger-Cats lost their big free agent acquisition, Zach Collaros, for a five-game stretch in the summer. If 2014 showed us anything, it is that a backup quarterback capable of starting, even doing so unspectacularly, is a must for any CFL team.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are likely to be in the market for a new backup quarterback in 2015 and they would be wise to consider one of their former starters.

Yes, I am saying the Tiger-Cats should go out and get Kevin Glenn.

Hamilton’s quarterback situation is in a state of flux right now outside of Collaros. Two of the four pivots who suited up for games in 2014, Dan LeFevour and Stephen McGee, are slated to become free agents in February. I imagine that LeFevour will be looking for an opportunity to start – where, I have no idea, since every team seems to have their starting job filled heading into 2015 – after showcasing his skills back in the summer. McGee has never taken a snap in a regular season game, so he is a complete mystery. The only other pivots on Hamilton’s roster are Jeremiah Masoli, who had one disastrous start in 2014 before being replaced by LeFevour, and Jacory Harris, who spent the entire season on the injured list and practice roster. After Collaros, there isn’t a lot to get excited about in Hamilton’s quarterbacking stable.

Which leads us to Glenn.

The BC Lions have already stated that they will not be bringing Kevin Glenn, along with a host of other veteran players, back in 2015, and with the Ti-Cats possibly (maybe even probably) in the market for a veteran backup to Collaros, the team should try and lure Glenn back to Tigertown.

Since leaving Hamilton following the 2011 season, Glenn has proven he is willing to accept a backup role, and in every season following the trade that sent him from Hamilton to Calgary, Glenn began the season as his team's No. 2 quarterback. In 2012 and 2013, he was to backup Drew Tate in Calgary, and in 2014, he was to be Travis Lulay’s backup in BC. Through injuries, Glenn was thrust into a starter’s role in all three seasons and led all three teams to the playoffs, including getting the Stampeders to the Grey Cup in 2012.

The knock on Glenn is that he is “only a .500” quarterback. As a backup, who would only start in a pinch, being .500 is about all a team needs. The Cats went 1-4 without Collaros last year – their lone win coming against the expansion Ottawa RedBlacks – and if the team had gone 2-3 or 3-2, they would have cruised into the playoffs instead of facing a slew of near- and must-win games during the last month of the season.

Glenn would be nothing more than an insurance policy in case Collaros were to get hurt again. Collaros is as tough as they come, and he proved that in spades in 2014, but his style of play does open him up to injuries, like the one that occurred in 2014.

If McGee and/or LeFevour, especially LeFevour, leave for greener pastures, finding a veteran quarterback to put behind Collaros is a MUST.

And you will find no better player to put in that position than Kevin Glenn.

Go Get Yours, Kevin Glenn

I have never made it a secret about being a big Kevin Glenn fan. I have been ridiculed, insulted and laughed at for being a staunch Kevin Glenn defender. And while I still wish he was a Tiger-Cat, I couldn't be happier for his success this season in Calgary.

And now that he has led the Stamps to the Grey Cup, I will finally get so see him get the Grey Cup ring he should have won five years ago.

Sorry Rider fans, but a Glenn-led Bomber squad would have beaten Saskatchewan. But Glenn had his arm broken in Toronto against the Argos in the East Final and missed the Grey Cup. So Glenn will get his ring at the scene of the crime and against the team that robbed him back in 2007.

While I wish he would have been able to do it in Hamilton, I will still be happy for Kevin Glenn when he finally hoists the Grey Cup next week in Toronto. Some Ti-Cat fans might find it bittersweet, but I'll just find it sweet.

There are a number of ex-Cats that I will be happy for, but I will be happiest for Glenn. Discarded by both Winnipeg and Hamilton because he was deemed unable to win the big one; benched for Drew Tate just last week, despite leading Calgary for most of the season. But an injury to Tate put Glenn back in charge of the Stampeder offense and all he did was throw for 303 yards and three touchdowns in a win over BC in the West Final.

Aside from Argo fans, I have to think that everyone will be cheering for Calgary because of Glenn. Glenn will get the monkey off his back next week and perhaps he will finally get the respect he has long deserved.

Kevin Glenn, go get yours.

Option Years and Glenn Gets His Chance

A couple of interesting tidbits came out this week that I believe deserve some comment. The first is the possibility of the league reviving the option year, and Drew Tate's injury thrusting Kevin Glenn back into the starter's role in Calgary.

We'll start with the possible return of the player option. There are apparently some who would like to see the player option, which allows players to try to find work in the NFL while in the final year of their CFL contract, return. The player option was eliminated in the last CBA, signed in 2010.

There are some that believe the lack of a player option has stopped talented American players from heading to the CFL because they don't want to commit for a minimum of two years. Wally Buono is one of those individuals, believing that players will choose the financially troubled UFL over the CFL. I don't believe that to be true. For starters, what great players has the CFL missed out on that went to the UFL and then signed in the NFL? I can't think of any, but I admittedly don't follow the UFL at all. Secondly, if a player has to choose between two years in the CFL or giving up entirely on playing professional football, I think they'd opt to sign in two years in the CFL. I don't believe the loss of the player option has hurt the ability of any of the eight franchises to sign talent.

From a Tiger-Cat perspective, the lack of a player option is probably the only reasons Chris Williams will be a Tiger-Cat next season. Having said that, next year will be Williams' third in the CFL, not his second. So he had no qualms about signing a longer deal than required before potentially trying his hand one more time in the NFL. Williams is without question the best player to come to the CFL since the elimination of the player option and instead of losing him after last year or this year, we get to see him do his thing for at least one more season. If other American players really are worried about what signing longer term with a CFL team, they just have to look at what Chris Williams has done in his first two seasons, and is likely to do in his third season, and see that being in Canada for more than one year isn't a detriment to future NFL prospects.

Next up is the news that Drew Tate suffered a fractured forearm in the third quarter of the West Division Semi-Final and will miss the rest of the season. It has been a tough season for Tate, who was expected to be the starter in Calgary, but was hurt in the second week of the season. Kevin Glenn will take over just like he did during the season. The Stamps went 10-5 with Glenn as the starter.

