1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

QB Rakeem Cato, Marshall (Class: 2015)

Discussion in 'NFL Draft Forum' started by ckparrothead, Oct 17, 2014.

  1. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    It is absolutely absurd that the NFL believes that they have 32 better 1st string quarterbacks, 32 better 2nd string quarterbacks, 32 better 3rd string quarterbacks, and even 32 better 4th string quarterbacks than Rakeem Cato. That's their message at the moment because every team has at least four quarterbacks heading into training camp, and Rakeem Cato has been left out.

    This guy broke Russell Wilson's college record for most consecutive FBS games with a TD pass. He shattered it, took it from 39 games to 46 games and it will probably never be broken. He goes to a league where the rules are completely different, he now has to dissect defenses that have 12 men on the field, he's got 3 days of sharing 1st string reps under his belt, and he goes out there and has one of the best debuts in CFL history.

    But there are 128 more valuable NFL quarterbacks than him. Idiots.
     
    Fin4Ever likes this.
  2. Clark Kent

    Clark Kent Fighter of the Nightman

    8,560
    4,133
    113
    May 9, 2008
    He's also 6', 190 lbs soaking wet, with accuracy issues beyond 5 yards. I've watched some Cato highlights in the CFL (including your youtube channel) and I'm not nearly as impressed w/him as you're. His debut was good but he threw WR screens and the vast majority of passes didn't go beyond 5 yards of the LOS. He's awesome when throwing underneath, can use his feet well enough, but his intermediate-deep throws aren't all that good. And the completions he's making beyond 5 yards aren't hitting his guys in stride with any consistency.

    Are there 128 better QB's than Cato? Probably not. Every stater in the NFL is. 1/2 the leagues backups probably are, maybe more. And if you're carrying a 3rd stringer, it's likely because their ceiling is higher. Cato has such an awesome story, I'm totally rooting for him in the CFL. I would root for him if he gets to the NFL. But he's a long shot to ever have a legit NFL career, even as a backup. I don't think he's got the body or arm. Heart and intelligence? In spades... almost everything else is questionable.
     
  3. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    Lots of things to address here.

    First off, where we agree. We can bandy about opinion stuff on where Rakeem Cato ranks among quarterbacks, etc. That's all eye of the beholder stuff. I try not to make too many wild statements that way because I prefer evidence-based arguments. The only claim I made this way was that if you take as an assumption that every team will bring around four arms to camp then currently the NFL is trying to say there are 128 (at least) quarterbacks they like better than Rakeem Cato, and that this is idiotic.

    Given your statement believing every starter and half the second stringers to be better than Cato, you're basically placing Rakeem inside or just outside the Top 50 and so it sounds like you'd find the idea that there are 128+ quarterbacks better than him to be just as absurd as I do. I think we agree on this. Personally I do believe there are starters out there worse than Cato, but I don't want to labor that point because it's so opinion-heavy.

    But there have been some claims made that are not so opinion-heavy, about Cato's accuracy down the field or "beyond 5 yards" as you put it. This is less an eye of the beholder thing and more a matter of evidence and context for the evidence. Unfortunately I don't believe the evidence from these CFL videos supports your assertion.

    You can't just make the claim, you've got to produce the evidence. And I don't just mean referring to incomplete passes. Once you've isolated a few incomplete passes you've also got to put those into a context because the quarterback position is very much a numbers game where everyone throws completions and everyone throws incompletions, and the key to success at the position is how often you do one versus the other.

    The classic mistake I believe you to be making is paying far too much attention to vertical distance as opposed to horizontal distance. You want passes that are more than 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage and consider those to be NFL caliber passes. You're not accounting for the width of the CFL field (it's nearly 200 feet wide as opposed to NFL and college fields being 160 feet wide).


    Accounting for TRUE Distance

    There are quite a few throws on those CFL tapes where Rakeem Cato is "only" throwing the ball 6 to 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, but the throw was actually very impressive as far as REAL distance is concerned.

