10/5/2007 5:21:55 PM
Stack em High

I must admit, I’m somewhat jealous of the situation that Stefan LeFors will be in tomorrow. Most people in the know would put his chances of success at slim to nil at best, considering the circumstances. He is on the road in his first ever professional start, against a Rich Stubler defence, a hostile crowd, and an extra defender from the football he grew up playing. Even an optimist would say that he’s definitely got his work cut out for him, and I’d probably agree with that statement. I do however think that he is more than capable of doing the job, and to do so…would be quite an introductory statement into this league. Any competitor will relish the chance to succeed against all odds.
In my time in this league, I’ve seen many quarterbacks. I’ve seen several starters and countless backups, and some have flourished and been dominant – while others in spite of their past success at other levels have struggled to adapt when their time came if it came at all. In fact the one thing that they had in common was that all of them at one time or another, each one of them was a wide-eyed rookie to this league trying to adjust to the size of the field, the extra man, and the speed of this game.
Locally, people will recall Ricky Ray was backing up Jason Maas before he got his shot to shine due to injury. Much like Casey Printers did while backing up Dave Dickenson. Kevin Glenn didn’t get a chance to become what he has until Khari Jones was injured, and Anthony Calvillo was a backup in Hamilton before receiving his chance to shine in Hamilton and then Montreal. It’s tough to imagine these quarterbacks in a back-up role nowadays really. I mean, Casey’s the highest paid player in the league now, Kevin’s a front runner for Most Outstanding Player, and Ricky Ray is…well…Ricky Ray. In spite of all that, each of them was an “unknown” in this league at one time – just like Stefan and Steven Jyles.
Stefan is in a situation in which every possible thing is stacked against him in the eyes of most people, and rightly so for the most part. In quarterbacking, the unknown is usually not something that one should bet the farm on traditionally. However, in the same way that the elements of a new quarterback can be seen as detrimental to a team’s success, these “unknowns” could very easily turn into “knowns” once that back-up quarterback wades into the starting waters. Not knowing what that quarterback will be like with the pocket collapsing could very easily become an asset instead of a liability, much like it did for Casey Printers. His size and release could be an unknown factor of concern for some at present, but could end up working out to his advantage like it did for Kevin Glenn. Or his pocket presence and ability to read a defence and make the right throw could be in question right now, or could end up his strength much like it did for Ricky Ray.
One thing is for sure, the opportunity is here for Stefan LeFors – but he won’t be out there alone. It’s up to us to aid his confidence and make his first start a memorable one for all the right reasons. ©

KP8