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Hamilton Tiger-Cats 2010 Off-Season Overview

admin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:51:26 +0000

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ 2009 season ended in heartbreak as they were knocked out of the CFL’s East semifinals by the B.C. Lions in a 34-27 overtime victory. The loss in the team’s first playoff game in five seasons was a disappointing end for the fans, to what had been an exciting first year under head coach Marcel Bellefeuille.

One of the stated priorities in the off-season was to bolster the team’s secondary. In March, the Tiger-Cats acquired defensive back Jerome Dennis in exchange for linebacker Dennis Haley. They also brought in free agent defensive backs Will Poole and Jason Shivers – both players with NFL experience.

Kevin Glenn had a solid season in leading Hamilton to the playoffs last season, and the team made moves in the off-season to provide him with more weapons. This included shipping defensive back Chris Thompson to Edmonton in exchange for wide receiver Maurice Mann, an explosive player who 917 yards receiving and 10 TDs last season. The Tiger-Cats also swapped wide receivers with Saskatchewan, sending Prechae Rodriguez packing for Adam Nicolson and the rights to a kick return/wide receiver rumored to be former Miami Dolphins player Chris Williams.

Other off-season moves made by Hamilton included releasing veteran offensive lineman Dan Goodspeed and signing former All-Star offensive lineman Jason Jimenez, most recently with the B.C. Lions. The team also released starting kicker Nick Setta, whose shaky season almost cost the Tiger-Cats a playoff spot. He will be replaced by Sandro DeAngelis, who was named Most Valuable Canadian while helping Calgary win the Grey Cup in 2008.

Montreal Alouettes Look to Bolster Defense

admin — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 11:13:38 +0000

The Montreal Alouettes enter the 2010 season with a task that every other CFL team dreams about: defending their Grey Cup championship. But the team has had an eventful offseason they attempt to put the pieces together for a successful title defense, lead by the strange saga of Gavin Walls. Within a ten-day stretch, the team acquired the veteran defensive end in a trade from Winnipeg, released him for salary cap purposes and then resigned him. Despite coming off of a season-ending knee injury in 2009, Walls is expected to bolster the Alouettes’ pass rush.

Walls is not the only player brought in during the offseason to help on the defensive line. The Alouettes recently signed former NFL defensive tackle Marcus Smith, who played for the last two seasons with Buffalo and also signed Ian Campbell to a two-year deal. Another defensive player with NFL experience brought in during the offseason by the team was former Indianapolis defensive back Travis Key.

The signing of former Toronto quarterback Cody Pickett raised some eyebrows, especially with the team already having two veteran signal callers in Anthony Calvillo and Adrian McPherson. Despite having scored a league-best 600 points in 2009, the Alouettes recently added some firepower to their offense, including signing wide receiver DJ Boldin, a former all-ACC selection at Wake Forest and brother of NFL star Anquan Boldin. The Alouettes also signed a pair of running backs in Eric Lee and Roosevelt Ross.

Toronto Argonauts season preview

admin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 05:40:07 +0000

The Toronto Argonauts, entering their 53rd season in the CFL, are looking to bounce back from last year’s 3-15 campaign. A season in which they missed the playoffs for the second year in a row.

First up is the CFL draft in which Toronto has the first pick. The top rated amateur Canadian football player is Shomari Williams, the Queen’s linebacker and Vanier Cup champion. Toronto owns three of the first twelve selections in this year’s draft, so they should be able to improve the team tremendously. This years draft will be on May 2 and broadcast on TSN at noon.

In the off season, the Argonauts added a couple players to help the defense. Greg Blue is a linebacker who was a 5th round pick of the Minnesota Vikings. He dressed for all 16 games as a rookie for the Vikings. Blue was also an All American at the University of Georgia.

Another player Toronto signed is Jeremy Unertl. At 6-feet, 4-inches tall, Unertl will be the tallest man in the Argonauts secondary. Jeremy was a four year letter winner at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. He also played in Europe and was MVP of the AFL’s Chicago Rush.

The regular season will start on Thursday night this year with a game at Calgary on July 1. Look for the Toronto Argonauts to bounce back this season. This is a proud organization with a great history. They have been in 21 Grey Cups, winning 15 of those.

New Season Beckons For Stampeders

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:05:58 +0000

A fairly quiet off-season has many thinking that the Calgary Stampeders are tweaking the roster for a run at the Grey Cup. The Stamps traded age and experience for the promise of youth and brought in a new coach to help return to the championship game.

Jermaine Copeland, Calgary’s most prolific receiver last season, was sent to Toronto for P.K. Sam. While Copeland had an outstanding season with 81 catches and 12 touchdowns, management feels that Sam has all the tools for a breakout season. To help cushion the loss of Copeland, Ken-Yon Rambo is expected back from knee surgery. If Rambo can return to his 2008 form offensive production should improve.

Runnings back coach Rick Campbell was brought in from Edmonton and should keep the running attack focused. Joffrey Reynolds led the league in rushing in 2009 with 1504 yardsand 11 touchdowns.