Everyone knows I am a big Kevin Glenn fan and I think he got a bit of a raw deal when Tate was named the starter for last week's game against Saskatchewan. I get Calgary's, or more accurately Jon Hufnagel's, want to start Tate; Tate is the future in Calgary and Glenn is not. But Glenn led the Stamps all season and deserved to be the guy to succeed or fail with this team this year. Next year, give the reins back to Tate no questions asked. But Glenn gets his chance now that Tate is hurt again and the hope on my end is that he leads the Stamps all the way to a Grey Cup championship.

What Type of Reception Will Glenn Receive?

Tomorrow's game features the return of former Tiger-Cat quarterback Kevin Glenn to Hamilton as he leads the Calgary Stampeders against Henry Burris and the Ti-Cats.

Glenn quarterbacked the Tiger-Cats for three seasons and in each of them the team made the playoffs. He was a great player who was one of the many that helped turn this franchise around. Without Glenn's play, this team was probably not in a position to get "more better" this off-season. Not everyone sees Glenn's time here in the same light that I do, which makes me wonder what type of reception he will get at the start of the game.

I truly hope the fans don't boo Glenn when he is introduced (likely on Calgary's first offensive series). Glenn didn't ask to leave and he gave it his all while he was here. He deserves to get a nice cheer for all the years of great play he gave the fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. I hope the fans feel the same way I do and show the class that I know we Tiger-Cat fans have. Booing Glenn just means we're like every other fan base who can't look beyond the new jersey (and do we really want to be compared to those irrational Burris-hating Rider fans?). We Tiger-Cat fans are better than that, so let's give Glenn the welcome he deserves for what he did to help the Tiger-Cats mean something again.

After that first cheer, feel free to boo, but we should show Glenn that we appreciated what he did while he was here and the only way to do that is to give him a cheer and a clap when he first steps on the field. I really hope that's what I see and here tomorrow night.

Did Obie Ever Truly Want Kevin Glenn?

Kevin Glenn's tenure with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats has come to an end, but there is one question I have been asking myself the last couple of days:

Did Bob O'Billovich ever really want Kevin Glenn?

I know this might sound silly at first, because it was O'Billovich who signed Glenn after he was released by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Clearly, Obie had no problem bringing Glenn to Hamilton. If he did, he never would have picked him up in the first place.

However, I don't believe Obie ever wanted, or envisioned, Glenn as the starter, and I think O'Billovich did a poor job of hiding that fact over Glenn's three seasons with the Tiger-Cats. I'm not saying that Obie explicitly undermined Glenn while he was in Hamilton, but Obie acted in a way that might suggest he was never fully behind Glenn as the starter.

For starters, Glenn, who had success as a starter in Winnipeg and was only 29 when he was signed, was brought in as a backup. Glenn, much like the role he is likely to play in Calgary, was signed to be a veteran presence behind a young starter (in Hamilton, it was Quinton Porter; in Calgary, it will be Drew Tate). It was not the intention of the team to have Glenn become the starter, and the expectation was that Porter would replicate his success at the tail end of the 2008 campaign and become the Tiger-Cats starter for a decade. It might even be possible to think that when Glenn was signed, O'Billovich didn't imagine he'd be here for as long as he was, and only stayed as long as he did because of how well he played in 2010.

Despite that magnificent season, Obie was still willing to part with Glenn immediately following the 2010 season. In the aftermath of the Ricky Ray trade to Toronto, it was reported that Hamilton nearly acquired Ray the previous off-season. It has never been divulged just who or what would have gone to Edmonton in exchange for Ray, but it seems reasonable to guess that Glenn would have been part of the deal, especially in light of the fact that Glenn was part of the package that landed Henry Burris. Ray's 2010 season was disappointing to say the least, while Glenn had one of the best seasons a Hamilton QB ever had, yet Obie was an agent's plea away from dealing his record-setting Qaurterback.

When the 2011 season started off less than ideally for the Cats, O'Billovich went public with the fact that he thought backup Quinton Porter needed to see some more playing time. Again, Glenn was coming off arguably his best season; yet just two games into the new season, and the General Manager was saying the backup needed to see game action.

As the 2011 season progressed Glenn had what could best be described as a mediocre season. As the season wound down the team decided to use both Porter and Glenn in game situations. Call it a two-quarterback system, call it a platoon, call it whatever you like, the point is that both Glenn and Porter played in team's final four games. What does this have to do with Obie, you ask? I have no proof to back this up, and this is strictly my opinion, but I believe that the idea to play both guys came from the GM. Marcel Bellefeuille said that he "generally subscribed to today's thinking that you've got a starter and you develop somebody behind them to take over someday," so it would seem that the idea to play both did not come from Bellefeuille. Obie also has a history of using more than Quarterback, doing so successfully when he was the Head Coach of the Toronto Argonauts. The move to use two Quarterbacks always felt like an Obie decision.

Glenn's time with the Tiger-Cats finally came to an end Tuesday when he was officially traded to the Calgary Stampeders, along with Mark Dewit and a conditional draft pick, for Henry Burris. Remember when Obie declined to trade for Glenn because he knew that the Bombers were going to release him? All the scuttlebutt was that the Stamps were going to ditch Burris, yet Obie still opted to trade for him. Obie wanted Burris, so he went and got him; Obie settled for Glenn, so he was willing to wait.

In the aftermath of the trade, O'Billovich said a few things that could reveal his true feelings on Glenn, the most damning being that he said some candidates for the vacant Head Coaching position told him that the team would be better with Burris than with Glenn. While that may or may not be true – we won't know how good the team will be until they take the field in the summer – the fact that he made the comment is pretty telling. Obie also stated that he believed Burris to be a better athlete and more capable of bringing a Grey Cup to Hamilton than Glenn was. I understand a General Manager trying to talk up a recent acquisition, but the compliments he gave to Burris also speaks to his feelings on Glenn.

