OverDrive - Willson on Chad Kelly finding his game, the BC Lions chances at winning the Grey Cup, and who the No. 1 NFL QB you'd want to win the Super Bowl

Episode Date: July 21, 2026

TSN Football Analyst Luke Willson on if Chad Kelly can find his game with the Toronto Argonauts, the BC Lions chances at winning the Grey Cup, and who the number one NFL quarterback to win you a championship this season is

Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Crave Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.com for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. Here's a man that we know well. There he is. Luke Wilson. Look at us.

Look at us talking CFL NFL. What a beautiful thing. How we doing? I'm living large, boys. Living large. How are you guys doing? Oh, we're doing very well. We're doing very well.

And we were singing your praises, man. You and Dusty are a dynamic duo. You like in the booth or what? I'm really enjoying it. And I got to tip my cap to Dustin because he makes it really easy. You know, I just get to kind of come in, do a little X-N-O stuff. But it's been a lot of fun. Like, you know, run into it, Hayes, I've never done this before.

So you never know, like, what it's going to be like. But I have thoroughly enjoyed being the color commentator for games. It's, again, for me personally, it's been a lot of fun. What's the prep difference between, you know, like what you were doing last year, where you kind of on the sidelines, you got your video that you would do, and now, you know, kind of having to do a lot of prep before the game for color commentary. Yeah, honestly, Frankie, I know you know this. It's night and day.

Like last year I'd headed in there. And, yeah, I obviously knew what was going on, but it was very reactionary. You know, I'm watching and I had kind of a monitor on the sideline. And I'm like, okay, what are teams trying to do where, this is like we're studying rosters i get a lot out of the production meetings uh so we have one because i'm on fridays we have on wednesdays and it's like i'll just flat out ask the coaches like you know i got the film here the coaches version is all buzz all that big hey is this what you're trying to get done so i generally can kind of speak their lingo frankie which i think helps but uh

you know there's a few canadian terms that i got to brush up on where i'm like okay that's that's definitely a CFL terminology. But it's a lot more prep, but it really it's a lot more prep, but it really keeps me like more in tune with the games.

Like, and you start to, for me, it's a bit weird, but I start to develop like guys that I really, really like. And I got to keep it like, like Scott Milanovic is like play calling genius to me in Hamilton. Like I like don't have a relationship with the guy outside of

calling his games, but after talking to him a little bit. And then watching the film, I'm like, this guy's cooking every week. Like, cooking every week, dude. So it's kind of fun to see, like, that side of it and putting some things together, I guess. Well, you look at the quarterback play, you know, in the east.

Davis-Alexander's picked up where he's left off. Chad Kelly, back, healthy, throwing a lot of interceptions, though. Like, what is what are you seeing out of Chad? Like, it's, I think, what does he throw nine picks already this year? He's slinging it, though,

but where are you at with the Argos right now? Tough with them being on the road all season too, right? Yeah, I'm with that. It is tough, sure. But like that being said, if you're an Argos fan, your record is like you should have beat Montreal week one. I called that game. And then it's like to keep going there,

you have no business losing the last game you just played to Hamilton. And Learham, their kicker has been unbelievable for them for a lot of years, but like he's got to make those. those kicks. So like their record to me is not indicative of what like the only game where they really got absolutely smoked was against Calgary. Like I think if you ask the Argos too, they probably want the bombers lost back. So yeah, it's a bit weird. Mike Miller to me is a very, very solid coach. I like what they're trying to do offensively. I think Chad just needs to pick his spots. Like he's got a tremendous arm. He can absolutely throw the heck out of the football. But

sometimes I think he just goes out here and says like, hey, well, I call it, like, cowboying a bit, you know, like he goes out and he's like, I'm going to cowboy us to a win. And when it works, it's sick. When it works, it's like all highlight real stuff. Look at the arm strength. But when it doesn't work, it's interceptions, which I think they've gotten bit by a little bit. But the East is weak. Like, I know they don't want people saying that, but especially how Bo Levi-Mitchel has gone down.

