Cats Fire Bellefeuille

When teams fail to reach their potential, changes come. Today Marcel Bellefeuille was fired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats because they did not reach their potential.

Bellefeuille took over from Charlie Taaffe on September 8, 2008 on an interim basis and had the interim tag removed in October of that year. In his three full seasons with the Tiger-Cats, Bellefeuille guided Hamilton to two second-place finishes and three playoff appearances, winning this year's East Division Semi-Final against Montreal.

I have already freely admitted that I was torn on whether the team should retain Bellefeuille. I felt that in winning the Semi-Final in Montreal he had done enough to warrant a fourth season as Head Coach, but I guess the Ti-Cats brass, and specifically General Manager Bob O'Billovich, did not feel the same way.

Two names have already been thrown around as potential replacements: Defensive Coordinator Corey Chamblin and Calgary Offensive Coordinator Dave Dickenson.

I don't really like either rumoured candidate. Both have exactly one year of Coordinator experience and would bring with them the same growing pains that all rookie coaches bring. They could both turn out to be excellent Head Coaches, but the same was thought of Bellefeuille when he was hired and now he's unemployed. Basically, when it comes to first-time Head Coaches, you just never know.

If the Cats made this move to take the next step – as O'Billovich said in his statement following the decision – then they must bring in an experienced coach, because that is the only way this move makes sense. I don't necessarily mean a coach with Head Coaching experience, but one that has more than a single year's experience would make sense. If the Cats choose to hire another young, up-and-coming Coordinator, that would be a lateral move. We don't even know if Dickenson or Chamblin are good at their current jobs, so a promotion might be premature.

One man I think the Tiger-Cats should seriously look at is Winnipeg Defensive Coordinator Tim Burke. Burke has been to the last four Grey Cups as a Defensive Coordinator (with Montreal in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and Winnipeg in 2011), winning with the Als in 2009 and 2010. He turned Winnipeg into arguably (and maybe inarguably) the best Defense in the CFL in 2011.

The expectations will be high for whomever the Tabbies pick as their next Head Coach. Those expectations were not in place when Bellefeuille took the job back in 2008. The team will need to be sure that the next man to lead the Cats is prepared to deal with sky-high expectations from Day 1. The talent is here, so a Grey Cup run in 2012 is not at all out of the question. Who will lead the team now is.

But let's not forget what Marcel Bellefeuille accomplished in Hamilton during his three-plus years as Head Coach. He took a terrible franchise – one that won 15 games in four seasons – and returned it to respectability. That, in itself, is something worth remembering.

The Bellefeuille Era did not result in a championship parade or even a division title, but it did result in pride being restored to Tiger-Cat football, pride not felt in a long time. Hamilton became a team to be feared and respected, and that wasn't the case before Bellefeuille took over.

His inability to take the Cats to the promised land ultimately cost him his job, but he did make Tiger-Cat football important again, and for that he should be thanked.

BC Wins the Grey Cup

Winnipeg did their best to make it interesting, but the BC Lions are the 2011 Grey Cup champions.

BC started off hot, but only led 14-6 at halftime. Winnipeg got the score to as close as 14-9, but the turning point of the game was when the score was 24-9 and Odell Willis drops a sure interception that he could have walked into the end zone. The Lions kept the ball and on what was basically the Arland Bruce drive, scored the backbreaking touchdown that all but ended the game.

Winnipeg scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late. BC took care of business and became the first team to win the Grey Cup on home soil since 1994.

The game's MVP was Travis Lulay. He threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns against a very good Winnipeg Defense. This was Lulay's first full season as a starter and he won the MOP, Grey Cup and Grey Cup MVP. What will he do for an encore?

Andrew Harris was the game's Most Valuable Canadian. His stats weren't otherworldly, but he had a solid outing, scoring the game's first touchdown and finishing with 65 yards on 10 carries. Harris has a bright future ahead of him.

Speaking of bright futures, both BC and Winnipeg look like teams that could compete for championships for a long time. Both looked dominant at different times this season. Winnipeg started the season 7-1 and BC finished the season (including the playoffs) an amazing 12-1. With the veterans both these teams will bring back, along with a slew of talented young players, both teams could very easily meet again in the 100th Grey Cup.

But that is next year; this year, the BC Lions are the Grey Cup champions and congratulations to them (and specifically to former Tiger-Cat Arland Bruce) on that accomplishment.

Changes Needed for the CFL Player Awards

Last night, the CFL handed out their Player Awards, and while it was a special night for all the players who were honoured, there are aspects of the process that are archaic and should be changed.