None of us will ever know how Obie truly felt about Glenn, and perhaps all of Obie's comments and actions say more about what he thinks about Quinton Porter and Henry Burris than it does about how he feels about Kevin Glenn.

Whatever the case may be, it certainly looks like Bob O'Billovich never really got behind Kevin Glenn.

Quarterback of the Future

With the trade for Henry Burris, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are set at Quarterback for the next year or two.

But what about the beyond that?

Henry Burris is 36, and is not the long-term answer at Quarterback. Kevin Glenn, who was traded for Burris, is 32 and could have been with the team longer than Burris, but with 11 years under his belt, he was not the answer either.

The Tabbies have two guys on their roster that could be ready to ascend the throne, in Quinton Porter and Jason Boltus. But Porter, at 29, has been given ample opportunity to seize the starting role over the last couple of season and has yet to do so. Boltus has seen very little playing time and is therefore a complete unknown.

There has been talk of Boise State superstar Kellen Moore coming to Hamilton. He is currently on Hamilton's negotiation list, which means that the Cats have the first shot at bringing Moore's immense talents north of the border. Moore is thought of as a mid-to-late round draft choice in the NFL, so his football future is currently up in the air. If Moore is not selected in the NFL Draft, or if he gets cut during Training Camp, he could find his way onto Hamilton's practice roster.

Moore had an undeniably stellar career at Boise State, and is unarguably the best Quarterback that school has ever had. Moore led the Broncos to a 50-3 record in his four seasons as the starter, which is a feat that is likely not to be matched by any Quarterback at any school. He also put up incredible stats and finished in the top 10 in Heisman voting the last three seasons.

But does his NCAA success mean he's destined for CFL success? If recent history is any indication, the answer is no.

Over the past few seasons, the top Quarterback to come from a major college program is probably Darian Durant, who went to North Carolina, which is hardly known as a football factory. Drew Tate went to Iowa, but his CFL career is in its infancy and it is too soon to tell if he will be a success. Adrian McPherson went to Florida State (alma mater of CFL Hall of Famer Danny McManus), but had a less than stellar collegiate career that will best be remembered for him getting kicked off the Seminoles. Jarious Jackson has carved out a nice career for himself, but he's spent most of his time being a backup. And of course there is Quinton Porter, who went to Boston College.

However, the vast majority of Quarterbacks who arrive in the CFL do not even reach the heights of a Quinton Porter. The list of failed big-time college Quarterbacks is a lot longer. Chris Leak won a National Championship while at Florida, but flamed out when given a chance to start for the Montreal Alouettes in 2010. Timmy Chang came to the CFL as the NCAA's all-time leader in passing yards, but looked completely lost when he took the field for the Tiger-Cats.

But those guys are successes compared to players like Graham Harrell, Todd Reesing, Bryan Randall, Tyler Palko and Cody Pickett. All of whom either never made it off the practice squad (or out of Training Camp) or played so sparingly or poorly that there CFL careers were over almost before they began.

Winnipeg has two Quartebacks that played at BCS programs – Joey Elliott at Purdue and Alex Brink at Washington State – but neither of those guys did much during their college careers. Both have looked promising in their limited time on the field, but it is way too soon to tell if either will take the next step.

Then there are the two players that have the most in common with Moore: his predecessors at Boise State, Jared Zabransky and Ryan Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie is still best remembered for making his first start for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup back in 2007, and Zabransky was given the chance to unseat Ricky Ray in Edmonton and failed to do so. Zabransky is now out of the league, while Dinwiddie is currently a backup in Saskatchewan.

The path from NCAA stardom to CFL starter is not an easy one. Kellen Moore has all the tools to succeed on either side of the border, but the same has been said about countless players who amounted to less than nothing in their professional careers.

Is Kellen Moore the "Quarterback of the Future" for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats if he decides to ply his trade in the CFL? Maybe. But history suggests it is not a slam dunk.

Thank You, Kevin Glenn

Meeting Kevin Glenn for the first time back in 2010

If you are a Tiger-Cat fan (as I assume most of the people reading this will be), you remember how dreadful the franchise was from 2005 to 2008. It was a terrible time to be a fan of the Black & Gold, with the losses piling up and the wins few and far between.

When the 2009 season started, no one thought much of Hamilton. They had a young Quarterback in Quinton Porter and a new Head Coach in Marcel Bellefeuille. The Tiger-Cats were expected to struggle, and when the team lost at home on opening day to the Argonauts, it felt like the same old story would play out.

The season was up and down, but following a miserable Thanksgiving Day showing against the Blue Bombers, the decision was made to pull the plug on the Porter experiment and hand the reins over to Kevin Glenn. The Tiger-Cats would go 3-1 down the stretch and secure their first home playoff game since 2001.

Glenn was named the starter entering 2010 and he played Quarterback better than almost anyone in Tiger-Cat history. Over 5,000 yards through the air and a team record 33 touchdown passes, Glenn once again led the Tiger-Cats into the playoffs; their first back-to-back trips to the post season in a decade.

The 2011 season saw a decrease in the stat and win columns, yet Hamilton still advanced to their first East Division Final in 10 years, and defeated the Montreal Alouettes in Montreal in an epic clash in the East Division Semi-Final.

Glenn was one of a handful of key players that helped take the Tiger-Cats out of the East Division basement and turn them into a perennial playoff team. Considering where the team was before he arrived, his tenure with the Tiger-Cats is a success in my eyes. Glenn may not have guided the team to the Promised Land, but he did more than any Quarterback since Danny McManus, and the list of Quarterback saviours post-McManus is not a short one.

If not for Glenn's arrival, the Tiger-Cats probably do not have the success they have enjoyed over the last three seasons. While the ultimate goal eluded both Glenn and the team, he leaves the franchise in much better shape than when he arrived.

I will fondly remember Glenn's years in Black & Gold because he helped rejuvenate a fan base that had become accustomed to nothing but meaningless games after Labour Day. Glenn, along with a host of other players, brought respectability back to football in Hamilton.

As Glenn leaves for Calgary, I'd like to say thank you.

Thank you, Kevin Glenn, for the three wonderful seasons.

