BCLions.com
CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — With the CFL Draft fast approaching, teams continue to make last-minute adjustments before zeroing in on the nation’s top amateur talent. It’s a busy time of the off-season in between mini-camp and the May 12 Draft, while training camp is merely three weeks away from opening.
Check in on the latest from around the CFL in this edition of Checking Down.
BC Lions
- The Lions haven’t yet made any cuts following last week’s passing mini-camp, but they are one national receiver lighter after moving National receiver Seydou Junior Haidara to the Ticats in exchange for a fifth-round pick. The Ticats needed to replace injured National Spencer Watt, while the Lions now have eight selections in next week’s CFL Draft, including the fifth overall pick in the draft.
- After much speculation, the team confirmed on Thursday that it will play its final pre-season game at Thunderbird Statium, home of the UBC Thunderbirds, on June 19 against the Edmonton Eskimos. BC Place will be occupied during the month of June by the FIFA women’s World Cup soccer tournament.
- Austin Collie has never played a down of Canadian football in his life, yet he finds himself competing for a roster spot on the BC Lions as a National. The former Indianapolis Colts receiver was born in Hamilton while his father played with the Ticats, and as Joshua Clipperton of The Canadian Press writes, Jeff Tedford’s up-tempo offence could be a perfect fit for the 29-year-old.
- Does Jordan Rodgers have the making of a CFL starting quarterback? He believes he has the swagger and confidence required for the position as he competes this spring for a chance to back up current starting QB Travis Lulay.
Edmonton Eskimos
- While some speculate the new rules may not favour an Edmonton defence that features big, physical hard-hitting defensive backs, Chris Jones and Ed Hervey don’t agree. Could the new emphasis on pass interference outside of five yards actually work for rather than against them?
- While much was made of the Eskimos’ on-field success last season, the team recently announced big gains off it as well, recording a profit if just under $3.6 million in 2014. According to the report, the Eskimos operated at a revenue of $24.3 million last season, an increase of $5.7 million over 2013. President and CEO Len Rhodes has earned a contract extension as a result, according to the Edmonton Sun‘s Gerry Moddejonge.
- The Esks have reportedly added quarterback Justin Goltz back into the fold behind centre, who will battle with Matt Nichols and newcomers James Franklin and Jordan Lynch for playing time behind starter Mike Reilly.
- If you ask Esks President and CEO Len Rhodes, it’s time for the CFL to move the CFL schedule forward in order to avoid frigid temperatures and improve attendance at CFL playoff games. According to the Edmonton Sun‘s Terry Jones, Rhodes and Calgary Stampeders president Gord Norrie have made the request ahead of the 2016 season.
Calgary Stampeders
- The Stamps made a minor off-season shakeup this week, shipping off defensive back Ryan Mouton to Winnipeg for former NFL offensive lineman Zebrie Sanders. Sanders was a fifth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2012 and, while typically a guard, could look to fill the void left by the departure of Stanley Bryant. Edwin Harrison is considered the favourite to fill in on Bo Levi Mitchell’s blind side.
- With the May 12 CFL Draft on the near horizon, Stampeders.com looks back on last year’s draft class and the contribution of each player in 2014. What will 2015 hold for the likes of Pierre Lavertu, Quinn Smith and Adam Thibault?
Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Riders President and CEO Craig Reynolds said in a teleconference this week that the Riders’ new stadium is on schedule and about 27 per cent complete as of a couple of weeks ago. It’s scheduled for completion at the end of August in 2016 and will be primed for test events in the fall of 2016 and the spring of 2017, with the first game planned for the summer of 2017.
“People in Regina see it on a daily and a weekly basis and it is moving up quite nicely,” said Reynolds. “It remains on schedule and on budget and it’s coming out nicely.”
- Corey Chamblin said that while the team was on a good track while Darian Durant was healthy, some changes were still needed and ultimately the team shouldn’t have to rely on one guy being healthy. The Toronto Sun‘s Bill Lankhof has more on what fueled some of the Riders’ off-season changes following a disappointing ending to 2014.
- Riders off-season acquisition Shea Emry opened up about his long-time battle with depression, expressing his hope that more people will be able to talk about their struggles in a comfortable and safe environment.
