After over 6 months away it’s nearly time to resume Canada’s version of Gridiron football. The teams have been back in pre-season training camps for a good few weeks as the teams trim their roster along with each coach having had a number of games via the pre-season friendlies to assess their teams and get them ready for the season openers. Below is a mini preview of each of the nine teams split into their two respective divisions. This season looks set to be another one full of excitement with a refreshing rebrand as well as a new kit deal with Adidas. East Division Hamilton Tiger-Cats Arguably the strongest team on paper in the East and as we all know the game isn’t played on paper as Ottawa proved last season by winning the division ahead of them. Before last season Hamilton did win the East division for two straight consecutive years in 2013 and 2014 falling short on both occasions to the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Calgary Stampeders respectively. This is hoodoo is something that the Ti-Cats will need to overcome in order to lift the Grey Cup for the first time since 1999 and they may just achieve that with the signing of experienced slot-back Chad Owens who arrives from fierce rivals Toronto Argonauts as a free agent. Owens is a leader who’s rallied the Argo troops on the field on plenty of occasions and brings with him the experience of winning the Grey Cup once in 2012, so knows how to play the big occasions. Head coach Kent Austin has been very successful by reaching the Grey Cup on various occasions and remaining one of the strongest teams in the CFL. It may be worth taking into account too that Hamilton’s move to Tim Horton’s field may well be a huge contributing factor over the last few years. Montreal Alouettes This season the Alouettes celebrate their 20th year since reforming and they head into the campaign with a new look roster again hoping to be more dominant having missed out on the play-offs by a whisker to BC Lions last season. Montreal will have to deal with a number of loses in the locker room, most notably offensive lineman Josh Bourke who heads to his native Ontario after 8 years with the Alouettes. Bourke leaving is sure to have a big impact on Montreal given he’s been an Easter all-star for 7 straight seasons from 2008 through to 2014 as well as offering protection to the starting quarterback. This leads me on to the Alouettes quarterback problems which they’ve not had much luck for a number of seasons ever since Anthony Calvillo’s retirement in 2013. Last season they had big injury problems in this department before Kevin Glenn took up the fray, Rakeem Cato and Brandon Bridge also getting a slight look in. The question is this year should Montreal go with the experienced Kevin Glenn who’s probably got a couple of more seasons left in him or go for the ever developing Brandon Bridge who’s now in his second year with the franchise. There’s a high probability that Bridge will be the long term replacement but will Jim Popp opt for experience as the Alouettes look to improve on their 6-12 record last year in what could be the toughest East division for seasons. A tough one to call given the growing strength of this division, but feel that Montreal are possibly the weaker of the four so the best they can possibly hope for is a crossover place. In the long run they could turn into a force to be reckoned with but not before the quarterback position is sorted. Ottawa Redblacks No one or hardly anyone would’ve predicted the success Ottawa had last season by reaching the Grey Cup in only their second year as a franchise only to lose out to Edmonton Eskimos in Winnipeg. The Redblacks finished last season (regular) with a 12:6 record as well as only losing twice at home all through the season. In contrast that was fantastic to say the least compared to their first season where they were only able to record 2 wins. Last season as already stated was very impressive and there has been talk of whether last season may have been a one off in terms of relative success for Ottawa due to injuries impacting on all the other three East teams as well as Toronto’s stadium problems. Regarding statistics in the Redblacks second season they were number one in a number of areas including net offense, pass offense, interceptions and quarterback sacks. For the 2016 campaign the only factor which may hinder Ottawa is the loss of offensive coordinator Jason Mass who takes over at Edmonton. However Ottawa have strengthened their quarterback position this season with the capture of free agent Trevor Harris who turned down a new deal at Toronto. Harris who had 33 touchdown passes last season will provide stiff competition for the ever present 40+ year old Henry Burris last season. I’m predicting more good times ahead if Ottawa are going to build on last season. Toronto Argonauts The Argos will be looking to create a new era this year in their history after leaving the Rogers Centre and moving to a newly renovated BMO Field ahead of the campaign. Last season there was plenty of negativity around due to playing many home games on the road, despite a decent season that finished with a 10:8 regular season record. After their move to BMO Field got rubber stamped the clouds have lifted and there’s plenty to be positive about for Argos fans, with a new face to the team creating a good vibe. The Toronto based franchise tend to always budget for Canadian talent via the draft so don’t max out their budget when offering new deals and have to be shrewder in the free agency. This approach has often been criticised by many and this year it led to the Argos losing quarter-back Trevor Harris to Ottawa Redblacks and fan favourite Chad Owens