    Here is really the perfect example of what I'm talking about:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzuyKutxjA#t=254

    You're going to talk about how this throw was only about 8 yards down the field, which is insignificant. Therefore it doesn't show his accuracy at distance. Except that this throw was opposite hash on a wide field, and so it actually covered about 34 yards in distance. The ball was smoking, perfect spin, hit the receiver perfectly in stride on the front shoulder, and actually qualifies as a distance that would be considered impressive even at the NFL level in terms of its pace/accuracy/distance. This is not an arguable point. I'm just speaking facts here.

    Another example, the very first throw of his very first game:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIBvDREuBk#t=0

    From the spot Cato releases this football to the spot the receiver catches it, that's a 24 yard throw on a rope and the ball is right out in front of the receiver where it should be. As I know throw distances very well, I know that's a straight up pro throw, and the ball sizzled on its way to that spot, was PERFECT in its spin and accuracy. But all certain people are going to see is that the throw went 6 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. To me, this is a silly argument. Distance is distance.

    More:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzuyKutxjA#t=274

    How "downfield" is this? Well it's only about 9-10 yards. But what distance did it actually cover on this wide CFL field? About 27-28 yards through the air. That's an NFL throw. And again, it had lots of pace, good spin, and perfect front shoulder accuracy.

    Look at this throw:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzuyKutxjA#t=541

    Cato has some good clips of him rolling to his left, and it is becoming somewhat of a signature skill for Rakeem. I've noticed it since college, most guys have a dropoff in accuracy/pace rolling left but he is just as good if not better. However, the above shows he can be dangerous rolling right as well. Vertical distance here was "only" about 19 yards but the true distance was about 26-27 yards, and he did it while rolling. Impressive throw.

    And one more:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIBvDREuBk#t=816

    This is only about 11 yards beyond the line of scrimmage but the throw itself had great pace and accuracy and was actually about 25-26 yards in flight.


    More Impressive? Or Identical?

    Continuing on this theme with how looks can be deceiving when all you're focusing on is the vertical distance ('downfield' nature) of the throws, let's take a look at four more successful throws:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIBvDREuBk#t=203
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzuyKutxjA#t=474
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIBvDREuBk#t=357
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIBvDREuBk#t=438

    Certain people are going to give Cato more credit for these throw because they were further beyond the line of scrimmage. One was 11 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, the second was 17 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, the touchdown came from 15 yards out and the fourth example was about 11 yards beyond the line. All of these are right in that middle-middle strike zone you see in the Pro Football Focus charts, and so there's the temptation to credit Cato with accuracy at pro distance beyond the line of scrimmage.

    But the actual distance on the first was about 21-22 yards, the second was about 25 yards, the touchdown was about 22 yards, and the fourth example was about 21 yards. These are decent distances and excellent throws in their own way due to various factors including anticipation, blitz recognition, accuracy, etc...however I think someone only paying attention to the field vertically would be tempted to give more credit to Cato than he deserves for these throws, especially relative to some of the throws I've just been talking about earlier.

    These were impressive throws, but no more impressive than the previous ones to the perimeter of the field. In fact those previous throws that "only" went about 5 to 8 yards beyond the line of scrimmage were often flat out more impressive in terms of distance, pace and accuracy.


    Now That's Just Showing Off

    Let's dig into some of his most impressive throws:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIBvDREuBk#t=82

    This is 27-28 yard throw, again on a rope, ball is whistling through the air and the spin is perfect. The ACCURACY was absolutely flawless, and yet Cato threw this sucker while rolling to his LEFT. A superb throw regardless of country or league. But certain people are going to take the flawed view, thinking this is only a 6 yard touchdown throw. They just don't understand the geometry and physics of it, IMO.

    And of course this throw is just SICK. Anyone who doesn't acknowledge that is kidding themselves:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzuyKutxjA#t=344

    This throw may "only" be a 20 yard touchdown, but the throw was 38 yards in distance, on a rope, to an EXACT correct spot where only the receiver has a chance at the ball (S.J. Green actually made the catch a lot more interesting by freezing his feet as he approached the ball instead of running through it some more as he had more real estate he could have used). Rakeem Cato again was rolling to his left as he threw this which makes it all the more impressive. The key on this is the pace on the ball and its low trajectory. There are guys in the NFL that don't achieve low trajectory at that distance (38 yards) from a stationary position inside the pocket, and Cato's doing it while rolling to his LEFT. That's just insane. One of the more impressive throws you'll see (if you know what you're seeing).


