Im not subscribed to the freepress online so if someone is and can somehow link it,  its a scott billeck article.  

 

He says it was pre-determined and getting 1-3 reps (sometimes none at all) during practices is hardly the fair shot to compete he was told he'd get.  From all accounts of poster's TC reports that's how it sounded too.  Was it a wasted spot in camp? I know if someone else filled that spot it's no guarantee they make the team,  but sounded like Yantz wasn't given a legit shot to do anything at all

It's about expectations.  The 5th string QB doesn't get much of a chance in TC unless one of the top 4 get injured, which didn't happen.  No one would care if the QB wasn't a Canadian.  They'd just say sour grapes and move on.

I dont disagree, however theres ways to go about it to showcase all your invitees. Preseason games have limited time so obviously playing time is severely restricted,  but it sounded like Yantz wasnt even getting much if at all during the lead up in all the many practices.  Why have him then and not use the spot for another spot where playing time is more likely.  You could easily have Brohm vs marve head to head for #2 while  seeing whose better between Portis and Yantz, once Brohm vs Marve is determined, have the #3 go up against the winner of Portis vs Yantz.  its not like theres not enough bodies at camp to have mini scrimmages

He's right, life's not fair, yada yada.  He gets a few chances a day, during those chances he has to show he might be better than at least one of the guys ahead of him.  If he does, he piques the coaches interest and gets more chances.  They don't care about Portis either.  They'll just keep the guy they think is best.

 

I don't think it's sour grapes, there are lots of guys who probably feel the same way in every CFL camp every year.  The only difference is none of them are local, so the local reporters don't call them up to do interviews about their feelings being hurt.

Why have him then and not use the spot for another spot where playing time is more likely.

 

Yantz was a non-counter.  It's not like his spot could be used to bring in another import DB.

was he a non counter? i thought he signed a contract prior to joining camp,  if he was a non counter then yeah it is what it is,  but sounded like he was told he'd have a fair chance to compete,  and I know from reading the TC reports and preseason, I didnt hear much of anything other then maybe like 1 rep during scrimmage

Well he was the 5th string QB, behind 4(!!) QBs that were already with the team last year and the team had chosen to bring back.  Would he have preferred they didn't ask him to come at all?

I'm not going to pretend I know all the intricacies of what constitutes a non-counter, but signing a contract doesn't negate it.  All the draft picks also sign contracts too and they are considered non-counters.

 

Simply saying it wasn't a waste of a roster spot.  And if he wasn't there and one QB pulls a hamstring then you're down to 3.  Three weeks of camp with lots of 2adays, those end up as tired arms.  Better to have one too many QBs than one too few.  Tired arms don't make for proper evaluations and are more prone to muscle strains.

 

Yantz did not get the same number of reps as the other QBs.  That's always the way it is when you're at the bottom of the totem pole.  You have to use those limited opportunities to do special things and climb your way up.

draft picks are different tho, he was undrafted and even attended last years TC.  I could see him being a non counter last year having still cis eligibility while attending the UofM but I wanna think this year hed be no different then just bringing in a NI player from regina (if thats where he lives when not in school?)

 

I could be wrong, as i too dont know what qualifies someone to be a non counter other then maybe territorial exemption and draft picks

Wah wah.

This football and this is how it goes for a 5th string QB. You are a loooong shot. And he would have to have done something amazing to change that. Clearly he didn't.

But how can he when it sounds like he might have had 1 or 2 throws a day if that

At the end of the day football is a business.. If Walters felt he could contribute positively to the team as more then just a feel good story, he'd still be here...

Who's to say bombers didn't ask "wanna sinopoli it?" And he said " I'm a qb dood!" Or many other things that could have transpired to convince the management he wasn't worth the spot..

I'd expect everyone who didn't make the cut to feel they didn't get a fair shot. Part of being an athlete is having that ego and unfailing belief in yourself. Fact is though he was in camp with qbs who had been around the team last year and mostly been around the league a bit more. He was in tough from the get go and didn't do enough to jump ahead of anyone. Such is life. 

I dont think its his surprise he didnt unseat anyone,  after re-reading the article in the paper its the fact he feels he wasnt even given a chance to unseat anyone really, after being told he would get a fair shot

Welcome to the Canadian QB Club Mr. Yantz ... http://www.cflaa.ca/2013/canadian-qbs/... read this article and be even more ticked that one of the contributors to it works for the team that never gave you the opportunity you thought you deserved. 

 

 

Danny McManus, another Hall of Famer who enjoyed Grey Cup triumphs with the B.C. Lions and Hamilton Tiger Cats, suggests that it is merely a rule change that is required to give the Kyle Quinlan’s of our country a chance. “”You have to make it necessary for teams to carry Canadian quarterbacks as a second or third stringer to start off with”, McManus contends,”and then develop them like you would at any skill position.”

