Thursday, January 12, 2006
An American’s take on the CFL
By Jack B. Bedell,
CFL.ca
Not to be accused of an East coast bias, here’s my take on all the off-season excitement out West.
B.C. LIONS
It would be tough to put a positive spin on the Lions’ off-season thus
far. Wally Buono’s handling of the Printers/Dickenson situation has put
the team in the untenable position of ticking off both pivots. Printers
ignored a big contract offer from the Lions after signing with the
NFL’s Kansa City Chiefs. And after watching the club suck up to and
throw large bills at Printers’ feet, Dave Dickenson is at home fuming.
Coming off a season that started 11-0, B.C. is stocked with talent. The
coaching staff is secure, and their potential free agent list has only
two impact players, Barrin Simpson and Bobby Singh, at risk. Last
season’s swan dive didn’t happen because of a weak roster or multiple
injuries. The Lions simply lost their focus and didn’t react well to
the QB controversy.
I doubt this first quarter of off-season fixed any of that.
Grade: C
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
The Stamps certainly heightened expectations with their run last
season. They proved the team has the players to beat any team in the
league. Henry Burris, in particular, found his game until a late-season
hand injury slowed him a bit. They’ve got as good a set of skill
players as anyone, and their defence is really fast and aggressive.
So what did they need coming off last season? I’d say stability for the
first time in a few years. To that end, the front office locked up
coaches Higgins, Buratto, and Diedrick. And they took defensive backs
Jermaine Chatman and Wes Lysack off the market to insure all three
levels of the defence will maintain their pop.
Barring injuries, the Stamps have a solid roster. It’s hard to
criticize their moves so far this off-season, and it’s hard to imagine
anything other than success in 2006 for this squad.
Grade: A
EDMONTON ESKIMOS
First the Eskimos took care of business on the field in the Grey Cup,
and then they set about tidying up their locker room in the weeks that
followed.
If Ricky Ray’s play in the Cup didn’t solve matters, any lingering
controversy went out the door with Jason Maas when he was shipped to
Hamilton in the league’s worst-kept-secret trade. To fill some of the
void in the locker room, the deal brought Danny McManus back to
Edmonton to support Ray and maintain depth at pivot.
The Esks also re-signed Troy Davis, Joe Montford, William Loftus, and
Jabari Issa to keep their championship roster in tact. Of the teams’
group of free agents, only Jason Tucker would be missed severely if he
bolted for the NFL or another CFL club.
To put a little icing on the cake, Edmonton is hoping to land the
services of highly-respected offensive line coach Carl Brennan from
Saskatchewan to serve as an offensive assistant. I’m sure coach
Maciocia’s counting on Brennan to offer a few blocking schemes to save
Ray from the pounding he took last year.
Even if they stood pat until June, the Esks have to be one of the favorites to reach the Cup again in 2006.
Grade: A+
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Just after the Riders suffered an embarrassment off the field over LB
Trevis Smith’s arrest for sexual assault, the team suffered the black
eye of a “one and done” performance in the playoffs. For some of the
most passionate and knowledgeable fans in the CFL, Saskatchewan’s 2005
campaign was a bitter pill.
Facing 2006 under the leadership of a lame duck GM and head coach
finishing out their contracts, and the total overhaul of the offence
due to the loss of maligned offensive coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille
to Montreal, it will be difficult to attract big name free agents to
the team.
Snagging an A-list pivot, if one ever materializes, will be
particularly tough considering the uncertainty surrounding the
direction of the squad. What player would want to sign on to play in
front of a home crowd grown cold to the front office and coaching
staff? Or to face the prospect of a complete overhaul of the regime
after only one season?
Coach Barrett’s reputation as a master motivator is about to be put to
the test, and I have to wonder just who’s going to step up on the
current roster since I have no faith in the Riders as real players in
free agency this off-season.
Grade: D
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Big Blue enters 2006 as the host club for the Grey Cup with big news and much hope.
After the firing of coach Jim Daly, GM Brendan Taman held an exhaustive
and careful search for a suitable replacement. The Bombers’ choice was
Doug Berry, the architect of Anthony Calvillo’s success with Montreal.
Berry brings with him the hope of offensive firepower and much-needed
discipline.
Although the Bombers need to re-sign defensive studs Tom Canada and
Ryan Folk and wideouts Jamie Stoddard and Keith Stokes, the roster is
in surprisingly good shape for a team that finished such a
disappointing year in 2005. Milt Stegall is returning for one more
campaign, and rookies Gavin Walls and Russ Michna have to have Winnipeg
fans eager to see what 2006 might bring.
If incumbent starter Kevin Glenn isn’t the answer at pivot for Berry’s
attacking system, look for Michna to come on strong. The possibility of
Khari Jones’ return is also looming.
New coach, new attitude, the Grey Cup coming to town . . . the Bombers
certainly have the carrot hanging out there. Let’s see what they do
with it.
Grade: B
NEXT WEEK
Check back next week for a closer look at free agency. I’ll also ponder
the NFL prospects of Printers, Jeanty, Tucker, and Ryan. See you then.