    Were the Misses Just Misses?

    But now let's look at some of his misses.

    I'm not sure you would classify these as "downfield" or not. They may be a certain distance beyond the line of scrimmage, however once again I have to point to the fact that the intended target was about 23 yards away in distance in the first one, and 25 yards away in the second one:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzuyKutxjA#t=0
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzuyKutxjA#t=245

    These aren't "downfield accuracy" problems. These are just a few missed throws. It happens. Quarterbacks complete about 60-65% of their passes. That means they miss throws. The best of them miss throws about 1 out of 5 and then the rest of the incompletions are accounted for by things like throwaways, being hit as he was thrown, drops, etc.


    The True "Downfield" Throw

    I assume this would be an example of one of the misses down the field that you would be referring to?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIBvDREuBk#t=220

    Cato clearly misses here, on what turns out to be about a 47-49 yard throw in distance. But the reasons for the miss are pretty important, too. To this point he had only worked with Fred Stamps (a 1st string wide receiver) for a total of three practices. Cato was the fourth stringer in training camp and was only elevated to SHARING 1st string reps during the week prior to this game. Stamps is running a complex route, post-corner concept. You've got to have chemistry with a receiver if you're going to know his timing and which spot he can get to on this route. Further, look at the replay and tell me what you see of Stamps's route quality. Didn't look very crisp to me. Looked like Stamps extended his route vertically hoping to find the ball in the air before he tagged into the corner part of the route, and by doing that he didn't end up getting wide enough. This is probably an issue where a quarterback and receiver are so unfamiliar with one another the receiver doesn't run his route with trust in the quarterback, wants to focus on seeing the ball and making the adjustment rather than running the route and trusting the quarterback to get it to the right spot.

    Why do I bring this up? Because you can compare and contrast with some later work between Rakeem Cato and Fred Stamps against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. At this point they've got their chemistry better and so they're making bigger plays.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzuyKutxjA#t=27 (big 41 yard throw to Stamps off the scramble while moving to his left, perfect accuracy)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzuyKutxjA#t=193 (big 53 yard throw to Stamps, excellent accuracy especially at that uncommon distance)

    In fact, in the sample of these two games, I believe there were a total of three "deep balls" thrown to receivers. He completed two of those three with very good throws, and the fourth featured a bit of bad chemistry with players that had hardly practiced together trying to execute a complex double-move.

    That's not 'decent'. That's actually good. Dolphins fans wish Tannehill would go 2 of 3 on passes like this.


    Accuracy in Context

    In these two games it is a fact that Rakeem Cato completed 43 of 59 (73% completion) throws, which means he missed on as many as 16 throws. But of course, he didn't really miss that many.

    Three of the incomplete throws were throwaways. Another the wide receiver slipped to the ground right while he needed to be breaking back to the football. One was a miscommunication off the scramble drill where a player started inside then stopped instead of continuing inside. Another missed throw wasn't really a miss at all as the receiver actually dug the ball off the turf during the scramble drill and replay showed it was a catch but the Als never challenged it.

    There were a number of drops/breakups where the ball got into the receiver's hands/body but were dropped or the DB reached in and broke it up. On some of these plays I think you would want to bring up that Cato threw the football a little behind the receiver on a crossing pattern.

    It's a fair point to bring up, but we have to keep something in mind here. Quarterbacks often intentionally throw inside to a receiver on a crossing pattern. They call it 'throttling down' the player and it's done because you're trying to lead him where the zone defenders are not. Sometimes it's clear Cato had no real reason to throttle down the receiver and he just threw a bit behind the guy, still catchable but making it a bit harder than he needed to. But then on a pair of other times (and let's face it we're only talking three or four total of these throws), Cato really was trying to lead the receiver to a specific place and they just didn't have the chemistry, which is completely understandable given Cato only came on in Week 2 of the CFL season and has single-digit practices under his belt as the starter.

    Overall the evidence just doesn't favor this argument that Cato isn't throwing NFL distances and showing accuracy at those distances. He's throwing NFL distance. That much is a fact. He's also showing superb accuracy at those distances with consistency. Another fact. I think you're getting too focused on vertical distance measurements as opposed to true distance measurements, and you're also getting distracted by screen and rollout passes which is not something I understand because an NFL team would be having a young quarterback throw a lot of screen and rollout passes as well.
     