to fierce rivals Hamilton Tiger-Cats. However they’ve made a number of acquisitions during free agency with offensive line Josh Bourke arriving from Montreal and defensive lineman Bryan Hall joining from Hamilton to name a couple. In addition these as well as other arrivals, Argos offered new deals to Ricky Foley who took a pay cut in order to stay in his native Toronto and chose to put their faith in ageing quarter-back Ricky Ray by offering him a new contract. Ray’s new deal has been met with huge positivity in the Argos locker room with wide receiver Vidal Hazelton complementing Ray by stating “he adds so much swag to this offence” adding “it’s fun playing with him and it’s fun catching his passes”. I’m predicting a great year for Toronto and think they may finish top of the East division and will be contesting the Grey Cup in their home city come November. West Division BC Lions Last season the Lions advanced to the play-offs last season, but it would be fair to say that they only continued their road to the Grey Cup due to the inconsistencies of Winnipeg and the poor form of Saskatchewan, not down to their own brilliance. This season offers one of hope, despite losing starting receiver Andrew Harris to their Western rivals Winnipeg. The reason I say that there’s hope is BC do have a number of factors potentially in their favour. Firstly they have a new coach in Wally Buono who’s got a great record at identifying quarterback talent, then leading nicely onto the next point they have to good QB’s vying for the number 1 spot. The Lions have got one with plenty of experience in Travis Lulay who’s a former CFL’s most outstanding player and Grey Cup MVP of 2011, then they have the upcoming Jonathan Jennings who’s now in his second season in Vancouver with a lot expected of him. Buono has stated his intention to use Jennings as the number 1 QB this season having started 8 games last season with a 66% passing rate (making 2,004 yards) with 10 interceptions and 15 touchdown passes. Along with the quarterback competition BC also have ‘the Manny Show’ in wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux who offers the Lions faithful plenty of excitement and promises for that to continue this campaign “you’ve got to give the fans what they came to see, and that’s to put on a show”. BC could be one of those teams this season that gels straight away as they look to replicate their 2011 Grey Cup success. However given the loss of some key individuals I think it would be more of a realistic expectation for them to possibly finish 3rd in the division like last season, laying the foundations for a more dominant Lions in future years. Calgary Stampeders Calgary somewhat went under the radar during the off-season as other teams stole the limelight with the signings of big name players or by appointing a new coach. The Stampeders have been consistent over the last few seasons having achieved at least a semi-final spot and went one better in 2014 by lifting the Grey Cup. This season’s a new dawn for Calgary with John Hufnagel stepping down after 8 seasons and he now switches focus solely on his General Manager duties. Taking over from Hufnagel is Dave Dickenson in what could prove to be a smooth transition given Dickenson was offensive coach before being promoted to the role of head coach for this season’s campaign. Not forgetting too that Dickenson was a great quarterback for the franchise so is held in high esteem with the Calgary faithful. As well as a new head coach the Stamps also have a new defensive coordinator with DeVone Claybrooks taking up that role. Furthermore, Calgary like a lot of other franchises have to deal with a loss of a key player but for a different reason than losing a free agent. Instead it was the retirement of Canadian quarterback and 2x Grey Cup champion Jon Cornish, who spent his entire career in the CFL and with Calgary. However I believe there will be a smooth transition in the quarterback department as stated with the head coach change. Bo-Levi Mitchell will be key for Calgary if they are to stay at the top. Edmonton Eskimos The Grey Cup champions head in to the new campaign with a new look as Jason Mass is the new head coach after Chris Jones left to take up a similar role with last year’s worst team, Saskatchewan Rough Riders who finished bottom of the West in 2015. The Eskimos have managed to keep the majority of starters from their Grey Cup success last season which quite possibly will bode well for this season. The reason I say this is that is that the teams not too dissimilar from a number of seasons, meaning the team spirit which has built up in the Esks locker room will only grow stronger. Last season’s Grey Cup MVP Mike Reilly will be key for Edmonton this season as they look to replicate their 2015 success. Reilly who plays quarterback completed 21/35 passes for 269 yards as well as two touchdowns in the Grey Cup alone, with his overall total in regular season equalling 214/329, 2,449 yards made with 10 interceptions and 15 touchdowns. However where Edmonton might struggle is with new coach Jason Mass who moves from Ottawa Redblacks where he was offensive coordinator, as he’ll have to learn the ropes pretty quick. Saying that he comes with a good reputation from Ottawa after last season’s success. Not only have the Eskimos had to bring in a new head coach to replace Chris Jones they’ve also had to bring in a whole backroom staff to support Mass as Jones took all bar one with him to Saskatchewan. Personally as impressive as Edmoton were last season I can’t see them winning the Grey Cup again this year as I have a feeling it may be going East. However I’m pretty confident that they will at least reach the