Jack B. Bedell
CFL.ca
It’s been a long time coming after the final gun of the Grey Cup in Montreal, but the 2009 season is about to kick into gear. From all of the roster moves, to the new rule changes, to free agent signings, to an exciting Canadian Draft, it’s been a busy (but LONG) off-season. Come June 1, though, it’s time for the teams to get to work.
With only two weeks left before training camps start all over the league, here’s a look at my list of burning questions for each squad as they head into 2009.
1) Who’s going to pace the Lions’ rushing attack?
Two years ago, it looked like Joe Smith was in for the long haul in B.C. Last season, the bulk of the Lions’ carries went to Stefan Logan with Charles Roberts and Ian Smart contributing a bit. Heading into ’09, though, three of those players are gone, with only Smart remaining. B.C.’s passing attack has put up consistently excellent numbers in recent years, but they’ll have to balance things with a quality rusher to keep Buck Pierce upright and slinging. Jamall Lee’s a perfect candidate, just not this summer.
2) Can the Stamps repeat as champs?
Calgary has a superior QB in a pivot’s league, quality youth on both lines, solid play in all three phases of the game, and phenomenal coaching. Add to all that the motivation of playing and winning the Grey Cup in your own locker room and you’ve got a team loaded for bear. The one problem: you can pile many of the same compliments on the rest of the West Division, too. It’ll be an uphill fight, for sure, but after last season, you’ve got to give the Stamps the inside track.
3) Will Edmonton’s off-season overhaul pay off with a return to dominance?
If trophies were handed out for off-season activity, Edmonton would definitely be in the running for the 2009 prize. Their Grey-Cup-winning coach, Danny Maciocia, moved upstairs to handle personnel. Richie Hall, a championship coach in his own right, was brought in to lead the team. Jim Daley took over the defence, bringing loads of experience to the job. And speaking of loads, a whole truckload of new talent was added to the roster—Jesse Lumsden, Maurice Lloyd, Kitwana Jones, Anthony Malbrough, Kelly Malveaux, Scott Gordon, Jason Nugent, Kyle Koch, and Kai Ellis just to name a few. Of course, any time it’s in with the new, it’s out with the old, and in Edmonton’s case that meant quality players like Fred Perry, Brandon Guillory, Montez Murphy, Brock Ralph and Siddeeq Shabazz were sent packing. No doubt, the Esks are in great shape heading into the new season, but how long is it going to take to get all that newness to gel?
4) Can Kenton Keith return to form in time to give the Ticats’ young pivot some ground attack support?
By all accounts, Keith has spent the off-season getting his body ready to play CFL football again, dropping the extra weight he carried in Indianapolis. If Keith hits the ground in 2009 quicker and more explosive due to re-conditioning, there’s no reason to believe he can’t be a dominant back in the league again. Since he had his most successful seasons under Marcel Bellefeuille in Saskatchewan, Keith has the luxury of having a coach who understands exactly where his talents lie. He’s truly gifted in space, capable of ripping off chunks of yardage catching swing passes out of the backfield, and that ability would take a ton of pressure off a young QB like Quinton Porter as he settles into his first full season as a starter in the league.
5) Who’ll be Anthony Calvillo’s fourth receiver in Montreal?
AC’s passing numbers were simply incredible in 2009, and while some of that success came from how quickly and accurately AC got the ball out in Marc Trestman’s offence, the majority of the production comes down to the quality of players like Ben Cahoon, Kerry Watkins, and Jamel Richardson who were running the routes and catching the balls. The way the CFL plays these days, though, receiving corps need to go four-deep with top-shelf talent to compete with the depth the league boasts in coverage on defence. The Als have a couple of nice options for the four spot in Danny Desriveaux and Eric Deslauriers, with Desriveaux supplying extra quickness and Deslauriers bringing serious blocking ability and a big-body target for AC. But I have a feeling Jim Popp’s going to bring a few hidden gems to camp to push those guys for reps.
6) What will the Riders’ D look like under Gary Etcheverry?
With Richie Hall dialing up the defence, Gang Green played a fast, aggressive brand of D. The face of that D—players like Maurice Lloyd, Anton McKenzie, and Kitwana Jones—has changed heading into ’09. With at least two new LBs lining up this season and a healthy John Chick coming off the edge, I’d look for business as usual from the Riders with plenty of pressure applied. That said, it’s hard to believe Saskatchewan won’t feel the loss of attitude brought onto the field by Lloyd, McKenzie, and Jones. What the new attitude will be remains to be seen.
7) Can the Argos’ new O-line give Kerry Joseph time to shine?
Given time and space, there’s no doubt Kerry Joseph is one of the top pivots in the CFL. Last season, however, those two precious commodities were hard to come by for Joseph at times. The acquisition of Rob Murphy and Dominic Picard adds a ton of mean to Toronto’s offensive line, and it should translate easily into more protection for KJ. Murphy and Picard are serious upgrades who bring as much attitude as they do ability, and sometimes attitude is equally important in the trenches when it comes to keeping the pivot clean.
8) Can the Bombers’ stable of receivers keep the passing game afloat while the QB situation sorts itself out?
Simply put, the Blue Bombers’ best chance to adjust quickly to a new coaching staff, a new game philosophy, possibly a new QB, and the loss of Milt Stegall is the quality and depth of the team’s receiving corps. Regardless of who’s under centre, Derick Armstrong, Romby Bryant, Terrence Edwards, Arjei Franklin, Brock Ralph, and Adarius Bowman have to provide yards and points for the Bombers from the first snap of the season on. It’s as deep and talented a group of receivers as you’ll find in the CFL, but can it insure that the Bombers’ offence keeps pace with Hamilton, Montreal, and Toronto while the team finds its direction under Mike Kelly?
UP NEXT
With the countdown to training camp finally upon us, I’ll take a look at the sleeper stars on each teams’ roster.
Man, it’s been a long off-season, and I can’t wait to get down to some football. Come on June, let’s hustle!