The East is extremely weak outside of Montreal. And, like, Milanovic is going to find ways. to win, but he's got tough roads ahead with the quarterback situation now. So the East is wide open for that two-seeds, so with the amount of games they play. Can the red blacks win a game? Like, if they can't close out that last game, can they win a game? What are we doing here? They had that, man.

I was a choke job. Come on. And your guy was playing QB, too. You liked that guy. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I like it. This is what I find. I, like, Frank, I know you may have talked about this.

Hayes, I don't know how well versed you are in the online world of CFL potatoes. No, I'm not. Although I have been a targeted there, as I'm sure at times. I just don't pay attention very much. It's like, I find that there's a, it's a small group of CFL fans that have literally no clue about football. They just want to make fun of people. They just want to gripe. They just want to complain.

They don't know what's going on. I'm not even sure they watch the games. So then they just go out here and they're like, oh, Jake Mayer can't get it done or this guy can't get it done. And you're like, dude, what are you watching right now? Like, Jake Mayer is the least amount of problems that Ottawa's offense has right now. Like, can somebody turn on Ottawa's film and tell me that that offensive line has played well this year? At any point.

At any point, Frankie, I don't think you can. Not if you're really judging the film. Okay, so it's like Jake Mayer comes in. And I feel for some of these players, and obviously I was an ex-guy, where it's like the league's rules are set up to literally jam players in this sense. And I know the PA fights for this, but they have no offseason, and they have a very, very short training camp. And Jake was the starting quarterback for two weeks of training camp because it started with Drew Brown.

So it's like, hey, you got a new coach, new offense, you're not the starter, no offseason. Like these are things that really matter and the professional level at that position. So it's starting to come around. You're seeing it's starting to click. And you got a lot of potatoes calling for this guy's head. So I was pretty happy with how he played. I think you're a red-blacks fan. I do think they're going to find ways to win.

And Dinwiddie will get them boys, right? Like, again, the east is weak, man. The West is where it's at. Well, and if that's the case, and you're a BC Lions fan, you know, similar issue with the World Cup being in town. but now you're one and four, and Nathan Rourke's got this shoulder injury. Is this it?

Like, do you think they, is there enough time and can Rourke get back and get healthy? He wasn't playing great to begin with based on his standards, you know, to get the Lions back in the hunt. Yeah, Hayes, I'm not a big believer in the BC Lions, personally. You know, even coming into the season, there's a lot of people are like, oh, they're great-cup favorites.

You know, I never saw it that way. I do think Rourke is obviously one MOP last year. He can win you a lot of ball games. And you've heard me talk about this in the NFL a lot where it's like to me there was that sliding scale of like how many mistakes you can make based on roster depth and talent everywhere. And I look at the West and first off, I know they're not the power ranking one right now,

but I don't know how Saskatchewan is not on the front of everybody's board because they won the Great Cup. They're extremely well coached on both sides of the ball. Edmonton is the greatest team in the league. And Winnipeg is winning games with the quarterback who's been there for two and a half weeks. Now, again, they got luck against the red blacks, in my opinion. But I do think when Zach Caleris gets healthy

in that combo Tommy Condell, there's your one, two, three in the West. So to answer your question, you know, I don't see much hope for BC. But I could be wrong here. The CFL is a funky league that way, Hayes. You know, all of a sudden it's a 20-point game. and there's a three minute and the rules kind of try and help crazy things happen in that league. So you never know. Yeah, a lot of games, a lot of cold on the BC lines.

Yep, a lot of time left for sure, but Rorick being banged up is not going to help with Luke Wilson. So in terms of quarterback rankings, I saw ESPN revealed this week, a bunch of rankings where they were asking executives throughout the league, scouts throughout the league, you know, to rank different positions. And at the quarterback position, again, it's not a 100% consensus. but it's collectively voted on. They had Josh Allen at number one. They got Allen at number one. They got Mahomes at number two.

