Courtesy Leader Post

TORONTO — Upon waddling into Roy Thomson Hall on Thursday night, the first gentleman I encountered was a tuxedoed Kerry Joseph.

“Good luck,” I told the Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback, “but you won’t need it.”

Long before the CFL player awards were presented, it was clear to anyone with even a passing interest in three-down football that Joseph was going to win the league’s most-coveted individual accolade. And sure enough . . .

He was an eminently deserving recipient — and one of the most unconventional.

“It has been quite a journey,” a smiling Joseph said while holding the trophy.

Entering this season, it was not a certainty that Joseph would be the Riders’ starting quarterback, let alone the league’s pre-eminent player. First-year head coach Kent Austin made it clear that there was an open competition for the position, with Marcus Crandell being a credible candidate. Unlike Joseph, Crandell had Grey Cup credentials.

In the third game of the season, a faltering Joseph was replaced by Crandell at halftime. As expected, Austin displayed a much quicker hook regarding ineffectual quarterbacks than did his predecessor, Danny Barrett.

Austin’s offence is largely predicated upon timing and precision. Those are two of Crandell’s primary attributes - and two areas in which Joseph required improvement as the 2007 season loomed.

The project is not yet complete. Joseph does not always unfurl the most picturesque spirals. Sometimes, his passes sail over wide-open receivers, causing exasperation in the Rider Nation. At times, he will do too much in a valiant attempt to salvage a doomed play, to the chagrin of Austin.

But Joseph more than compensates for any actual or perceived deficiencies with resourcefulness, rare athleticism and an insatiable desire to win.

That explains why he won on Thursday night, and why his team is favoured to prevail on Sunday.

So much of what makes Joseph effective cannot be quantified. The numbers do not reflect how many times Joseph sells out for a crucial first down or buys himself time for a key completion.

At times, the statistics have been a testament to his excellence. He amassed 500 combined rushing and passing yards in a home playoff victory over the Calgary Stampeders. Moreover, he scored 13 rushing touchdowns during a regular season in which Saskatchewan won 12 games for the first time since 1970.

In fact, Joseph was one rushing touchdown shy of Doug Flutie’s regular-season record for quarterbacks. That was ironic, considering that Joseph — a former safety with the Seattle Seahawks — once intercepted Flutie in the NFL.

Prior to that, Flutie had won six most-outstanding-player awards, which went nicely with his Heisman Trophy.

Joseph was also an accomplished collegian, excelling at quarterback for McNeese State, but he would not call signals again in a live-combat situation until joining the Ottawa Renegades in 2003. Nearing 30, he was a novice of sorts as a pro football pivot.

The evolution of Kerry Joseph, quarterback, continues — even though he recently turned 34.

By age 34, Austin had retired as a CFL player. He was the quintessential quarterback, directly out of Central Casting. From the day Austin arrived in Saskatchewan, back in 1987, you could look at him and say “THAT is a quarterback.”

Joseph, by contrast, has been portrayed as an athlete playing quarterback. To an extent, that is true. Physical attributes contribute to his success.

But it is inaccurate and unfair to suggest that Joseph’s success is entirely attributable to his athleticism. If that was the only requisite ingredient, Nealon Greene would still be quarterbacking the Roughriders.

In explaining Joseph’s success, it is important to cite the countless hours he devotes to watching film, a la Austin, and refining his mechanics.

Under Austin’s expert tutelage, Joseph is no longer a run-first quarterback. Defences customarily dare Joseph to beat them through the air — and look at the results.

Or, just examine the gleaming trophy Joseph so humbly accepted on Thursday evening. That says it all.

Tags: Awards, CFL, Kerry Joseph, Player