semi-finals. Saskatchewan Roughriders The Riders will be looking to get back to their best this year having had a horrific campaign last season finishing bottom of the division with only 3 wins to their name. There wasn’t much time after the season had concluded for the staff and the locker room to feel sorry for themselves as the boardroom recognised the poor season and went after who they saw as being the best in the business in 2015 Grey Cup winning coach Chris Jones who joined from Edmonton. Jones wasted no time putting his stamp on the team by firstly bringing his backroom staff East with him to Saskatchewan before remoulding the roster as he saw fit bringing in a number from his former team as well as others from Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg to name a few. Players following him to Saskatchewan include wide receivers Shamawd Chambers and Kendial Lawrence whom both played a pivotal role in the Eskimos success last year. In addition to Jones’ use of the free agency he also picked up a gem or to back in May during the official draft, most notably offensive linemen Josiah St John who was the top pick in this year’s draft. With Jones bringing a fresh look to the Riders it’s sure to be exciting times ahead for the Riders faithful and I can pretty much guarantee they won’t rank as the worst team this time around. However I think it would be extremely unlikely they would reach the Grey Cup as we all know building a successful side takes time, so in 2-3 years’ time it may just be their year? Winnipeg Blue Bombers
After a disappointing season last year Winnipeg will be looking to transform their fortunes this time around. The Blue Bombers will see this year as a new era given the new uniform by Adidas which will see them play in their traditional royal blue and gold along with their revamped team. The Bombers made waves in the free agency with plenty of upheaval and remodelling of their team with some notable arrivals. Notable arrivals include running-back and Winnipeg native Andrew Harris from BC Lions who stated “it’s a dream come true and something I’ve always envisaged”. Other arrivals include defensive-back Macho Harris, wide-receiver’s Weston Dressler and Ryan Smith, whom all three arrive from Saskatchewan. Winnipeg do tend to prefer to splash out on free agency compared to the approach Jim Barker takes at Toronto where young talent in the draft is preferred. However the Bombers will hope their reshaping will pay off as they go in search of their first Grey Cup since 1990. Although they will at least be hoping to advance to the play-offs for the first time since 2011 when they were East division champions and put last season’s record of 5 wins and 13 losses to bed. As already stated there is plenty to look forward to for Bombers fans with the new look squad and the new uniform too, which the fans are delighted about having been wanting to go back to Royal Blue for quite some time. This season I would expect Winnipeg to give the Bombers faithful some joy by securing a play-off spot and advancing at least to the semi-finals. Although I do believe the team does have potential to appear in Toronto at the Grey Cup this year.
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Last year was a challenging year for Ontario native Brandon Bridge having gone unpicked in the NFL draft, eventually going in the 4th round (31st pick) to Montreal Alouettes, meaning he would be playing his football in Canada. In his rookie season he started as the third choice quarterback at Montreal, but did work his way up to play back-up to fellow rookie Rakeem Cato after injuries to Jonathan Crompton and Dan LeFevour. Although given Cato didn’t arrive till later in the 2015 season, Bridge did make his debut in game week 1 of the season but did not make his first start till the final game in early November where he completed 21/30 passes (220 yards) as well as assisting with two touchdowns. Despite only the one start in 2015 Bridge does have a lot going for him most notably being one of a sparse number of Canadian quarterbacks in the CFL. Not only this, but he does have a huge advantage over other Canadian quarterbacks having gone to an American University as opposed to a Canadian one, South Alabama to be precise. The advantage of attending a University in America is that there is access to more full time coaches and better facilities as well as tougher competition. This means his game should be more rounded, so his arm strength should match other American quarterbacks playing in the CFL leading to him making the all-important big plays during game time. Also Bridge has the skill to hold on to the ball for a long time, thus giving himself the opportunity to look for teammates across the pitch. All these skill sets should set Bridge in good stead for the upcoming season as he battles it out for the number 2 quarter-back slot with Compton, Cato and Vernon Adams Jr who will face his rookie season. Ideally Bridge like most other QB’s would like to be the starter but knows he must bide his time and impress GM Jim Popp in practice. Meanwhile the current honour of starting QB goes to 37-year-old Kevin Glenn who Bridge admires stating “he’s been a great mentor” helping him out and offering advice where appropriate. Playing under such an experienced head as Glenn is will only further help improve his game and after not playing as much as he would have liked last year, Bridge will be even more determined to prove a point and grasp every opportunity. 2016 has the potential to be a great year for Bridge where he could lay the foundations to becoming one of the faces of the CFL for future years. Is this the year where Air Canada departs for greatness?
