If you were playing attention to the NHL or hibernating over the winter, here is what you missed during the CFL offseason.
Michael Sam
We wanted to write a heartwarming story that compared Michael Sam to Jackie Robinson with Montréal being seen as a city embracing of breaking through barriers. At the end of the day, the Alouettes just wanted Michael Sam to help with the pass rush.
While Sam signed a two-year deal with Montréal, he currently resides on the suspended list. We'll let others speculate on what happened. Montréal would have embraced him on and off the field.
ESPN2 will have the Alouettes opener anyway; we might see something from the halftime report if ESPN covers the TSN breaks.
Chad Johnson, also on the suspended list, and Michael Sam would have set a professional football record for the most "Dancing with the Stars" alumni on the field.
From a football standpoint, Sam's perceived weaknesses for NFL teams might prove to be advantages in the CFL. Off the field, Montréal and the CFL look great for advocating inclusion as long as you can produce on the football field.
Argonauts get sold
Bell and Larry Tanenbaum — ⅔ of the MLSE group — acquired the Toronto Argonauts from David Braley, who is now down to owning just one CFL team (BC Lions).
If the BMO Field renovations go as planned, this will be the final season for the Argos at Rogers Centre. The 2016 schedule might reflect a few Argos road games early in the season in case there are issues with the renovations.
Quarterback shuffle
The previous offseason was legendary for playing "which quarterback went to which team."
This offseason was extremely quiet, though Kevin Glenn is now with the Saskatchewan Roughriders to back up Darian Durant.
Glenn spent last season backing up Travis Lulay in BC. That meant playing the vast majority of the snaps. Glenn started the 2014 year in Ottawa but wanted out after the team signed Henry Burris.
Glenn started his CFL career with the Roughriders. He has also played for Winnipeg, Hamilton, and Calgary.
Former Hamilton QB Dan Lefevour signed with the Alouettes. Lefevour was passed over for Henry Burris and then Zach Collaros in Hamilton. His injured knee was a concern given that running is a key component to his game. The Alouettes could use some QB depth.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have extended quarterback Drew Willy's contract to 2017.
Ricky Ray is on the 6-game injured reserve list. Trevor Harris will get every chance to see what he can do. Adrian McPherson, long-time backup to Anthony Calvillo in Montréal, will likely be the backup QB.
Travis Lulay is making a huge comeback in BC. There is no Kevin Glenn or even a Thomas DeMarco to help out in Vancouver. As Lulay goes, so go the Lions.
Coaching shuffle
The offseason also wasn't as volatile as the previous offseason for coaches.
Jeff Tedford replaced Mike Benevides for BC. Tedford is a former CFL quarterback that was the former head coach of the California Golden Bears. He spent last season as Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator in the NFL.
John Hufnagel will return as coach of the Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders, but will hand the reins to long-time offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson in 2016. Hufnagel will just be the general manager once Dickenson takes over.
Player moves
Montréal picked up some well-known names in the wide receiver core in the offseason. The Alouettes traded wide receiver Kenny Stafford to Edmonton for four-time CFL All-Star Fred Stamps. The team signed former Calgary receiver Nik Lewis after 11 seasons in a Stampeders uniform and Hamilton receiver Samuel Giguère.
Duron Carter, S.J. Green's receiving buddy, left to pursue NFL pastures, reducing significantly the number of references Rod Black will make about Cris Carter, Duron's NFL Hall of Famer father.
The Alouettes new receivers coach is pro football's all-time passing leader Anthony Calvillo. Calvillo's new immediate boss is Turk Schonert, the new offensive coordinator. Ryan Dinwiddie, last season's offensive coordinator, will coach running backs.
Als fans hope this coordination of responsibilities will go so much better in 2015, especially in the first half of the season.
---
Ottawa also stocked up on veteran receivers in the offseason. Ernest Jackson (BC Lions) and Brad Sinopoli (Calgary) are the newest RedBlacks wide receivers. Henry Burris had troubles getting receivers to hang onto the ball in Ottawa's debut season. Sinopoli starts the season on the disabled list.
The RedBlacks added a potential spark in Chris Williams as a returner and receiver. Williams set the CFL on fire with Hamilton, but hasn't played in the league since 2012.
Spencer Watt jumps from the Argos down the QEW to Hamilton.
On defense, Toronto traded middle linebacker Shea Emry, who spent a season in double blue after time in Montréal, to Saskatchewan for former Argo defensive end Ricky Foley. Foley picked up a Grey Cup ring, one of 3 he owns, in his stint as a Roughrider.
The Alouettes released RB Brandon Whitaker, who made his way to Toronto. The Argos also brought back Chad Kackert in the backfield. Kackert was a coach while rehabbing. Running backs play a vital, though underappreciated, role in the CFL. Backs who can catch the ball out of the backfield force a defense to readjust.
Veteran slotback Dave Stala is another East veteran making the move to Toronto. Stala was a long-time receiver for Hamilton.
Even at a somewhat advanced age (45), Paul McCallum only missed 4 FG chances in 42 attempts last season. Yet the BC Lions wanted McCallum to retire. Paul McCallum played 22 CFL years, 11 in Vancouver.
McCallum is the last active player to have played for the Ottawa Rough Riders and the only CFL player to have played against all 3 Ottawa CFL franchises. If he stays in shape, chances are a CFL team will give McCallum a call this season.
Pat White was a running QB in Edmonton. But when he came into the game, you had to really pay attention. White announced his retirement at 29 years old.
---
The CFL has a salary cap of $5 million for each team. Only 1 team went over the salary cap … by $8,939. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats cited a "record number" of injuries & 10 all-star bonuses for going over the cap limit. The team paid a fine equal to the total over the limit.
Comments