So how was everyone’s off season? Mine, well I learned a new language, dropped 25 pounds and have learned to declutter my life. Obviously none of that is true but when you consider how difficult it is to keep up with all the off-season moves can you really blame me for not finding time to find inner peace while learning how to conjugate verbs in Cantonese? (Fun fact: Here is how you write: “I can’t believe Chris Jones is in Saskatchewan” in Cantonese: 我不敢相信克裡斯 · 鐘斯是在薩斯喀徹爾 ！) I mean you look up one day and Andrew Harris, Weston Dressler, Chad Owens and about half of Hamilton’s defensive line are suddenly plying their trades in new cities.
Well with that all said I cannot tell you how excited I am for the start of the 2016 season! Beyond the obvious reason that you know football is fun — it goes well with friends and the odd cold drink — this year feels like it will be filled with my favourite emotion, Sports-Hate.
» RELATED: Jacoby Ford, Chad Kackert among first cuts
Jacoby Ford is one of a few surprising first cuts after Tuesday’s roster deadline (Esks.com)
Did you think I was going to go with “love” or “redemption”? Sports-Hate is fantastic; it allows us extreme goofy emotions without any real repercussions or consequences. (Disclaimer: This entire article is null & void if you are someone who spews hate on social media, gets overly aggressive at seeing an opposing team’s jersey in a public place or yelling menacingly in the stands making the people around you uncomfortable. You guys/gals need to reconsider your priorities).
Moving on. The moment the Chris Jones rumours surfaced after the Grey Cup I started thinking about how much Sports-Hate the 2016 season will generate. I wrote about this last year, but just imagine how bummed out Eskimos fans must have felt. Fans were still shampooing confetti from their hair when the news broke that Jones was leaving.
If I was a fan I’d be filled with rage knowing the coach that had brought the Cup back to Edmonton was leaving for a Western rival. It’s like finding out your new favourite bar that had become the go-to place was suddenly closing down soon after you had discovered it. As an outside observer, I can’t wait for the start of this season, or more specifically for Friday, July 8 at around 10 p.m. ET (He wrote Eastern Time! First Toronto bias of the new year!) when the Roughriders waltz into Commonwealth Stadium with their shiny new coach, Otha Foster, Andrew Jones, Shamawd Chambers and Kendial Lawrence in tow.
But wait, it gets even better! In early April, Rod Pedersen not only predicted the Riders would win the West but for good measure he had Edmonton fighting it out with Winnipeg for last place. It’s rare for a CFL prognostication at a time when the sporting focus is on the NHL and NBA playoffs to generate so much attention, and boy did it ever. Soon after, Grey Cup-winning quarterback Mike Reilly took to Twitter to write: “@CFL_News wow, this makes me think @rodpedersen might not know anything about football.” I mean, shots fired all over the place and that tweet is yet another reminder that when athletes say they don’t pay attention to the media they are lying.
@CFL_News wow, this makes me think @rodpedersen might not know anything about football.
— Mike Reilly (@Rikester13) April 2, 2016
This is what I mean by the joy of Sports-Hate. It gives us stakes, it gives us heroes and villains and something to dissect, even during the quiet moments of a supposed off-season. Suddenly the defending Grey Cup champions have a chip on their shoulders the size of Chris Schultz’s shoes! When does that happen? When does a reigning champ suddenly feel “no one believes in us” just a couple months after winning it all? That’s the sort of sports hokum that doesn’t rear its clichéd head until at least mid season. I love it.
The best team in the league last year suddenly feels like it has something to prove. The Eskimos want to show the world they can overcome the loss of such a great coach and to stick it to those who are doubting them (by the way, read Pedersen’s work. He makes a good case for Saskatchewan. Not saying I believe it, but I see where he is coming from). So that is my favourite Sports-Hate storyline for 2016. Here are three others to keep an eye on. And remember to use Sports-Hate responsibly! It’s meant for fun and enjoyment and should never be taken too seriously.
1. The quarterbacking situation in B.C.:
Hey Wally Buono, you sure you want to do this one more time? I wonder what sort of division there will be in the locker room and among the fan base in terms of Travis Lulay versus Jonathon Jennings. Lulay will be the sentimental favourite considering his past but we all know his issues with injuries and he’s starting to get up there in age. On the other end is the near decade-younger Jonathon Jennings, who has nowhere near the experience of Lulay but dazzled at times in completing 66 per cent of his passes for 2,004 yards, with 15 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 99.8. You could have a situation where fans are rooting for one guy to succeed while quietly hoping the other slips a little bit.
Now I have to say the most disappointing moment from this off-season happened in May when the Lions reached a new deal with Jennings. We were robbed of a season of tension and awkwardness between Ownership and Jennings’ camp. In case you missed it, in early March Jennings’ agent, Bardia Ghahremani, had this to say about his client’s VERY team friendly contract of $55,000, “Think about it. He’s (Jennings) going into the season as the starting quarterback, he earned the job, and he’s making 55. The backup (Travis Lulay), as great as he is, is making more than three times as much. How is that logical, especially if he (Jennings) gets hurt?”
You just know that steam was blowing out of the ears of Buono cartoon-style when those comments splashed about the media. That storyline would have just have grown larger and larger if Jennings had come out on fire early in the season. Oh well, win some, lose some.
2. Trevor Harris vs. Henry Burris:
Trevor Harris throws a pass during pre-season action vs. the Bombers (Johany Jutras)
I know, I know they have all said the right things. Henry Burris is basically the nicest guy out there and his desire to compete and win is beyond admirable. But you have to think that Harris was just a wee bit upset when he heard that Burris had restructured his contract, took a pay cut and plans on being around in 2017. Harris left Toronto to get out of the shadow of a 36-year-old legend only to find himself in the shadow of a 41-year-old.
For the REDBLACKS, this gives them the best depth at the most important position in the league. But for Harris who is coming off a breakout year where he led the CFL in passing touchdowns by a large margin, he must have believed his shot of being the unquestioned No. 1 guy was going to arrive a whole lot sooner. If there is any quarterback who will defy the odds and play at a high level until he is close to 50…
3. Wheel of Jersey Switching:
Yes, in the fast-paced world of the CFL, where free agency never stops, guys get traded more often than at a drunken fantasy draft and you find your head starts to hurt when you’re looking at pre-season depth charts. Let’s do this rapid fire style:
A. Chad Owens in Hamilton: There won’t be enough $4 beer to ease the pain of Argonauts fans luxuriating at BMO field as they watch Owens take a five-yard pass and turn into a first down.
B. Josh Bourke in Toronto: One of the mainstays of the Alouettes’s O-line for years. I would write what swear words will be coming from Montreal but I dropped French after grade nine.
C. Weston Dressler in Winnipeg: The Banjo Bowl just got a little bit angrier. This may be the weirdest one of them all. Just can’t imagine Dressler anywhere else. The only way to add to the animosity would be for Troy Westwood to sing the national anthem.
D. John Chick in Hamilton: Speaking of strange. The idea of Chick trying to sack Darian Durant after a six-year, 55-sack career with Saskatchewan has gotta anger up the blood for many Riders fans.
Just a little over a week until to the start of the regular season!
