The off-season is underway and every team faces questions. Today, I look at three questions concerning the BC Lions.
1. Will Geroy go elsewhere?
In a world where Ricky Ray, Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky and Brett Favre can be traded, nothing should surprise me, but the idea that Geroy Simon might not be in a BC Lions uniform next season is hard to fathom (I know he played for Winnipeg, but how many remember what Simon looked like in a Blue Bomber jersey?). But Simon is coming off perhaps his worst season as a pro and is 35 years old. It is obvious that his best days are behind him and the Lions might just part ways with the CFL's all-time leading receiver. Simon has said he wants to play next season, so if he's not in a BC uniform he will be in another team in 2013.
2. Who will they lose to the NFL?
There are very few certainties in this world, but one of them is that the BC Lions will lose a player or two to the NFL in any given off-season. Cam Wake, Martell Mallett, Ricky Foley, Stefan Logan and Solomon Elimimian are just a few Lions who have tried to make the NFL. Elimimian has declined to sign a contract extension, so the belief is that he's giving the NFL another go; receiver Shawn Gore is also free agents and has expressed interest in giving the NFL another chance, he had a cup of coffee with the Green Bay Packers in 2010, as well. But the biggest loss could be that of 2012 top offensive lineman Jovon Olafioye. The Lions took a step back in 2012, losing in the West Final, but they might take an even bigger step back in the off-season if they lose one or more of their players to the NFL.
3. Are the Lions still the team to beat out west?
The Lions were the favourites to win the Grey Cup, but as the season wore on it really did seem like the power shifted from BC to Calgary. When Calgary beat BC to get to the Grey Cup it didn't really surprise a lot of people, even though BC lost at home for just the second time since BC Place was renovated. It just seemed like the magic that the Lions had in their run to the championship in 2011 was missing. Now the Lions have to deal with a Calgary team that will enter 2013 with revenge in their hearts and a Saskatchewan team that will hope to build on their surprising 9-9 campaign in 2012. The Lions could be third in the pecking order in the West in 2013. But they are still a good team, plus they'll be better than Edmonton, so a playoff spot is not a concern. But they no longer look like the class of the West like they did just a few months ago.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Williams Named League All-Star
Williams was named to the league's all-star kick returner following a year that saw him break the league's single-season record for return touchdowns. While being a unanimous selection was impossible – fan votes accounted for part of the selection equation and some would have voted for BC's Tim Brown (remember, one person voted for Brown over Williams for special teams player of the year award last week) – Williams was probably the closest to a guaranteed pick of any player named.
While it is great that Williams was recognized for his spectacular special teams play, I don't understand why he wasn't also named an all-star at receiver. Williams has a case to be named at receiver as much as any of the players picked instead of him and maybe even more so in the case of two of them. Nik Lewis and Chad Owens were locks to make the team; Owens led the league in receiver yards and Lewis was the only player to hit triple digits in catches. But a case could be made to put Williams ahead of both Weston Dressler and Fred Stamps.
Dressler led the league in touchdown catches with 13, but finished just two ahead of Williams, who had 11. Dressler had more catches (94 to 83) than Williams, but Williams had more yards (1,298 to 1,206). Stamps finished with more yards than Williams (1,310 to 1,298), but Williams notched more catches (83 to 70) and more touchdowns (11 to 9). So Williams wasn't snubbed in the classic sense of the word, but it is surprising that he wasn't named at receiver. Perhaps it is just a case of five very strong receiver candidates (six if you count Winnipeg's Chris Matthews) and Williams being a lock for the kick returner spot. My guess is that the voters just didn't want to give Williams two all-star spots when there were equally deserving players at the receiver position.
The odd thing about the all-star selections is that Hamilton, which had the league's best offense, ends the season without a league all-star on that side of the ball. I don't care that they finished 6-12, the offense was the best in the league and to see it not rewarded with at least one league all-star spot is curious. Either voters held the team's last-place record against it or the unit was better than the sum of its parts, but to see the CFL's highest scoring offense get shut out on that side of the all-star ball is strange and likely something that has never happened before. Of course, not making the playoffs with the league's best offense doesn't happen either, but it did this year.
Monday, 3 December 2012
Three Questions: Edmonton Eskimos
The off-season is underway and every team faces questions. Today, I look at three questions concerning the Edmonton Eskimos.
1. Who will the next general manager be?
The biggest question facing the Eskimos is who to hire to replace Eric Tillman as the team's general manager. There are reported to be 13 candidates who have applied for the job, but only two are internal candidates, former player and current scout Ed Hervey and head coach Kavis Reed. We've heard a lot about the "Eskimo Way" since Tillman was ousted a month ago, so that tells me that Reed and Hervey are the two front runners. I don't see Reed getting the job because I don't think hes ready to leave the sideline just yet. So if I had to make a guess, and that is all this is, I'll think Hervey gets the job.
2. What will they do at quarterback?
The first order of business for the new GM will be to fix the mess that is Edmonton's quarterbacking situation. They started the 2012 season with Steven Jyles, but he proved as useful as a one-eyed wombat (and this is coming from someone who once had very high hopes for Jyles); then they went to 38-year-old Kerry Joseph, who had flashes, but showed every bit of age down the stretch; and then there was the very promising outings from Matt Nichols, but he suffered a gruesome injury in the playoff loss to the Argos and it is questionable whether he'll ever be able to return. The team also has former Oregon standout Jeremiah Masoli, but he saw no action in 2012. There are some free agent quarterbacks out there, such as Mike Reilly and Adrian McPherson, so Edmonton has options. I'd be surprised if Jyles and Joseph are still with Edmonton next year and with Nichols out for who knows how long, I expect them to go hard after one of the free agent quarterbacks. I think they hope to lure McPherson west and will do everything they can to get him in Green and Gold next year.
