Shea Patterson to Saskatchewan

Submitted by GoBlue96 on February 13th, 2023 at 12:34 PM

 

Shea Patterson has been around the block once or twice since his time in Ann Arbor. And even before that.

The former five-star who won the MVP of the 2016 Army All-American Bowl got his start at Ole Miss before transferring to Michigan football two years later. He never quite reached the height of his fame on the field and ultimately went undrafted, signing a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs out of college. That didn’t stick, and he headed to the CFL where he played for the Montreal Alouettes. He had a stint in the startup, The Spring League, and then was the first overall draft pick by the expansion USFL league, first starting with the Michigan Panthers before being traded to the New Orleans Breakers.

Now Patterson is on the move again, heading back to the Canadian Football League, as he was signed on Monday by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/2023/02/13/former-michigan-qb-shea-patterson-signs-with-new-cfl-team/?taid=63ea739fb425700001c56387&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

https://twitter.com/sskroughriders/status/1625155706566623233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1625155706566623233%7Ctwgr%5Ee9aec012256bbb71ac80a2d30ef2f3e4c598b76c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwolverineswire.usatoday.com%2F2023%2F02%2F13%2Fformer-michigan-qb-shea-patterson-signs-with-new-cfl-team%2F

 

MGlobules

February 13th, 2023 at 2:44 PM ^

Looks more fun? When I was in boarding school, it was something of a tradition to take LSD and a bucket of balls onto the course once fall came and the team finished, and just smack them around until you couldn't control your limbs anymore. Then you had to find your way back to the dorms from the seventh-eighth hole, whatever. 

Joined: 11/17/2008

MGoPoints: 47682

stephenrjking

February 13th, 2023 at 12:44 PM ^

It's actually pretty tough to break through as a consistent CFL starting QB, and it's a great job if you can get it. Saskatchewan's starter is Cody Fajardo, a Nevada product I don't know much about and haven't seen, but he's right in the middle of the pack of CFL QBs in stats. Doesn't get as much use as a Zach Collaros or Mcleod Bethel-Thompson, but pretty good completion percentages and ratings numbers.

The Riders have like four or five QBs currently on their roster, so Shea's challenge right now is to just make the team as a backup. If he catches on, though, there's at least an opportunity to grow and perhaps scratch out a career in Canada, if he's good enough. His style is certainly transferrable up there. I wish him luck. 

Joined: 03/15/2012

MGoPoints: 20143928

NittanyFan

February 13th, 2023 at 12:49 PM ^

The "Status: American" cracks me up ........ but it is important, the CFL puts a cap on how many Americans a team can have (they also have to have a minimum number of Canadians).

Joined: 12/04/2012

MGoPoints: 43109

MaizeGVBlue

February 13th, 2023 at 1:01 PM ^

https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/analysis-of-average-salaries-in-cfl-and-how-management-of-salaries-affect-roster-depth-for-cfl-teams/#:~:text=The%20average%20salary%20of%20the,%24400%2C000%20for%20the%202022%20season.

 

Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Roughriders seem to approach roster building using a strategy similar to Calgary. Saskatchewan carried 78 players on their 2022 roster. The highest-paid player was quarterback Cody Fajardo who got paid $467,000 for the 2022 season. This resulted in the average Roughrider getting paid $64,250 for the season. This implies that the Roughriders were predicting injury issues, and felt the answer was to insulate their roster with a large number of average-quality players

Joined: 11/27/2017

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Blake Forum

February 13th, 2023 at 1:20 PM ^

Best of luck to him. He's caught a ton of flack from Michigan fans over the past few years, a lot of it frankly deserved. But it shows some gumption that he's stuck with pro football despite a lack of NFL interest. Hope he makes Michigan proud up North

Joined: 07/20/2020

MGoPoints: 22184

Hotel Putingrad

February 13th, 2023 at 3:08 PM ^

I always liked him. He was an above average quarterback overall. The golf stuff may have been true but knowing what we now know about Gattis, I'm not surprised he wanted to get away from football in the off-season.

Michigan's roster and staff had all sorts of issus when he was here. A bowl win would've been nice, but at least he never lost to Staee.

 

Joined: 12/10/2014

MGoPoints: 212158

Brian Griese

February 13th, 2023 at 4:29 PM ^

I think, to be fair to Shea, my recollection of him is this:

Unfair Criticisms

  • Didn’t make himself a 5 star to recruiting services - this was way off base. Derrick Green and Shea are the two most puzzling Michigan recruits I have ever seen that got 5 stars. Shea wasn’t tall, wasn’t built like a truck, was a plus athlete but not Denard and didn’t have a cannon. How on earth does a QB just based on that get 5 stars?
  • Some fans still think QB’s win and lose games on their own. Shea wasn’t great but with Don Brown’s miserable schemes against OSU I don’t think we had a prayer against them in 18 or 19 regardless of who was playing QB.

Fair Criticisms:

  • One read QB. Too often pass plays were looking at Ronnie Bell and throwing to him or bugging out of a clean pocket. 
  • His play could be all over the place, regardless of opponent. This especially cropped up in the 2nd half of the OSU game 2019 when he (I think) threw 9 straight incompletions.

Unknown if it’s fair or unfair 

  • Golfing. Gattis always seemed to mouthy for me personally. Was he just cocking off about Shea’s golfing for a laugh or was it the truth?
  • Shea’s rushing cratered in 2019 relative to 2018. Was this scheme, injury or Shea just refusing to run?
  • The lack of touches by DPJ or Nico, especially the lack of downfield shots. I don’t think  this needs to be rehashed, but again I don’t know how much of this was on coaching or Shea. 

Anyways, that’s my list.

 

Joined: 10/25/2014

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Wally Llama

February 13th, 2023 at 7:55 PM ^

...bugging out of a clean pocket.

This is the one that bugged me the most. So many times he turned good protection into bad protection by leaving a clean pocket and moving to a spot where previously blocked D linemen suddenly had a good angle to him. He never seemed to develop that sixth sense to know when the pressure was really there and when it was safe to stay put.

Joined: 03/24/2013

MGoPoints: 12723

The Oracle 2

February 13th, 2023 at 3:38 PM ^

He was a better QB than McNamara but played on a worse team, which unfairly affects perceptions. He played just two seasons but ranks 8th all-time in completions, 7th in yards and 6th in TD passes. For a single seasons, he ranks 6th and 9th all time in completions, 2nd and 10th in yards and 4th and 6th in TD passes. Good luck to him.

Joined: 02/25/2018

MGoPoints: 19192

Wally Llama

February 13th, 2023 at 8:03 PM ^

Saskatchewan has some amazing place names in addition to it's own province name. Moose Jaw, the capital Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current, Pelican Narrows, Buffalo Narrows and Lonesome Butte are amazing.

Just north of Lake Athabasca, however, lies my favorite-named Saskatchewan city:

I like to amuse myself by thinking about what it must be like to work for the Uranium City Board of Tourism.

Be careful up there, Mineral King.

Joined: 03/24/2013

MGoPoints: 12723

fishgoblue1

February 13th, 2023 at 2:07 PM ^

With the retirements of Brady and Henne, that it will be the first time there are no UM QBs in the NFL going back to the year before Harbaugh's rookie season.  Unless Shea gets picked up in the off season.  LOL

 

Edit:  Just saw this in the Henne thread after I posted it here.  

Joined: 11/16/2015

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