Thank you, Kevin Glenn, for doing everything you could to make this team a winner.

Thank you, Kevin Glenn, for being a player I was proud to call a Hamilton Tiger-Cat.

Thank you, Kevin Glenn. Best of luck in Calgary.

Burris to TigerTown, Glenn to Cowtown

The Quarterback change that some fans have been clamouring for is on the verge of happening, as Henry Burris is being sent to Hamilton in exchange for Kevin Glenn and Mark Dewit.

I have made no secret of my feelings on Burris coming and Glenn leaving, so it's obvious I don't agree with this trade. But instead of restating an argument I've already made, there are others reasons why I think this is not a good trade.

First, the Cats gave up too much. A straight-up Burris-for-Glenn swap would have been more palatable than dealing Glenn and Dewit. Handing Calgary a good, young, Canadian player – and one that filled in admirably for one of the best Centres in the CFL in Marwan Hage when the latter was lost for the season in September – is not the type of move a team that had ratio problems should make. Dewit proved in 2011 that he can play, and Hage is closer to the end than the beginning. Trading Dewit makes no sense.

The second problem is Hamilton will now have to pay Burris a lot more than it was paying Glenn. Why Hamilton didn't wait until Burris was eventually released – and we all know that Burris's days in Calgary were numbered, but that was solidified when Drew Tate signed a contract extension last week – and sign him at a much more financially sensible number? Rumours are that Burris makes somewhere between $400,000 to $450,000, which means Burris's salary will take up almost 1/10th of the league's $4.3-million salary cap per team. That's a huge chunk. Perhaps Burris has agreed to a pay cut, but he wasn't willing to do that for Calgary, so what are the chances he'd be willing to do it for Hamilton?

There seems to have been no rush to make this change. The team still doesn't have a Head Coach, so it's not like Burris will have a system to learn right away, so waiting another month (when Burris is owed a bonus by the Stamps that they were probably not going to pay) wouldn't have been a detriment. Making a move now seems unnecessary. Another 30 days wouldn't have hurt the team, and may have helped them by getting to negotiate a deal with Burris at a much more attractive number.

With a new Head Coach and Quarterback, the pressure will be on for Hamilton to win it all in 2012. Anything less than a Grey Cup championship will have to be viewed as a complete failure. These are the type of moves teams make to get them over the proverbial hump, so unless Burris and whomever the Head Coach is takes the Cats beyond the East Final, the moves, especially at Quarterback, will have been pointless. Burris, who will be 37 before the 2012 season starts, is not the long-term answer at Quarterback, so this is a win-now move.

Now we just have to wait for things to be made official, but it looks like Burris is headed to Steeltown.

Why I'd Keep Kevin Glenn

Yesterday, I stated why I don't think bringing in Henry Burris is the right move, even if it seems inevitable that Burris will be piloting the Tiger-Cats' Offense in 2012.

So what I am going to do now, even though most fans will probably disagree with me, is give my reason why I'd keep Kevin Glenn.

I'll start by saying that I am a fan of Kevin Glenn and I make no apologies for that. I try my best to provide an objective voice, but I am still a fan, and as a fan there are certain players I find myself liking. One of those players is Kevin Glenn.

My appreciation for Glenn goes back to his days in Winnipeg, and only intensified when he signed with the Tiger-Cats back in 2009. I am, to put it bluntly, a Kevin Glenn fan. Even if the team decides he's not for them, I will remain a Kevin Glenn fan.

So my stumping for Glenn to get another season with the Ti-Cats is partially biased because I like the guy. Objectively, he has done some good things while wearing the Black & Gold, but not enough to guarantee a return in 2012. But equally as objectively, he hasn't done so little that he doesn't deserve to come back.

During his time in Hamilton, Glenn has had one statistically amazing year (2010), one statistically mediocre year (2011) and one year that is too difficult to judge (2009). It's a trend that Glenn has followed his entire career, but more on that later.

One stat that most Glenn detractors like to bring up is his winning percentage (which hovers around .500), but I think judging players on wins in football – which, in my opinion, is the ultimate team sports – is pointless. Anthony Calvillo threw for over 500 yards against the Tiger-Cats in the 2011 East Division Semi-Final. And lost. Kevin Glenn threw for over 500 yards against the Montreal Alouettes in 2009. And lost. Steven Jyles threw for less than 100 yards against Winnipeg in 2011. And won. Those are just three examples where Quarterback play did not decide the winner or the loser, so judging a Quarterback based on wins and losses is useless, and I am not the only one who holds that opinion.

But in looking for reasons to justify a fourth season in Steeltown for Glenn, you need look no further than his stats to see why 2012 might be the wrong year to get rid of Glenn.

An interesting pattern develops if you look at his year-to-year stats. Glenn, it seems, likes to follow statistically mediocre seasons with statistically great ones.

Indisputably, Glenn's three best seasons as a starting Quarterback were 2005, 2007 and 2010.

In 2005, which was his first full season as a starter, Glenn passed for over 3,500 yards and 27 touchdowns with only 17 interceptions. For a first-year starter (he became the starter midway through 2004 when the Bombers traded Khari Jones), those are very good numbers.

In 2007, Glenn had probably his best year. He threw for 5,117 yards, 25 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, and was a finalist for Most Outstanding Players. He also guided Winnipeg to the Grey Cup, but a broken arm in the East Final in Toronto kept him from playing in it. Had Glenn played in that game, we all might view him differently.

In 2010, Glenn became Hamilton's starting Quarterback and had one of the best seasons a Tiger-Cat QB has ever had. He finished second in the league in passing yards with 5,100, set the Ti-Cat record for touchdown passes with 33 and threw 17 interceptions.

Clearly, the three above years show Glenn can perform at a high level. But Glenn has been far from a model of consistency. In between those great years lies three not-so-good years in 2006, 2008 and 2011.

In 2006, Glenn regressed, throwing for less yards and touchdowns, despite playing in more games. He threw less interceptions, but his TD-to-INT ratio was 17:13, while it was 27:17 the year before. It was a typical sophomore slump, and has been pointed out, he rebounded in 2007.