    Fin4Ever, Clark Kent and dolfan32323 like this.
  4. Clark Kent

    Clark Kent Fighter of the Nightman

    8,560
    4,133
    113
    May 9, 2008
    Thanks for the write up. I can honestly say, I see things a differently after reading through it and having the visual evidence to double check/watch again. Watching Cato's highlights the first time through, I never considered or accounted for the horizontal differences between the fields. When I first saw you claim certain throws were 24-27 yards, despite having a shorter vertical depth, I was a bit skeptical. And even though I can't confidently say you're 100% correct in judging those distances, they do appear to accurate. At worst, very close to being accurate.

    Simply put, my eyes aren't trained enough to judge distances of the CFL field compared to an NFL field. I see that I was out of my depth in trying to critique his CFL game. After multiple re-watches, I definitely feel more impressed w/his arm. Especially in regards to accuracy, given the distances he's covering. Awesome post, thanks for writing it up.


    p.s. One thing you mentioned that I didn't comment about, but noticed immediately when watching Cato's highlights the first time through, is that nasty spiral. He gets a ton of rotation on the ball and the spirals come out perfect. And not just the bullets, but the passes requiring touch have good velocity too. It's impressive.
     
    Fin4Ever and ckparrothead like this.
  5. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    I tried hard not to be an ******* in that write-up and I apologize if I came off that way at all, by the way.
     
    Fin4Ever and Clark Kent like this.
  6. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    This is...I don't want to say it's new for him because I actually spent a section of some of my original write-up devoted specifically to his ball spin...but he's definitely achieving much better and more consistent spin thus far in the CFL. That's a good job noticing it, it's one of those finer points that can really delineate guys that are very good at what they do versus the guys that kind of flop around a bit.

    As for the throw distances, I'm fairly confident in them. You have to understand that for years I've been building scale NFL field graphics and dissecting video using very accurate landmarks and graphical measurement techniques to denote exact launch and catch points on throws. What I did for this analysis was a bit of a rushed job, which is way I had such a wide variance (saying 22 to 23 yards means I could be off by like 6 feet). Normally I use techniques that give me confidence to more within 1 to 2 feet. The reason I need that kind of hyper accuracy is because I do a lot of speed testing of quarterbacks' passes at certain depths. I've actually considered selling my work to NFL teams as I'm sure I could make five figures off it. But at this point I don't necessarily need the money or hassle THAT much. Plus these guys ought to be getting that data already.
     
    Fin4Ever likes this.
  7. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    As for the ball spin, as I said it's something he did pretty well in college, well enough that I created a section of specific instances where you could see great ball spin...but he's doing it more consistently in the CFL. As you said, on some of those CFL throws the ball spin was nasty as hell.

    Here are some examples from college, from the writeup in the original post of this thread:

    The gloves are key for him. When I see him play without the gloves, which I think happens sometimes in inclement weather, notable dropoff in his ball spin.
     
  8. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    It's actually pretty gratifying to look at the Alouettes depth chart and see Rakeem Cato as the #1 guy (and one of the hottest QBs in the league, was just voted 3rd in most outstanding CFL player for the month of July) while Brandon Bridge is #2 and now Anthony Boone gets signed on as a bottom guy.

    I think back to the Shrine Game where I couldn't believe they'd bring in a guy like Anthony Boone over Rakeem Cato. I think back to all the draft analysts who kept trying to put Brandon Bridge up near the top of the quarterbacks.

    EDIT: In interview Cato says he worked out with T.Y. Hilton during his bye week. Hmmm...
     
