Wednesday, January 4, 2006
An American’s take on the CFL
By Jack B. Bedell,
CFL.ca
I know it’s hard to believe, but the first quarter of the off-season is
almost over. Right on the heels of the Grey Cup there’s been a flurry
of activity in the league, from the coaching shuffles in Winnipeg and
Ottawa, to the Maas trade, and all the intrigue over B.C.’s pivot
situation.
Here’s my team-by-team look at what’s shaking in the East with some first-quarter grades thrown in for good measure.
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
That sound you’ve been hearing over Steeltown isn’t thunder. It’s the
Ticats’ front office making some serious noise this off-season. After
the dubious departure of Troy Davis just in time for the Edmonton
Eskimos’ run to the Cup, Hamilton’s found more gold than black getting
its squad ready for the 2006 campaign.
The big splash is obviously bringing Jason Maas on board. In a
quarterback-driven league like the CFL, Maas makes the Ticats an
instant competitor in the East. His leadership and abilities are
unquestioned, so expectations will be sky high next summer. I don’t
think Maas would have it any other way, though.
Maas’ arrival coincided with the extension of coach Greg Marshall’s
contract, solidifying his position as one of the brightest new coaches
in the league, and the re-signing of rush ends James Cotton and Tim
Cheatwood. With those two Buckeyes locked down for the foreseeable
future and the Kissing Bandit, Adriano Belli, providing push from the
inside, Hamilton’s rush is sure to be as good as anyone’s next season.
Add to the mix coaches Paopao and Kauahi coming over from Ottawa to
revamp the Ticats offence, and you have a team ready to do some damage.
It remains to be seen how losing Danny McManus in the Maas deal will affect the clubhouse vibe, though.
Grade: A-
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
So what do you do after losing one of the most exciting Grey Cups in
recent memory in double overtime? Talk radio and crazy fan polls might
suggest overhauling the team and stocking the roster with new faces.
Jim Popp and the Don are too savvy for that kind of nonsense.
So far this off-season, the Alouettes have taken a
don’t-fix-it-if-it-ain’t-broken approach, re-signing veteran leaders Ed
Philion and Scott Flory to anchor both their lines. Popp also added
depth at the pivot behind Anthony Calvillo inking Ryan Dinwiddie and
Scott McBrien, who both have NFL camp experience, to relieve some of
the anxiety of what might happen if Calvillo ever went down for an
extended period during the year.
Montreal’s offence is set for the next few seasons with all the major
players signed and sealed. The roster’s particularly well-stocked at
receiver, featuring five players who pose legitimate threats at the
1,000-yard mark—Cahoon, Watkins, Stala, Anderson, and Vaughn
Doug Berry’s migration to Winnipeg to assume head coaching duties might
knock some of the grease off the Als’ offensive axle, but Anthony
Calvillo has been involved in game-planning and play-calling for years,
so I really don’t anticipate much of a drop-off in productivity in 2006.
The Don used much of the 2005 season like an off-season redesigning and
revising his defence, both scheme and talent-wise, until settling on
his fabled pressure package for the stretch run at the end of the year.
With a solid secondary and an effective front seven, the Als will
probably need to shop around for depth at LB in the next few months,
though.
Grade: B
OTTAWA RENEGADES
Since the ugliness surrounding coach Paopao’s dismissal and John
Jenkins ascension subsided, news out of Ottawa has been scarce. But
what news we’ve heard has definitely been loud.
Club president Lonie Glieberman’s thrown around millions like Mardi
Gras beads, first in the “guaranteed” deal with Kyries Hebert and then
in the pending multi-year contract with Kerry Joseph. Both Hebert and
Joseph are real talents in the CFL, but looking at the Renegades’
roster, I can’t help but feel that money could have been spread around
a bit to bolster depth across the board.
The organization’s selection of Jenkins as head coach also seems a
little foreboding. I can’t shake the memory of watching Calgary run his
offence with less than stellar results. The Stamps didn’t have an ounce
of success until Jenkins was shown the door.
Should Josh Ranek elect to bolt, as rumour has it, Kerry Joseph will
have to shoulder the burden of scoring himself, albeit with a young and
talented receiving corps. That front line’s going to need some major
overhauling to keep Joseph upright, however, for that to happen.
Grade: C
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Coach Clemons and his Argos did a fine job of defending their 2004 Grey
Cup championship. Largely on the heroic performance of MOP Damon Allen,
Toronto avoided the “year-after” slump, making it all the way to the
East final before succumbing to an Alouettes team on a major roll at
the end of the season.
As a reward for his great year, Allen’s option was renewed by the
Argos, giving him at least one more year at the controls of Toronto’s
potent offence. He definitely showed no signs of slowing down last
year, putting up 5,000 yards passing for the first time in his career.
The other major re-signing out of the Argos camp was offensive
coordinator Kent Austin’s decision to stay aboard in lieu of pursuing
the head job in Winnipeg. The return of Austin and Allen gives the
Double Blue consistency and continuity, commodities only Montreal can
claim in the East for 2006. Both Ottawa and Hamilton will be starting
fresh with new systems and personnel. That should give Toronto and
Montreal head-starts, for sure.
With the renaissance occurring in Toronto these days on the field and
in the stands, I have no doubt the Argos will have success re-signing
their own while attracting new faces over the course of the off-season.
Grade: B
NEXT WEEK
Check back in a few days to get my take on this off-season’s activity in the wild, wild West. Until then, be safe.