With excitement building ahead of the 2016 CFL draft on Tuesday (May 10th), it’s time to take a look at the top prospects who are billed to go in the first few rounds. In a change to last year there won’t be single articles on each one (due to time constraints), instead there will be one article highlighting the main guys who could be set for CFL stardom. The first round of the draft is seen to be a major factor in the team’s upcoming season with all 9 franchises looking for top Canadian talent who can be starters as opposed to sitting on the practice roster. As Toronto Argonauts General Manager, Jim Barker put it “you look for guys who can step right in and play right away” and these drafts will have a huge part bearing as to whether a team makes the Grey Cup or falls short by quite a way. Barker also added that mistakes in the draft process are costly and that “you’re only as good as your Canadian talent” selected in the draft. This year the highly regarded prospects all tend to be Offensive Linemen after a number of other prospects went in the NFL draft. Nigerian Defensive Lineman David Onyemata signed with the New Orleans Saints, while four others signed free agency deals with the NFL including highly rated receiver Tevaun Smith. The favourite to go at the number 1 slot is Toronto native Josiah St. John, who plays Offensive Lineman. Going first means he would be joining Chris Jones’ new looking Roughriders in Saskatchewan who endured a horrendous year last season only winning 3 of their 18 regular season games. So what’s the appeal that St. John has? Well he’s an Offensive Lineman for starters will appeals straight away to CFL sides due to the rules of having so many Canadian’s in the side and Linemen tend to be the best options. He weighs 300 pounds and will come from Oklahoma University where he has developed in his 2 years with the Sooners. In 2014 he played in 8 of the Sooners games making his debut on the 30th August against Louisiana Tech. The following year (2015) is where St. John grew in stature, playing one less game than 2014 (7) but started in 4 of them (all at right tackle) which is something he failed to do the previous year. Despite not partaking in the Combines he impressed the officials with his communication and if the teams require test results from St. John they needn’t look further than his pro day performance in front of all 32 NFL officials. These include 17 reps for the bench press, a 27-inch vertical jump as well as running the 20-yard shuttle run in 4.76 seconds. Next up is another Offensive Linemen in Jason Lauzon-Seguin who has represented Laval University and is a Quebec native. The 25-year-old is 6’4” and weighs 300 pounds and according to the CFL’s own mock draft could go second meaning he would mostly likely stay in his province, joining Montreal Alouettes. The potential of Lauzon-Seguin will excite a team like Montreal given their struggles in that area last season, so a top Canadian starter at tackle might be just what they need. During his couple of years with the University of Laval Lauzon-Seguin won a number of awards including two in 2015 with being named in the SIQ first offensive star team and RSEQ offensive star team in his first season starting at right tackle. Looking at his combine results, Lauzon-Seguin completed 27 reps in the bench press as well as completing the 40-yard dash in 5.385 seconds and reaching an impressive 30-inches for the vertical jump. Third according to CFL’s latest mock draft is Charles Vaillancourt who like Lauzon-Seguin also attended Laval University. The 6’4”, 329 pounds Offensive Lineman is a Quebec native and according to CFL’s official website is one of the biggest and most physical players up for grabs in the draft. His time at Laval University during 3 years speaks for itself with a total of 9 awards being racked up by Vaillencourt, emphasising how vital he’ll be for whichever team snaps him up. With Vaillancourt being listed number three in the mock draft means he would currently go to BC Lions which would be great for them given the rebuilding currently going on for the Vancouver based franchise. During the CFL combines back in March Vaillancourt achieved 24 reps in the bench presses, while finishing the 40-yard dash in 5.384 putting up in the top half of the Offensive Linemen who partook in that. In the vertical jump he achieved 27-inches, again putting him at the half way point in the OL department. Another Offensive Lineman is next on the list in the shape of Quebec native Phillipe Gagnon. Predicted to go fourth and unsurprisingly too as the Argos get the fourth pick and Gagnon has all the attributes that GM Jim Baker likes for his OL, strong, tough and mean. Should Gagnon join the Toronto based outfit he could potentially be a starter from the off which would him a great platform for the season which may end in Grey Cup glory in Toronto. His statistics from the CFL combines are mightily impressive with Gagnon recording 40 reps in the bench press which was the highest on the day and the joint third best of all-time. However his 40-yard dash was the slowest on the day with 5.513 seconds being recorded, although he wasn’t that far short of a number of other invitees and this was more a case of small margins. Gagnon’s vertical leap came in at 24.5 inches which put him in the lower half of results that day. Nevertheless the potential Gagnon has he could be a star in the making sooner rather than later. Finishing off my preview is Canadian receiver Juwan Brescacin, who’s played his trade with the University of North Illinois over a 4 year period becoming ever the consistent along the way. The 23-year-old Toronto native is 6’4” and weighs 227 pounds and can consider himself somewhat unfortunate not to be going to the NFL, however their loss is the CFL’s gain. Brescacin statistics for his time playing in the NCAA made for impressive reading, more so in 2013 and 2014 with his receiving catches hitting over 30 (33 and 31 respectively), while recording 499 in 2013 and 445 in 2014 for receiving yards. In both these two seasons too he did make 6 touchdowns. On CFL’s own website they predict that Brescacin will go fifth meaning he’ll join Hamilton unless another franchise negotiates trade slots. It will be those stats alone that the 9 teams base their judgement on as Brescacin could not attend the combines back in March due to his pro day falling pretty close to them.
