pw13

Argos will almost certainly lose Muamba to retirement, and will definitely lose Harris. Add in a couple of other older guys who might leave (such as Bladek) and the gap between what they are paying QBs this year and will pay them next year gets pretty slim. I don't see them having to cut anyone they really want to keep.

I think his actual quote, when Stegall set the record for career touchdowns, was "Milt Stegall -- touchdown regal." Which, while contrived, at least makes some sense since "regal" connotes royalty/king, etc.

I'm glad to come to a forum with such original thinking.

I would have agreed a year ago. But I saw enough in MBT last season to advocate that the Argos make signing him their top priority this off-season. I think he's going to surprise a lot of people who consider him just a run-of-the-mill backup type. But that's why they play the games.

I'm both an Argo fan and a fan of MBT. I believe he is going to end up as the No. 1 QB for Argos, despite being guaranteed about $133k less than Nichols (if reports are accurate). If I'm right, and with O'Connor developing nicely, 2020 might be Nichols' only year in Toronto. But I'm happy to have him for now as it's clear you need two viable QBs in this league. Argos had just one the past two years, and it wasn't the guy they handed the job to four times along the way (Franklin).

Oddball stat: In addition to Flutie wearing 20 and 22, and Ron Lancaster wearing 23, there was at least one other QB to wear a number in the 20s in the modern era. Alvin White wore 26 for Toronto in 1978.

I'm pretty sure they put him in 20 in the video because it is 2020. Bet he wears 16 with Toronto.

DT says otherwise.

Argos did not spend a ton on MBT -- reportedly $217k in hard money, with $90 k available in playing-time bonus. I'm betting they gave Nichols more, but not much more than $300k in hard money, plus PT incentives. So they likely are spending about $600k combined on the two QBs, which is not out of line with what most other teams spend and is less than some spend on one guy. I'm also betting MBT wins the starting job, and Nichols is gone after one season. No offence to Nichols, I just think MBT is a better QB.

As I understand it, Trestman was fired before the SMS came into effect so his salary is irrelevant. Popp's contract expires next month so there's no impact from that on the SMS in 2020. Chamblin has two years left on his contract. MLSE has money to burn. I don't believe they will let SMS rules stand in the way of getting the coach they want, and I don't believe the league would try to enforce those rules over MLSE's objections. (That said, I don't see MOS leaving Wpg.)

Does anyone know whether a third QB would be prevented from dressing next season if he were to be declared as a DI? I believe the plan is that teams will be able to dress 21 NATs, 20 INTs, 2 QBs and 2 Global players for a total of 45 (same as this year) and to have a 46-man roster with one inactive (same as this year). So why couldn't a third QB be dressed as one of the 20 INTs, provided that the team did not put two QBs in the game at the same time? That way the third guy could still do short-yardage plays, could hold for snaps and could play special teams (and be available at QB if the other two got hurt). If that is not permitted (and to be clear I expect it will be), some teams will have 3 QBs on the 46 and the third will be the inactive player, just as Toronto often had four on the 46 this year and then made the fourth guy the inactive player.

Thanks again to everyone for helping me unravel the mystery. A longer version of the story is now online at https://www.cfl.ca/2019/09/19/long-read-chasing-grey-cup-folklore-form-beer-can/ This is a teaser for my book about the 1991 Argonauts, which will be published around July 1, 2021, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of that magical, electrifying season.

Thank you!

Hi everyone. I'm bumping this thread to let y'all know that my quest to find the thrower of the beer can led me down some very interesting paths. Thanks to everyone here who responded with posts or direct messages. I hope to have more to say about this later in the week. Although an airline that has cancelled a pile of flights this week because of "unscheduled aircraft maintenance" could still scupper my plans, I am hoping to attend the Argo-Bomber game this Friday -- my first game at IG Field. I was only at the old stadium once, for a game in 1982. Really looking forward to this game and seeing the stadium, which looks fantastic on TV! I'm also hoping to check out a few tailgates beforehand, so maybe I will meet some of you there.

I'm just bumping this thread to catch anyone who didn't see it earlier. I'm pursuing a couple of promising leads but still looking for any and every bit of additional information and perspective I can find. If you have any ideas or memories about this fascinating episode in Grey Cup history, I would really love to hear from you, either through this forum or directly by email: paulwoods13(at)gmail.com. Thanks!

