The search for number five

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have been in existence since 1910 and have had many an exciting player perform for them over the ensuing years but as Quarterback is undoubtedly your key position on a football team history shows that only four of the over two hundred and fifty candidates that have played that position for Saskatchewan over 97 years are worthy of special mention and if the team is to be considered a serious contender for Grey Cup honours in the near future that fifth great Rider Quaterback in Rider history must be found.

The first really great signal caller to capture the imagination of Saskatchewan fans was the immortal Glen Dobbs who arrived on the scene in 1951 direct from the Brooklyn Dodgers of the NFL where he was known as a triple threat QB who could run pass and punt with equal effectiveness. Bob Kramer who was the Rider president at the time told me that the report that he signed Dobbs to a two year contract for twenty five thousand dollars was actually not correct as he paid him another twelve thousand under the table because he really wanted him..Dobbs became a Rider fan favourite and became known as "The Dobber" and had his own weekly radio show .Dobbs was an imposing impressive looking specimen at six foot four and two hundred and ten pounds.

He directed the Riders to first place with an 8-6 record and the Western Championship in 1951 and to the Grey Cup final in Toronto where they lost to Ottawa .He threw an incredible 28 Touchdown passes in fourteen games. and averaged 45.3 yards per punt.He was very exciting to watch as his passes were bullet like and usually right on the money.and his ability to run with the ball made him incredibly dangerous and at times a one man gang as he drove opposition defences crazy.

The second man to be considered on the Rider great Quarterback list is Frank Tripucka who came to Saskatchewan in 1953 and had to follow in Dobbs footsteps.and who had been a Collegiate star at Notre Dame and an All-Pro with the New York Giants.Tripucka was a stay at home immobile pin point passer who was extremely intelligent and a real student of the game.Over his career which lasted till 1958 and was enhanced with a brief return to Saskatchewan in 1963 .he completed 56.6 % of his passes for 14387 yards and 83 touchdown passes.He led the Riders to four consecutive second place finishes and the Western Final in 1956.

The Riders struggled after Tripucka left the scene in 1959.and it was not until 1963 when General Manager Ken Preston picked up Ron Lancaster off the waiver wire from Ottawa that the Riders had there third and without a doubt their greatest Quarterback of all time.arriving on the scene.In my opinion Lancaster is the best Quarterback to ever play the CFL game because of his accomplishments in his sixteen year stay in Regina. He did what no other QB has done in football on either side of the border in taking his team in this case Saskatchewan to eleven consecutive Western Division Finals from 1966 to 1976.The team went to five Grey Cup finals in this period and won their first Grey Cup in 1966 under Lancaster who became known as "The Little General" .He stood five foot nine and weighed one hundred and eighty five pounds and did not have a strong arm but instead had a magiclike touch on the ball and although he gave up a large number of interceptions threw 333 touchdown passes second only to Damon Allen in CFL history.He completed 54.6% of his passes for 50535 yards .He is the winingest signal caller in Roughrider history and it was his ability to improvise and scramble when needed and make the big play that made him such a success.He was twice named the CFL,s Outstanding player during his Saskatchewan years.

Lancaster retired after the 1978 season and the Riders went through another Quarterback drought until 1987 when a cut from the St Louis Cardinals came to the Prairie Province in the person of Kent Austin who had a record setting college career at Ole Miss .Austin had an exceptionally quick release and an equally quick mind and loved to throw the football.and from 1988 till 1993 put on an ariel show that had never been seen before in the Wheat Province directing the Roughriders to their second Grey Cup victory in Toronto at the Sky Dome in 1989 in thrilling fashion with a last minute 43-40 squeaker over the Hamilton Ti-cats in a game that many call the greatest Grey Cup game ever played.Over his Saskatchewan career he completed 68.7% of his passes for 20872 yards and 151 touchdowns and has the Rider all time records for passes thrown in a game at 65 and TD passes in a season at 35.

Kent Austin returned to the scene of his greatest triumph in this off season as the Head Coach and now must look for a leader who can make it happen and qualify as number five on the all time Saskatchewean QB list and the question is does he already have that man under
contract in the person of either Kerry Joseph or Marcus Crandell.

Joseph who was injured a good portion of last year and Austin know each other from working together in Ottawa in and Joseph has shown brilliance as in Ottawa in 2005 he passed for 4466 yards and rushed for 1006 which made him only the third Quarterback in CFL history
to rush for over 1000 yards.He threw 25touchdown passes and ran for nine more. He clearly has shown the potential to be great one.

Then there is Marcus Crandell who has certainly had his moments as while playing for Calgary in 2001 completed 61.9% of his passes for 3407yards and was named the MVP of the Grey Cup game as he led Calgary to a victory over Winnipeg .In 2002 he had another outstanding year in the Stampede City throwing for4072 yards and 26touchdowns.

The great Quarterbacks all posses inspirational leadership skills and the ability to generate big plays when needed and have the confidence of their teammates.It figures that General Manager Eric Tillman and Head Coach Kent Austin because of their previous experiences and numerous contacts will come up with this. kind of Quarterback.