Jun
Lefors a QB favorite
Courtesy Canada.com
http://www.canada.com/sports/LeFors+favourite/1650810/story.html
The scrap for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ starting quarterback chores — which begins
Wednesday with the opening of rookie camp — has all the makings of a ring-a-ding-dong
dandy.
As preparations for the 2009 Canadian Football League season begin it could be argued that
no spot on any of the eight teams’ depth charts will draw more interest than the Bombers’
starting quarterback gig. Five men will challenge for the job, with only three — Stefan
LeFors, Ryan Dinwiddie and Bryan Randall — having any kind of three-down experience.
And that trio has a grand total of eight regular-season starts.
Hello.
“Guys are fighting for jobs right now and that’s the way training camp is supposed to be,”
said head coach Mike Kelly. “I want them to understand that any one of those five who will
be in the room during our quarterback school (which began Sunday and runs for three days)
has an opportunity to win the job.”
If there is an early favourite, it’s LeFors. After all, Kelly traded two draft picks to
acquire his services from the Edmonton Eskimos back in January — back when the club still
had veteran Kevin Glenn under contract.
He worked with Kelly last year in Edmonton and possesses two key QB characteristics the new
coach covets: intelligence and leadership.
“Obviously everybody knows that I think highly of his abilities, but I think highly of a lot
of people’s abilities,” said Kelly. “He’s a young man that’s ready to step in and play, but
– because of the skill sets of our running backs and our receivers and what I think will be
a solid offensive line — the burden doesn’t have to fall completely on our quarterbacks’
shoulders.
“So, I’m looking for someone that’s intelligent and poised and can distribute the football.
And I think Stefan fits those qualities. Now let’s see if he does it.”
LeFors made five starts for an awful Eskimos team in 2007 when star QB Ricky Ray was
injured, but the former Carolina Panthers’ draft pick is eager to step out from behind a
future hall of famer’s considerable shadow. He knew he was never going to start again for
the Esks as long as Ray was around, seeing as the latter is written in ink atop the depth
chart.
“It wasn’t written in ink, it was written with a permanent marker,” said LeFors with a
chuckle. “I didn’t really know that when I first got there, but I quickly found out that.
(Ray) did a really good job there and I was fortunate enough to be able to learn how he
thinks and to be able to work with him for those two years helped. But you wonder what you
could do if you got the opportunity. I did get a chance my first year in Edmonton, but I’m
really looking forward to this. That’s what everybody wants: an opportunity and a chance.”
And that’s exactly how the other four pivots in town view this thing, too, and every one of
them brings an interesting package to the offensive huddle.
Dinwiddie has always been able to spark the troops off the bench, Randall has enormous
upside — one rival CFL GM figured he’d be the club’s starter by Labour Day — while
newcomers James Kilian and Darrell Hackney have considerable experience bouncing around the
NFL.
“This is what I’ve wanted for my whole career: a chance to compete for the starting job,”
said Dinwiddie. “I feel like it’s a great situation with some of the guys they’ve kept
around and the coaches are really going to push us. It’s going to mean a whole lot of
competition at all positions and I think that’s one thing we lacked in the last couple of
camps, the fact that guys had their spot and coasted through things.”
“We’re trying to change the attitude here,” added Dinwiddie. “Everybody’s got to earn their
job every day. It’s going to be more a work mentality.”
“Look,” said Randall, “as a player that’s what you want to hear: Any time a coach says a job
is open it lights a fire under you. A lot of times that No. 1 job is not necessarily there
for the taking at all. Sometimes it’s the same with the No. 2 job as well.
“And so what we’re looking at here is refreshing. And it’s going to make for an exciting
camp for all the quarterbacks.”