1981 is the year for this rewind and the setting was Montreal’s Olympic stadium and featured the Edmonton Eskimos and the Ottawa Rough Riders in what was considered to be one of the best Grey Cups of all time. This was the 69th Grey Cup and featured many players who would go on to be inducted into the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame and would also be the last game for some of the games greats. The date of the Grey Cup was 22nd of November and featured two teams with completely different records from their 16 game season. On the one hand there was Edmonton Eskimos who were considered the favourites having won 14 of their 16 games whilst drawing 1, on the other hand were Ottawa Rough Riders who made the Grey Cup with a 5-11 record which is completely unheard of the game today. With the stage set the teams did battle and it was Ottawa who got the first points in the game as a result of two Gerry Organ field goals from 34 and 37 yards respectively giving the Rough Riders the 6 before Jim Reid scored a touchdown with Organ securing the conversion to make it 13-0 to Ottawa after the 1st quarter. The 2nd saw Ottawa stretch their lead with another touchdown with Sam Platt scoring from a 14 yard run with Organ adding the extra again. Edmonton then got onto the score sheet before the close of the second quarter with a single from Dave Cutler after he missed a field goal from 24 yards. So at half time it was the Rough Riders who were leading the Eskimos 20-1 and looked to be on course to cause a major upset. The third quarter was all Edmonton’s as they aimed to get a foothold back in the game. The Eskimos first touchdown of the 69th Grey Cup came when running back Jim Germany made a 2-yard run into the end zone with kicker Dave Cutler scoring the conversion. This cut Ottawa’s lead to 20-8, before Edmonton made more inroads into the Rough Riders lead this time through quarterback Warren Moon making a 1-yard run into the end zone for the touchdown. Cutler again adding the conversion to get the extra point. With one quarter to go it stood 20-15 to Ottawa, but the question is could the Rough Riders hold on? Ottawa got their first point of the second half through a field goal from 28 yards by Organ to take them up to 23. Moon responded for the Eskimos with a touchdown from 1 yard and Moon had a part to play in the convert as his pass to wide receiver Marco Cyncar giving the Eskimos 2 points as opposed to 1. This left the game evenly poised going into the final 4 minutes and Ottawa looked like they may be on the way to sealing the Grey Cup when the injured Tony Gabriel of Ottawa caught a 20 yard pass ahead of Eskimos Gary Hayes. However in this phase of play there was no gain for Ottawa as the referee, to many players astonishment called a pass interference on play. Shortly after the call Ottawa lost possession and Edmonton’s Cutler scored a 27 yard field goal with seconds left to complete a historic comeback by the Eskimos. Meanwhile Ottawa’s Gabriel was forced to retire after the game with knee ligament damaged after that play that never was. The 69th Grey Cup finished 26-23 in Edmonton’s favour in what would be Ottawa’s last ever Grey Cup appearance in their Rough Riders form as they went bankrupt in 1996.
