Danny McManus

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Which CFL team do you most associate Danny McManus with?

Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1990 – 1992
0
No votes
BC Lions 1993 – 1995
2
18%
Edmonton Eskimos 1996 – 1997
0
No votes
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 1998 – 2005
9
82%
Calgary Stampeders 2006
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 11
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Robbie
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Inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2011: http://www.cfhof.ca/page/dmcmanus

His CFHOF video clip:
[video][/video]

It took him over five years before he finally won the respect of his teams and became a full-time starter in 1995, and arguably he turned out to be a much better QB than the quarterbacks who were the starters in each of those five season. And all but one of them are unlikely going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was privileged to win his Grey Cup in 1990, backing up Tom Burgess. Despite the huge win in the 1990 GC, I don't think most CFL fans including Bombers fans would consider Burgess as legendary and it's doubtful if he will be inducted. In his last season as a Bomber in 1992, he backed up hall of famer and legend Matt Dunigan. But in the most important game, the 1992 Grey Cup, Dunigan was totally ineffective after three quarters by not scoring any points and only 47 yards passing. McManus was put into action in the fourth quarter and managed to put up 10 points but it was too little too late. It was a very smart move by the Lions to sign up as a free agent in 1993, but still he was regulated as a backup to Danny Barrett, despite the huge frustration that the Lions fans felt in not replacing Doug Flutie. McManus started three games in 1993 and won all three, but coach Dave Ritchie made the wrong decision in starting Barrett in the 1993 WDSF. The defence did its job in constraining Flutie and the Stampeders to only 17 points, but Barrett and the offence could only put up 9 points. I'm sure McManus could have put on more points than Barrett did. We all know about 1994 so I won't go into too much detail other than repeating what I said several times before, Kent Austin was the starter for most of the games. Maybe after a learned lesson from a year ago, coach Ritchie was smarter this time and started McManus in the 1994 WDSF. That said, it was good for both McManus and Austin to back each other up as each starting QB became injured in all three playoff games. He had a good first season as a starter in 1995 with 4,655 yards, second most in the league but a mediocre defence costed the team playoff success again.

Of all the threads about McManus as a Lion, the general consensus among Lions fans as they consider him good, but not their top, best, and favourite Lion QB. Maybe that's why there wasn't any backlash or lamenting after McManus was lost as a free agent to Edmonton in March 1996, unlike four years ago in which there was so much backlash over the loss of Doug Flutie. And perhaps after the 1995 season there were already many departures in terms of the owner, GM, and head coach then losing the QB and best WR was rather routine. The 1996 starting QB Andre Ware was ineffective before legend Damon Allen was signed. But given the fact that most people found him frustrating and also didn't really deliver until 2.5 years later in 1999 when the team finally finished first in the west, it's probably fair to say McManus was more well-liked than Allen. Especially since McManus immediately took the Eskimos to a GC appearance and then with Hamilton, had many more productive seasons with a MOP and GC MVP.

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A young McManus in 1987 as a Florida State college player.
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祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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cromartie
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1994 notwithstanding, I'll always remember him from his days in the Hammer.
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Toppy Vann
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, Kent Austin was the starter for most of the games. Maybe after a learned lesson from a year ago, coach Ritchie was smarter this time and started McManus in the 1994 WDSF. That said, it was good for both McManus and Austin to back each other up as each starting QB became injured in all three playoff games. He had a good first season as a starter in 1995 with 4,655 yards, second most in the league but a mediocre defence costed the team playoff success again.[quote][/quote]

Not sure if this was the reason as well as the performance of McManus in the WDF that led to the start in the GC back in BC.
Austin was hurt in the WDF in Calgary. That you tube video on that fantastic finish shows Austin post game walking off with a trainer (?) with what IIRC was a separated shoulder.

Again, McManus moving around is part of the CFL problem with the money available to pay players.

Flutie left for the money to the Stamps and on and on it goes in the CFL. Some choose to stay in one place and not move for $$$ but others move on. Milt Stegall, Charles Roberts (until traded), and Ricky Ray (until traded) haven't looked elsewhere for the $$$ but many do and did.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
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Robbie
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Toppy Vann wrote:Not sure if this was the reason as well as the performance of McManus in the WDF that led to the start in the GC back in BC. Austin was hurt in the WDF in Calgary.
Your statement about GC back in BC is confusing. Just as an FYI:

1994 WDSF - McManus started, got injured, Austin finished.
1994 WDF - Austin started, got injured, McManus finished.
1994 GC - Austin started, got injured, McManus finished.

Given Austin's good relief job in the 1994 WDSF to push the Lions downfield and allow Lui to make his game winning FG in a 24-23 win as well as a decent 11-6-1 regular season, I've stated many times that Austin was way too underrated and underappreciated in his single season as a Lion.
cromartie wrote:1994 notwithstanding, I'll always remember him from his days in the Hammer.
Toppy Vann wrote:Again, McManus moving around is part of the CFL problem with the money available to pay players.
Flutie left for the money to the Stamps and on and on it goes in the CFL.
But here's one BIG difference between Doug Flutie and Danny McManus with regards to them leaving BC.

When Doug Flutie left BC for Calgary, that really haunted the Lions as in the four years that Flutie was a Stampeder in 1992-1995, Flutie and company easily dominated and disposed of the Lions in every regular season game and the 1993 WDSF, with the 1994 WDF the only exception.

Whereas the same thing could not be same about Danny McManus and his eight year reign in Hamiton from 1998-2005. In the 16 games played between the Lions and the Tiger-Cats during those eight seasons, the Lions won 12 of them. So with the Tiger-Cats winning only 4 out of 16 games against the Lions, it's fair to say McManus did not haunt the Lions the same way Flutie did.

The two teams never met in the Grey Cup during that period. The Lions came close in 1999 but the Stampeders edged them out in the WDF before the lost to the Tiger-Cats in the GC 32-21. One is left to wonder had it been the Lions against McManus and the Tiger-Cats in the 1999 GC, then could the Lions have pulled a victory? I'd say likely given the fact that the Lions won both regular season games against Hamilton.
Last edited by Robbie on Thu May 31, 2012 8:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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Toppy Vann
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Austin won his second Grey Cup in 1994 with the British Columbia Lions, starting the 82nd Grey Cup but being replaced at halftime by Danny McManus due to an injury. McManus would lead the Lions to a win on a last-second field goal.
Wiki

You're right. I just assumed the post before me was right.

I still love to watch Almo's You tube of the final drive in that WDF. To me that is some of the most exciting football espec. given the cold.

"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
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cromartie
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Whereas the same thing could not be same about Danny McManus and his eight year reign in Hamiton from 1998-2005. In the 16 games played between the Lions and the Tiger-Cats during those eight seasons, the Lions won 12 of them. So with the Tiger-Cats winning only 4 out of 16 games against the Lions, it's fair to say McManus did not haunt the Lions the same way Flutie did.
And had Damon Allen not thrown a shovel pass directly to Joe Monteford in the 2001 season opener that was returned for A TD, it would have been 3 out of 16. But who's bitter about that now, anyway? :)

That said, Mac became pretty predictable later in his career. He had an extremely quick release, one of the quickest I remember. However, offensively, he was throwing at whatever his first read was come heck or high water. Guess correctly and he was pretty easy to contain. Hence the reason so many of his drives would stall around the 20 yard line and Osbaldiston would have to come in and kick the field goal.
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