Give Someone Else the February Grey Cup

While free agency doesn't start until February, the CFL's releasing of their players up for free agency has already prompted discussion about who could be available and who the Tiger-Cats should chase. There are a number of potentially high-profile players free to peddle their wares to the highest bidder come the 15th of February that could help improve a Tiger-Cat team that finished a league worst 6-12 in 2012.

But while dreams of JC Sherritt, Solomon Elimimian and Adrian McPherson dance in many fans' heads, I'm of the opinion that the team needs to do very little come free agent time. That's not to say that they should do nothing – upgrades at spots are obviously needed – but I don't want to see another batch of mid-February posts and articles about how the Ti-Cats "won" free agency. Hamilton has been the winner of the most unofficial Grey Cups in the month February more times than I can remember and that has brought exactly zero actual Grey Cups to Hamilton.

Last year, the team went out and spent big money on Andy Fantuz. The year before, they signed Avon Cobourne. In 2010, the big move was acquiring Sandro DeAngelis. Some worked out better than others, but none of them proved to be the missing piece to the championship puzzle.

The less said about DeAngelis the better. He was an abject failure for the Ti-Cats; he knows it, we know it, so it's best to just move on.

Cobourne, as far as I am concerned, was as close to a perfect pickup as the team has made the last three off-seasons. Sure, he never eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards and he was let go after just one season, only to be brought back, benched and then finally inserted into the lineup when injuries forced Chevon Walker out. But Cobourne has been a locker room leader and while I am fully for this signing (and how that might look contradictory considering I don't want the team to make a Cobourne-esque move this off-season), there isn't a Cobourne-like player available this off-season.

Fantuz was deemed a bit of a disappointment after a 72-catch, 971-yard, eight-touchdown season. Yet those numbers are probably the second best of his career and are better than his career averages – 58 catches, 851 yards, five touchdowns – and way better than his career averages if you take out his one monster season (2010). The problem is, that monster 2010 season was the reason Fantuz was so sought after last winter and why he is being paid reportedly close to $200,000/year. His 2012 numbers weren't as good as his 2010 ones (though he did miss games and scored more touchdowns in 2012 than in any season prior) and that shows the perils of luring high-priced veterans to town. You pay more than you should and rarely get a return on the investment.

That's not to say the team shouldn't bring guys in, but if you think about all the players the team has acquired, either in the winter or after via free agency or by trade, the ones who have been the some of the team's best players over the last three or four years are the guys who came to the team with very little fan fare. There was no big press conference when the team traded for Markeith Knowlton or when they signed Jamall Johnson and Otis Floyd or when the dealt for a player off Saskatchewan's negotiation list named Chris Williams.

Sometimes big free agent signings can work out, but the Ti-Cats have too often tried to build their team through free agency and it clearly doesn't work. If it did, the team would have taken all those February championships and turned them into one or two November ones.

Three Questions: Montreal Alouettes

The off-season is underway and every team faces questions. Today, I look at three questions concerning the Montreal Alouettes.

1. What will Calvillo do?
The No. 1 question every off-season in Montreal always revolves around the status of Anthony Calvillo. I think every year since about 2007 we've openly wondered whether we just saw his final game or not. Many will point to his advancing age (41) and how the Als haven't dominated like they used to, making the playoffs but losing in their opening contest two years in a row (the Semi-Final last year to Hamilton and the Final this year to Toronto). But through it all, Calvillo keeps coming back. I expect no different in 2013. Anthony Calvillo proved he can still play at an elite level and I expect him back under centre for the Alouettes next season.

2. Will they re-sign McPherson?
Montreal has another quarterback question to ask this off-season at this one revolves around Adrian McPherson. McPherson has been a backup in Montreal since 2008 and is set to become a free agent in February. He has made it known in the past that he feels he is ready to be a starting quarterback in the CFL and he will be 30 when next season begins. Time is running out for McPherson to take a team on his shoulders. That makes me think that if Calvillo does return, McPherson will find employment elsewhere. The two potential destinations are Winnipeg and Edmonton. I'll put my money on McPherson leaving la belle province for the green (and gold) in Edmonton.