The 90th Grey Cup was quite a poignant one for one of the teams and very important one too as the sport was regaining its identity following the failed American experiment in the mid 1990’s. The 2002 season saw 9 teams compete for the 2 places in the Grey Cup including an introduction of one new franchise called Ottawa Renegades from the capital. The Renegades were replacing the gap left by the Ottawa Rough Riders who folded 7 years previous in the mist of the American experiment having been around since 1876 making them one of the oldest. Out of the 9 teams involved in the regular season only 6 could make it through to the play-offs where 4 Western teams made it through due to the crossover and only 2 from the East. The 2002 Grey Cup was hosted in Edmonton and involved the team from Edmonton too in the Edmonton Eskimos as the faced off against Montreal Alouettes. The match-up involved an intense rivalry that has existed since the 1950’s as they had met in the Grey Cup 11 previous times to this, albeit Montreal were in a previous form to what they are now, which is why it made this game so unique. There was added spice to the occasion as both teams won their respective divisions which gave them both byes to their divisional finals. This was where the hosts of the 90th Grey Cup, the Eskimos fought hard to edge out the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West final by 33 points to 30, while Montreal’s path was a lot more clearer they eased past the Toronto Argonauts 35-18. As intriguing matches go this was up there, but there was more to the contest than just the match itself as it was about how the Alouettes rose from the ashes and reclaimed the Grey Cup for the first time since 1977 and won it in Edmonton’s backyard. Montreal were only starting to emerge as a force again on the Canadian Football scene ever since they relocated from Baltimore in 1996 after the leagues failed American dream. At first the Alouettes new future appeared to be short lived due to a lack of energy for the game around the city, this was proven as poor attendances were clear for all to see at the Olympic Stadium. However a change was on the horizon as grassroots participation was increasing and fans were regaining their love for the game that started in 1874 when Montreal University, McGill faced Harvard. The turnaround in fortunes appeared to be complete when on November 24th 2002, Montreal took on Edmonton in the 90th Grey Cup. So how did the match go down, well there was only a single scored in the first quarter when Terry Baker made a 68 yard punt to the endzone. The second quarter saw Montreal extend their lead to 11-0 by adding 10 points through Wide Receiver Pat Woodcock touchdown (6) with Terry Baker adding the extra 1, before Baker kicked a field goal to add 3 more points (10). At half-time Montreal led 11-0, but Edmonton came back into the game thanks to a touchdown by Ricky Walters as a result from a 17 yard pass from quarterback Ricky Ray. Sean Fleming then added the conversion before securing a field goal from 13 yards to put Edmonton within a point of Montreal. So it proved that the game would be decided in the 4th and final quarter, where Montreal increased their 1 point lead to 8 as a result of wide receiver Jeremaine Copeland touchdown from a 47 yard pass from Anthony Calvillo. Edmonton then replied with a touchdown of their own with another Ricky Ray assist and Ed Hervey with the touchdown. However the Eskimos did miss the conversion meaning the scoreline was 18-16 with less than a minute to go on the clock. With that said Montreal did add another touchdown and Copeland got his second from a kick-off return, Terry Baker added the conversion. The end result was 25-16 to the Alouettes and a victory made even sweeter winning in the hometown of their rivals. The MVP award went to quarterback Anthony Calvillo.
This was the 83rd edition of the prestigious Grey Cup and it took place during a time of turmoil within the Canadian game with instable ownership putting the Canadian Football League on life support. The early and mid-1990’s saw the CFL take the brave decision of expansion, not in Canada but in the United States. Part of the reason behind this grand and bold plan was to reignite the Canadian game and bring growth to what seemed to be a dying sport. The idea behind the expansion into America was to serve markets within certain states which were lacking an NFL franchise, however there was no thought and not much research behind the strategy. The problems were that because the Canadian Football field is wider and longer it was difficult to put the pitch into stadiums that were there to serve American Football solely. Furthermore the Canadian player quota system had to be scraped to entice American teams to join. Many franchises in America were created between the short lived years of the American experiment, which began with Sacramento Gold Miners in 1993, then after came the likes of Shreveport Pirates, Memphis Mad Dogs and who could forgot the Las Vegas Posse (maybe most as they only lasted 1 season, as did a number of other franchises). In spite of what could be perceived as a failed strategy, came a franchise who to an extent left a great legacy, the Baltimore Stallions. Formed ready for the 1994 season under the name Baltimore CFLers, they reached the Grey Cup that year as East Division champions, losing in the final 23-26 to BC Lions. Having survived one season the franchise appeared to be a success so Baltimore under a new name, Baltimore Stallions went again in 1995 and achieved something that will never be completed again, an America team winning the Canadian Grey Cup. The 1995 Grey Cup was played at Taylor Field in Regina, home to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the smallest place to host a Grey Cup, but without question the city with the most passionate fans. This was proven when the people of Saskatchewan got right behind the 83rd Grey Cup, despite the Roughriders failing to make the play-offs finishing 6th in the North Division with a 6-12. However this event was all about the Baltimore Stallions and the Calgary Stampeders and America versus Canada, this was sure not to disappoint, not least because of the testing weather conditions facing the teams. This was the reason why the 83rd Grey Cup earned the name of the Wind Bowl. So how did the game break down, well Don Matthews the Stallions coach had a major advantage along with the rest of the American teams to begin with as they were able to operate without any roster restrictions which the Canadian franchises had to follow. This allowed Matthews to build a class team above any other and this showed during the game against the Stampeders. Chris Wright started the scoring off playing an 82-yard punt to Carlos Huerta, putting the Stallions 7-0 before the Stampeders came back to edge the 1st quarter through 2 field goals by English born Mark Mcloughlin. Doug Flutie added to this early in the 2nd quarter to leave Calgary 13-7 up. However from then on Baltimore dominated by scoring three field goals plus a touchdown (Carlos Huerta FG x3 & Alvin Walton TD), to give them a 10 point lead (23-13) at the end of the 2nd quarter. The 3rd quarter involved 1 touchdown for either side, firstly Calgary through Flutie, Mcloughlin with the conversion, then Baltimore replied through Tracy Ham (Huerta with the conversion). The 4th and final quarter ended with Baltimore tightening their grip on the game through two more field through Carlos Huerta who battled the windy conditions. The Grey Cup ended 37-20 in favour of Baltimore and their quarterback, Tracy Ham received MVP. The victory was seen as one of the greatest in Canadian Football history as that was Baltimore’s 18th in the whole season, something that has and possibly never will be matched again. Although after this historic season the American experiment was over with the franchises in the States folding and Baltimore becoming an NFL franchise after the Cleveland Browns relocated. This resulted in the re-launch of the Montreal franchise which was seen as a great move which helped restore some national pride back into Canadian Football, as the failed American experiment was seen to be taking some patriotism away. Nevertheless one of the Grey Cups which help define the direction of the game.
