Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca
TORONTO — It’s February and the dog days of the CFL off-season are over.
Then again, it’s hard to say these have been dog days at all. December brought us a major front office reconstruction in Montreal. January saw the Riders trade Darian Durant and sign Kevin Glenn and Duron Carter. Oh, and Scott Milanovich and Jim Barker are no longer with the Argos.
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When people ask, I often say that there is no such thing as the ‘off-season’ in pro sports and this year, in this league, it truly feels that way. And the best part is that it’s only just beginning. Free agency, CFL Week and the CFL Draft are all still ahead of us.
With much to be decided, I decided to jot down what I’ll be thinking about over the next four months until camps open up in June:
1-A. Who will lead the Argos’ front office?
Ask all the questions you’d like about who will coach the Argos and how their quarterback situation will unfold; none of that matters until the team has a general manager. For now, Spencer Zimmerman has shown leadership in his acting GM role, which is a positive as the ship steers towards free agency. Tommy Condell can lend a valuable hand as well.
1-B. Who will coach the Argos?
Segue! Who will coach the Argos in 2017? Michael Copeland may take the lesser-known path when hiring a GM but expect someone with experience in Canada to take over Scott Milanovich’s position on the sideline. DeVone Claybrooks is one of the top up-and-comers but it’s February and the Stamps won’t likely want to give him up. Mike Benevides comes to mind almost immediately while Corey Chamblin might be available to start right now. Who else?
2. Who is free agent target No. 1?
This year’s pending free agent crop has something for everyone. Greg Ellingson and Ernest Jackson are elite receivers while Abdul Kanneh and Emanuel Davis are shutdown defenders — equally valuable in a pass-heavy league. Derek Dennis, the Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, and Mic’hael Brooks are also on their way to free agency. Nolan MacMillan is a young Canadian tackle. There is no clear consensus as to who’s number one.
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Lions receiver Bryan Burnham is among the CFL’s top-ranked free agents (The Canadian Press)
3-A. Will James Franklin be traded?
Should I stay or should I go? The situation in Edmonton is a fascinating one and prognosticators seem to go back and forth on whether the Esks’ quarterback of the future will be traded this off-season. Speculation first heightened when Franklin tweeted at Warren Moon asking for some professional advice. Then the Riders traded Darian Durant while the Eskimos signed another QB in Brett Smith. The idea of an Esks/Riders trade is very much alive.
3-B. Can the Riders win with Kevin Glenn at QB?
Maybe the Riders do end up getting Franklin and maybe he’s their long-term answer under centre. If not, Glenn is probably their guy this season. Is it enough to compete in the West? Chris Jones has built a strong group of receivers and his young defence will have some continuity going into 2016. There’s promise in Riderville but the team will only go as far as the QB.
4. Will S.J. Green return to No. 1 receiver status?
Clearly S.J. Green has been working hard to get back on track for the 2017 season. Darian Durant needs someone to throw to because Duron Carter and Kenny Stafford won’t be back while B.J. Cunningham alone can’t shoulder the weight of the Alouettes’ offence. At 31 and coming off major reconstructive knee surgery, can Green return to status as the Als’ number one guy? How will the Alouettes fill out their receiving corps?
In due time pic.twitter.com/ULzLbkduEr
— SJ Green (@SJ19_19SJ) January 31, 2017
5. Who will Zach Collaros throw to in 2017?
Andy Fantuz is a pending free agent and could be out deep into 2017 anyway. Chad Owens and Terrence Toliver are pending free agents. Ditto Kevin Elliott. Who is Zach Collaros going to throw to in 2017? Expect Brian Tyms and Luke Tasker to see a high volume of action but it’s hard to imagine GM Eric Tillman not bringing in a high-profile receiver on or after Feb. 14. There are lots out there, in fact we count eight.
6. Will the REDBLACKS lose three 1,000-yard receivers?
One of the off-season’s biggest questions. Greg Ellingson, Ernest Jackson and Chris Williams are each without a contract beyond Feb. 14. It was inevitable at least one would walk (speculation said Williams, who’s coming off a season-ending knee injury), but all three? That reality is looming and it’ll be interesting to see if GM Marcel Desjardins ups the ante closer to free agency.
