Dave Chidley/CFL.ca
Each and every member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2018 is an incredibly deserving honoree. For me, though, Scott Flory and Brent Johnson stand out, as I had the pleasure to interact with them regularly.
Both players share numerous qualities; outstanding careers and multiple Grey Cup rings, to name a couple.
Yet it was their demeanor off the field that I’ll remember just as much, if not more. Both Flory and Johnson will go down as two of the easiest and most informative interviews from my side of the ledger. That’s why it’s so cool to see them get their calls to the Hall at the same time.
Hall talk
Whenever the Lions or Alouettes came through Calgary, the first media request from me on walkthrough day was always Johnson or Flory, respectively. They were easy choices for me; both guys are superb speakers, did a great job of explaining the finer points of the game, and understood the importance of being ambassadors for their team.
Flory was always intense when talking to him, whether it be leading up to a game or following one, regardless of the result. Two questions would get you five minutes of tape, which is the equivalent of gold for radio guys, and he’d never avoid an answer. And, more than anything else, he was accommodating at all times despite his intimidating 6-foot-4, 300 pound frame.
I remember two chats with Flory vividly. The first came on the field following Montreal’s “13th Man” Grey Cup victory at McMahon Stadium in 2009. After coming up short so many times between 2002 and 2009, Flory was emotional and vindicated after knocking off Saskatchewan 28-27 in one of the most memorable games in Grey Cup history.
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The Canadian Football Hall of Fame class of ’18 was announced in Winnipeg (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
The second conversation was just a few months later, as the CFL and CFLPA went back and forth in CBA negotiations. Flory was still fairly new in his role as CFLPA president and spoke openly and honestly about his group’s stance and where they were coming from. It was a refreshing chat, as Flory spoke honestly about things you and I can’t really relate to and he didn’t shy away from any difficult questions.
From a football perspective, it’s so great to see Flory get his due. His election to the CFHOF means Montreal’s “Holy Trinity” is now enshrined in its entirety. That trio, of course, also includes Ben Cahoon (2014) and Anthony Calvillo (2017); they served as the offensive anchors for the Alouettes in one of the most impressive stretches of sustained success in recent CFL memory.
My thoughts on Johnson are similar, with a couple different nuances. What I always appreciated about No. 97 was how high-level a thinker he was. I always came away from Johnson conversations thinking to myself “this dude is a football savant”; virtually all professionals understand the game at a high level, but relating it for everyone else is a difficult skill. Johnson had that skill in spades.
Johnson was ridiculously valuable on the field, too, and did so in a position not typically dominated by a Canadian. He led the league twice in sacks and served as a true ratio buster as a defensive anchor for the Lions and was crucial in a pair of Grey Cup wins in 2006 and 2011. He’ll go down as one of the best Canadian pass rushers to ever play the game.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the privilege of interacting quite the same way with the rest of the 2018 class. That said, each and every career speaks for itself, and I can’t wait to hear their stories as we get closer to induction day. For me, Flory and Johnson will be oddly linked as contemporaries despite their different positions and teams.
Stepping back, moving forward
In this day and age, anything but moving forward is seen as an indictment or a failure. In reality, though, sometimes hitting the undo button is the best decision in the grand scheme of things, regardless of how hard admitting a mistake can be. In the CFL’s case, they’ve made two “step back” decisions recently that I believe actually move the league forward.
This week saw the league propose the elimination of illegal contact reviews, which is a huge step forward in reducing grey area. I agree with the decision, as reviewing illegal contact is highly subjective and is difficult to standardize. It can be confusing for fans, media, coaches, and players alike. To admit this, though, shows a mature group of decision makers.
Essentially, the league has made a correction to a rule that wasn’t working as intended. So many times we see attempts at changing or fixing something before electing to eliminate an issue, if that point is ever reached. It follows in the footsteps of another similar decision made partway through the 2017 season.
In one of his biggest early decisions, commissioner Randy Ambrosie decided to reduce coach’s challenges to just one per game. I loved the decision at the time, as it still ensured accuracy on crucial calls while almost eliminating the “what the heck” challenges that were never intended when video review was brought in. Dialing back helped strike a proper balance and has worked really well.
Rule changes and and/or additions are always made with the best of intentions, but no league is perfect. As such, it is difficult to forecast unintended consequences and/or loophole exploitation. Most of the time, those things rear their heads once the rule is in effect. So to remove ego and pride from the equation and eliminate an ineffective rule is both commendable and important.
For me, the next conversation should be about eliminating pass interference reviews because, just like illegal contact, I think the call is far too subjective to be looked at in slow motion. It’s a difficult enough call to make on the field and I think adding eyes jacks up the subjectivity exponentially.
That’s just my opinion and I honestly have no clue if any CFL decision makers share it. Here’s the thing, though: the way the league has honestly evaluated itself since Ambrosie has taken over gives me confidence of a continued dialogue about the ideal rulebook.
As much as I believe in my opinion, I’m happy to defer to true football people like coaches, players, and GM’s. To eliminate and dial back on rules already in places shows me a real commitment to the best possible product on the field. I think the on-field product is in really good hands right now.