His 2008 season could be dismissed because he was coming off an injury and was bound to regress following a stellar campaign the year before. But the regression was steep and ended up costing him his job in Winnipeg. He landed in Hamilton in 2009, had a good year as a backup and sometime starter, but he really took off in 2010.

Then 2011 came and Glenn fell back down to Earth once again. His numbers fell across the board and he was platooned with backup Quinton Porter at the end of the season. That explains the lower number of yards and touchdowns (as does a more efficient red zone offense that saw Quinton Porter score nine rushing touchdowns), but if he had played like he did in 2010, there never would have been a platoon in the first place.

So what does this mean? Well, if the past is any indication, Glenn is due to follow up an unspectacular 2011 with a great 2012. If Glenn is given another chance to lead the Tiger-Cats, his personal performance history shows that the team and its fans should expect something akin to 2005, 2007 or 2010 as opposed to 2006, 2008 or 2011.

Kevin Glenn is not the best Quarterback and he is clearly not the most consistent, but his history shows that he follows up bad years with good ones and good ones with bad ones. Since 2011 was a bad year, 2012 should be a good one.

This might be something the Tiger-Cats should think about before they decide to part ways with Glenn.

While I will admit that I am probably fighting a losing battle and Glenn will be replaced and probably by Henry Burris. I still think a case can be made – and I believe I made it – as to why the Hamilton Tiger-Cats should keep Kevin Glenn for 2012.

Why I'd Pass on Henry Burris

The Henry Burris-to-Hamilton watch is on!

Now that the Argos have solidified their QB situation by acquiring Ricky Ray from Edmonton, the only possible landing spot that could give Burris what he wants – the starting job – is Hamilton.

It is a move that I stand firmly against and hope doesn't come to fruition.

I have nothing against Henry Burris; in fact, I'd even call myself a fan of his. I have always viewed him and Kevin Glenn, the man Burris would be replacing should he come to Steeltown, in the same light. They are two players cut from a very similar cloth. They play the game differently, but each have been dogged by the same doubts when it comes to their careers. Namely, that they couldn't win. Burris got that monkey off his back in 2008, while Glenn has yet to. So I have always had an affinity for Burris and wanted to see him succeed (as long as it didn't come against the Tiger-Cats).

But that doesn't mean I want him as the Tiger-Cats Quarterback next season. Three or four years ago, sign me up. But it's going to be 2012, and my gut and my eyes tell me that his best-before date has passed.

Two skills are brought up as to why Burris would be an upgrade over Glenn: arm strength and running ability. But if you watched Burris near the end of 2011 – especially the game in Toronto where he was finally pulled for Drew Tate – he was skipping passes at an alarming rate and seemed to have lost his speed. Without the cannon arm and escapability that has defined his career, Burris is not much more than an older version of Glenn.

That brings me to the other concern: age. If the team chooses to get rid of Glenn, I might not agree, but that's the way the ball rolls sometimes. I didn't agree with the Cats trading Arland Bruce, I didn't agree when the Maple Leafs traded Doug Gilmour, I didn't agree when the 49ers dealt Joe Montana, but that's the way sports works. Guys get traded, released or sign elsewhere and we just have to accept it. But getting rid of a 33-year-old for a 36-year-old seems like a mistake, like the team would be taking a step back instead of a step forward. If the Cats are going to change their signal caller (which insiders like Dave Naylor think is a given), it makes more sense to go after a guy like Montreal's Adrian McPherson, who has spent the last four seasons behind Anthony Calvillo, and will be just 29 when the season starts.

But would the Cats make such a move with the spectre of 2013 hanging over their heads?

Ah, yes, 2013. The year without a home.

My main concern in regards to all Tiger-Cat decisions is that the homeless year is the driving force behind every move. Did Marcel Bellefeuille get shown the door for what happened on the field or because the brain trust is worried that another .500-ish record followed by a playoff loss could hurt the team as they prepare for a year away from home? Similarly, are the Cats potentially ditching Glenn because of his performance or because they're worried fans will leave and not come back if the team stands pat and doesn't improve?

None of us know for certain what are the reasons behind the moves the team makes. I just hope they aren't sacrificing the long term for the short term when it comes to their decision making. Signing a Henry Burris smells like a short-term solution, not a long-term one.

I want to see the Tiger-Cats end their Grey Cup drought just as much as any other fan. If the team signs Burris (or any other Quarterback) and wins the Grey Cup, I'll be ecstatic. I just don't think that will happen. I think the Cats have just as much of a chance at winning their sixteenth championship with Kevin Glenn as they do with Henry Burris (or anyone else) in 2012.

But I, thankfully, don't make those decisions, I just react to them.

But if the decision was mine, you know where I stand.

I'd pass on Henry Burris.

Chris Williams, Kevin Glenn Win CFL Player Awards

Two members of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats won CFL Player Awards on Thursday night, one for his on-field exploits and the other for his off-field contributions.

Chris Williams, as expected, was named the 2011 Most Outstanding Rookie.

Williams's 2011 didn't get off to the best of starts. He didn't play in Week 1 against Winnipeg and had a horrible Week 2 against Edmonton. In Week 3 he scored two touchdowns against Saskatchewan, but it was in Week 4, against BC, that he had his proverbial coming-out party. Williams went off for 189 yards and a touchdown against the Lions, and from there he never looked back.

Williams finished the season leading the Tiger-Cats in receptions and receiving yards. He also lead all rookies in those categories as well. Williams is the fourth Tiger-Cat to be nominated for Most Outstanding Rookie in the last five years, but the first to win the award since Mike O'Shea won it all the way back in 1993.

Williams's win was followed up by Kevin Glenn winning the Tom Pate Award, which recognizes a player's charitable contributions to the community that he plays in.

The most well known of Glenn's many community endeavours is his Touchdowns For Kids program with Tim Horton's. For every touchdown that Glenn scores throughout the season, local Tim Horton's stores donate $200 to send kids to the Tim Horton's Children's Foundation camps.