    Fin4Ever likes this.
  9. Clark Kent

    Clark Kent Fighter of the Nightman

    8,560
    4,133
    113
    May 9, 2008
    Not at all. You came across as someone who was thoroughly ready to break down my critique of Cato's CFL performance. Which I have to admit, looks very foolish in hindsight. The detailed breakdown, explanations, and videos to illustrate your argument was perfect. For example, I re-watched those youtube videos of Cato's CFL throws on your channel, and one image immediately stood out to me. I had to laugh to and at myself for the oversight in not accounting for the CFL field width.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIBvDREuBk#t=82

    From the start of the video (1 sec mark), this is a perfect view of the CFL football field. Look at how monstrously big that field is... A wide angle shot, showing all the players on the field, and the camera operator can't even fit the sidelines in the frame... Now that I'm watching those CFL videos w/a new perspective, I see just how impressive Cato's arm (strength and accuracy) really is. Even a throw from dead center of the field to the parameter is an extra "short range" pass in itself. And I watched those spiral videos you posted @ Marshall right after. It really brings home just how big the CFL field is in comparison. I was absolutely wrong about Cato's arm strength being NFL borderline.


    Yeah, I remember watching some Cato highlights of his Jr. and Sr. year around the time you first made this thread. They're highlight video's, not meant for real critiquing, but I did notice a bunch of "wobbly winners." His throws in CFL (so far) look absolutely more consistent in regards to tight spirals. That's one of the reasons his spirals stood out to me. I forgot to ask, but it got me wondering... What's are some (if any) differences between the CFL football and NFL footballs? I've never thrown or seen a CFL football in person.

    As far as the gloves go, is that something that should be a legit concern? Not just for Cato, but any QB? I haven't seen him play in bad weather or w/o them, so I can't really say if it's an issue or not. I remember Bridgewater's pro day w/o gloves was a bit erratic. Kurt Warner talked about his transition to wearing gloves full-time after he broke his finger (or was it his hand?). Warner felt that he lost grip strength after his injury and wearing gloves remedied that. In fact, I suspect the NFL's newest obsession w/hand size and QB's is largely irrelevant. Grip strength is far more important. PLenty of QB's w/small-average hand size can sling it with anyone. See Aaron Rodger (9.35") and Vick (8.5") as exhibits A and B. Peyton has transitioned to gloves too. In fact, if you watch this video of his 55 TD season...

    http://www.nfl.com/videos/denver-broncos/0ap2000000258606/Peyton-s-55

    There's a big difference in his spirals. The first 1/3 of the video feat. Peyton without gloves. A lot of fluttering passes. It's amazing how accurate he is considering the relationship to accuracy and spirals. There's a striking difference in the last 2/3 of the video w/gloves. A lot more spirals.
     
    ckparrothead likes this.
  10. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    Damn. I never thought about the football itself possibly being different.

    https://cfldb.ca/faq/equipment/

    It appears that the differences are pretty minimal. The short circumference is 20.9 to 21.1 inches, whereas in the NFL it's 21.0 to 21.3 inches. So there's the possibility that a CFL ball coming in at the low end of the range would be 3/8ths of an inch skinnier so to speak. But the CFL balls at the high end of the range could be 1/8th of an inch fatter than NFL balls.

    I guess there's a persistent myth that the CFL ball is bigger but this hasn't been true in 30 years. Differences in coloring and stripes continue to give the impression.

    The bigger difference now that you look at it is really the NCAA ball versus the NFL ball. The length of an NCAA ball used by one team could end up more than half an inch longer than a ball used by another team. It's one thing if a circumference is off by 3/8ths of an inch, but the length of the ball being off by half an inch?
     
  11. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    The gloves thing, I'm not sure it's that much of an issue. I think it's only an issue if you're dealing with rain and a slick ball. Some quarterbacks don't like not being able to feel the level of wetness on the ball, which helps them adjust how they're handling it and throwing it.

    I think Big Ben throws with a glove too. You're right though there seems to be marked improvement in the spin of guys that throw with the glove. I don't know why teams would shy away from it.
     
    Fin4Ever and Clark Kent like this.
  12. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    Nice start to the rematch against the Grey Cup champs. Cato is 6 of 8 for 106 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. One of the incompletes was a rookie WR running to the wrong spot when they needed to get to the sticks on 2nd down to convert. The rookie was getting correction on the sidelines. Not something I'd call Cato's fault as he was throwing for the sticks.

    I expect an INT before the game is through. Calgary is a tough D and one thing I know about Cato is he does throw picks from time to time.

    Als started off hot on a 17-0 run thanks to a punt return TD by Stefan Logan. Remember him? Former Dolphin and Buc. The wide CFL field suits him so well as a return man, he's really very, very good up there. Stampeders fought back and got a TD so we will see. Oops, now another one, lol. 17-14 close game.
     
