Friday, February 3, 2006
An American’s take on the CFL
By Jack B. Bedell,
CFL.ca
There’s been a real flurry of activity since the League announced its
new Salary Management System. In the last two weeks, we’ve had some key
free agent signings and re-signings, some NFL defections, some major
pre-season news, and the unveiling of the 2006 schedule. This is
shaping up to be the busiest off-season in my experience, and I’m
loving it. Keep it coming until kickoff!
FULL FRONTAL DISCLOSURE
The details of the League’s new Salary Management System have been
hashed and re-hashed in the media for the last two weeks now, but two
of the most impressive aspects of the plan have gone largely
unmentioned.
First, I have to give Commissioner Wright serious props for turning the
formation of the plan over to representatives of the teams who have to
implement it. As much of a hotbed of controversy as the salary cap has
been over the years, there was simply no way the Board of Governors was
going to sign off on a plan created by some external agency, or worse
yet by the Commissioner’s office itself, without endless debates and
countless squabbles. The fact that the football and business minds of
all nine clubs were involved in the creation of the system gave it a
real chance to succeed. The true benefit of all the teamwork, however,
is born out in the comprehensiveness and viability of the System the
League has now put in place.
Second, I have to say how impressed I am with the League’s attention to
detail evidenced in the plan. As easy as it would have been to simply
cook another number (one high enough to satisfy even the most egregious
violators) to limit spending, or to simply carbon copy the system used
by another league, the CFL’s put together the framework of a solid
checks-and-balances system. The foundation of the plan, full disclosure
of all player compensation officially signed by all parties (including
agents!), is simply brilliant. You can forget all the pablum being
printed now about the possibility of skirting these official documents.
The presence of those signatures will place liability squarely on the
shoulders of those who sign the documents. No teams, no players, and
especially no agents are going to take that chance.
RIGHT HERE ON THE DOTTED LINE, SIR
With two weeks left before free agency begins in earnest, teams have
been making news right and left signing and re-signing players.
The Ticats made a smart move keeping sledgehammer Rob Hitchcock in the
fold. The Als reloaded with Anwar Stewart, Reggie Durden, and a host of
new faces for camp. The Argos appear ready to re-sign glue-fingered
Andre Talbot and are seriously considering Eric Crouch after this
week’s tryout. The Renegades lassoed Korey Banks with a new contract,
but look to lose the Ball of Hate, Josh Ranek. Inspired by a talk with
his new coach, Milt Stegall re-upped in Winnipeg. Rookie phenom Gavin
Walls is set to return to the Bombers, too.
One quiet, but interesting signing I’m keeping an eye on, though, is
Calgary’s penning of Darnell McDonald. Pronounced by the Bombers as not
the kind of player the team wants around, McDonald gets a second chance
in Cowtown. This time, he’ll be reunited with Jeremaine Copeland, his
old XFL teammate. McDonald and Copeland made a heck of a tandem for
Tommy Maddox, catching balls for the XFL champion L.A. Xtreme a few
years ago. If Darnell has anything left in the tank, I’m sure Henry
Burris will enjoy similar success with the two of them. One thing’s for
sure, Stamps’ endzone antics are about to be kicked up a notch.
On the NFL front, I was a little surprised to see Jesse Lumsden sign
with the Washhington Redskins so quickly. Like most CFL fans, it seemed
like a strange decision for a promising tailback to sign with a team
already stocked with All-Pro Clinton Portis. On review, though, it
makes total sense. Al Saunders, the Skins new offensive coordinator has
a history of using two feature backs (Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson
in K.C.), and head coach Joe Gibbs has a sweet spot for big,
quick-footed runners like Lumsden. Gibbs’ offence put John Riggins in
the Hall of Fame, and Riggo didn’t have half the speed and wiggle
Lumsden has. I hate to see Jesse leave the CFL, but I’ll be cheering
for his success.
MUST-SEE MATCH-UPS
I don’t know about you guys, but my adrenalin shot up 50% when the new
schedule was announced earlier this week. I couldn’t get to my calendar
soon enough to start marking in the games I can’t wait to see.
Right out of the gate, there’s Touchdown Atlantic 2, pitting Montreal
and the new-look Renegades. Probably the most exciting part of the
CFL’s return to Halifax for me, though, is the possibility of expansion.
A rematch of last year’s heart-stopping Grey Cup opens up the regular
season on June 16. While it’s too much to hope for the same level of
excitement, I have no doubt there will be some serious action when
these two teams see each other again.
On July 7, Jason Maas leads the Hamilton Ticats into the City of
Champions to take on his old mates in Edmonton. Maas vs. Ray — just
circle the date!
The Battle of Alberta headlines the Labour Day Classics lineup on September 4, with the punch-back coming a week later.
And those are just of few of the games that leap off the page. With
Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Hamilton making so many changes in the
off-season, who know which match-up’s going to be the game of the year?
My hand’s already itching for the remote!
NEXT WEEK
Check back in a few days for a little more schedule talk, and a look at
the most recent comings and goings. Take care, and see you then.