This blog in a way is a follow up to my previous one about broadening the appeal of the Canadian Football League. In my view the CFL is vastly becoming an appealing product that with the right marketing can grow even bigger and have an appeal outside of Canada. One of the ways to do this would be to bring a game (to test the waters so to speak) across the pond to the UK and see the reception it receives. Clearly it will not be as popular as when the NFL comes to town but CFL offers a completely different experience, most notably with the various changes in rules from the NFL. The appeal of one game in the UK would in my opinion attract various types of fans, firstly the passionate ones who would travel from Canada to make a vacation of it or even a number of hard-core fans within the UK. Secondly there would be fans like myself who are quite new to CFL (taken an interest in the last couple of years) who would love to experience it, then finally UK fans of NFL who would be interested in attending to see how it compares to its American counterpart. But where? I suggest staging games at a smaller venue compared to Wembley with Stadium:MK being a potential venue given its history of hosting events that are not football (Soccer, which is the stadiums main use) related events. Also the city itself can put on a really good show to support the events which the stadium hosts. For example I was lucky enough to get tickets to the recent Rugby World Cup and one of the games I went to was in Milton Keynes where they put on a fanzone in a large park with rugby specific events and lots of volunteers dotted around Milton Keynes on hand to offer advice or give directions. My point from this is I can imagine the CFL doing something similar if they do decide the time is right to play in the UK, as the stadium (32,000) is suitable for the demand of a Canadian Football game, the city and its infrastructure is suitable enough to deal with masses of people in one place at a time. It is also worth noting that with Milton Keynes being a fairly new place (developed within the last 50 years) and regeneration happening over the few years there are lots of new modern restaurants to suite virtually anybody and make their time a pleasant one. Realistically will it happen? As much as I would love it to and I know I am not alone in saying that, I can’t see it on the horizon as the CFL seems pretty much content with its operations solely in Canada. However if they want an increase in revenue this should seriously be considered as the brand could only increase by making this happen due to it only being a one off to begin with so they are not going to lose money by making this happen. Considering everything the best time to do this so it does not conflict with NFL coming over would be right at the beginning of the CFL in June or July which may be the most appealing to fans alike as well. Who would the teams be? Well there is currently 9 teams in the CFL (4 in the East Division & 5 in the West Division) and virtually all of them would have some appeal one way or another. Being a follower of the Toronto Argonauts I would love to see them come across of course, but the reason for the appeal would be the history the team has and as we all know we all like a team with history here in the UK. Then there’s Saskatchewan Roughriders who seem to be the most well supported (and riches) team in Canada and a decent team too (Discounting this season though as they are 2-15). Other teams with varying appeal would be Calgary Stampeders who arguably are the best team currently, while Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the best in the East. Then there’s the newest franchise, Ottawa REDBLACKS which will be looking to drum up a fanbase and could potentially become the Jacksonville Jaguars of Canadian Football in terms of being a new franchise who plays games regularly abroad.