3. Will they be able to sign all their free agents?
One of the revelations following the Tillman firing was how many potential free agents the Eskimos have to try to re-sign before February. These aren't run-of-the-mill players either, we're talking guys like Marcus Howard, Chris Thompson, and reigning defensive player of the year JC Sherritt. The main reason given for trading Ricky Ray was to shed salary, so now the Eskimos will need to pony up some dough to ensure they don't sink even further in 2013.
1. Who will the next general manager be?
The biggest question facing the Eskimos is who to hire to replace Eric Tillman as the team's general manager. There are reported to be 13 candidates who have applied for the job, but only two are internal candidates, former player and current scout Ed Hervey and head coach Kavis Reed. We've heard a lot about the "Eskimo Way" since Tillman was ousted a month ago, so that tells me that Reed and Hervey are the two front runners. I don't see Reed getting the job because I don't think hes ready to leave the sideline just yet. So if I had to make a guess, and that is all this is, I'll think Hervey gets the job.
2. What will they do at quarterback?
The first order of business for the new GM will be to fix the mess that is Edmonton's quarterbacking situation. They started the 2012 season with Steven Jyles, but he proved as useful as a one-eyed wombat (and this is coming from someone who once had very high hopes for Jyles); then they went to 38-year-old Kerry Joseph, who had flashes, but showed every bit of age down the stretch; and then there was the very promising outings from Matt Nichols, but he suffered a gruesome injury in the playoff loss to the Argos and it is questionable whether he'll ever be able to return. The team also has former Oregon standout Jeremiah Masoli, but he saw no action in 2012. There are some free agent quarterbacks out there, such as Mike Reilly and Adrian McPherson, so Edmonton has options. I'd be surprised if Jyles and Joseph are still with Edmonton next year and with Nichols out for who knows how long, I expect them to go hard after one of the free agent quarterbacks. I think they hope to lure McPherson west and will do everything they can to get him in Green and Gold next year.
3. Will they be able to sign all their free agents?
One of the revelations following the Tillman firing was how many potential free agents the Eskimos have to try to re-sign before February. These aren't run-of-the-mill players either, we're talking guys like Marcus Howard, Chris Thompson, and reigning defensive player of the year JC Sherritt. The main reason given for trading Ricky Ray was to shed salary, so now the Eskimos will need to pony up some dough to ensure they don't sink even further in 2013.
Sunday, 2 December 2012
Future Ti-Cat Going (BCS) Bowlin'
Atkinson's Boise State Broncos will take on the Washington Huskies in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 22. But fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the future Ti-Cat will be unable to since Atkinson was lost for the year with an ACL injury a month ago.
But people who want to see Stephen play will get to do so and get to watch him play in one of the big bowls. Stephen's Northern Illinois Huskies will take on the Florida State Seminoles in the Orange Bowl in Miami on January 1.
For those that aren't aware, the Orange Bowl is one of the big BCS (Bowl Championship Series) bowls and NIU playing in it is a big deal. The Huskies won the MAC (Mid-American Conference) championship on Friday night in double overtime over the Kent State Golden Flashes. Northern Illinois, which finished their season at 12-1, is the first MAC team to play in a BCS bowl.
Stephen is expected to be in Tiger-Cat training camp next year, so if you want to see what a future Tiger-Cat looks like, tune in to the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.
Saturday, 1 December 2012
Ti-Cats to Hold Town-Hall Meeting About Guelph
The uproar that has emerged following the renewing of season seats for the 2013 season in Guelph has reached a fever pitch, so much so that the Ti-Cats have invited fans to a town-hall style meeting to have their concerns addressed.
In a post on the ticats.ca message board, director of communications Scott McNaughton posted the following on Friday afternoon:
Most of the anger stems from the tier 1/tier 2 designations for 2014 renewals and rightly so. A 37-year season ticket holder could find themselves behind a three-year season ticket holder because the former decides they can't make it to Guelph and the latter decides they can. I understand that the team wants to reward fans who make the trek to Guelph, and I don't have a problem with that, but this still doesn't seem like the right way to do it.
Will the team reverse course? I don't know. But they are taking heat from a lot of places and the fact that they aren't hiding from it is actually a good sign. So if you have the time on and want your complaints to be heard, you can arrange to be at 1 Jarvis St. at 6:00PM on Wednesday night.
In a post on the ticats.ca message board, director of communications Scott McNaughton posted the following on Friday afternoon:
We’d like to invite any season seat holders on the forum to discuss the 2013/14 renewal process at a ‘town-hall style’ meeting at the Tiger-Cats business office (1 Jarvis Street in Hamilton) next Wednesday, December 5 at 6 p.m.The team has taken a lot of heat over the process for renewing season tickets in 2013 and what the implications will be for the 2014 season in the new stadium. I touched on it a couple of days ago and Drew Edwards did his own piece on the subject that was published yesterday (yours truly is quoted in the story).
Please note that space for this event is limited. First come first served. If you’d like to attend this event, please RSVP with Mike Hardill (mhardill@ticats.ca) by 5 p.m. on Monday, December 3.
Thanks
Most of the anger stems from the tier 1/tier 2 designations for 2014 renewals and rightly so. A 37-year season ticket holder could find themselves behind a three-year season ticket holder because the former decides they can't make it to Guelph and the latter decides they can. I understand that the team wants to reward fans who make the trek to Guelph, and I don't have a problem with that, but this still doesn't seem like the right way to do it.
Will the team reverse course? I don't know. But they are taking heat from a lot of places and the fact that they aren't hiding from it is actually a good sign. So if you have the time on and want your complaints to be heard, you can arrange to be at 1 Jarvis St. at 6:00PM on Wednesday night.
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