By Sean Millington,
CFL.ca
Following the B.C. Lions’ victory over the Montreal Alouettes to win the 2006 Grey Cup, the CFL season is now fading in the rear view mirror. Despite the seemingly common view that the year was a disappointment from an entertainment standpoint, I felt that it offered many interesting highlights.
In 2006 we witnessed the arrival of NFL superstar Ricky Williams, the advent of video review, the dissolution of the Ottawa Renegades, and the emergence of Geroy Simon as a bona fide superstar, just to name a few.
Recently a friend and I were discussing the Williams experiment. He asked me how I felt about Ricky’s performance and what my impression of Mr. Williams was as a person. I had to give it some thought because at first I didn’t have a firm opinion; however, I have to say I declare the Ricky experiment a success. He came up to this league and did what his employers asked him to do. He finished the year with a respectable 4.8 yards per carry combined with a couple of majors.
Now, to those of you who would say this was a disappointment, I say you are underestimating the league and the calibre of the players in it. To look at it a different way, no one would expect someone who was a superstar in the CFL to go down south and instantly become a star there; so why the reverse expectation for players who come the other way?
Ricky did as well as could be expected in a league that doesn’t feature the run on a team that, prior to his arrival, was more pass-centric than most. In addition, the loss of quarterback Damon Allen for several weeks during the season also affected offensive output, and by extension Williams’ numbers. When evaluated objectively it is clear that Ricky had a decent season.
As for what he was like as a person, my interaction with him was quite limited and as such so are my impressions. To me he seemed like an abused animal. I felt as if I had to approach him in the same manner one would such an animal — with caution attempting not to spook it. Given his experiences with the media, however, I can’t say I blame him for being distrustful. In general, he was nice enough; just not very forth coming.
Something else which garnered a lot of attention this past season was video review. The verdict is in and I declare it a success. Did it magically correct all wrong calls and make the game perfect from an officiating standpoint? Obviously not, however, it did improve the game, which was the point.
The use of instant replay during the Grey Cup provided a great analogy for its use the entire year. One call which clearly had a huge impact on the game was decided with the help of video review. The Dave Dickenson fumble was originally ruled down by contact but was overturned upon review and the ball awarded to the Als. Clearly the whistle was blown too soon and Chip Cox, who had scooped up the fumble and was on his way to the end zone, was robbed of a score. The point is without video review there would have been no way to even begin to address the issue. The Als may have lost out on a touchdown but thanks to instant replay at least they got the ball back. All in all the game has been improved by having video review.
Statistically, it is not possible for the league to move forward every year; some years, for whatever reason, the offensive fireworks the CFL is famous for will be somewhat muted. This was one of those years, but for true fans, there were still lots to enjoy and talk about. Grey Cup week was a party as per usual, and even if the game wasn’t the nail biter we enjoyed last year, it still held the attention of just over four million viewers.
I enjoyed the CFL in 2006, perhaps not as much as some other years, but enjoyed it nonetheless.
Here’s to 2007.
Sean Millington played 13 years in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, B.C. Lions and Toronto Argonauts and has been a panellist on the CFL on CBC since 2003.
(The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the Canadian Football League)