While Henry Burris has eclipsed Doug Flutie for many quarterback career marks, age is becoming a factor. Burris will be 35 this year and turnovers are telling a tale. While rushing the ball 105 times last season, the ball ended up on the ground eight times. That is a fumble every thirteen carries. The touchdown pass to interception ratio was also 11:8, not championship caliber.

Perhaps the time has come for Drew Tate to steer the ship. Tate is eight years younger and the same size as Burris. The loss of Deangelis will be hard to overcome. A kicker of that caliber is hard to replace.

The upcoming season will once again bring football betting earlier for those interested in the CFL.

Toronto Argonauts swing trade with Calgary Stampeders

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:40:13 +0000

In some big news from the Canadian Football League, the Toronto Argonauts acquired all-star receiver Jermaine Copeland in a trade for wide receiver P.K. Sam from the Calgary Stampeders.

This is a huge move for the Argonauts as they now add a vital piece to their championship hopeful team. Jermaine Copeland has worked with Jim Barker, head coach of the Argonauts, before and is excited to be a part of the team. The coach is also excited for the possibilities as he has already won three different championships in three different cities with him. Jermaine is known as an incredible player as well as a leader on and off the field.

Jermaine has just come off an incredible season with the Stampeders that earned him All-Star recognition. Copeland has had seven years of 1,000 plus yards and first teamed up with coach Barker in 2001 in Los Angeles. There they won the very first XFL championship, and are now looking forward to many more championships together.

Copeland is one of the most exciting players to watch in the CFL and brings an electric feel to his play. Some of his impressive career numbers include 531 catches for 8,765 yards. There has only been one year in his career that he hasn’t reached the playoffs, and he is a two-time All-Star.

This next year should be an exciting one to watch and bet on in the CFL, and this will be one of the most interesting partnerships to watch as the season rolls on.

Toronto Argonauts Bring Back a Familiar Face

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:31:23 +0000

Despite the team’s unsettled ownership issues, the Toronto Argonauts have hired themselves a new head coach. Jim Barker will return to the place he left over a decade ago, and return to coaching for the first time in seven years.

Barker has spent the last several seasons as the General Manager of the Calgary Stampeders, and played an important role in putting together a franchise that has made the playoffs every year he has been in the front office.

Ironically, Barker had been fired from the Argos after just one season, compiling a 9-9 record in 1999. Unfortunately for Barker the team changed ownership hands, and the new front office wanted to go in a new direction.

Now after two straight years of abysmal records, the team who is currently looking for yet another new owner has brought the veteran back.

Barker honed his coaching craft in the United States, serving as an assistant for three seasons at San Francisco State, before eventually moving to New Mexico State for two years, and coaching for one season as an assistant for the Nevada Wolfpack. In his last gig in the states, Barker was not only an assistant football coach at tiny Pomona-Pitzer, but he served as the school’s head baseball coach.

BC Lions name Barron Miles Assistant Defensive Coach

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:02:59 +0000

The BC Lions named Barron Miles as an assistant defensive coach for the 2010 season, days after he announced his official retirement. Miles, a 12-year veteran of the Canadian Football League, spent his first seven years as a defensive halfback for the Montreal Alouettes before joining the Lions in 2005, where he played safety.

Wally Buono, Lions’ general manager and head coach, is reportedly intent on grooming the next wave of CFL coaches. He sees keeping fiesty veterans like Miles around, who’re popular among peers and fans alike, as a necessary staple to the continued success of the league.

In 1999, the CFLPA named Barron Miles as a starting halfback on its Intergold All Star team. It was the first year of four appearances for Miles while a member of the Montreal Alouettes. The other years were 2000, 2002 and 2003. Miles, who’s name is spelled Barron on some rosters, was also voted in by fans as a safety for the BC Lions in 2006 through 2008. Known for his fiery play and as a “coach-on-the-field”, he was regarded as one of the most diagnostic players in the CFL.

Barron Miles is a shoo-in as a future hall-of -fame inductee. He’s the CFL’s all-time leader in blocked kicks with (13) and had 66 career interceptions, second-most in CFL history.

Calgary Stampeders signed free-agent non-import offensive lineman John Comiskey

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:05:31 +0000

The CFL team The Calgary Stampeders signed free-agent non-import offensive linemen John Comiskey to a new contract on Tuesday. This will be the second time Comiskey has been a member of the Stampeders. Comiskey was drafted by Calgary in the 2005 draft with the teams third round, Comiskey spent three seasons as a member of the Stampeders before being traded to the Edmonton Eskimos. Comiskey was highly successful during his time as an Eskimo, dressing for 30 games and being his team’s nominee for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Linemen award.

In response to the signing Comiskey said

“I’m thrilled to be back in Calgary where everything started for me back in 2005,” and that “I’m really looking forward to a great 2010 campaign and am excited for the opportunity to reconnect with former teammates as well as the nucleus that has been put together since I’ve been gone. There is a great coaching staff here and I can’t wait to get started.”

So far no details on the agreement have been released as per team policy.