All in all I’m sure any observer of the CFL whether you’re a die-hard or new to the game would just be happy to see any 2 sides do battle in the UK. Intro Having seen the soring success the NFL has seen over the years I believe that the Canadian Football League could have something similar, although not on the same level might I add. The CFL did once try to expand its reach back in the 90’s in the United States to what was very limited success with the Baltimore Stallions coming out of the experiment with any glory. The result of this failure caused the league to suffer a period of decline as well as losing the Stallions to an NFL franchise while the rest of the American CFL franchises ceased business. However two decades on I believe the league has learnt from past mistakes and could be ready to expand its appeal further. So what could be done? Team number 10? Well firstly a tenth team to participate in the CFL is a must and something that seems to be on the cards within the not too distant future. There have been several mooted places to start the team such as the Halifax, Windsor or Moncton area which have come close to getting a team previously, Quebec which is another place that has been mentioned, however certain factors may mean Quebec is not viable. Another option that hasn’t been talked about is having a team on Newfoundland, in St John’s for example. This option would be an interesting proposition as there is potential to grow a passionate fanbase on the island and give the CFL another dimension. Other possible ones include Saskatoon and maybe Yukon but a major point that needs to be considered when setting up a CFL franchise is the potential fanbase as no consideration for this could have serious consequences as found with the US experiment. Bringing the game to the UK Secondly and arguably the most important would be for the CFL teams to follow the NFL lead and play games abroad. By doing this the league would receive masses of exposure on a global scale and would be following what many other sports have been doing in recent years. For example the NFL play 2 to 3 games at Wembley England a year so why couldn’t the CFL do the same? Obviously not at Wembley as a smaller stadium should be used to test the waters, but think about this would be a great way to grow an international fanbase and to increase revenue. If this were to be considered I would suggest either using an alternate stadium in London like the Olympic Stadium (54,000) or if the league wanted to explore another area they could use St James Park (52,000), alternatively King Power (32,500) in Leicester if they wanted a stadium in the middle of the UK. Either way by playing in a stadium like this it would be a great tester for popularity of Canadian football within the UK and may attract fans from Canada for the event. Obviously the only problem with this is the expanded pitch size needed which may rule out certain stadiums. CFL on the console? Finally finishing on a minor point and that is concerning a CFL console game, although this seems like a long way off it could be a fairly viable option. Regarding this the CFL have two choices either partner with the NFL join the Madden franchise, alternatively they could choose to another major video sports game partner like 2K. Either way this would be a great way to really promote the CFL brand and attract a worldwide audience. Concluding view Overall I feel these three points would help massively to boost its brand and global reach but obviously all three won’t happen at once and I believe the second point about playing games abroad would be a great start. Games could be strategically picked for the UK and possibly France with Montreal Alouettes playing a game there. In my view there is so much potential to tap into the league just needs to realise it, but the futures bright and things seem to be looking up!
Last night saw the hugely anticipated CFL draft that saw a record of Offensive Linemen going in the first round and Alex Mateas becoming the first overall pick, with Ottawa getting the night going. The night also saw highly rated Lemar Durant end up going in the final round 2 slot to Calgary. So there were a mixture of winners and losers on the night, but in your opinion which team were the main winners on the night and who was the star pick in the draft who will light up the CFL come June.
The final prospect in the series of draft prospects is defensive lineman Daryl Waud who hails from Hamilton, Ontario. He stands at 6’5’’ and weighs 270 pounds and he plays his football for the Western Mustangs. Waud is highly rated having been ranked 5th last September in the CFL scouting bureau rankings before moving up to 3rd overall in December and in the final rankings recently he was ranked 7th which illustrates why a lot of franchises in both CFL and NFL want him. His stats are impressive over the past couple of seasons playing Canadian Football with the Mustangs where he picked up individual accolades as well as leaving a lasting impression. In the 2012-13 season Waud played a total of 9 regular season games, plus 2 play-off games where he won 32 tackles in total (25 of them being by himself), as well as assisting other teammates in 14 tackles. In the 2 play-off games Waud participated in he won 2 solo tackles (3.5 overall) meaning he won more than 1 tackle per game. This record in the total of 11 games he played earned him an OUA first team all-star and CIS first team All-Canadian. Meanwhile in the season just past (2013-14) Waud completed 11 games in total like the previous season (8 regular season, 3 play-offs) where he won 21 tackles, 12 of them solo in the regular season. He also assisted on 18 tackles, while in the play-offs he impressed further winning a total of 9 tackles (7 solo) and provided 4 assists on tackles too. Like 2012-13 he earned OUA first team all-star as well as playing in the CIS East West Bowl. These stats helped him get invited to the CFL combines back in March where he recorded 21 reps in the bench press which was the 2nd highest out of the defensive linemen to take part. While in the 3-cone drill he recorded a time of 7.66 which was the 3rd best for his position. In the past week Waud accepted mini-camp invitations from two big NFL franchises, the New York Giants and Washington where he will be hoping to showcase his skills there over the upcoming weeks. Most likely destination
Like others covered in these blogs it is hard to call where Waud will end up given the intense interest from a number of NFL teams. All the CFL teams will be hoping they get Waud given his strength and tackle record, but the question is which club would be most likely to get him. He could possibly go to Montreal and get paired with Michael Klassen, but this depends if the Alouettes want a defensive lineman as their number 1 pick. |
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