Are you a believer in that ranking? Would you have it the same way? If not, how might you change it? I'm not trying to get bogged down, minutia here, Hayes. But my question is, are you asking me for the future or to win this year? I'm going to say this year. This season, who do you think is the best quarterback going into this year? Yes.

Assuming everyone is healthy, assuming everyone stays healthy, we can make that caveat. If you're asking me, hey, who do you want and you guarantee his health? I am going with Matthew Stafford. Wow.

Every day of the week. Okay. I am going with Matthew Stafford. Next up, I would probably go Josh Allen, but it's very close with Patrick Mahomes. For me right now, those guys are,

you know, the best of the best. I just think, Stafford, as far as a pure thrower of the football, and a guy he's got more experience. Obviously, he's coming off an MVP season. Like, he doesn't have the mobility of those two other two guys have. But in that league, it's not the CFL. Mobility is not as important.

I still think you've got to take the rainy NFL MVP in that situation. But is it hard, like when you're talking NFL and you're talking guys that have sort of become brands? Like Mahomes is a brand. Josh Allen is a brand, and you're talking about Matthew Stafford, you're talking about how this guy balls out. Like, is it hard for him to get into that conversation with the notoriety that the other two guys have? It is, and that's, I think, well, part of the issue with the NFL, Frankie, and, like, it happens at every position quarterback gets multiplied.

But I was playing and be like, oh, this is the best, you know, three-tack or defensive tackle in the league. and then all of a sudden you'd like flip the film on and it'd be like a random defensive tackle that's not in a big market and you're like oh my god like this guy is one of the best football players in the league and we all know he's good and he's a pro bowler but he's not on a winning team or he's not you know there's a variety of things he's not the most marketable guy so i do think the NFL sometimes gets into like hey uh if this guy's Markable and he's good, he gets, you know, and he's in a good situation, is, you know, I guess perception is multiplied into not being better, but just being considered better than other

players. It's like Stafford is a prime example out for me where it's like he's buried in Detroit. I mean, boys, you guys know, you've heard me talk about Matt Patricia. I was there. I was there when, for one of the years he's in there with the Matt Patricia era, and like, that's a wasted year for Matthew. The guy was disgustingly good of football, one of the best quarterbacks in the league that year,

but we're six and ten, and we're running it like we're going to a war. That's what our head coach is doing. It's like there goes a year of the guy's career, perception-wise. And now look at him. I'll say this, correct. And then he gets traded, he wins a Super Bowl. He's been knocking on the door really almost every year.

And I think with the additions of Trent McDuffie and Miles Garrett, and potentially Aaron Donald. Yes. Okay. There are going to be everyone's power ranking one. Yes. Yes. So it is like the NFL gets a bit weird when you're judging player to player based on situations, you know?

Then it just is the nature of the beast. 100%. All right, buddy. Well, enjoy the ride. Keep going, man. We'll see you on here soon. And September right around the corner, can't wait. Boys, I just want to say it's great seeing you two.

We're chopping it up of some. CFL ball right now. I'm fired up. Where's Al's brother at? Get this guy in here. He's at his stag and dough. He's selling tickets for the stag and dough, man. He's a busy guy, Al's brother. He's probably on a cruise right now. All right, Luke, Luke, we'll do it again soon. There he is, Luke Wilson. Cheers. Our man in the booth. Our man in the booth on the CFL. Hello, Canada. This is Brian Adams Radio. Hosted by Brian Adams himself. We'll play a few of mine, a ton of my favorites, and some must-reaching.

here behind-the-scenes stories from the world of rock and roll. I'm coming to get you. One thing about doing rock and roll so long is you end up meeting a lot of the people that you admire. Sometimes you even get to work with him. Brian Adams Radio. Now available on the free I-Hare Radio app. Hey, everybody, how are you tonight? Sounds great.