For starters, the process for selecting nominees is outdated. Team nominees are voted on by a small cadre of writers from a team's home city, as well as the Head Coach. Back when the game was more regional and it was hard for people to see each team, this made sense. But for the past few seasons, all 72 games have been broadcast on TSN, and then archived on TSN's website. Anyone who wants to watch every game can do so rather easily. The days of people in Vancouver not being able to watch games played in Montreal are over, and have been for some time.

Yet the league still relies on this antiquated model for deciding who is up for the league's awards. The outcry that followed Anthony Calvillo's selection for Alouettes' MOP over Jamel Richardson, thus making Richardson ineligible for the league award, shows that people outside of Montreal were paying attention. Voters in the seven other markets are just as qualified to speak on who the best Alouette is as they are the best Argonaut or Eskimo. Matt Dunigan even complained about the process when he wondered why he was asked to vote for the league-wide awards, but had no say on the team awards. Like most people, Dunigan follows the league, not just one team. I'd think that the majority of people who are interested in the CFL have an interest beyond their local market.

The system has outlived its usefulness, and changes need to be made. For one, teams really do not need to nominate players for the awards. It makes for some nice stories and gives people something to talk about and debate, but it is unnecessary. Instead, the league should hand an open ballot to the same people who vote on the awards and let them choose who they want. If the league then wants to cut the list down to two finalists who will show up at the awards ceremony, that's fine, but someone like Richardson should not be ineligible for an award because a small group of Montreal reporters decided Anthony Calvillo should be the team's nominee.

The next change is about the announcement of the winners. TSN shows every CFL game, yet instead of airing the awards show live, they aired the 1986 Rob Lowe movie Youngbloods, while TSN2 showed a replay of last week's West Division Final and a repeat of Off the Record. TSN will air the awards ceremony on Saturday, but everyone already knows who won and TSN has already posted a plethora of awards-related videos on their website. Putting the show on Saturday is meaningless since the hardcore fans who would watch an awards show already know who won. The league needs to ensure that the awards ceremony is aired live. Otherwise, there really is no point in airing the show at all.

These are a couple of changes that would benefit the awards. Hopefully the ideas here become a reality in the not-to-distant future.

Smitty's Selections: Grey Cup

At least it's not Montreal and Saskatchewan again. In what was a topsy-turvy year in the CFL, two teams that combined to win zero playoff games in 2010 will play for the championship in 2011. It's just been that kind of year.

99th Grey Cup: Winnipeg vs. British Columbia

This game will hinge on one thing: can Winnipeg's great Defense stop BC's awesome Offense. Winnipeg's Defense limited Hamilton to less than 200 yards of total offense and three points in the East Division Final; BC's Offense scored 40 points against Edmonton in the West Division Final. It will be strength versus strength.

If the game becomes a shootout, Winnipeg does not stand a chance. Their Offense is not built around winning high-scoring games. With the game being at BC Place and the elements not being an issue, I don't think Winnipeg can keep pace with the Lions offensively.

Winnipeg needs to make this a ground-and-pound game, so Chris Garrett will be the key for the Bombers. If he can have half the game he did against Hamilton in the East Division Final, the Bombers will be in a position to score the upset. The key will be for Winnipeg's Offense to keep BC's Offense off the field. The only way they can do that is with a successful running attack.

Winnipeg will put up a valiant effort, but when the clock reaches zero it will be the BC Lions hoisting the Grey Cup on their home field.

Winner: British Columbia, 37-20

Recap
British Columbia

Season Record: 42-34

Chris Williams, Kevin Glenn Win CFL Player Awards

Two members of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats won CFL Player Awards on Thursday night, one for his on-field exploits and the other for his off-field contributions.

Chris Williams, as expected, was named the 2011 Most Outstanding Rookie.

Williams's 2011 didn't get off to the best of starts. He didn't play in Week 1 against Winnipeg and had a horrible Week 2 against Edmonton. In Week 3 he scored two touchdowns against Saskatchewan, but it was in Week 4, against BC, that he had his proverbial coming-out party. Williams went off for 189 yards and a touchdown against the Lions, and from there he never looked back.

Williams finished the season leading the Tiger-Cats in receptions and receiving yards. He also lead all rookies in those categories as well. Williams is the fourth Tiger-Cat to be nominated for Most Outstanding Rookie in the last five years, but the first to win the award since Mike O'Shea won it all the way back in 1993.

Williams's win was followed up by Kevin Glenn winning the Tom Pate Award, which recognizes a player's charitable contributions to the community that he plays in.

The most well known of Glenn's many community endeavours is his Touchdowns For Kids program with Tim Horton's. For every touchdown that Glenn scores throughout the season, local Tim Horton's stores donate $200 to send kids to the Tim Horton's Children's Foundation camps.

Glenn is the fifth Tiger-Cat to win the Tom Pate award, and the second in the last three years. Marwan Hage won it for all his great community work back in 2009.

Congratulations to both players for their well-deserved awards.