Glenn is the fifth Tiger-Cat to win the Tom Pate award, and the second in the last three years. Marwan Hage won it for all his great community work back in 2009.

Congratulations to both players for their well-deserved awards.

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

There has been a lot of talk about the Tiger-Cats' pitiful performance Sunday against the Alouettes, and surprisingly it hasn't focused on Marcel Bellefeuille or Kevin Glenn.

OK, not all of it has.

Scott Radley wrote a piece in the Hamilton Spectator comparing the Tiger-Cats to a John Grisham thriller and Forrest Gump's box of chocolates. His basic points were that the team is full of surprises and "you never know what you're going to get" from one week to the next.

Radley is right; the Ti-Cats have not been a consistent football team in 2011. What that means, I don't know. We'll have to wait and see.

Drew Edwards looked at the "two schools of thought" most fans are taking following the latest loss in Montreal.

There are people in one camp who believe the Bellefeuille-Glenn duo has taken this team as far as they can go. That with these two men, the Cats are destined to be nothing more than a .500 ball club who will never win a championship.

A Tiger-Cats loss – any Tiger-Cats loss – cannot be dissected without someone bringing up those two men. Regardless of what happens, it is somehow always their fault.

The second group sees the loss in Montreal as being part of a long season and not worth getting worked up about.

I reside very squarely in the second group.

The Cats put up a listless, disappointing effort on Sunday in Montreal, but this came just six days after the Als did the exact same thing against the Ti-Cats in Hamilton. An argument I have made numerous times is that every single CFL team has laid an egg or two.

Case in point:

• Winnipeg: lost 27-7 and 45-23 in back-to-back weeks against Saskatchewan
• Calgary: lost 35-7 to Edmonton
• Montreal: lost 44-23 to Hamilton
• Edmonton: lost 28-16 to Winnipeg; lost 27-4 to Montreal; lost 36-1 to BC
• BC: lost 33-17 to Edmonton; lost 30-17 to Winnipeg
• Saskatchewan: lost 42-28 to Edmonton; lost 33-3 to Hamilton; lost 24-11 to BC
• Toronto: lost 40-17 to Montreal; lost 29-16 and 28-6 in back-to-back weeks against BC

Heck, the Argos (the league's worst team) beat Calgary (maybe the league's best team) in Calgary in Week 1. Sure, the Stamps' Rob Maver missed three field goals because of an injury, but the result counts regardless.

Every team has at least one horrendous performance on their résumé this season. Hamilton has laid three such eggs: the Week 1 loss to Winnipeg (in which neither team played particularly well), the Week 2 loss to Edmonton and this past week against Montreal. The Ti-Cats' other two losses (to Winnipeg, 30-27, and Calgary, 32-20) were not the same as the other three. The Cats played very well against Winnipeg, and that game could have gone either way. Against Calgary, the team came out on fire and then lost it in the second half.

All this proves is that it is foolish to get too high or too low based on any given week's outcome.

Moving on from the past and looking into the future, I see a Tiger-Cat schedule that looks very promising.

Yes, the Tabbies will play five of these eight games away from Ivor Wynne Stadium, and they are an uninspiring 1-4 away from home so far this season. But these five games are not like the previous five games. The Cats play in Moncton against Calgary, in Toronto, in Montreal, in Saskatchewan and in Toronto again. The Montreal game is the only one where the Cats will be prohibitive underdogs. The best-case scenario is probably four wins; the worst-case is two.

At home, Hamilton faces Edmonton, Winnipeg and BC. Edmonton hasn't won in Hamilton since 2008. Winnipeg has already won in Hamilton and has beaten the Ti-Cats twice, and sweeping a team is never easy. BC has actually done fairly well in Hamilton in recent years and have won their last two games at Ivor Wynne Stadium. That said, I like the Cats to pull out victories in all three games.

Under the best-case scenario, the Cats will finish the regular season 12-6. Worst case, 10-8. I will say that 9-9 is possible, but that's only if they don't take care of business at home. There is no way they go 1-4 on the road, because Toronto will not beat them. I know I said that sweeping a team is never easy, but Toronto is everyone's whipping boy right now, and the Cats are 6-3 against Toronto in the last two regular seasons.

While nothing is set in stone, and anything can happen, things are set up nicely for the Tiger-Cats down the stretch.

Fire Sale: Everyone Must Go!

The Ti-Cats lost this weekend, so you know what that means: time to bench Kevin Glenn and fire Marcel Bellefeuille.

It's becoming a bit of a joke. Every time the team loses, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the loss, there is a vocal section of the fan base that calls for both Glenn and Bellefeuille's heads. Personally, I'm getting a little sick of hearing it because nothing new ever gets brought up. It's the same arguments over and over again and, frankly, it's a little tiresome.

With Glenn, the issue is he's not a winner. His regular-season record – which is an unimpressive 57-58-1 – gets brought up, as does the "can't win the big one" card. I can't defend Glenn's regular-season win-loss totals. But I also don't have access to all 116 games he's started, so I don't know in how many games his play was the main reason, or one of the main reasons, his team lost. I do know that this past week's loss was not his fault. Yes, he threw an interception that was taken back for a touchdown. He also threw two TDs of his own and passed for over 350 yards. There was also a plethora of mistakes made by his teammates, which Glenn is not responsible for. To say that the Cats lost this past week because of how Kevin Glenn performed is moronic.

But the one that really bugs me, and I just about tune out at this point, is the idea that he "can't win the big one." I've heard that about a lot of Quarterbacks over the years, but none more so in the CFL than Henry Burris. Burris was dogged for years by the same label that is now affixed to Glenn. Burris played great football in the regular season in 2005, 2006 and 2007, but was knocked out of the first round of the playoffs each year. (Sound familiar?) Then, finally, it all came together and Burris led the Stampeders to a Grey Cup championship in 2008. But prior to that, fans and media said that Burris didn't have it in him to lead a team to a championship. Then he did, and you don't hear people say Burris can't win, because he's won. In the NFL, the same was said of Steve Young and Peyton Manning (who was the poster boy for "can't win the big one" going back to his days at the University of Tennessee)... until they won. You only can't win the big one until you win the big one. Once Glenn wins a Grey Cup, this talk goes away. (I'd also make the argument about the 2007 Grey Cup, and how had he played he could have easily led the Bombers to a championship, but I've already made that point so often in the past that I'd begin to sound like the broken record.)

