Danny woulda been dandy
Dunigan wanted to get Ticats pivot
By DAN TOTH -- Calgary Sun
HAMILTON -- If Matt Dunigan had his way, Danny McManus would be the Stampeders starting quarterback tonight.
Dunigan, the StampsGM-head coach, called Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach Greg Marshall during the off-season to inquire about the veteran pivot and former teammate.
"It was difficult to be interested in him because he wasn't a free agent but certainly I had talked to Greg about him and asked what they were planning on doing with him," said Dunigan, who wanted to add the 15-year vet to the Stamps lineup as the cornerstone of offensive co-ordinator John Jenkins' ill-fated run-and-shoot offence.
"I thought he would have been a great fit here with John's offence -- quick release, understanding defences and ability to absorb the run and shoot and distribute the ball accordingly with quick, precise decisions," said Dunigan.
"That's what Danny's made of. I thought he would have been perfect for that."
When hired by the Stamps last December, Dunigan inherited an inconsistent QB in Marcus Crandell but he thought McManus was a free agent and announced an interest in pursuing him. In fact, McManus had one year remaining in his contract with Hamilton and Dunigan's public comments ruffled the feathers of Ticats GM Ron Lancaster.
Off-season rumblings suggested McManus was interested in opportunities elsewhere in the CFL after a 1-17 season in 2003 and vocal criticism of the aging veteran's play. Still, Lancaster had other plans.
"He wasn't a free agent so when I went through the proper channels, (Marshall) said they had to keep Danny and put people around him and let him do his thing," Dunigan said. "If he was available, we certainly would have made a hard run at him."
As would have many teams.
"Matt had some interest in Danny but it was a pretty short conversation," agreed Marshall. "Matt saw Danny coming in and stabilizing their offence and in that offence Danny could come in and succeed.
"Matt wanted Danny for a reason. As much as Danny was criticized (last year), if we put a 'for sale' sign on him, there would be a lot of teams jumping at him."
The Ticats kept the 39-year-old McManus and are glad they did. After adding free-agent receiver D.J. Flick and the emergence of Craig Yeast along with the consistent play of Archie Amerson, McManus is again productive.
The former CFL most outstanding player (1999) has thrown for more than 2,600 yards and 15 TDs this season while the Ticats are among the league leaders in passing yards per game.
"This year we have stability -- Archie's playing great, Yeast is doing a good job, Mike Morreale is consistent, we brought in D.J. Flick. Continuity has helped Danny a lot," said Marshall, whose Ticats traded this year for backup quarterback Marcus Brady and signed free agent and former Stamps pivot Ben Sankey.
McManus also profited from having GM Ron Lancaster in his corner. The former head coach brought McManus to Hamilton from Edmonton seven years ago and the two have built a productive working relationship over the years.
"All I ever wanted was a chance to compete and coach Marshall gave me that chance in training camp," said McManus.
"To play that many years for coach Lancaster, he knows what I'm about, I know what he's about. Coach Marshall listens to what he says but the biggest support I've got is in the locker-room. As long as they have the faith in me and I haven't seen that wavering at any time this season. It's the biggest factor I worry about.
"With Matt, I worked with him in Winnipeg and he was an outstanding quarterback, a Hall-of-Fame guy who knows how to play quarterback. If the opportunity had come during this past year, I would have looked at it because I still wanted top play. But coach Marshall gave me the chance to compete and that's why I'm still here."