  13. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    There's the interception. Not a bad one. Second down, scrambling under pressure and trying to make something of nothing, he goes super deep to Samuel Giguere in single coverage. Giguere was pretty well covered and I think Cato knew it so he threw it pretty far out there. Giguere actually pulled up instead of running it out and playing defense, which is kind of crappy. The CB ran it out and pulled off a diving pick. It was basically a punt. A punt would've been coming on third down anyway.

    Nice story about Cato going back home to Liberty City during the bye week, bringing his sister to school one day and being met with a standing ovation. Local hero from an area that is as much a war zone as many places in the third world.

    I've defended Cato's accuracy for good reason as his accuracy through three games was stellar, but he's having some legit accuracy issues in the second quarter. Managing the game very well though which is one of those things that surprises you about a rookie, especially trying to absorb a new game.
     
  14. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    Wow. What should have been a go ahead TD turned into a turnover on the goal line. Unbelievable. Great play by Cato, vintage keeping his eyes up the field while scrambling and finding a guy wide open that nearly scored, but the guy took a little contact and lost the ball.
     
  15. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    Man, it's interesting how a storybook start to Cato's CFL career has turned into tumult.

    Defenses started to get a better read on Cato but that still wasn't too much of a problem. Turk Schonert's play calling was probably more of a problem, as it just wasn't compatible with the CFL rhythm.

    But then suddenly after a win, the GM of the Alouettes fired Head Coach Tom Higgins. No idea why. Turk Schonert was taken away from QB Coach duties, put in the booth as the play caller. Anthony Calvillo (their CFL legend quarterback, kind of like the Montreal equivalent of Dan Marino) was taken from WR Coach to QB Coach. Popp has a long relationship with Calvillo, as Popp has been the GM of the Alouettes forever and has sometimes been their head coach as well (and is now once again, in place of the fired Higgins).

    Cato played well in the next game but took a hip pointer midway through the game (after going 4 of 7 for 115 yards and 1 TD). His backup Tanner Marsh came on and went 11 of 18 for 99 yards and 1 INT but also ran 7 times for 18 yards and a crucial TD to win the game against a tough opponent.

    The following week of practice, Cato was scheduled to see a doctor about his hip in the morning, but the team decided to have him practice in the morning and reschedule the appointment to later that afternoon. Then the next day, Cato wasn't there at practice. He flew back home to Miami for a "family emergency". The team said they expect him to come back Tuesday night or maybe Wednesday, that he wouldn't start the Thursday game against British Columbia but they expected him to play. Then all the sudden Cato is staying down in Miami, he got a pass from the coaches to stay away from the game and stay home dealing with whatever the "family emergency" is.

    Tanner Marsh threw FIVE picks during the British Columbia game (and had a sixth turnover beside) and they lost the game. The next day, Jim Popp fired Turk Schonert and elevated Anthony Calvillo (recently elevated from WR Coach to QB Coach) now to offensive coordinator/play-caller.

    The Alouettes are on bye week this week and the current word is Rakeem Cato is expected back after the bye. I'm hoping nothing too bad is going on with his family. He lost his mother at 13 years old to pneumonia and he's never really had much relationship with his father who was in prison for most of his formative years. He was raised by a bunch of people but I believe he has an uncle he credits with helping raise him as a kid after his mother died. He also has kids though so I'm hoping nothing is wrong with them as that would be beyond tragic.
     
  16. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    My man fights on, overcoming the odds yet again. Of course, he also put himself behind the 8-ball so there's that.

    Let's recap his topsy-turvy professional career.