3. Can they reclaim their spot atop the East?
It seems odd to pose this questions when Montreal just finished atop the East Division in 2012 and haven't missed the playoffs since they came back into the league in 1996. But the last two playoffs have yielded zero wins and the teams in the East seem to no longer fear the Als like they once did. Hamilton, despite a down year, beat the Als in two out of three contests and their lone loss was by just two points. Toronto showed no fear in going into Olympic Stadium and erasing a 10-point first quarter deficit in the East Final. Even Winnipeg went into Montreal and got a win this year. Montreal used to be the big bully that everyone feared, but that's not the case anymore. While I still believe they are capable of winning a Grey Cup, they are no longer a lock for anything. They may be able to reclaim their spot, but they will have to earn it the hard way.

Three Questions: Calgary Stampeders

The off-season is underway and every team faces questions. Today, I look at three questions concerning the Calgary Stampeders.

1. Glenn or Tate?
This one is a no-brainer; this is Drew Tate's team and this is Drew Tate's job. Now, Calgary would be wise to keep Glenn around in case Tate gets hurt once again – man I hope he's not going to end up being another Buck Pierce – because Glenn proved very capable in helping Calgary win 11 of the 17 games, including playoffs, he started. Both should be back in Cowtown next season and the pecking order should be the exact same as it was at the start of last season.

2. Can Cornish top his 2012 season?
Jon Cornish had, by many accounts, the best season a Canadian running back has ever had. He broke an over 50-year-old record for rushing yards and became the first Canadian to lead the league in rushing in almost 25 years. Cornish was the main catalyst in Calgary's run to the Grey Cup. Now what can he do for an encore? He is just 28 and this was his first year as a full-time starter, so his body is not as beat up as other backs his age. I fully expect Cornish to be at the top of his game next year. He may not eclipse the numbers he put up in 2012, but he'll still be a dangerous weapon and a key cog in everything Calgary does on offense.

3. Are they the favourites for the Grey Cup next year?
Before free agency, the draft and the annual coaching carousel, it is hard to pick who is the favourite to win the Grey Cup, but I'm going to do it anyway. I think Calgary is the favourite to get back to the big game and win it. The Stamps have the best 1-2 quarterback combo in all of football (perhaps only behind the San Francisco 49ers), a stud running back just hitting his prime, a talented defense that can play with anybody and one of the bets coaches in the game. It may be early, but don't be surprised if the Stampeders are hoisting the Grey Cup in Regina next November.

Three Questions: Saskatchewan Roughriders

The off-season is underway and every team faces questions. Today, I look at three questions concerning the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

1. Can they build off 2012?
The Riders went into the 2012 season coming off a nightmare 2011 campaign and finished 9-9 and took the eventual West Division champions to the wire in the first round of the playoffs. The ending was disappointing for Rider Nation, but the season was a big success for the team. Things should only get better in Year 2 of the Corey Chamblin era. Chamblin proved to be a better head coach than a defensive coordinator and turned things around in Riderville in one season. Now the goal is to build off that first season and turn it into a championship run in 2013.

2. Will they make it three for three?
The last two Grey Cup champions, BC and Toronto, won their championships at their home stadia. The 101st Grey Cup will be played at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, so you have to think the Riders want to make it three home wins in a row, and seeing as the last two champions lost in the semi-final (BC in 2010) and didn't make the playoffs (Toronto) the year before they won it all, it's entirely possible that the Riders could turn the trick as well. It is way too early to say for certain, obviously, but the Riders might be in prime position to extend the Grey Cup home winning streak to three.

