CFL Releases Schedule in Most Annoying Way Possible

Today was the day!

As we found out late yesterday, the CFL was going to unveil their 2015 schedule today. Everyone rejoiced! We were finally going to find out what our summer and fall was going to look like.

Then, instead of just putting the schedule out at a predetermined time, the CFL made what might go down as one of the stupidest social media moves in history.

In their infinite wisdom, the CFL posted a question on Twitter: "Who do you think will win the 103rd Grey Cup?" They then waited until they received 10,000 tweets answering the question before they released the schedule. It took nearly three hours from when the question was initially posed until they shared the schedule with everyone.

Pardon my French, but this was f**ing dumb!

I am not even sure I can put into words how frustrating and annoying this whole thing was. Fans like to have the schedule out as early as possible so they can plan their summers and maybe try to travel to a road game or two to watch their favourite team. Holding them hostage like this just makes people angry. It doesn't increase brand awareness, and any gains the league made by #CFLSchedule being a "trending topic" was counteracted by pissing off those that are most loyal to that brand.

And to top it off, it now seems like it was a shame!

Instead of today being a day to celebrate and analyze – I will take an in-depth look at the Tiger-Cats' schedule this weekend – we are forced to shake our heads at the collective stupidity of the people who thought this social media experiment was a good idea and the ones who gave it the go ahead.

So, if anyone at the CFL offices is reading this, please, next year, just release the damn thing without all this nonsense. Not everything has to be a popularity contest or a hashtag. Just put the schedule out and let us see when our favourite team will be playing. Thank you.

Hickman Stays Put, Woodson Comes Aboard

The Ti-Cats made a couple moves over the last two days, both of which will have a significant impact on the team in 2015.

The first occurred yesterday when the team announced the signing national running back Anthony Woodson.

Woodson was selected in the fourth round of the 2010 CFL Draft by Winnipeg, but spent the last two seasons in Toronto. He hasn't seen the ball much in his career, but he is a very good special teams player and will be a fine addition to Jeff Reinebold's crew. I also think that Woodson can contribute on offense, both as a runner and receiver, so he adds another dimension to the Ti-Cats multi-faceted system.

The second move the Ti-Cats made occurred this afternoon when the team announced they had reached a new deal with defensive end Justin Hickman.

Hickman returned to Hamilton last season after spending the previous two seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts.

While Hickman did not immediately return to his 2011 All-Star form, a full offseason and training camp will help him immensely. He admitted himself that his body was not right for the CFL last season, and with his desire to remain in Hamilton and make the CFL his home, I doubt very highly that it will be a problem in 2015.

What will be a problem, however, is Hamilton's defensive line. A HUGE problem for opposing teams, that is.

The Ti-Cats defensive line is a stacked crew and is in the conversation when it comes to discussing the best d-lines in the league. The Cats will have 2014 East Division All-Star Eric Norwood, Justin Hickman and Antonio Coleman (who has tremendous upside and could end up being a major contributor) to rotate in at end and Brian Bulcke, Bryan Hall and 2014 East Division Most Outstanding Canadian Ted Laurent manning the middle in another stellar three-man rotation. This is going to be one defensive line that is going to give opposing offensive lines, and offensive coordinators, fits.

So in the first three days of free agency, the Ti-Cats have bolstered their Canadian content with two very good signings and kept one of their prized free agents from heading elsewhere. It may not have garnered the headlines other teams' moves have, but Hamilton has quietly had a very good couple of days.

Bombers, Redblacks Make Big Splash on Day 1 of Free Agency

February 10, 2015 was a good day for fans of the Ottawa RedBlacks and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

As expected, both teams made a big slash Tuesday by signing a combined nine players on Day 1 of free agency. Winnipeg started the day off by signing national linebacker Sam Hurl from Saskatchewan and followed that up by bringing in slotback Darvin Adams from Toronto. Then they picked up back-to-back All-Star left tackle Stanley Bryant and former Hamilton Tiger-Cat tackle Marc Dile to bolster their offensive line, while also upgrading their Canadian talent on the defensive line by adding former Toronto Argonaut Ivan Brown.