After Glenn (actually, more like "in tandem with Glenn"), fans call for the firing of Marcel Bellefeuille. Bellefeuille is 22-22 as the Ti-Cats Head Coach since taking over on a permanent basis, which is admittedly mediocre. But what needs to be taken into account is the dismal records of the coaches that preceded him (minus Ron Lancaster's interim stint in 2006). Charlie Taaffe was 5-23 in his one-and-a-half playoffless seasons with the Cats in 2007 and 2008, and Greg Marshall was 14-25-1 with one playoff appearance (an East Division Semi-Final loss in 2004 to the Argonauts) in his two-plus seasons at the helm. That playoff loss in 2004 was the high-water mark of the Bob Young era until Bellefeuille was named coach. Since then, the Ti-Cats have made two straight playoff appearances in 2009 and 2010 (and hosted both games), the first time the Cats have made the playoffs in back-to-back years since 2000 and 2001. And even if the Cats finish at 9-9 again this season, they are likely headed back to the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

However, this is where I might be convinced to join the group calling for Bellefeuille's head. Now I don't think he should be fired during the season – in my opinion, that is never a good idea – but if the Cats stumble to another .500 finish and first-round playoff exit, it might be time to make a coaching change. Sometimes a coach helps to get a team on track, but can't be the one to take them over the hump. Once again, I look to Calgary from 2005-2007 and then in 2008. For three seasons, Tom Higgins was the head man for the Stamps, and as talented as that team was, he couldn't get them out of the first round of the playoffs. So Higgins gets fired and is replaced by John Hufnagel. In Hufnagel's first season, he takes pretty much the same team Higgins had to the Grey Cup and wins it. A new voice in the locker room got the same group of players where they needed to be in order to take home the most coveted prize in their sport. The story of Tony Dungy and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is pretty similar. While Dungy is a great coach (and would win a Super Bowl with the previously mentioned former poster boy for "can't win the big one" Peyton Manning in Indianapolis), the Bucs needed a new voice to motivate them to excellence. Enter Jon Gruden and a Super Bowl victory.

Perhaps this is the same scenario that needs to play out for the Ti-Cats. Perhaps Bellefeuille has taken them as far as he can. Perhaps a new voice is needed. Perhaps.

Are Glenn and Bellefeuille the men to lead the Cats back to the top of the mountain? I don't know. But I do know that I'm not ready to give up on them yet. Unlike the louder members of the fan base, I don't believe it is time for a fire sale. Everyone doesn't have to go, especially the starting Quarterback and Head Coach.

Preaching Patience Pays Off

If you will permit me, I'd like for all of us to hop in my DeLorean and head back in time.

The date is July 10, 2011.

The day before, the Tiger-Cats had just lost to the Edmonton Eskimos in a listless effort that no one – fan, player or coach – was happy with. The Cats had started the season with much promise, yet they were behind the eight ball – again. The Cats were 0-2, and things were looking bad.

To a man, everyone on the team preached patience; they said that the wins would come. That didn't stop many fans from reacting with anger and hostility towards another slow start. Doom predictions were everywhere, and while there were rational fans calling for the same patience the team was preaching, they were shouted down by the outraged majority.

In case it has been forgotten, back on July 10, 2011 the following was "true" according to many fans:

• Kevin Glenn was a bum and should be replaced by Quinton Porter
• Marcel Bellefeuille was "Marcel Bellefool" and should be fired
• Khari Jones was over his head as Offensive Coordinator and should be fired
• Bob O'Billovich was over the hill and didn't care because he was thinking about his retirement

Remember those days?

Well, fast forward three weeks and this is what we have:

• Glenn, who is streaky, is back in top form
• Bellefeuille is showing why he is a good Head Coach
• Jones has gotten the Offense back on track
• Obie is being given major kudos for some shrewd moves he's made, especially the move that landed Receiver Chris Williams

So while those early-season struggles were frustrating, the proof is in the proverbial pudding: being patient pays off.

There will no doubt be a stretch in the future, maybe even again this season, when the team struggles. When that happens, remember the lessons learned in July 2011. Patience is a virtue, and I think we all learned why over the first five weeks of the 2011 CFL season.

There Should Be No Quarterback Controversy

No burying the lead here: there is no QB controversy in Hamilton. Kevin Glenn is the starter, period.

I think people, especially reporters like the National Post's Mark Masters, are reading way too much into the comments made after the game by Ti-Cat Head Coach Marcel Bellefeuille and Quarterback Kevin Glenn.

Bellefeuille said that he was going to "look at the tape" before deciding who will start next week in Edmonton.

Glenn said that he "felt disrespected" and that getting pulled in the first game was "like a smack in the face."

Both men have points, but when Bellefeuille looks at the tape he will likely see some bad throws by Glenn, but also a lot of dropped passes by the Receivers. I can think of at least five that hit the turf that we very catchable.

Glenn had a very poor game, but in his defense, he is coming off an MOP-caliber season and should be given more leeway than what the coach gave him. Despite Glenn and the team's poor play, the Cats were still in the game until the very end. I don't agree with the decision to bench your starter in the first game. Bellefeuille should have allowed Glenn to work through it. What was the worst that could happen? The team lost anyway, so they wouldn't have been in any worse position had Glenn played the whole game.

Throwing Porter out there was not the best decision either, as it put him in a tough, near-no-win situation. On the whole, the decision from nearly every angle was the wrong one.

But when Hamilton takes the field in Edmonton next week, Glenn will be under Centre, no two ways about it. Glenn has earned the right to pilot this ship, and he will do so once again in a week's time against the Eskimos. Any talk of a QB controversy is just that: talk. It's media hype and nothing more.