3. Is Sheets the dark horse for MOP in 2013?
Before this season, did anyone have Jon Cornish or Chad Owens as the two MOP candidates? Did anyone have Owens winning the award? What about the year before; did anyone have Lulay winning it before the season started? It seems that guys who fly under the radar are emerging as MOP threats by the end of the season. Could Kory Sheets be that guy next year? Sheets had an amazing first year in the CFL. He was second in the league in rushing, tied for first in the league in rushing touchdowns and finished tied for second in total touchdowns with 13. Sheets was Saskatchewan's best player and don't be surprised if he takes home the MOP award next season.

Hamilton's Pending Free Agents

The CFL released their list of potential 2013 free agents and the Tiger-Cats have 14 players eligible to hit the open market this winter. There are some key names among the players whose contracts expire this February and more than a few that the team would be wise to ink to new deals.

The player I think the Ti-Cats need to go hardest after is offensive lineman Brian Simmons. Simmons was a guy that didn't get much ink in 2012 and that is a good thing. Simmons was probably Hamilton's best offensive lineman. He gave up just one sack and committed a ridiculously low three penalties all season. For a 10-year veteran that is good; for a second-year player guy, that is phenomenal. Simmons was great for Hamilton in 2012 and unless he is playing for an NFL team, Simmons better be in Hamilton next year.

After Simmons, the team needs to get Marwan Hage and Peter Dyakowski to agree to new deals. Both players had their 2012 seasons cut short due to injury, the second straight year that has happened for Hage, but both can still be solid contributors and provide a veteran presence along the offensive line. Dyakowski was a divisional all-star for the first time in his career and Hage can still dominate when healthy. Getting both players back should be high on Hamilton's priority list.

The change that people were calling for in the secondary could happen as there are five defensive backs whose contracts are set to expire. Bo Smith, Carlos Thomas, Marcell Young, Geoff Tisdale and Chris Rwabukamba could all be playing elsewhere next season. I doubt the team will be able to re-sign them all, but one or two of them should be back next year. Smith has turned into one of the better cover guys since his return from an NFL tryout a few years ago. Both Young and Thomas have shown flashes of excellent play and each could be major contributors if they could stay healthy (both players spent time on the nine-game injured list last season). Rwabukamba is a young Canadian corner who started a few games for the Ti-Cats last season. Tisdale, who was reacquired from Calgary last summer is probably not going to be brought back.

The team also has a number of non-imports free to test the market. Yannick Carter, Jonathan Hood, Eddie Steele and Daryl Stephenson have all contributed over the years, with Hood and Carter playing key roles on special teams, Steele providing solid depth on the defensive line, and Stephenson providing solid blocking and becoming more and more involved in the offense. Though none of them are game-changing players, they all fill a role. It will be interesting to see which players the team tries to bring back and which they let walk.

A tough call the team will have to make involves what to do with Terry Grant. Grant looked great in limited action in 2011 before suffering a catastrophic injury in a late-season game in Montreal. Grant spent the entire 2012 season on the injured list. The team is loaded at running even if Avon Cobourne doesn't return (though I think he should). Chevon Walker looked good in spurts and Martell Mallett is expected to be back next season, so there just may not be any room for Grant. It will be a curious situation to watch.

And lastly, we have Quinton Porter. Porter saw extremely limited action in 2012 (just one pass attempt and eight rushing attempts for the entire season) and I have to think he is headed elsewhere for 2013. If Porter does sign somewhere else, that leaves the Ti-Cats with just two quarterbacks on the roster: Henry Burris and Dan LeFevour. That means the team will have to bring another quarterback in. Could a possible 2012 Hec Creighton award winner and 2011 Vanier Cup champion be headed Hamilton's way? I'm sure plenty of fans would be happy to see Porter moved out in favour of McMaster's Kyle Quinlan. But whether it's Quinlan or not, the Ti-Cats will bring in a quarterback or two to compete for the No. 3 spot in training camp if Porter does not get re-signed.