The RedBlacks won the bidding war for solid left tackle SirVincent Rogers and upgraded their dreadful receiving corps with the acquisitions of Ernest Jackson from BC, Brad Sinopoli from Calgary and Greg Ellingson from Hamilton. There is no denying that both teams took a positive step forward in their rebuilds and are better football teams than they were just 24 hours ago.

It is difficult to say if there was a clear victor on the opening day of free agency as, simply put, both teams were. The Blue Bombers turned their weakest position group, offensive line, into one of the league's best, while the RedBlacks went from having the worst receiving corps in the CFL into having, at worst, an average group. More impressively, neither team necessarily mortgaged their future in free agent signings to load up for next season, particularly the Bombers.

Winnipeg went into the day with tons of cap space and likely left with still more money to spend. Stanley Bryant's reported salary of $160,000 isn't cheap for an import offensive tackle, but isn't outrageous either considering he's the league’s best at his position. Winnipeg also stocked up on crucial Canadian depth in signing Brown and Hurl, the latter being a strong contributor on special teams and will compete for their starting middle linebacker role in camp. Marc Dile's signing also adds depth to the offensive line as he'll join Devin Tyler and Jace Daniels as Winnipeg's three potential starting Right Tackles. Depth and a lack of competition plagued the Blue Bombers offensive line last season and Dile's signing immediately gives them more options. And finally, Darvin Adams will be given every opportunity to step up and fill in as Drew Willy's third receiving option. At 6'2” and 182 pounds with good speed and sure hands, Adams draws comparisons to former Bomber Terrance Edwards. While only time will tell if Adams can turn into anything like Terrance Edwards, he's in a perfect situation to achieve such a feat with young gun Drew Willy chucking the rock with confidence behind that offensive line.

Possibly the best part about Adams and the rest of the new signings are that they are all young and under 30. Winnipeg would surely love to win the Grey Cup on home turf in 2015, but I see these as signings that help the Blue Bombers in the long haul as well.

The same can also be said for Ottawa as the best is likely yet to come for Brad Sinopoli, Ernest Jackson, Greg Ellingson and even SirVincent Rogers. Ottawa saved a few years of developing receivers and will push to give their new talent some more playoff experience next season.

There is still work to be done for both teams in the upcoming days of free agency. Ottawa needs Canadian depth all over the field and an established pass rusher, leading me to think they will be in contact with Brandon Boudreaux of the Riders or Justin Hickman of the Ti-Cats.

I don't think Winnipeg is finished either. They need more linebacking help and may send offers to Brian Peters of Saskatchewan and/or Rennie Curran of Edmonton, who the Eskimos have reportedly parted ways with. Don't be surprised if both Ottawa and Winnipeg lead the way in Day 2 as well with how deep their pockets are.

There was no clear-cut winner on Day 1 of free agency, but both franchises took big steps forward in their respective rebuilds and are undoubtedly better teams now than in 2014. As stressed numerous times, the Grey Cup is not won in February, but expectations have certainly risen for Winnipeg and Ottawa.

Watt Trades in His Double Blues for Some Black and Gold

The Ti-Cats entered free agency with very few needs, but one of their needs was addressed midway through the opening day of free agency when they signed former Argo receiver Spencer Watt to a two-year contract.

Watt spent five seasons in Double Blue, amassing 1,715 yards on 135 catches while also hauling in nine touchdowns. Watt’s numbers aren’t as plentiful mainly because he played the wide-side receiver position, which is a spot not known for huge production. But he was fairly consistent during his time in Toronto and his deep speed will be an asset to a Tiger-Cat offense that is starved for a deep threat.

Something in Watt’s favour is that he has some experience playing with Ti-Cat quarterback Zach Collaros. When Collaros was with Toronto and took over for an injured Ricky Ray in 2013, Watt had at least one catch in every game he played with Collaros. That familiarity might allow Watt to pick up the complex offense the Tiger-Cats run quicker than other players the Ti-Cats could have signed.