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Chris Williams and Ernest Jackson are REDBLACKS slated for free agency (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
7. Why is no one talking about . . . Emanuel Davis?
If he’s flying under the radar with the fans, he won’t be with the GMs. Davis is one of the best half backs in the league at a time when secondaries are getting shredded. There are lots of experienced vets hitting the market but outside of Abdul Kanneh, none of them come close to stacking up. I can pick out a number of teams that, on Feb. 14, should be lining up to spend big money on the two-time East Division All-Star.
8. Does Duron Carter make the Riders a contender?
What does Duron Carter do for the Riders? Just throwing this out there because with him in the lineup, I see them being a contender in 2017. Just think about some of the names in that receiving corps — Carter, Roosevelt (two absolute studs), Collins Jr., Edwards, Holley. Athletic freaks of nature. Then you have Bagg and Demski as Canadians. If I’m a defensive coordinator that scares me. Am I crazy?
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9. Does Chris Williams present a risk or an opportunity?
An argument could be made for both sides but the answer likely depends on cost. Williams was the CFL’s best receiver through the first third of 2016 (any time he played with Trevor Harris he was pretty much unstoppable) but the question is whether he ever returns to full speed — especially for a player whose game revolves around literally being faster than everyone else. Williams turns 30 in mid-September, which could be the next time he steps on a football field.
10. Is anyone winning the off-season so far?
It was the first day of free agency when many proclaimed the Bombers had won the off-season last year. All of this being subjective, of course, who’s the early off-season leader? The Alouettes have transformed their front office and landed a Grey Cup winner in Darian Durant. The Riders have addressed the QB position, extended key pieces on defence and landed Duron Carter. The Stampeders have also been very busy locking up part of the core that guided them to a 15-2-1 season a year ago. There’s a lot to play out but who’s ahead?
11. What will the Bombers do with the No. 1 pick?
A year ago we debated ad nauseam whether the Riders would trade the top pick. They ended up settling on Oklahoma’s Josiah St. John. The Bombers, unlike the Riders last year, find themselves working from a position of strength. Kyle Walters has immensely strengthened his team’s national depth since arriving while the Bombers surely feel they’re on the brink of something special. They could use the pick to stock up for the future or they could try and address a current need.
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Argos quarterback Drew Willy escapes the pressure vs. the Riders in 2016 (The Canadian Press)
12. Is Trevor Harris ready to be a number one quarterback?
There was a slight sense of deja-vu last fall when Trevor Harris faded and Henry Burris wound up starting again for the Ottawa REDBLACKS. It was the second season in a row that Harris had lost his job late in the year and next time, with Burris out, there will be no one standing by. The REDBLACKS’ success will sit firmly on the 3o-year-old’s shoulders (he’ll be 31 in May) and it’s Harris’ time to rise among the league’s elite.
13. Will Ricky Ray return to play in 2017?
So much news out of Toronto lately yet nothing about the legendary quarterback Ricky Ray. We all want Ray to return and maybe no news is good news, although we expect to hear confirmation either way. The 37-year-old could definitely compete to start in Toronto and if he does get to play, Burris’ career mark of 63,227 passing yards isn’t too far off (8,344 yards to be exact). Plus, Ray at his best can make the Argos competitive. They need that.
14. Is Tori Gurley an elite receiver?
It looked like it when, all of a sudden, the Argos released him last autumn. He then only played two games with the Bombers, catching four passes for 62 yards. Receivers come and go but let’s be honest: Gurley is a 29-year-old, 6-foot-4, 230-pound monster that can win pretty much any one-on-one battle. So is he elite? We’ll find out what the teams think later this month but he shouldn’t be neglected.
