Naylor on the CFL

Wild West crap shoots, a new spring league and Kerry Joseph's comfort zone, it's all part of the Globe and Mail's David Naylor's Inside the CFL feature.


Inside the Canadian Football League
DAVID NAYLOR
From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Dan Maciocia believes there has been at least one wildly entertaining game this Canadian Football League season — the one his Edmonton Eskimos lost on a last-second, 100-yard touchdown romp by Milt Stegall of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

But aside from that thriller on July 20, too many of the CFL's summer offerings have been as exciting to watch as fence painting. The games have either been one-sided, poorly played, penalty-plagued or a dreary mix of all three. Case in point: last week's action, which included Winnipeg's 29-0 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the B.C. Lions' 28-8 win over the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders' 19-9 victory over the Calgary Stampeders.
“There have been a couple of exciting games this year,” said Maciocia, the Eskimos' head coach. “But I know what you're saying and it's hard for me to explain. I think this is too great a game. I know it will change.”

Asked for some reason why so many games have lacked the CFL's usual brand of sizzle, Maciocia mentioned how the Ottawa Renegades dispersal draft had injected new players into new situations while upgrading the league's overall competitiveness.

“The West is a crapshoot now,” said Maciocia, whose team is off to its worst start, 2-4, in 34 years. “There are four teams where any one of them could finish first and any one could finish last.”

As for the number of penalties being called — a change in blocking regulations has helped reduce the number of touchdowns scored on punt and kickoff returns — Maciocia was careful not to invite the wrath of the league office.

“I find it tough to get into a rhythm,” he said. “You put a couple of plays together, on offence or defence, and then something happens to interrupt that rhythm.”

Injuries have also undermined several teams, particularly the Argos, who have been without quarterback Damon Allen and running backs Ricky Williams and John Avery for parts of the season. Hamilton, too, has been hobbled by injuries to quarterback Jason Maas and running back and slotback Corey Holmes.

With key players hurt and new ones added, offences have been sporadic in a league in which low-scoring affairs are considered too dull for most fans.

“I think it's an offensive mentality that comes through,” Bombers general manager Brendan Taman said. “I thought last week's Calgary-Saskatchewan game was well played defensively, but very few people watch football that way. Our game in Hamilton was bad for the fans because there was nothing going on. The offensive flair just isn't there right now, but defence is where you win games.”

For all the reasons mentioned, only three teams have managed to win more games than they've lost so far (Montreal Alouettes, Winnipeg and B.C.), while a fourth (Saskatchewan) sits at .500. Little wonder Calgary head coach Tom Higgins recently admitted it was possible for a team to win the West with a 9-9 record.

“What I know for sure is that the game we lost to Winnipeg was outrageous,” Maciocia said. “It'll be replayed [on television highlights] many times. And when it comes on, I just change the channel.”

Spring football to return

Twenty years after the United States Football League played its final game, plans are under way for a new professional spring league in the United States.

The All-American Football League plans to launch next spring with eight teams and a 14-game schedule, playing out of major college stadiums.

The league is hoping to capitalize on college football's regional popularity by making each team largely comprised of former players from that geographic area.

Headed by former National Collegiate Athletic Association president Cedric Dempsey, the AAFL is planning salary budgets of roughly $4-million a team, which would make them instantly competitive with CFL payrolls.

The league is currently seeking investors willing to pay $2-million to $3-million in franchise fees, about the same the CFL is seeking to restart an Ottawa franchise.

In what might be considered an odd requirement for professional football, all AAFL players must be college graduates.

While the AAFL is being backed by some powerful people, there is already skepticism about its viability, given the failed history of alternative professional football in the U.S.

Spring football was most recently tried in 2001, when the XFL launched its one and only season. Even an NBC television contract and the promotional muscle of wrestling promoter Vince McMahon couldn't make it fly. Its failure followed the demise of the Professional Spring Football League, which folded before its debut season in 1992 ever began.

The CFL had teams in the United States from 1993 to 1995, after which it reverted to its Canadian base.

Renegades connection

The Ottawa Renegades may be gone, but a good part of their heart and soul is alive and well on the Prairies with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Kerry Joseph to Jason Armstead connection was one of the few highlights for Renegades fans during their team's woeful existence. That combination hasn't missed a beat in Saskatchewan, where they've evolved into one of the most productive combinations in the league.

Armstead's 25 catches and 371 receiving yards rank second to Matt Dominguez on the Roughriders. He also has five touchdown catches (including a 36-yarder during last week's win over Calgary), leading the Roughriders and ranking second in the CFL among receivers behind B.C.'s Geroy Simon.

“It's nothing that we game-plan,” Joseph said. “It's just the connection that we have, understanding each other and the trust factor. I know I can throw to Jason whether the coverage is tight or he's wide open. It just comes from understanding each other over the years.”

So well do Joseph and Armstead work together that earlier this season they hooked up in reverse roles for a touchdown when the receiver took a lateral before throwing it back to Joseph, who ran in for the score.

“[Coming to Saskatchewan] there was a sense of comfort to have someone you know you're familiar with,” Joseph said. “I'm adjusting to the other receivers, but it's good to have that comfort guy.”