Crandell confusing
You never know what you're going to get until it's too late
By DAN TOTH -- Calgary Sun
Quicker than you can blurt out, 'Send in the backup!' Marcus Crandell again demonstrated last night why he's the Calgary Stampeders' mystery man. In one breath, he is both great and gruesome, tremendous and troubling, an upsetting trend now in its third season.
Problem is, you never know what you're going to get until it's too late.
And for the Stampeders, it might already be too late this season after a 40-21 loss last night to the visiting Roughriders, Calgary's fourth straight defeat.
Scrimmaging from his own 35 in the first quarter, the frustratingly inconsistent quarterback whipped a pass into the hands of Roughriders defensive end Daved Benefield, who rumbled 33 yards the other way for a touchdown.
Before the 35,000 fans at McMahon Stadium could crank up a hearty 'CRANDELL SUCKS' chant, the pivot trotted back onto the field, directing a seven-play touchdown drive.
Capping it with a perfectly thrown 14-yard TD strike to Sulecio Sanford, an over-the-shoulder toss with just the right touch, Crandell provided a solid argument he really can run John Jenkins' flying circus and succeed in the CFL.
The next minute, disaster strikes.
"That's pretty much where we're at as a football team," agreed head coach Matt Dunigan, who saw Crandell complete 22 of 37 passes for 249 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
"We look good at times, then there are some breakdowns. We're putting in the time, we just need more time and unfortunately, in this business, it demands instant results. Our patience level is running thin. Our frustration level is running high."
It might be simplifying the conundrum to suggest the two drives typify what's wrong with Crandell.
The Roughriders defence supplied plenty of pressure, rattling the pivot with three crushing sacks, so not all the blame can be heaped only on his shoulders.
"They came out firing, scored on the (second) drive and put some points on the board and we weren't able to," said Crandell, suggesting his performance was 'OK.'
With the game out of reach in the fourth quarter and backup Tommy Jones warming up on the sidelines, Crandell impressed again, this time going 5-for-5 in a 76-yard drive for another TD.
Jones was an efficient 7-of-10 for 122 yards in his late appearance, including a TD strike to Mike Juhasz.
The question now facing Dunigan and his staff is whether it's worth pouring more effort into turning Crandell into a bona fide winner, or is it time to look elsewhere?
Dunigan spent much of his time shuttling players in and out of Calgary but never made an upgrade at the team's most crucial position.
The current stable of backups -- raw rookies Jones and Mike Souza -- hardly inspire promise the Stamps have the personnel to make this offence work.
Where does Dunigan go from here? Barring a trade (who's available?) it's more Crandell the rest of the way, more disappointment and frustration.
Pressed if he'll go back to Crandell Thursday in Ottawa or hand the ball to Jones, Dunigan started scrambling.
"That's tough to say," Dunigan said. "Tommy managed the offence quite well, looked confident, made the calls. That's easy to see when the guy is knifing the ball up and down the field and the defence is a prevent situation."
Crandell sums his feelings up well: "(We) haven't won a game at home, there's a number of things right now that's very frustrating."
But not nearly as troubling as it is for the coaching staff now faced with trying to solve the mystery.
