Matthew Cauz
CFL.ca
It was a beautiful sunny day here in Toronto over the weekend. After a month of rain and unexpected hail the appearance of that giant glowing orb known as the sun was a welcome sight. It was the kind of day where you wanted to be outside and enjoy the nice weather. So naturally I was planted on my couch watching the CFL Draft.
I can’t help it when it comes to drafts. I’m a junkie and I refuse to seek help. Doctor Drew can’t cure what ails me. What Lindsay Lohan is to drugs and bad decisions I am to Commissioners reading out names of players I have barely watched play.
The only downside to this year’s draft was a lack of gaffes for me to make fun. Beyond Henoc Muamba’s horrible tie there were few memorable moments.
It was nice to see a football Commissioner NOT get booed. Mark Cohon nailed Muamba’s name to get the draft kicked off and it was smooth sailing from there.
I was excited when it kicked off with TSN flashing the CFL logo on the screen. It reminded me of how long it has been since Montreal hoisted their second consecutive Grey Cup. It also reminded me of how long it has been since I have written about the league, so allow me to shake off my rust by going over some of the off-season storylines that caught my attention.
You know what’s nice about covering the CFL this time of year? No lockout talk! I am not subjugated to learning about the minutia of the Minnesota Appeals Court or deciding which side is winning in the court of public opinion. Just the usual off-season of who signed who and which team was hurt most by free agency. Boring, run of the mill storylines. Thank god for it!
So which storylines caught my attention this year? I’m glad you asked. Let’s break this down team-by-team.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Even if you are not a fan of the team, I think everyone is rooting for Anthony Calvillo in 2011. Not only did he beat thyroid cancer, but by all reports he is in better shape and even faster than he was last season. Since I don’t consider myself a real “journalist” I will not be objective and therefore will be pulling for another spectacular season from Calvillo. I don’t expect the retirement of Ben Cahoon to hurt his production on the field, but the loss of Avon Cobourne is another matter. The former Grey Cup MVP was often underutilized, but he was a key cog in making the Alouettes attack go. I will be interested to see who will win the battle for the starting job between DeAndra’ Cobb and Ahman Green.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
What a year they had statistically in 2010! You name a major offensive or defensive statistical category and the Stamps ranked either first or second in the league. Expect that trend to continue for one side of the ball. Yes the offensive line took a major hit in the loss of Ben Archibald, but the team also made sure that Romby Bryant, Ken Yon Rambo & Jon Cornish would all be in the starting line-up in 2011. With the addition of Anthony Parker, yet another toy for Henry Burris, I expect Calgary to keep up an offensive attack that led the league in both yards and points.
Of course, they will need every yard they can get from Burris after losing all-stars Brandon Browner, Dwight Anderson and veteran Wes Lysack from the secondary. There will be increased pressure on Brandon Isaac who signed an extension in April. I know they signed former Ticats DB Geoff Tisdale, but every time I watched Hamilton they were giving up big play after big play, I’m not convinced Tisdale’s is an upgrade to what the Stamps lost.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
What’s going to happen to the Canadian Air Force? Andy Fantuz is plying his trade south of the border, Rob Bagg is recovering from a torn ACL and Weston Dressler is heading into his option year.
My advice is to sign Dressler soon, as in today, why wait? Also, and not to sound unpatriotic, but maybe it’s time to get a little American flavour. I know that the idea that Americans can excel at wideout is a foreign concept to the good people of Regina, but trust me there are a couple good ones kicking around. One such example is Cary Koch. After Bagg went down Koch stepped in, had back to back 100-yard games, a three game run of 19-283-3TD and scored a touchdown in Saskatchewan’s 20-16 playoff upset over Calgary. The only downside is Koch’s nickname is ‘The Butter Tart Kid’. Nothing says “I’m really, really slow” quite like having a high calorie baked good as part of your nickname. Not a good sign.
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
For a team that had so much turmoil dealing with stadium issues, the Tiger-Cats had a nice, tidy off-season. Re-signing Arland Bruce, Kevin Glenn and Jamall Johnson was key and Avon Cobounre is an upgrade over DeAndra’ Cobb.
If Maurice Mann can play up to his potential and Hamilton’s coaching staff can discover just how high Marcus Thigpen’s potential is, the Tiger-Cats can challenge Montreal. The team will miss the leadership & toughness of Otis Floyd but I defy you to find a better one-two punch at linebacker than Johnson and Markeith Knowlton.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Before I get to the Steven Jyles trade, give credit to the Argonauts for ensuring the heart of their defensive line remained intact by retaining Kevin Huntley and Ron Flemons. Both are guys that can disrupt an opposing team’s offensive game plan. Just imagine how much better they’d be with an effective offence to back them up.
As for Jyles, I see very little downside. Sure the Argonauts gave up a high first rounder, but come on, we all know whomever they drafted would just have ended up playing two more years of college football followed by three more years on the Seahawks practice squad. I kid because I love! Jyles brings much needed mobility and has the skill set to be an effective starter. At the very least his presence should make Cleo Lemon a better player.
BC LIONS
Any activity involving offensive lineman is never sexy, nor should it be for that matter, but the signing of Ben Archibald may have been the club’s best move this offseason. Archibald is durable and was the lynchpin for the CFL’s best offense in 2010. Contrast that to a Lion attack that ranked second last in total yards and rush yards. The addition of DL Eric Taylor from Toronto will help shore up a leaky rush defence that consistently made DeAndra’ Cobb look like a 1998 version of Mike Pringle.
EDMONTON ESKIMOS
Last year it was Danny Brannagan, this year my Canadian quarterback du jour is Marc Mueller. I know it is a minor deal but I’m sure I am not the only one who was interested in Edmonton’s signing of Mueller. How can you not root for the grandson of Ron Lancaster? If Marc ever became a starter just think how conflicted Roughrider fans would be during home games against Edmonton? As for Mueller, well if you are not pulling for him then I demand you hand in your Canadian Card right now!
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
What is the Over/Under for the amount of times you will hear this line: “For Winnipeg it all comes down to the health of Buck Pierce.” I’m setting the line at 45.5 and if I were you I’d bang the over.
I want Buck Pierce to stay healthy for an entire season just to see what kind of crazy numbers Terrence Edwards can put up. Edwards has been force to deal despite dealing with a loot bag of quarterbacks in his last couple of seasons. He deserves better. I would not be surprised to see an 1,800-2,000 yard season from Edwards if both he and Pierce can stay healthy.
That’s one reference down, 45 more to go to hit the over.