Everyone needs to sit back and take a deep breath. This is a hiccup, not a heart attack, and everyone needs to react as such.

Let the Extension Game Continue: Glenn Re-ups

If seems that the off-season has two parts: one, free agency; two, contract extensions.

The Cats have already inked Markeith Knowlton, Jamall Johnson, Quinton Porter and Maurice Mann to extensions, and now it looks like Kevin Glenn has been extended as well.

As I noted not too long ago, I felt that if the Ti-Cats were going to go on an extending spree that one of the two guys they NEEDED to get a deal done with was Kevin Glenn – the other, Arland Bruce, is rumoured to be getting an extension soon as well.

Glenn had a monster year in 2010 and continues to be one of the premier Quarterbacks in the CFL. The only thing missing from his résumé is a Grey Cup ring. I think he has his best shot to get that elusive championship with the Tiger-Cats in the next couple of years.

I understand that the deal is for one more year, plus an option, but I can't imagine Glenn playing for any other team, especially if he even comes close to replicating his 2010 success. I'm not saying he needs to put up 5,000 yards and over 30 TDs every year, but something close to that would ensure that he stays Hamilton's signal caller until the day he retires.

Great job keeping Glenn. Now, make that Bruce extension official, and the off-season will be a roaring success.

Time to Extend a Couple More

The Tiger-Cats have been handing out a lot of contract extensions this off-season. Markeith Knowlton, Jamall Johnson and Quinton Porter have all received extensions in the past month.

Now it is time for the team to lock up two other players, perhaps Hamilton's two most important players:

Kevin Glenn and Arland Bruce.

The Tabbies seem to be making it a priority to sign their key players, and if that is the case Glenn and Bruce (if they are willing) need to be re-upped pronto.

The resurgence of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats can be traced back to many moves over the past two-plus years, but arguably the most important moves came when the team signed Glenn and traded for Bruce.

Glenn has been nothing short of phenomenal since arriving in Hamilton. He had arguably the best season of his career in 2010, and did so by setting many single-season Tiger-Cat records, erasing Danny McManus from the record book in the process, which is no small feat. Glenn is only 31 and probably has three to five good years left in him. Inking him to an extension should now be of top priority.

Much of Glenn's greatness these past two years can be attributed to being able to hook up with Arland Bruce. Amid much fanfare, Bruce arrived in July of 2009, and while many wondered about his reported poor attitude, Bruce has been a model citizen since coming to Hamilton. He has been the gamebreaking Receiver that was advertised, and then some. If Glenn is the top priority, Bruce is a very close second.

There is no reason to believe that either of these guys wants to leave Hamilton, so if Obie is going to start extending contracts, it's time to get Glenn and Bruce inked to longer-term deals.

Ti-Cat Tidbits

No one big story today, but a few little ones courtesy of a couple of sources.

First, as I wrote on Sunday, Bo Smith is done for the season. Also done for the year is Matt Kirk with an ankle injury, and Matt Carter may be out for the remainder of the year with a foot injury. Add in Arland Bruce's no-show due to a hamstring injury the last two weeks and the Cats are starting to get hit with injuries at the worst possible time.

Secondly, Jason Shivers is looking like the guy who will replace Bo Smith in the lineup for the Cats. Shivers's return pushes Geoff Tisdale back to corner, while Shivers takes the Inside Halfback spot.

Finally, TSN released the results of a player poll taken on a number of subjects, and Tiger-Cat QB Kevin Glenn was voted the most underrated player in the league. Glenn garnered 17.1% of the vote. TSN did not release who any of the runners up were.

I am not surprised that Glenn would be named most underrated. He was unceremoniously dumped by Winnipeg following the 2008 season. He came to Hamilton as a backup in 2009, and did not gain the starting job until late in the 2009 season. Since then, Glenn has been masterful, breaking Tiger-Cat single-season records in 2010. Glenn is probably the most underappreciated player in the CFL, but there is no doubt that a Grey Cup ring would change all that.

Three Out of Four Ain't Bad

Damn you, Chad Owens. Leave it to an Argo to screw everything up.

Three Tiger-Cats snagged Player of the Week awards for Week 17.

Kevin Glenn was named the Offensive Player of the Week, becoming the only player this year to win that award three times. Glenn was masterful in the Tiger-Cats' destruction of the Montreal Alouettes. Glenn finished the night, which ended early for him, 21 for 32 with 371 yards passing and two touchdowns. The second TD pass tied Glenn with Danny McManus for the most single-season TD passes by a Hamilton Tiger-Cat.

Stevie Baggs once again lived up to his "Shakespeare" moniker and grabbed his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Week award. Baggs has been unstoppable since arriving in Steeltown. In Week 17 he had another fumble recovery for a touchdown – taking this one back 80 yards – and followed it up on the next series by intercepting Anthony Calvillo. All Stevie does is make big plays.

Chris Bauman – the much maligned Chris Bauman – snagged the Canadian Player of the Week award. Bauman played magnificently when called upon to replace the irreplaceable Arland Bruce. Bauman finished the night with 116 yards on five catches, two of which went for touchdowns. Perhaps this is finally the start of something big for Chris Bauman.

Fitting way to cap off a great week for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Glenn, Knowlton, Stala Named Players of the Week

It was damn near a sweep for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as three of the four weekly awards went to members of the team. Kevin Glenn, Markeith Knowlton and Dave Stala were all rewarded for their great weeks in Week 10.

Kevin Glenn was named Offensive Player of the Week. Glenn picked apart the Argos with brutal efficiency, completing over 80% of his passes for over 300 yards and a TD. It was a virtuoso performance for Glenn, and the second time this season he has won the Offensive Player of the Week award. He is the only player in the CFL to have won the award more than once in 2010.

Markeith Knowlton was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for his big punt block and TD that helped give the Cats a 20-6 lead going into halftime. It was his second blocked kick of the year.

Dave Stala was named the Canadian Player of the Week for picking up 90 yards receiving and scoring the "nail in the coffin" TD in the second half. This is the third time this season that Stala has won the award for Canadian Player of the Week.