By John Leung
Talent: B
The team’s number one offensive threat was extinguished when quarterback Lincoln Blumell went down with injury on the fifth play of the season. Brent Hargreaves took over and showed his ability to read defences and find receivers despite not having Blumell’s arm. The receivers and running backs are at least on par with any in the country and a few are on the brink of greatness. The defence was by far the strongest facet of this year’s squad. Led by linebacker Agustin Barrenechea and defensive back Greg Hoover, the D struck fear into the heart of opponents.
Achievement: B-
Expectations changed when Blumell went down and a playoff berth was perhaps more than most would have expected considering the team lost to U of A twice. A 3–5 record is nothing to write home about and the team was manhandled in the playoffs by national finalist Manitoba, but beating former Dino Darryl Leason and his Regina Rams was a highlight.
Coaching: A-
Tony Fasano continued his reign at the helm and with the addition of great football minds like defensive coordinator Dave Johnson and quarterbacks coach Shawn Olson, the team stayed inspired and their confidence in one another seemed to grow as the season wore on. Look for Fasano and Co. to be on the sidelines at Skydome next season.
Effort: B+
This mark could easily have been in the A range. The work of so many was jeopardized by the inefficiencies of the few. For the most part you could count on tight patterns from receivers, solid rushing from the backs and big tackles from the defence, but the number of times Hargreaves was hammered to the turf makes one wonder where the O-line was a lot of the time.
Overall: B
This team is going to be good next year. Very good. With Blumell back at the pivot position and with Hargreaves a very experienced back up, the offence should reach its potential. Depth is the name of the game and this Dino squad is chock full of it at just about every position. The team did well despite the inexperience of its young quarterback, but we do have to consider the fact that they dropped both meetings with the lowly Golden Bears.
Pro Wrestler they remind me of: Kane. Soft-spoken by nature, but a very real threat every time they stepped on the field.