Luc Mullinder – Riderville.com
As the weekend winds, down, many of us are doing our grocery shopping looking to load up the fridge for the busy week that lies ahead.
The Canadian Football League is no different, and as the Free Agent Market looks to open on the 14th, I figured I’d put together a little shopping list of my own. Now, by the time you read this a couple of these guys may already be spoken for, but keep in mind, we’re not the only ones that are trying to put together a Championship Feast!
There’s plenty of interesting names that may be available in 2017. Let’s grab a cart and head down the aisles of the CFL to see if we can get some great deals…
Hamilton Ticats
Man I’m walking up and down the Hamilton TiCat lane searching for Terrence Tolliver amongst all of the other Black and Gold ingredients but I can’t seem to find him. Little did I know that they’ve already taken the rangy wide-out off the shelf…He was the main reason I stopped in this aisle in the first place!
While I am here though, I’m going to boost my secondary by grabbing Emanuel Davis. He’s been an absolute boss over the last two years for the Tabbies and with these monster athletes running around at receiver in the CFL now, I need an aggressive DB that can play man defence with the best of them, and WIN jump balls! It also helps that he loves the physical aspect of the game. He is a fine tackler in open space.
I really like the thought of bagging Fantuz at the right price as well. I’d make sure to tell to be ready for the playoff push around Week 14! If my squad hasn’t found a consistent threat in the slot by the time Championship Drive starts, then Andy makes my team INSTANTLY better.
Toronto Argonauts
There’s a few guys from the Argos aisle that I’d love to throw in the cart to strengthen the depth of my team but I’m pretty sure the price may be questionable, and the expiry date, a little too close.
No matter though, I’ll pick up Greg Van Roten here. He’s played a ton of ball over the past two years with the Boatmen and I’m getting a youngster that should be coming into his prime.
Does the “international” tag bother me? Nah. I’m more focused on the fact that he can play multiple spots on that Offensive front and that he’s got a bit of a nasty bite to him.
I’m sure that I’m not the only shopper that was keeping an eye on this part of the CFL grocery store. With the release of Josh Bourke, there were a few days where Tyler Holmes, Chris Van Zeyl, and Van Roten were all pending Free Agents. This place would have been jam packed with shoppers like myself had all 3 guys remained available.
Oh yeah… I’m throwing AJ Jefferson in the cart to if he’s on sale.
Montreal Alouettes
I was in a rush to get to this section of the market! There may be some talent here that I can throw into my cart strictly because there isn’t enough money to go around for them in La Belle Province.
I’ll take two Brandon Rutley’s please! This kid would be more of a household name if not for the offensive inconsistencies and QB fluctuation over the last few years in Montreal. A tough runner who can catch the rock and protect his Q…I’m kind of surprised he’s even available. Oh well, I win here.
Hey while I’m at it, I gotta see if Marty Bedard on special? He’s been as consistent as it comes as a long snapping special teamer, and his secondary FB position fits well on my depth chart.
Let me get Winston Venable to please, I’m ok with the market price.
Depending on how much money I’ve got, I’m really tempted to grab Alan-Michael Cash who the league has been sleeping on for years.
When I get close to the check-out line, I may come back here to see if Daryl Townsend’s around. Can`t argue with the Special Team’s production and passport.
Ottawa REDBLACKS
We’re into the premium meats right now folks! The defending Grey Cup Champs have done a good job of extending key players from their HUGE laundry list of pending FA’s. There’s one guy that Marcel Desjardins hasn’t managed to lock in though, and I’ve brought extra cash to to guarantee that I can make this purchase…
J’Michael Deane
Now, I didn’t want to let my Michigan State Bias affect my decision-making process but if you ask around the league, there’s plenty of guys that will vouch for the rise of the 6’5 328 lb Canadian Offensive Lineman. You have to stand next to him to realize how big Deane actually is, and he’s only 30 which means, by Oline standards, he still has a long way to go before he reaches his “best before” date.
Deane has always been a good run blocker, which speaks to his Big 10 pedigree but he’s improved a lot as a pass-protector to where he may be the best Lineman available next to Derek Dennis out of Calgary.
I’m dropping big notes on this SPARTAN DAWG!
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
We were all lying to ourselves if we thought Medlock was going to hit free agency. The Bombers have already had a good off season by extending guys and swooping in to grab Tristan Okpalaugo.
Instead of cueing to see if I can get in on Khalil Bass, I’m going to talk with Sam Hurl and see where he sees himself during this point of his career. We haven’t heard much from Hurl since he signed a free agent deal in the ‘Peg but as a depth and special teams add, I’d love to toss him in the cart before I check out. I see Hurl’s value is right along the line of a guy like James Yurichuk when he’s on the field. Hope that doesn’t insult him because I think the world of Yuri! Again, I just want to get a feel for the packaging at this point, but I wouldn’t be mad to see him extend his career on my squad.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Corvey Irvin played well in his first year as a CFL player and his potential is through the roof. If he’s still around after the 14th, I’m definitely adding him to my squad to boost the competitiveness of my training camp.
If I could convince the checkout lady to let me get Jeff Hecht and Matt Webster in a 2 for 1 deal I’m happy but chances are that I’ll only be able to come away with one of them.
This aisle is frustrating from a buyer’s perspective. There isn’t much here thanks in part to Chris Jones and his staff already locking up the young talent that many would have wanted to pick from! That’s good news if you’re a Rider Fan.
Calgary Stampeders
The big names here (and for good reason) are Defensive Tackle Micah Johnson and Offensive Tackle Derek Dennis. I can’t see John Hufnagel signing both and still having the dough to extend a couple of other key pieces in Calgary, so I’ll get in line to bid on whichever one of these studs makes it to the market.
To tell you the truth, I’m hoping that all the noise surrounding Johnson and Dennis allows me to sneak under everyone’s noses and nab LB Glenn Love! Count me in as one of the people that thought Calgary was royally screwed when Deron Mayo went down to injury last year. Not only did Love step in; he absolutely balled out. Love is a Next Gen CFL LB who can play in the box as a physical run stopper just as well as he can get out into coverage. To sweeten the pot, Glenn gives his team valuable production on any special teams unit.
At the ripe age of 27, Glenn Love is a guy that I can trust in any defensive scheme. The problem I’d worry about is losing him to the NFL. No BS here, this cat is a GREAT BUY!
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton aisle is an intriguing one. Shakir Bell has always interested me, and it’s hard to ignore the pedigree of Patrick Watkins, but there’s one guy that I’m a huge fan of…
John Ojo seemed poised to take over the Canadian Football League until a ruptured achilles tendon caused him to miss the entire 2016 season. There’s no doubt that a ruptured achilles is something that takes a while to come back from but I’m quite ok with signing this immense talent and giving him a chance to see if he can get back to form. If it works out, it’s a deal that could pay HUGE dividends because there was no doubt about the talent that the 6’3 DB possessed. I can’t pay a lot for Ojo, but I would gladly load up an incentive based deal that paid him handsomely if he returned to health.
I can’t really pass on Phillip Hunt either. He just turned 31 this year and comes with an outstanding resumé and should be good for AT LEAST another two seasons!
British Columbia Lions
Wally Buono has done the most important work of the BC Off-Season already thanks to the fact that he’s locked up most of the talent could have potentially left the den (most recently Brian Burnham).
I haven’t picked up many Offensive players on this shopping trip so I think I’ll buy Marco Iannuzzi here, as well as a fairly priced Anthony Allen.
Slim pickings in this part of the market, just like the Saskatchewan aisle!
Time to hit the checkout line…Next stop, the CFL combine and the 2017 draft. Quite a busy schedule ahead of me!
