March 27, 2017

Steinberg’s MMQB: A once in a lifetime class

THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is chock full of great players. Every once in a while, though, you get a class that truly is special and that’s exactly what we have with the class of 2017.

As the Hall’s Executive Director Mark DeNobile called it, this is an “exemplary” group going in for 2017 and it’ll be a little while until we see one that rivals it.

Rare class

Anthony Calvillo and Geroy Simon could be the best players this league has ever seen at their positions. You don’t get players like that elected to the Hall of Fame every year, which makes having two of them elected in the same class even more special.

There’s nothing lacking from Calvillo’s resume because he really does check all the boxes at quarterback. From a statistical standpoint, he’s number one in yards (79,816), touchdowns (455), completions (5,892), and attempts (9,437). Those numbers alone put him in the GOAT conversation without even blinking an eye. But it goes beyond that.

Calvillo was a winner, too, and has the titles to back it up. The Alouettes won 12 or more games in eight of his 15 full seasons at the helm, while they finished first in the East Division in 10 of those seasons. With Calvillo behind the centre, Montreal never once missed the playoffs, and he got the job done once he was in the dance, too.

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THE CANADIAN PRESS

Anthony Calvillo drinks from the Grey Cup after the Als’ 2010 victory (The Canadian Press)

Calvillo played in eight Grey Cup games in the span of 11 seasons (!!), winning on three occasions. Playing for the league’s highest prize became an annual rite for Calvillo and his emphatic performances in 2009 and 2010 sealed his legacy as a true post-season performer.

But what really puts Calvillo over the top for me is his longevity. Calvillo’s final two full seasons were played at the age of 39 and 40 and he threw for over 5,000 yards on both occasions; he led the league in that category in 2011 and finished second the following year. Right up until his injury-shortened final year, Calvillo was playing at an elite level and our last memories of him are as impressive as ever.

Then there’s Simon, who boasts just as impressive a resume at receiver for many of the same reasons. Simon certainly has the individual records; he ranks number one all time in yards (16,352) and receptions (1,029) and sits number three in touchdowns at 104.

Geroy has the championship pedigree, too. Simon won three Grey Cups of his own and played in the big game on four occasions overall. Furthermore, Simon has bragging rights in one area over Calvillo: he had the rare opportunity to finish his career on top. Simon’s final season was played in Saskatchewan and culminated in a dominant Grey Cup win over Hamilton.

Oh, and then there’s longevity. While Simon wasn’t as dominant as Calvillo in his final two seasons, he was still extremely effective. In fact, Simon turned back the clock and was instrumental in Saskatchewan’s Grey Cup title by reeling in a pair of touchdowns in the biggest game of them all. Don’t forget, either, that Simon finished second in receiving yards (1,350) in his penultimate season with the Lions in 2011 at the age of 36.

Through the Lens: Calvillo, Simon lead 2017 Hall of Fame class

 

 

Are Calvillo and Simon unquestionably the best of all time at their positions? It’s impossible to make that declaration because it’s such a subjective conversation. Some would put Flutie or Moon or Allen ahead of Calvillo, while names like Pitts or Stegall might top your list over Simon.

What you can’t argue, though, is that both are very much right there in the conversation to be the greatest to ever play their positions. To see two players of that ilk go into the Hall in the same year truly is rare.

Millennium man

Kelvin Anderson’s election to the Hall was a no-brainer, too. While perhaps not in the GOAT conversation at tailback, he’s really not that far off, either. The longtime Stampeders running back only played in the league for eight seasons, but what he accomplished in that period is almost unmatched.

Anderson still holds a record that stands to this day: eight consecutive 1,000-plus yard seasons. Think about that for a second and let it sink in. For a tailback to have that type of consistency is incredible knowing the toll the position takes on one’s body and the way CFL football is played. To be honest, it’s hard to see that record ever being broken and it has already stood for 13 years.

With three downs and a more pass-heavy brand of football, getting to 1,000 yards on the ground is an accomplishment in and of itself. There’s a reason why only a select few are able to do it in any given season. For instance, only two were able to eclipse that mark in last season, while 2015 saw just three get there. Finally, just one rusher (Jon Cornish) went over the millennium mark in 2014, providing further evidence as to how difficult an achievement it really is.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Kelvin Anderson runs during a 2002 game vs. the BC Lions (The Canadian Press)

Furthermore, it’s not like the run game was the primary method of attack for the Stamps during the bulk of Anderson’s career. Jeff Garcia was Calgary’s starting quarterback for three of Anderson’s seven seasons there while Dave Dickenson filled that spot for a further two years.

Allen Pitts, on the other hand, went for over 1,300 yards receiving during three of those, years, too, and was up over the 1,000-yard mark four times. Vince Danielsen was a 1,000-yard receiver multiple times and Marc Boerigter approached the mark a few times, too. The point is, the Stampeders had a terrifying aerial arsenal virtually every year Anderson was there, and yet he still ran for 1,000 yards every single time. That is bonkers to me.

It took a little while longer for Anderson to get the call to the Hall, but that doesn’t diminish how deserving he is. He won a pair of Grey Cups in 1998 and 2001, was as consistent a player as we’ll ever see, and even in a new city to finish his career, Anderson ran for 1,048 yards with the BC Lions in 2003. Once again, there really is no argument here.

Immediate focus

Reports surfaced earlier this week the Montreal Alouettes are closing in on acquiring offensive lineman Jovan Olafioye from the BC Lions in exchange for the negotiating rights to fellow lineman David Foucault. While I get the benefit for both sides, what really jumps out to me is how committed Montreal is to winning right now.

Think about what new general manager Kavis Reed has done this off-season already. He’s made huge splashes by acquiring players like Darian Durant and Ernest Jackson and is now closing in on one of the best left tackles in the game. Once again, Reed has made an addition that makes his team substantially better for the 2017 season.

Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca

Jovan Olafioye would mark another big name joining the Als this off-season (Jimmy Jeong/CFLc.a)

Olafioye is an absolute beast and has been voted a CFL All Star for the last six years running; he’s been a West Division All-Star for seven consecutive years. At the age of 29, Olafioye likely still has a number of years left playing at a high level.

I get why the Lions are interested in acquiring the rights to Foucault, too. He’s a national lineman while Olafioye is not and he’s coming off a few years on and off the roster of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.

But the reported Olafioye acquisition by Montreal is just another emphatic move by Reed and the Als. His addition will bring the total to three high-impact players added to Montreal’s roster without giving up a single player from last year’s roster. It’s pretty clear Reed wants to win now, and he’s doing a nice job of making that happen, at least on paper.

Quick hits

Our “MMQB Money List” will return next week as we continue looking at the best players at their position in the league. We started last week by selecting Calgary’s Bo Levi Mitchell as our quarterback and we’ll focus on a pair of defensive players next week. With so much coming from the Hall of Fame announcements, though, I figured we could delay things a week.

Finally, let’s extend a tip of helmet (lame football parlance, I know) to Marshall Ferguson, Brodie Lawson, and the rest of the CFL.ca staff for their outstanding work at the CFL Combine. I’m no draft expert, but I sure do feel like one after absorbing all that content over the last few days. Honestly, if you haven’t checked it out, I thoroughly recommend you do.