The Stamps got a head start on overhauling their roster, releasing two regulars in Shannon James and Demetris Summers.
Summers was a backup running back who despite superior speed never quite threatened Joffrey Reynolds' starting job. He was an excellent "change of pace" back and seemed to excel in the short passing game, occasionally breaking a long run. He was also a decent kick returner. But with Reynolds and Canadian backup Jon Cornish both signing extensions, Summers was pressed up against a glass ceiling, and the club may have done him a favour by setting him free. He'd arguably have a shot of starting in Toronto; at the very least, there isn't a single CFL team that wouldn't be improved with him on the roster. (Well, maybe not RB-deep Hamilton.)
Shannon James is a little more puzzling. He's been a solid starter for four years. He hasn't quite ever lived up to his potential and had a tendency to give up too many plays, but was still an above-average linebacker.
Hopefully Hufnagel has a replacement in mind.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Barrin Rides Again
Good to see one of the CFL's current icons stick around for one more year - Barrin Simpson has signed with Saskatchewan.
Simpson made a huge splash in BC. In 2001, he was the league's top rookie, and was an all-star every year but his last. He's been somewhat quiet in Winnipeg, but now that he's with the CFL's loudest team, that will likely change.
Good move for the Riders, too: their defence was starting to look anonymous and suspicious. A guy like Simpson will go a long way in tight situations, and the locker room.
Congrats, Barrin - sadly, now that you're a Rider I must loathe you, but know that it's only out of jealousy.
Simpson made a huge splash in BC. In 2001, he was the league's top rookie, and was an all-star every year but his last. He's been somewhat quiet in Winnipeg, but now that he's with the CFL's loudest team, that will likely change.
Good move for the Riders, too: their defence was starting to look anonymous and suspicious. A guy like Simpson will go a long way in tight situations, and the locker room.
Congrats, Barrin - sadly, now that you're a Rider I must loathe you, but know that it's only out of jealousy.
Friday, March 19, 2010
...and another one
The Argos added another quarterback in former Dolphins starter Cleo Lemon, who sounds more like a vaudeville alias than a quarterback.
Just after I wrote about how they seemed to be avoiding CFL veterans in favour of journeymen with no experience here, they added...another journeyman with no experience here.
My opinion? Jim Barker's too smart not to have a safety valve. Lemon may be awesome, but there's just as good a chance he's terrible. He needs to have a "break in case of emergency" qb, who will at least be adequate when need be.
Jarious Jackson, come on down?
Just after I wrote about how they seemed to be avoiding CFL veterans in favour of journeymen with no experience here, they added...another journeyman with no experience here.
My opinion? Jim Barker's too smart not to have a safety valve. Lemon may be awesome, but there's just as good a chance he's terrible. He needs to have a "break in case of emergency" qb, who will at least be adequate when need be.
Jarious Jackson, come on down?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Quarterback Lottery
Staying away from available veterans like Buck Pierce, the Toronto Argonauts have signed a presumptive starting quarterback in Gibran Hamdan, who has precisely zero CFL experience. The quarterback lottery spins again.
What's the quaterback lottery, you ask? There are three ways to find a decent starting quarterback in the CFL.
You can develop them. They usually have to sit and watch for a year or three, but it's often worth the wait. Exhibits include Jeff Garcia, Darian Durant, and Casey Printers. The Stampeders hope Drew Tate or Barrick Nealy will be examples down the road.
You can let someone else develop them, and cherrypick them when they chafe without playing time. Exhibits include Damon Allen and Danny McManus. Adrian McPherson wants to be another one.
You can sign an established star, either from the US or another CFL team. Exhibits include Doug Flutie and Joe Theismann.
Finally, you can climb on board the quarterback lottery, and sign an NFL practice squad retread and/or minor pro star. Exhibits include Ricky Ray and David Archer.
As far as vagabond quarterbacks go, Hamdan has a decent resume. He's bounced around the practice squads and clipboard spots of several NFL teams, including Washington, Seattle, San Francisco, and most recently, Buffalo - where he was (briefly) no#2 behind Trent Edwards.
He started in NFL Europe, which puts him in company with Jake Delhomme and Brad Johnson, both of whom started Super Bowls, as well as viable CFL pivots like Jarious Jackson and Michael Bishop. Of course, it also puts him in company with Suth Burford, Jim Ballard and TJ Rubley.
You'd be forgiven for never hearing of any of those guys. Ballard had a cup of coffee with the Argos a few years ago, but TJ Rubley is an interesting case.
Then-Winnipeg Blue Bombers coach Jeff Reinebold brought Rubley in with much fanfare before the 1998 season. Rubley had starting experience in the NFL (7 games with the LA Rams) and NFL Europe, and was expected to perform well in the CFL.
Didn't happen. He barely lasted a year. His career ended shortly thereafter.
What's the lesson? There isn't one. For every TJ Rubley, there's quarterback lottery ticket that actually pans out, like David Archer. Similarly, Archer had played some in the NFL, backing up Randall Cunningham in Philadelphia. He won the second World Bowl in Sacramento, and followed that franchise into the CFL.
How did that turn out? He lasted five years in the CFL, throwing for 120 touchdowns. While certainly not elite, he was better than average.
Will Gibran Hamdan be another TJ Rubley, or another David Archer?
What's the quaterback lottery, you ask? There are three ways to find a decent starting quarterback in the CFL.
You can develop them. They usually have to sit and watch for a year or three, but it's often worth the wait. Exhibits include Jeff Garcia, Darian Durant, and Casey Printers. The Stampeders hope Drew Tate or Barrick Nealy will be examples down the road.
