Argos Release Cory Boyd

In a move that no one could have seen coming, the Toronto Argonauts have released starting running back Cory Boyd.

Boyd currently leads the league in rushing and has been one of the few players the Argos could rely on for steady production the last two-plus season. Yet when speaking about his release, Argonaut GM Jim Barker said that "a different style of play is needed at running back to heighten the success of our new offense." If this is truly the reasoning, then Barker is a bigger idiot than I previously thought. If your offense doesn't have a place for Cory Boyd in it, then there is a problem with your offense.

Now we get to wonder where Boyd will land. I know there will be those clamouring for his signing in Hamilton, but I don't see that as likely. I would love nothing more than to see Boyd in Black & Gold running over his former teammates on Labour Day, but I don't think the Ti-Cats will make the move to pick him up. They seem happy with Chevon Walker, and while Boyd is undeniably a better running back, I just don't see them making a play for him. I hope I'm wrong because the idea of a Boyd-Walker, 1-2 punch has me giddy.

I can't imagine Boyd will be out of work for long, so we should know sooner rather than later where he ends up.

Team Leaders Needed for Toronto-based CFL franchise

Normally I keep it 100 pre cent Ti-Cat around here but sometimes stories about other teams require me to comment. I especially like to comment when that team is the Toronto Argonauts.

Argo defensive back and linebacker Willie Pile announced his retirement today. Pile spent the last five seasons with the Argos where he was universally regarded as one of the team's best players. Pile is just the latest Argo veteran to leave the team this off-season. The Argos have already dealt with:

• Jeremaine Copeland retiring to become a coach in Hamilton
• Kevin Eiben jumping ship to Hamilton in free agency
• Lin-J Shell signing with BC after the Argos inexplicably cut him
• Byron Parker joining Shell on the west coast by signing with the Lions as a free agent
• Rob Murphy and Taylor Robertson retiring

That brings the tally of veterans to depart the good ship Argonaut to seven, and it's not just what these players brought on the field, but off it as well. Sure, some of them the team let walk away, but that still doesn't mean their departures won't be felt. Every single one of those players could be classified as a team leader and losing all them at one time creates a leadership void that the Argos will have to address.

Ricky Ray is a natural choice to assume a leadership role, but he can't be the only one. Guys like Ricky Foley, Kevin Huntley and Jason Pottinger are going to have become even more vocal; Cory Boyd, Chad Owens and Andre Durie are going to have to step up and assume leadership roles as well.

Every team loses veteran players, but rarely does such a mass exodus occur at one time. The Argos have Grey Cup aspirations, and if they are to come close to reaching those expectations, new players are going to have to step up and become leaders sooner rather than later.

Most Outstanding Rookie

The CFL released the list of eligible players for the Most Outstanding Rookie award earlier today. The award itself will be handed out at the Gibson's Finest CFL Player Awards on November 24th in Vancouver as part of the Grey Cup festivities.

Hamilton's Chris Williams is the odds-on favourite to win the award, but Clarence Denmark, Kenny Mainor, Craig Butler and JC Sherritt all have a legitimate shot as well.

Last year's winner was Solomon Elimimian, who was a very deserving choice. The year before, it was Martell Mallet, who was also deserving. But in those two years, two equally, if not more so, deserving players were ineligible for the award because of a rule that prevented them from being considered. Both Cory Boyd (in 2010) and DeAndra' Cobb (in 2009) were not up for the award in their first CFL season because they had spent time in the NFL.

Neither Boyd nor Cobb never so much as touched the football in their brief NFL careers, but one of the rules of eligibility is that a player must not have "dressed for a member Club in the National Football League" in a regular- or post-season game. Both players did, and were therefore disqualified from being nominated.

I can understand why the rule is the way it is. If a long-time NFL player came to the CFL, it would be hard to deem him a rookie because of his extensive pro career. It is also not an unprecedented move. Wayne Gretzky was ineligible for the Calder Trophy in the NHL in 1979-80 because he played in the WHA. Instead, the award went to Ray Bourque.

Rules are rules, but sometimes they are silly rules. Just because a player suited up for an NFL team in the final week of the season – as Boyd did with the Denver Broncos in 2008 – does not mean he should not be able to be named the top rookie in the CFL. As great as Elimimian was in 2010, Boyd was greater. His time in the NFL didn't make him greater and had no impact on his ability to produce in the vastly different Canadian game.

The best way I can think of is keep the rule as is, but allow for exceptions. Let a player, prior to the season, petition the league to allow himself to be eligible for the Most Outstanding Rookie award. Not all cases are the same, and the league can go on a case-by-case basis to allow players who are ineligible based on the rules in place, like Boyd and Cobb, to be deemed eligible.

That one change would allow for the truly great players to be given their proper due.