Jack B. Bedell
CFL.ca
Is it June already?
With all of the news coming out of the CFL this week, you’d have to think it was close. Free agency, the mid-week League Congress, pending rule changes, naming the CFL Coach of the Year—for a media hound like myself, it’s a real joy reading about all the player movement, intrigue, hurt feelings, and salvation.
After a couple of weeks of heavy action, it looks like the free agency frenzy is winding down. Only a few blue chippers (like Devone Claybrooks, Ike Charlton, Mike Fletcher, and D. J. Flick) remain unsigned, and most teams are now planning for the draft and scouting import talent to complete their training camp rosters.
It was great fun while the free agent bonanza lasted, though. And I couldn’t be more excited to see how all the personnel decisions, the additions and the subtractions, play out in 2009.
BRINGING A SMILE TO REAL ESTATE AGENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
My pre-free agency RWB column was barely up on the site when signatures started hitting dotted lines. I fully expected some movement, but who would have thought so many big-time players would move so quickly.
As hard as it is to pick a winner in this year’s free agent sweepstakes, I’d probably have to award the title to the Edmonton Eskimos. Having already made big off-season news by hiring long-time Riders defensive coach Richie Hall as their new head man, the Eskimos hit the free agent market hard, and pulled off a couple of blockbuster trades to strengthen their roster.
In addition to re-signing key components of their roster like Dario Romero, John Comiskey, Noel Prefontaine, Fred Stamps, Calvin McCarty, and Kevin Challenger, the Eskimos landed some of the biggest fish in the free-agency pond—Maurice Lloyd, Jesse Lumsden, Graeme Bell, Scott Gordon, and Kyle Koch.
In most free-agent scenarios, there’s an expected period of adjustment and “gelling” before new players begin to mesh. This was certainly true in Toronto last season with hired gun Kerry Joseph coming on board to run the Argos’ ship.
Edmonton just might escape that waiting period in 2009, though. Lloyd is already familiar with Hall’s system and should be able to step right into a leadership roll in the Esks’ locker room. And Lumsden’s game is ultra-portable. Line him up behind the Eskimos’ improved o-line, and hand him the ball. Both these players should make an immediate impact.
The real question in Titletown, though, is what kind of impact trading away Stefan LeFors, Siddeeq Shabazz, and Brock Ralph and releasing Jordan Younger, Auggie Barrenechea, and Tim Bakker will have on team depth.
Edmonton wasn’t the only team making noise in free agency, however. Toronto signed some serious o-line talent in Rob Murphy and Dom Picard. B.C. increased the speed and aggression of its linebacking corps with Anton McKenzie. And the Als added some defensive back-end versatility signing Stanford Samuels.
For the most part, teams like the Alouettes focused their efforts on keeping their own talent in-house, but the movement that occurred across the league was definitely significant. And it’s going to be a blast watching how it all pans out.
UP NEXT
We’re rapidly approaching off-season halftime, and the league year is about to kick into high gear. Check back next week for some quick impressions of what went down at the CFL Congress in Hamilton and the 2009 Evaluation Camp in Toronto. Plus, I’ll weigh in on the CFL Coach of the Year selection.
Until then, take care. And enjoy all the news.
Jack B. Bedell is a Professor of English at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana and has followed the CFL for nearly three decades.
