The 2017 CFL season begins Thursday after a topsy and turvy off season of moves, a celebration not seen in Ottawa since 1976, and the prospects of Winnipeg or Hamilton finally breaking through since every other CFL franchise has won a Grey Cup in the 21st century.
We have a new stadium in Regina: the Mosaic Stadium name is the same, but the new facility, just west of the old stadium, is rather remarkable just from the pictures we've seen.
The topsy-turvy off-season wasn't limited to the first couple of months after the Grey Cup. We thought Toronto would stay pat on the sidelines and the front office. The old Montréal team of Jim Popp as general manager and Marc Trestman as coach reunited in Toronto at the end of February.
The Alouettes went with former assistant head coach Kavis Reed for their general manager. The team actually is keeping a head coach in Jacques Chapdelaine.
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Edmonton fired Ed Hervey as its GM in April. Former Ottawa RedBlacks assistant general manager Brock Sunderland is now in charge in the Alberta capital.
Saskatchewan went on a shopping spree acquiring former NFL quarterback Vince Young. Young's hamstring injury, his age (34), his lack of recent experience on the field, and inexperience with the CFL system ultimately lead to his release. The Roughriders also got Marc-Olivier Brouillette, but he chose to retire. Saskatchewan did go out and get Kienan LaFrance, Chad Owens, Duron Carter, and Bakari Grant. A new stadium doesn't hurt but the less-than-stellar debut for Chris Jones is also a factor.
The Alouettes have a lot of young quarterbacks but will turn to former Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant. Montréal quarterbacks haven't always stayed healthy in recent times, a concern for Durant no matter what uniform he is wearing.
Henry Burris retired from the CFL and became a Canadian citizen. Trevor Harris is the starting quarterback for the Grey Cup champion Ottawa RedBlacks with Drew Tate now the insurance in the nation's capital.
Andy Fantuz is with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats but in a developmental role while recovering from an injury. Bear Woods went with loyalty to Jim Popp and is now with the Toronto Argonauts.
Kenny Stafford started out training camp with Winnipeg but after being cut, Edmonton swooped in to get him again. Toronto gave up a lot to get Drew Willy last season. The thought was that Trestman and Popp could "fix" him but Willy got released. He has talent but needs a bit of help.
The Ottawa RedBlacks replace the Toronto Argonauts as the team to draw the double games in Week 5. The RedBlacks will have the oddity of having 2 of their bye weeks in the last 3 weeks of the season. If Ottawa does win the East, the team will get a lot of rest down the stretch.
Why I should be the new CFL commissioner
The CFL is still searching for a commissioner after Jeffrey L. Orridge left last week with no successor in sight. Orridge didn't seem to take command in a way a commissioner might do, and this conclusion seemed to be a mutual decision. The CFL might not want another American in the role, though I think I could do a good job at promoting the league within Canada and the world. No CFL fan wants a jerk dictator such as Gary Bettman, but the next commissioner should be a force within the world of sports and Canada.
The 105th Grey Cup will be Sunday, November 26 at TD Place in Ottawa. The 106th Grey Cup will be in Edmonton.
CFL travels have sent me to every league city
CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage
Don Matthews had a CFL coaching legacy that will be difficult to top. The league, players — current and former — and its fans are in mourning after the passing of the long-time coach last week at the age of 77. Matthews finished his career with 231 wins. Wally Buono is the all-time leader currently at 266. Frank Clair is the 3rd highest all the way down at 147 wins.
The tributes that poured in were plentiful about Matthews as a coach and really great person. While numbers never defined a human being, Matthews knack for being around winning was unparalleled in the CFL. He coached the BC Lions, Toronto Argonauts, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Baltimore Stallions, Edmonton Esks, and the Montréal Alouettes.
Matthews won a Grey Cup as a head coach with 4 teams:
1985 BC Lions
1995 Baltimore Stallions
1996 Toronto Argonauts
1997 Toronto Argonauts
2002 Montréal Alouettes
As impressive as that feat is, Matthews also won 5 Grey Cups as a defensive coordinator with Edmonton during the team's magical run of 1978-1982. Matthews also guided the 1983 Lions, 1994 Stallions, 2003 Alouettes, and 2005 Alouettes to the Grey Cup.
Matthews went to 14 Grey Cups as an assistant and head coach and was on the winning side for 10 Grey Cups.
Though Matthews grew up as an American, his mother was a francophone from New Brunswick and his father was from Prince Edward Island. Late in his career, Matthews became a Canadian citizen.
CFL, ESPN unveil 2017 U.S. broadcast schedule (CFL.ca)
The CFL released what was supposed to be the whole schedule, but only represents the schedule through August. There are 13 telecasts, 9 on ESPN2, 4 on ESPNews, and none after August 13. 8 of the 13 telecasts are in the first 3 weeks.
My DVR has the Winnipeg-Saskatchewan assigned to ESPN2 while the press release says ESPNews. Make sure you get that if it falls off the schedule.
All games not on a ESPN TV network will run on ESPN3.
video credit: CFL
photo credit: Adam Pulicicchio
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