“Why don’t I start, that’ll make it easy.”
With those words Toronto Argonauts Head Coach Marc Trestman began his session with the media following Sunday’s walkthrough.
That’s not the norm. The standard operating procedure is for the coach to answer questions from the media without making an opening statement. It was obvious Trestman was about to say something of note.
“I just want to let you know, we’re going to make a quarterback change,” he continued, “We’re going to let McLeod play this week.”
There it was. A difficult decision had been made and was now in the public domain. McLeod Bethel-Thompson, in his second season as an Argo, would get the start against Ottawa on Thursday night.
“We’ve had a month to assess James,” explained the coach. “We feel very good about his future, we really do, but we said it was going to be a competition and I also wanted to give McLeod a chance.”
Trestman has been consistent in his stance on that issue all season. He proclaimed Ricky Ray as the starter before training camp opened and said Franklin would have to beat out Bethel-Thompson for the backup job. He also said when Ray was hurt it was a virtual coin flip as to who would be the starter, the two QBs were that close together on the depth chart.
The move comes in the wake of the Argos 40-14 loss in Winnipeg, a game where Franklin threw three interceptions. The performance certainly gave the staff ample reason to make the switch. Since stepping in for the injured Ray, Franklin has thrown one touchdown pass against six interceptions.
However, the decision was not made in haste after Friday night’s loss. The head coach practiced what he preaches and followed a process.
“It was after a good night’s sleep,” Trestman said of the timing of his decision to make the move. “Evaluating the film, having a discussion with our coaches. You never want to be reactive with any decision and all decisions have magnitude to them.”
Bethel-Thompson may not have the game reps, but he has the skill set. That hasn’t been lost on James Wilder, the man who will line up next to him when the Argos are in the pistol formation.
“He has a cannon,” said Wilder. “He throws bullets, he’s very accurate, he’s mobile as well.”
The physical skills are apparent. It’s what’s not seen by the public that impresses the head coach as much as anything.
“What you don’t see is the tireless preparation,” Trestman said of Bethel-Thompson. “He’s the first man in every day, he’s the last man off the field every day in practice. He’s committed to the game and committed to this football team.”
Also out of the view of fans are the meetings. For a student of the game like Bethel-Thompson it’s an opportunity to learn the nuances of the position from Trestman, Offensive Coordinator Tommy Condell, Quarterbacks Coach Anthony Calvillo and Ray.
“He’s always asking questions, good questions,” said Trestman. “He’s deeply involved in the science of the game. He’s been a joy to coach. I think we’re all excited to see what he has to offer on Thursday night.”
Last year Bethel-Thompson was able to feed his football hunger under the guidance of Trestman, Ray and then Offensive Coordinator Marcus Brady. This year he’s also been able to pick the brain of Calvillo, who like Ray, is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the CFL.
“It’s been great,” said Bethel-Thompson of working with A.C., “Just having that level of experience between Ricky and him. They’re played so many games, they’ve seen so many things. That’s the one thing I don’t have. I feel like I have everything physically and mentally, but I don’t have the experience and that’s been my Achilles heel my entire career.”
Wilder said that after watching the game film against Winnipeg he feels the offence is closer to getting back on track than one may think. He also believes this move may help find that missing spark.
“He maybe adds a different element to the game,” said the running back of his new QB. “It could help with our offence. With the change it’s not just one person, it’s not just James why we have these ails. It’s all of us together and every last person on the offence will say that, but with this change we’re going to rally around him and see what he can do.”
Bethel-Thompson isn’t well known to many Argo fans yet, but he has a Canadian connection. He grew up in San Francisco and attended Sacramento State, the same school that produced Ricky Ray, but the QB said his first name has direct roots to the Great White North.
“It’s my great-great grandmother’s name, who was actually from Ontario,” said the QB as he explained why he was named McLeod. “Christina McLeod was her maiden name and she married a bridge builder and they built bridges across Canada. My mom, when she was up here for the pre-season game, she went to see a church in Northern Ontario that he built.”
This McLeod now has a Canadian connection and also wants to build something, a career as the Argos starting quarterback. He’ll get his chance to lay the foundation this Thursday against Ottawa.