Rocky DiPietro and Jan Carinci, two shifty and skilled receivers of yesteryear, both shared McManus’ view. DiPietro believes “It is simply a matter of opportunity. It will never happen unless there is a change in mindset.”  Carinci went even farther, suggesting that “You sinply have to have more Canadians playing the skill positions in the Canadian Football League, which includes quarterback.” Joe Poplawski, another great receiver who enjoyed a stellar career with the University of Alberta Golden Bears and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, was even more talkative on the subject. “It is definitely time for the next great Canadian quarterback. Without the rule changes happening to encourage more teams to carry Canadian quarterbacks, it will not happen. But it should…”

But how can he when it sounds like he might have had 1 or 2 throws a day if that

 

But for him to get any more than that someone like Portis or (gasp) Marve would have gotten just 1 or 2 throws a day.

Football is a business but if he was told he would get a fair shot I think he should have gotten it. The Bombers management have to maintain a high level of trust and I beleive they  so it might have been a matter of miscommunications.

the article has Yantz saying thats what he was told after Walters told him he was better then all the american QB's they invited to the Florida mini camp and he would get a fair opportunity to compete in training camp. The impression i got from the TC reports was he was getting 1 or 2 reps, sometimes none at all during practices and clearly he felt "left in the dark" and it didnt matter what he did, he felt it was evident they knew what they were gonna do with him.

 

I understand the business side of it and it may (or may not) have ben the right call,  but how can you not get the kid more reps somewhere in those 2 a days. If they had told him from the get go your only coming here incase someone gets hurt,  you think he'd have any issue?

I can't a have a ton of sympathy for him... you hear about 5th string RBs in the NFL camps that miss one block or drop one fumble and they're done... that's the reality of being 5th string... you're an extreme long shot... if they had brought in one of the Americans from mini camp and the same thing happened, would this be a story??

He isn't wrong. The Bombers signed him, but did they really give him an opportunity? Absolutely not. They had both feet out the door on him the entire time. Either give the guy a legit shot at winning a job or don't sign him. 

The question is: Would any other team have been able to give him more of a chance than the Bombers?

The real question is... What did he expect as the 5th string QB?

the article has Yantz saying thats what he was told after Walters told him he was better then all the american QB's they invited to the Florida mini camp and he would get a fair opportunity to compete in training camp. The impression i got from the TC reports was he was getting 1 or 2 reps, sometimes none at all during practices and clearly he felt "left in the dark" and it didnt matter what he did, he felt it was evident they knew what they were gonna do with him.

 

I understand the business side of it and it may (or may not) have ben the right call,  but how can you not get the kid more reps somewhere in those 2 a days. If they had told him from the get go your only coming here incase someone gets hurt,  you think he'd have any issue?

 

the article has Yantz saying thats what he was told after Walters told him he was better then all the american QB's they invited to the Florida mini camp and he would get a fair opportunity to compete in training camp. The impression i got from the TC reports was he was getting 1 or 2 reps, sometimes none at all during practices and clearly he felt "left in the dark" and it didnt matter what he did, he felt it was evident they knew what they were gonna do with him.

 

I understand the business side of it and it may (or may not) have ben the right call,  but how can you not get the kid more reps somewhere in those 2 a days. If they had told him from the get go your only coming here incase someone gets hurt,  you think he'd have any issue?

 

I guess Yantz should have stolen reps. like Johnny Adams did.  It seems like this was PR blunder that could have been averted through better communication and planning especially if it was intended to be a "feel-good" story from the start.  Once the FreeP and CJOB spread this story the majority of Bomber fans are going to see this as they portray it which is not favourable to the Bombers cause. 

clearly more the 0-3 throws a practice, which isnt absurd when your told you'd have a legitimate shot.  here's yants actual quote;

 

"Personally, from what (Blue Bomber GM) Kyle Walters said from the beginning is that I did have a legitimate shot," Yantz said. "Going through camp, I wasn't really involved. I was getting between one to three reps the entire practice - sometimes none. I was in the dark. I never knew what was going on. It kind of makes me think that the whole time i was there, it didn't really matter what I did. It goes back to me not getting any experience if I'm not in a position to gain it. I wasn't involved in any preseason games, so how could I gain any experience?"

 

Walters goes onto say it sucks he feels this way but end of the day he just wasnt good enough, 0-3 throws a practice is pretty small sample size imo

I'd have liked to see him get a real chance, not because he's canadian, but if he was the best QB in the mini camps beating the american QBs, and I've heard a lot of people praising the kids ability,  then i at least think he should have been challenging portis for the PR spot cuz I havent heard many good things about portis

The # of reps he was getting was only one part of camp.  Who knows how well (or poorly) he was doing in the drills or if he was having a tougher time than the others with the playbook.  All 4 of the other QB's were familiar with the offense from last year, maybe Yantz just couldn't catch up. 

 

The bottom line is that he came in as the 5th QB and left as the 5th QB.  He didn't do enough, from the coaches point of view, to earn more reps so he got what he got.  Those few extra reps went to Portis & Marve in the battle for the 3rd string spot... much more valuable (IMO) than giving them to a guy on the outside looking in.