If you haven't already seen it in today's Free Press, Doug Speirs has written about my search for the throwers: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/cfl/one-of-footballs-legendary-arms-sought-508495522.html (note: it's behind a paywall) Hopefully this will lead to some clues . . .

As for Dunigan, I can confirm that there was no doubt in his mind all week that he would play, despite how serious the injury was. But he did not practice or throw a pass until he got the shoulder shot full of painkillers in the hotel ballroom at dinner time on the Saturday, then tried some throws while Argo coaches and medical staff watched. He wrote about this in his book (written with the late, great Jim Taylor). His description to me of how the needles felt and how he felt during the game were pretty vivid and graphic, but I will save most of that for the book.

Thanks! I originally thought it might be Section S, but then I got crossed up when I looked again at the seating map and compared it to the broadcast images. So Calgary was on the visitor's sideline even though they were in their home reds? That makes sense as I've been told by an Argo that when they arrived at the stadium that week, some guys made a beeline for the lockers of the Bombers they hated most, like Wild West and Ty Jones. So that would mean Argos used the home locker room and the home sideline (assuming the locker rooms were on both sides of the stadiums.) I always thought it was a Coors or Coors light. The video is so grainy that it's hard to tell. Was OV the most popular beer in the stadium back then? Sorry to be asking so many questions and looking for so many details but I want to nail every aspect of this story down tight if possible. Little details like the brand of beer can help make the story come to life for readers. I really do appreciate all the comments, and hope the discussion continues!

Further to my earlier query, I'm trying to figure out the specific section from which the first (most infamous) can was hurled. The Rocket ran up the sideline that was inhabited by the Stampeders, which I'm guessing would have been the Bombers' sideline normally? The first can seems to have come from the last section of permanent seating on that side (although that is at odds with TrueBlue4ever's memory that it came out the temporary seating). It looks clear to me in the CBC coverage that the second can did come from the temp stands. Based on a map I found of Canad Inns Stadium, it looks as if the goal-line Ismail crossed (near where the can landed) was in front of Section A. Can any longtime fans familiar with the old stadium or at the 1991 Grey Cup shed any more light on any of this?

Thank you for this -- very interesting and helpful.

Hi everyone. I'm new to MBB, and appreciate the opportunity to make a small pitch. I am an author and CFL fan/historian in the Toronto area, currently working on my second book about the Argonauts. The first (Bouncing Back: From National Joke to Grey Cup Champs) was published in 2013 and told the story of the 1983 Argos, who ended a 31-year Grey Cup drought that year, just two years after the worst season in franchise history. The book I'm working on now is about the 1991 Argos, who were owned by John Candy, Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall, signed Rocket Ismail to the largest contract in football (not just CFL, but football, period) history, and won the coldest Grey Cup ever played -- in Winnipeg, of course. I've interviewed dozens of players, coaches, execs and others associated with the team and the league of that era, and I'm planning a research/vacation trip to Winnipeg in July (to coincide with the Argos' game there -- my first chance to experience IGF!) for interviews with individuals who were involved with the 1991 Grey Cup festival and game. I'm looking for connections to anyone who might have good stories and experiences from Winnipeg's first time playing host to the big game. I'm especially interested in interviewing individuals who had encounters with John Candy that week, but at this point I'll consider any interesting connection that might factor into the story. I'd also love to find anyone who has any connection to the two frozen beer cans that were tossed at the Rocket as he crossed the goal-line with the kickoff return TD that essentially clinched Toronto's win. I realize it was 28 years ago, and at this point anyone of a certain age could claim to be (or know) the throwers. I'm certainly not counting on being able to positively identify those responsible, and I definitely don't want anyone "brought to justice." But everyone old enough to have seen the game remembers the first beer can almost hitting Ismail before its frozen foam exploded on the turf -- the second can, fired from a different part of the stands a second or two later, has been largely forgotten -- and yet nothing (as far as I know) has ever been reported about who did it, why, etc. A search for the thrower is potentially a fun little angle to pursue along with the much bigger picture of the Argos (and the league) in 1991. Anyway, all of that is to say, if you have a personal connection to the 1991 Grey Cup game that you think would be worth me hearing about as part of my research, and/or you know anyone who has such a connection, I'd love to hear from you. You can DM me but a better route would be to email me: paulwoods13@gmail.com. Thanks!