Watt’s signing also means that Sam Giguère’s time with the Ti-Cats is coming to an end. While Giguère’s numbers eclipse Watt’s since 2012, when Giguère entered the league, Watt’s reported salary ($120,000/year) and contract length (two years) is likely lower and for less time than any deal Giguère signs. If that turns out to be true, the Ti-Cats acquired a player who will post similar numbers at a lower cost, which will allow them to use those savings elsewhere.

This move also means that the Ti-Cats will not have to make any ratio adjustments to their starting lineup. The team will start two National receivers – in this case Watt and Andy Fantuz – as they have done for the past two seasons. This is significant because it means the Ti-Cats can continue to start three International players along the offensive line, a rarity in the CFL, and means that Brian Simmons can continue to play guard. Simmons excelled playing inside after moving from tackle in Week 2. Simmons ended up being an East Division All-Star – and, quite frankly, should have been a league All-Star as well – after making the switch, so it would have been a shame to move him back outside when he proved to adept at playing guard. But with Watt in the fold, and occupying a fourth National starting spot on offense, the team can keep Simmons at guard and have a much better offensive line because of it.

While other teams made splashier headlines – the battle is currently between Winnipeg and Ottawa as to who “won” free agency – the Ti-Cats opted for a different strategy, one they hope will keep them atop the East Division for a third consecutive year.

Reed, Coleman Are Back in Black

With all the hoopla over the Brandon Banks signing and the start of free agency, I neglected to talk about a couple of pretty significant re-signings by the Ti-Cats. The team made the heavily rumoured extension of Taylor Reed’s contract official, while also announcing an extension for defensive end Antonio Coleman.

Bringing Reed back was a no-brainer. He was the team’s Most Outstanding Rookie nominee last season, finishing with 62 tackles, eight sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. He played in 15 games in his rookie season, taking over at middle linebacker in mid-July.

Getting Reed backs means the Cats will have all three of their starting linebackers back for at least one more season. Reed manned the middle and formed a formidable trio with Simoni Lawrence and Erik Harris. Hamilton has long been home to some of the best linebacking corps in the CFL – Otis Floyd, Jamall Johnson and Markeith Knowlton, and Johnson, Knowlton and Rey Wiliams were both great units – and the Lawrence-Reed-Harris triumvirate is starting to establish themselves alongside those great threesomes of years past.

There was a lot of vitriol aimed Reed’s way following his penalty in the Grey Cup that wiped out Brandon Banks’ potential game-winning, 90-yard punt return touchdown. But Reed was a solid player in 2014 and one play will not define him. He could have taken the easy road and signed elsewhere, but he chose to return to Hamilton and that speaks volumes. I expect big things from Reed in 2015.

The Coleman signing isn't getting as much publicity, but it might end up being one of the most significant ones the team makes this offseason. During a truncated 2014 campaign, Coleman notched 11 tackles and three sacks in just five games. His season was cut short by an Achilles injury suffered in a September game against Montreal. Not long after, the team brought back Justin Hickman.

And it is with Hickman in mind that the Coleman’s signing becomes that much more intriguing. While rotating players is always a solid idea – look at Hamilton’s stellar interior defensive line for a prime example – signing Coleman means the Cats don’t need to go as hard after Hickman. A Coleman-Norwood tandem might not be as flashy from a name perspective as a Hickman-Norwood duo, but the production could be just prolific. And Coleman likely comes in at a much lower cap number than Hickman will command should he remain unsigned when free agency opens tomorrow, so the team might be getting Hickman-like production at a fraction of the cost. That's not to say the Ti-Cats won't bring Hickman back, but the need isn't as great now that Coleman is back for another season.

Certain signings don’t garner the headlines that others do and the Coleman signing is one of those. But when all is said and done in 2015, we might be looking back and saying that re-signing Antonio Coleman (and Taylor Reed) ended up being amongst the biggest, best and most-important moves the Tiger-Cats made this offseason.