15. Are Canadian O-linemen still like gold?
Seems like it, especially when you consider that Chris Van Zeyl got a three-year deal at age 33. Of course, Canadian tackles will always have value as they’re much harder to find, but with Pierre Lavertu staying in Calgary, Nolan MacMillan is the only national offensive lineman among CFL.ca’s top 30 free agents. Maybe Hunter Steward should have been on that list . . .
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Nolan MacMillan is the top-ranked Canadian free agent according to CFL.ca (Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photography)
16-A. Why is no one talking about [Part II] . . . Shakir Bell?
I get that he’s a running back and running backs are, like, a dime a dozen or whatever. The great ones are worth more though and Bell could be a great one. The 24-year-old rushed for 425 yards over four games with the Esks last season. And he was just about to take the starting job from John White until he got hurt (then, suddenly, White ran away with the gig and never looked back). If I’m the Saskatchewan Roughriders or Toronto Argonauts and quite possibly others, I’m picking up the phone on Feb. 14 and calling Shakir Bell. Which brings me to my next question…
16-B. Do running backs have any value?
This is a long-standing debate in all of football but especially in the CFL, where the emphasis is on the passing game. To me, that actually makes good running backs more valuable. I understand that run of the mill backs come and go almost daily, but if you’re going to make it as a back in this league you need to be able to stand up in pass protection and also catch the football. The ones that can do that aren’t so easy to find. Are young backs like Bell and Kienan Lafrance (a Canadian) getting the attention they deserve?
17. What’s worth more… an elite DB or an elite REC?
Last season we saw an explosion of receivers across the Canadian Football League with 15 going over 1,000 yards. The passing game has opened up as much as it ever has and some are predicting 6,000-yard passers in the near future. With that said, elite defensive backs are going to get paid. I see eight elite receivers pending free agency and only two defensive backs. Just think of the 104th Grey Cup: Both the Stamps and REDBLACKS have great receivers, but in the end, Abdul Kanneh, Mitchell White, Jonathan Rose, Antoine Pruneau and Forrest Hightower made the difference. They stopped Bo Levi Mitchell and won Ottawa the Grey Cup.
18. Is the Als’ identity shifting?
The Alouettes have been long known as a defensive team, and not just because their offences have struggled. John Bowman, Billy Parker, Jerald Brown, Kyries Hebert, Chip Cox, Marc Olivier Brouillette . . . these are the names synonymous with Alouettes football over the past several years. Noel Thorpe is still the defensive coordinator but with a number of aging veterans potentially flocking and Darian Durant now the quarterback, will the Als be considered an offensive team in 2017 rather than a defensive one?
19. What should the Argos do in free agency?
If the Argos haven’t hired a general manager by Feb. 14, Spencer Zimmerman and Tommy Condell will steer the Boatmen through free agency. Either way, those few weeks will play a critical role in shaping the team’s success on the field in 2017 and thereafter. Should the Argos be aggressive and chase some of the big fish, or do they need to stay away and focus on scouting and developing younger talent? There’s a case to be made for either.
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Brandon Isaac greets his teammates before a game at BMO Field in 2016 (Thomas Makacek/Argonauts.ca)
20. Is Marquay McDaniel a top free agent?
Some people took exception to McDaniel’s ranking among CFL.ca’s Top 30 Free Agents (22nd overall) and I kind of get why. Over five seasons in Calgary, McDaniel has averaged 60.2 yards per game over 78 contests. He’s gone over 1,000 in three of his last four seasons and, with the exception of a lost season in 2011, has recorded a minimum of 688 yards every year of his career. For a guy that’s proven his ability, should McDaniel be a top free agent target should he stay on the market?
21. Should the Ticats bring back Andy Fantuz?
It’s been half a decade since Fantuz joined the Ticats and it’s hard to imagine him in any other colours than black and gold. Yet here we are, two weeks away from free agency with a chance he hits the market. Fantuz had a career year as a 32-year-old, setting a Ticats franchise record with 101 receptions for 1,059 yards. While he’s likely to miss part of the 2017 season, Eric Tillman and Kent Austin should still see plenty of value in the 6-foot-4 Chatham, Ont. native.
