Vanstone: Criticism of Cody Fajardo is unrelenting and unfair


Cody Fajardo is the latest in a series of Roughriders franchise quarterbacks to be unceasingly picked apart by the public.

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Cody Fajardo is taking a beating. On top of that, he is being pounded by snorting, salivating members of the opposition.

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Seemingly oblivious to the evident reality that Fajardo is routinely being fed to rival pass rushers, some Saskatchewan Roughriders fans are nonetheless teeing off on a starting quarterback who should be celebrated instead of excoriated.

This is a recording.

A broken record, actually.

It didn’t matter if the quarterback boasted a scroll of CFL records — as did Ron Lancaster for a considerable portion of his illustrious tenure as the Roughriders’ primary pivot.

Shamefully, some dissatisfied customers saw fit to boo Lancaster during his final appearance as a player at Taylor Field.

Such is life in the football fishbowl — into which some dim-witted detractor is inevitably inclined to insert a hair-curler.

Just ask Kent Austin — the second person, after Lancaster, to quarterback Saskatchewan to a Grey Cup victory.

Austin threw for 474 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Roughriders to a 43-40 conquest of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 1989 league final. Over the following four seasons, he threw for an eye-popping, 20,720 yards and 125 touchdowns.

And what was the response to the most brilliant aerial attack anyone around here will ever witness?

Austin was sliced and diced by the alleged World’s Greatest Fans (trademark registered).

“Saskatchewan Roughriders fans are spoiled,” I opined in the Nov. 7, 1993 edition of the Regina Sun. “That is evident by the unfair treatment Kent Austin has received during the 1993 CFL season.

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“Austin, as is his custom, has passed for over 30 touchdowns and 5,000 yards. He guided a team with a refurbished offensive line to an 11-7 record.

“But, for some reason, Austin’s play has been widely criticized. Fans have booed Austin. Other blowhards have phoned open-line shows to complain that his understudy, Warren Jones, isn’t utilized more frequently.

“All Austin has done is rack up consistently gaudy statistics — and, better yet, victories.”

By the time that column was published, Austin had already played his final home game as a Roughrider. He demanded a trade shortly after the 1993 season and his wishes were accommodated over the winter.

The aerial arsenal was grounded until 2000, when Henry Burris arrived in the Queen City. Sure enough, he eventually felt the wrath of the fans. The more things change …

Austin returned to Regina in December of 2006, when he was named the Roughriders’ head coach.

Earlier that year, Kerry Joseph had heard from some discontented denizens of Rider Nation. A “Rocky! Rocky!” chant was audible as a few leather-lunged loyalists lobbied for Joseph to be replaced by Rocky Butler.

The next year, Joseph piloted Saskatchewan to a championship. For good measure, he was named the CFL’s most outstanding player in 2007.

Darian Durant was the triumphant quarterback six years later as the Roughriders registered a 45-23 Grey Cup victory over the visiting Tiger-Cats.

The moment was especially sweet for Durant in light of the torrent of criticism he had absorbed.

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The case of Durant should serve as a lesson for everyone. But, alas, the Roughriders’ No. 1 quarterback is being taken for granted once again.

It doesn’t matter that the Roughriders’ offensive line is a sieve, as was also the case for a painfully protracted portion of last season.

It doesn’t matter that the Roughriders have won 24 of the 35 regular-season or playoff games that Fajardo has started.

The bleating continues.

Fajardo is being roasted on Twitter, on open-mouth shows, and in a variety of messages that have appeared in this scribbler’s overloaded inbox.

He is, of course, fair game for criticism. And it does come with the territory, along with a salary in the range of $500,000 per annum. Nice work, that.

All that being noted, one is left to wish that perspective was being exercised as strenuously as the vocal chords.

Here is an all-encompassing list of all the Saskatchewan quarterbacks who have been named a CFL all-star, post-Lancaster: Austin (1990), Joseph (2007), Fajardo (2019). Period.

Fajardo was also decorated as the West Division’s most outstanding player in 2019 — back when, you know, he had the benefit of reliable pass protection.

Compare that to Thursday, when the visiting Roughriders erupted for 13 points while holding the Montreal Alouettes to 37.

Montreal sacked Saskatchewan’s quarterbacks — Fajardo and understudy Mason Fine — eight times.

That was the highest total for a Roughriders opponent since Aug. 30, 2015, when Brett Smith and Tino Sunseri were felled a combined 10 times during a 35-13 loss to the host Ottawa Redblacks.

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Roughriders head coach Corey Chamblin and general manager Brendan Taman were sacked the next day, the team’s descent to 0-9 having served as the last straw for first-year president-CEO Craig Reynolds.

The 2015 season had begun on an ominous note when Durant suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon shortly before halftime in Week 1. Durant had previously suffered a season-ending injury, to his right elbow, in Saskatchewan’s 10th game of the 2014 campaign.

The grim aftermath of both injuries to Durant served to underline his importance to the team.

Durant was often taken for granted when he was in the lineup. In his absence, the Roughriders were routinely excruciating to watch.

Sort of like Thursday’s game, such as it was.

Since then, various armchair analysts have weighed in on Fajardo.

His deep passing has been questioned. For a diversion, his short passing has been questioned. And how about his presence in the pocket?

One emailer kindly passed along the suggestion that the Roughriders create some competition at the all-important quarterbacking position by bringing in (wait for it) Johnny Manziel.

Yes, dear reader, it has come to this.

Anyone for another Vince Young comeback?

Here’s the thing: Fajardo won’t always unfurl the prettiest spirals or the longest passes. He will seldom sport the juiciest stats.

Even in 2019, when he was an all-star and an awards finalist, he threw an unremarkable 18 touchdown passes.

Joe (747) Adams and Reggie Slack each had superior single-season TD-pass totals (19) in Green and White. Nealon Greene peaked at 20.

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Fajardo cannot be fairly appraised by relying on numbers, or even aesthetics. Intangibles also enter the equation. He is at his best with a game on the line, when his resourcefulness and sheer will to win can (and often do) make a difference.

The high likelihood is that Fajardo will never throw 21 touchdown passes in a span of six games, as Austin did in 1991.

But the two quarterbacks are comparable in that there is, and was, an obvious lack of appreciation.

“You don’t know what you’ve got until he’s gone” was certainly pertinent to Austin, in whose absence the Roughriders’ once-potent aerial attack was quickly grounded.

Austin’s single-game high for touchdown passes: Six — a franchise record.

The 1996 Roughriders’ leader in touchdown passes: Jimmy Kemp, with six.

Those were the days, remember, when the Roughriders were absolutely starved for a quarterback. Kemp, Jones, Kevin Mason, Heath Rylance and Marvin Graves all saw time behind centre.

And here we are, all these years later, and people are grumbling about Cody Fajardo.

It is more embarrassing, and conceivably more detrimental to the Roughriders’ cause, than the myriad misadventures in Montreal.

[email protected]

twitter.com/robvanstone

The sports world is ever-changing, as are the times. Supplement your steady diet of sports coverage by subscribing to the Regina Leader-Post’s 306 Sports Fix newsletter. Each week, sports editor Rob Vanstone will provide additional commentary on the Roughriders, Pats and other teams/sports of interest, along with a peek behind the curtain. Click here to subscribe.

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