Casey, phone Henry.

Wally Buono won’t have any bling, bling to show off to his fellow GM’s as the CFL season wanders its way towards Grey Cup Weekend in late November.

The one Ace card that Buono might have had to play this fall has been put back into a deck held far away. Casey Printers, of whom the Lions hold the rights to, has chosen to follow the path of the practice roster QB in Kansas City. Printers who didn’t wow them enough for inclusion on the main roster, cleared waivers this weekend and signed on with the Chiefs to hold clipboards, watch film and run some practice roster schemes for the NFL season.

And while you wish him well in his NFL dreams, you have to wonder if ego is not getting in the way of practicality and playing time. Not many guys wander up the chart from practice roster QB to NFL star, the college industry churns out the next big star every year. If you’re not in the game, they tend to forget your name.

Printers may be about to learn a lesson that many have had to learn in the past, Henry Burris, Ricky Ray and Dave Dickenson all took their shot at the NFL, all saw less than regular action and all returned to the CFL to shine. It’s a lesson that Canadian QB Jesse Palmer has sat through for a few years and he may soon follow the road back north, if for no other reason that to actually throw a pass in active battle again.

Playing time trumps practice time, every time. Yes you can learn quite a bit on an NFL roster, even if hidden away in the basement with the used towels, rolls or tape and piles of video. But actual game time action, tests the abilities of QB ten times over. Printers is surrendering the chance to play every game, every down for that matter in a competitive environment. He is giving up the chance for valuable competitive experience that won’t be found holding a clip board, or playing the role of the oppositions QB in practices.

Printers of course showed quite a bit of promise in his break out year of 2004 leading the Lions to the Grey Cup but not getting to play in that championship game. The 2005 season was a year of tension, as opinion became split as the Printers/Dickenson controversy boiled in Vancouver. In fact, prior to his departure for Kansas City, it seemed that the Lions were destined to be Printers team. His departure from the Lions was not on the friendliest of terms.

His decision to test the NFL waters changed everything in Vancouver, the Lions went to plan B, keeping Dickenson and presently hold down first in the West, despite the injury problems that continue to plague their marquee man.

Had Printers decided to return to the CFL, there is no doubt that one of the seven teams would have been on the phone to Buono within minutes of the announcement. Printers was showing the signs that he could have been one of the dominant players in the league, despite less game in game out action. Given a full season as a number one guy in the CFL, there’s a very good chance he could have been the next star of the league. A situation that has worked pretty well for guys like Damon Allen and Warren Moon, one became a CFL and pro football record holder, the other one of the greats of the game in the NFL after serving an apprenticeship in the CFL.

The best example of recent time though is the Stampeders Burris, who took his shot with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Tiring of the position of clipboard holder and film critic, Burris returned to Saskatchewan and then moved on to Calgary.

The success of the Stamps this year is very much built upon the skills of Burris, who is quickly becoming one of the leading stars in the league.

In the end it comes down to the big fish in the small pond, Burris is fitting that role quite well. Printers will be less than the small fish in the big pond, maybe he’ll just be bait.

He should give Henry a call, he could save himself some frustrating years of inaction with a simple phone call, to find out what he's in store for.

Printers play is suited to the CFL; he should play to his strength.