You can let someone else develop them, and cherrypick them when they chafe without playing time. Exhibits include Damon Allen and Danny McManus. Adrian McPherson wants to be another one.
You can sign an established star, either from the US or another CFL team. Exhibits include Doug Flutie and Joe Theismann.
Finally, you can climb on board the quarterback lottery, and sign an NFL practice squad retread and/or minor pro star. Exhibits include Ricky Ray and David Archer.
As far as vagabond quarterbacks go, Hamdan has a decent resume. He's bounced around the practice squads and clipboard spots of several NFL teams, including Washington, Seattle, San Francisco, and most recently, Buffalo - where he was (briefly) no#2 behind Trent Edwards.
He started in NFL Europe, which puts him in company with Jake Delhomme and Brad Johnson, both of whom started Super Bowls, as well as viable CFL pivots like Jarious Jackson and Michael Bishop. Of course, it also puts him in company with Suth Burford, Jim Ballard and TJ Rubley.
You'd be forgiven for never hearing of any of those guys. Ballard had a cup of coffee with the Argos a few years ago, but TJ Rubley is an interesting case.
Then-Winnipeg Blue Bombers coach Jeff Reinebold brought Rubley in with much fanfare before the 1998 season. Rubley had starting experience in the NFL (7 games with the LA Rams) and NFL Europe, and was expected to perform well in the CFL.
Didn't happen. He barely lasted a year. His career ended shortly thereafter.
What's the lesson? There isn't one. For every TJ Rubley, there's quarterback lottery ticket that actually pans out, like David Archer. Similarly, Archer had played some in the NFL, backing up Randall Cunningham in Philadelphia. He won the second World Bowl in Sacramento, and followed that franchise into the CFL.
How did that turn out? He lasted five years in the CFL, throwing for 120 touchdowns. While certainly not elite, he was better than average.
Will Gibran Hamdan be another TJ Rubley, or another David Archer?
Monday, March 1, 2010
Grazi, Arrivederci
This one HURTS.
We always knew we'd lose Sandro DeAngelis eventually - to Indianapolis, or Dallas. Somewhere like that, where he'd be making rather more money. But Hamilton? Does. Not. Compute.
Well - to be fair - it turns out it does compute, and the reasoning is not only simple, but noble. Sandro's from there, and wants to be closer to his family. That's all. For less money than Calgary offered him, and to a less stable organization. Kinda hard to fault that, but as a Stamps fan, my inclination is "move them to Calgary, then." Alas, him signing with the Tiger-Cats is a simpler (and cheaper) step.
Make no mistake: this is a HUGE move. DeAngelis is probably worth a single-game swing in wins alone. Kicking is much more important in the CFL, and Sandro was the most accurate kicker in the very, very long history of the league. It's not a stretch to say he was/is arguably the best ever. He was accurate, consistent, and - most important - clutch. How clutch? You'd be hard pressed to find a more clutch player in any position across the league.
For Hamilton, DeAngelis is a massive upgrade over Nick Setta, who was released in January anyway. Setta was a 76% kicker in 2009, down significantly from his first two seasons. (Ironically, it wouldn't be shocking if Setta wound up at least competing for the kicking job in Calgary.)
For Calgary, the most accurate kicker in league history isn't just tough to replace, but impossible. It's easy to forget how difficult it was to replace Mark McLoughlin beforea then-unknown DeAngelis stepped into the role. (Remember Clinton Greathouse? No? Exactly.) Unfortunately for Calgary, the next few weeks will be spent trying to find an adequate replacement.
It's hard to be upset about this move. Sure, it hurts the Stamps - more than may seem obvious for now - but situations like this are part of the CFL's charm. These guys are accessible, human, and familiar. I wish you well, Sandro.
We always knew we'd lose Sandro DeAngelis eventually - to Indianapolis, or Dallas. Somewhere like that, where he'd be making rather more money. But Hamilton? Does. Not. Compute.
Well - to be fair - it turns out it does compute, and the reasoning is not only simple, but noble. Sandro's from there, and wants to be closer to his family. That's all. For less money than Calgary offered him, and to a less stable organization. Kinda hard to fault that, but as a Stamps fan, my inclination is "move them to Calgary, then." Alas, him signing with the Tiger-Cats is a simpler (and cheaper) step.
Make no mistake: this is a HUGE move. DeAngelis is probably worth a single-game swing in wins alone. Kicking is much more important in the CFL, and Sandro was the most accurate kicker in the very, very long history of the league. It's not a stretch to say he was/is arguably the best ever. He was accurate, consistent, and - most important - clutch. How clutch? You'd be hard pressed to find a more clutch player in any position across the league.
For Hamilton, DeAngelis is a massive upgrade over Nick Setta, who was released in January anyway. Setta was a 76% kicker in 2009, down significantly from his first two seasons. (Ironically, it wouldn't be shocking if Setta wound up at least competing for the kicking job in Calgary.)
For Calgary, the most accurate kicker in league history isn't just tough to replace, but impossible. It's easy to forget how difficult it was to replace Mark McLoughlin beforea then-unknown DeAngelis stepped into the role. (Remember Clinton Greathouse? No? Exactly.) Unfortunately for Calgary, the next few weeks will be spent trying to find an adequate replacement.
It's hard to be upset about this move. Sure, it hurts the Stamps - more than may seem obvious for now - but situations like this are part of the CFL's charm. These guys are accessible, human, and familiar. I wish you well, Sandro.
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