    01. Rakeem Cato goes undrafted
    02. He tries out with the Browns, who traditionally have like a billion rookies tryout during rookie mini camp and rarely sign any of them. He doesn't get signed.
    03. Cato signs with the Montreal Als up in Canada.
    04. Brandon Bridge was drafted by the Als same year. Bridge was a darling of various draftniks because of his size, speed and arm strength, and he's also a born Canadian which made him very attractive to the CFL.
    05. Either way, the starter was to be Jonathan Crompton, who didn't necessarily have a great year the year before but they won a lot of games with him at the helm and made a comeback for the playoffs.
    06. Dan LeFevour is second on the depth chart. Cato battles Bridge for the 3rd job, and coaches refuse to declare a winner
    07. In game one, Crompton gets hurt, then LeFevour gets hurt, and Bridge went in the game. So Cato was basically 4th on the depth chart.
    08. By the end of game two, he's ONE on the depth chart. He had a magical game. CFL analysts around the league are speculating Cato is going to be the next great CFL QB. Bridge is an afterthought.
    09. Cato does OK in his subsequent games, but not as well as initially. They still had confident in him but they recognize that rookie QBs generally don't do well adapting to the CFL game.
    10. The Als fire their head coach and their GM takes over.
    11. Cato hurts his hip. He's supposed to show up to the doctor and is a no-show. There's a family emergency in Miami. Someone died, no word who. He's given a pass to be down there.
    12. The Als keep estimating when Cato is supposed to be back, and missing that mark. Cato is staying down way longer than the Als had in mind. He's not taking the death in the family well. He's seen too much death.
    13. By the time he comes back, the Als are already hedging QB bets and other guys are playing. Cato is benched.
    14. The Als trade for 15-year CFL veteran QB Kevin Glenn. He does well for the rest of the season.
    15. The Als bring in every quarterback under the friggin sun. Brandon Bridge is back. They sign Tajh Boyd. They have Kevin Glenn.
    16. Rakeem Cato exacerbates his problems by nearly showing up to camp late because his backpack was stolen while he worked out at a Miami high school. In the backpack? His PASSPORT.
    17. Oh, and then the Als trade a 1st round pick for VERNON ADAMS.
    18. At this point people are arguing Cato may even be 7th on the depth chart. He's definitely behind Glenn, Bridge, Boyd and now Adams. They had nearly 10 quarterbacks on roster.
    19. There are reports that Cato could be one of a bunch of veterans released soon, after trading for Adams.
    20. Then there is a rumor that the Als were about to trade Cato to the Toronto Argonauts, but the trade fell through for some reason.
    21. Somehow, he stuck on roster.
    22. Somehow, he's outplaying Brandon Bridge in camp.
    23. Somehow, he's outplaying Vernon Adams in camp.
    24. The Als praise his determination in a situation where all odds were against him, give him preseason playing time.
    25. He outplays arguably every quarterback on roster in the Als two preseason games.

    And just like that, Rakeem Cato is declared #2 on the depth chart, behind a 16-year veteran who will doubtless be pulled from the game in various situations because the Alouettes are considered to be in rebuilding mode. He goes from 4th or 5th on the depth chart in 2015 to being "the next big thing" in the CFL. Then personal tragedy strikes, de-rails him, and he's arguably 7th on the depth chart on a team that wants to give every imaginable opportunity to the likes of Vernon Adams and Brandon Bridge...and he beats them for the #2 spot. And he will doubtless be playing in games again this year.

    Still rooting for him.

    EDIT: Second game of the season, Cato is already on the field. Brandon Bridge was on the field in the first game but only as the short yardage back (they use a lot of QB sneaks on 3rd & Short and in goal line). That's not nor has it been since 2015 the role Cato plays because he's way too tiny. In the second game they put Cato on the field for a series and he completed two balls for 19 yards and had a 9 yard scramble to end the 1st quarter, before giving the ball back to Kevin Glenn at the start of the 2nd quarter with a 1st & 10 at the Ottawa 25 yard line. Very successful outing and it makes you wonder how long before they start looking at Cato as an option to jump start the offense.
     
  17. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

    79,599
    159,162
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    Sure enough. Starter Kevin Glenn hasn't practiced for Montreal the last two days, Rakeem Cato been taking the starter reps in his place. I guess the starters roster gets locked in on Wednesday and so if Glenn can't go by then, we'll be seeing Cato play for the Als on Friday night.
     
  18. shamegame13

    shamegame13 Madison & Surtain

    3,451
    903
    113
    Dec 15, 2014
    Any updates?


    EDIT: I just went to his Wikipedia and it looks like he has been out of football but he just signed with the Richmond Roughriders of the AAL... not all hope is lost... let’s go Rakeem!
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2017

Share This Page