- While CFL teams organize and re-organize their big boards ahead of the looming May 12 CFL Draft, the Riders are also among teams keeping a close eye on NFL mini-camps this week and more importantly, keeping close tabs with NFL contacts. Some of the draft’s top prospects are also being looked at by NFL teams, which could change how the draft shakes out.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- The Bombers believed they were getting a franchise quarterback when adding Drew Willy more than a year ago, and just this week they confirmed their belief, signing him to a contract extension.
- The move to release Jason Varga and Steve Morley was apparently cap-motivated, and it may have had to do with the team closing in on former NFL linebacker Jamaal Westerman. The team announced it closed the deal on Thursday, adding a potentially big piece to their defensive front seven.
- In a move to bolster their secondary, the Bombers added former third-round NFL draft pick Ryan Mouton from the Calgary Stampeders via trade. Going the other way is offensive lineman Zebrie Sanders.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- Seydou Junior Haidara may finally be getting his chance to become an impact CFL receiver, as the Ticats have acquired him in a trade from the BC Lions in exchange for a fifth-round pick. This comes on the heels of a season-ending Achilles injuryto Spencer Watt and the release of National receiver Cary Koch, as Haidara suddenly rises among the top Nationals on the Ticats’ depth chart.
I am now very excited and blessed to have a fresh start with this @Ticats offense. #IsItJuneYet can’t wait.
— Seydou Jr Haïdara (@sjhaidara_80) May 6, 2015
- In a one-on-one feature interview with Ticats.ca, Luke Tasker re-visits his path to the CFL as well as his decision to return to the Ticats after becoming a free agent last off-season.
- CFL star receiver Andy Fantuz broke the world record for most one-handed catches, hauling in 50 over the span of a minute. The record was first set by Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants, then broken by Iowa receiver Tevaun Smith before Fantuz put his name on top:
Toronto Argonauts
- The Argos held their mini-camp in Florida from May 2-4 for rookies and training camp hopefuls, and while Scott Milanovich wouldn’t rush to any final judgment, receiver Vidal Hazelton and offensive lineman Bruce Campbell were two players that seemingly caught his eye. The Toronto Sun‘s Frank Zicarelli has more on Campbell, who could compete to start at left tackle for the Argos this training camp.
- Chad Kackert’s football comeback attempt continues, while Brandon Isaac could also be back in the fold as the two participated in the Argos’ mini-camp at the start of the week in Bradenton, Fla.
- Speedster Kierrie Johnson was bumped too far down the REDBLACKS’ depth chart and released after their high-profile off-season signings, but it may be to the benefit of the Toronto Argonauts. The Argos signed Johnson this week with hopes of adding a veteran deep threat to a roster lacking in international experience at the position.
- The Toronto Star‘s Curtis Rush catches up with former Argo legend Leo Cahill, re-living some of the great Argo memories of the late ’60s and ’70s when Cahill coached the club.
Ottawa REDBLACKS
- After trading the first overall pick in 2014, Ottawa REDBLACKS general manager Marcel Desjardins doesn’t appear poised to do the same thing again this year, suggesting he will likely use the selection.
- CFL.ca provides a look behind closed doors at a CFL Combine interview, as the Ottawa REDBLACKS interview star Simon Fraser University receiver Lemar Durant.
- As the Ottawa Sun‘s Tim Baines writes, the Ottawa REDBLACKS got some recruiting help from a pair of ex-Toronto Argonauts when trying to land offensive lineman SirVincent Rogers. Rogers will play an important role on the team’s revamped offence this season after a number of high-profile off-season moves.
Montreal Alouettes
- When the Alouettes lost Duron Carter to the NFL, they responded by adding established veteran receivers in Nik Lewis and Fred Stamps along with National slotback Samuel Giguere. Between Green, Lewis and Stamps, three possible future Hall of Famers, how will the Alouette ‘big three’ fare this season?
- The 2015 East-West Bowl is set to be held on May 9 at Montreal’s McGill Stadium, where Als defensive coordinator Noel Thorpe will serve as a guest coach as the top amateur players from across the country look to raise their stock ahead of the 2016 CFL Canadian Draft.
