The holidays are very much upon us and in some ways, what we’re seeing happening around the CFL is typical.
The days start off lately with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers announcing that another piece to their puzzle has signed an extension, avoiding free agency. This week we’ve seen Pat Neufeld, Redha Kramdi, Tanner Cadwallader and Deatrick Nichols sign deals. That goes with Willie Jefferson, who signed a one-year extension on Dec. 4.
The Bombers may not be as busy this year as they’ve been in years past, where it felt like the bulk of the band was racing to get their names on paper to load up for the coming season, but in a quiet time of the off-season, they’ve been active. That’s a good sign for fans that want to see this group bring its core back and take another shot at getting back on top of the heap in the CFL after a pair of heartbreaking ends to the season.
As we look around the league, the most noteworthy stuff has been happening for the team that was showered in confetti just over a month ago now. Let’s have a look at the Montreal Alouettes.
RELATED
» Foundation Intact: Als extend GM Maciocia, HC Maas
» Als extend QB Cody Fajardo through 2025
» Disruptor Secured: Als extend DL Shawn Lemon
» Als extend receiver Tyson Philpot through 2025
It’s the Als world, we’re just living in it
The Als have spent the last four weeks basking in their win in the 110th Grey Cup, while GM Danny Maciocia has been diligently working away at identifying the core of his squad and getting them under contract for the future (he told The Canadian Press this week that much of that work took place on a beach in Aruba, where he was trying to squeeze in a post-season vacation with his wife).
After signing Cody Fajardo, Darnell Sankey, Shawn Lemon and Tyson Philpot (to name just a few) to extensions, Maciocia had the table turned on him, with the team announcing on Wednesday that he’d signed a four-year extension. Head coach Jason Maas had three years added on to his deal.
The entire organization has gone all-in on this group, riding that wave of self-confidence it showed earlier in the year when outsiders figured the Argos or Bombers would bring their season to an end. The last four weeks have been an affirmation of the messaging that the Als provided through the playoffs and into the winter: they believe in what they’ve got and they’re doubling down on it as fast and convincingly as possible.
It’s not the New Year yet but…
There’s a trio of players — two of them pending free agents — that I keep thinking about. The first is Dru Brown, who has spent the last three years playing behind Zach Collaros in Winnipeg and is now looking for a starting quarterback job.
For a player, it’s a tough leap to make, going from a backup to a starter. For a GM surveying the open market, it can be an equally tough leap of faith to sign a promising but relatively unproven entity to run your offence for the coming season. Quarterback decisions are what define GM tenures. Sign a good one and you’re a genius; if it doesn’t go well, that ground you’re standing on can quickly turn to thin ice.
Still, Brown is intriguing. He’s been in a historically successful Bombers system the last three years and learned from a two-time MOP working daily with Collaros. In the small doses we’ve gotten to see him, he’s looked good. His most impressive game might have come in Week 10 this year against Edmonton, where he led a 22-point comeback win against the Elks.
There aren’t a ton of teams with a clear-cut opening for a starting quarterback, but I keep wondering if a year or two from now we’ll look back to Brown’s pending free agency as a pivotal moment for one of the teams in this league.
Let’s stick with quarterbacks here and shift to the other side of that Week 10 game. Tre Ford got 10 games as the Elks’ starter in 2023 and not only did he (finally) get them into the win column, he injected life into a franchise that desperately needed it. As entertaining as Ford is — he’s as unique a scrambling quarterback that I’ve seen in my time around the CFL — there’s still room for the 25-year-old to grow. At the risk of tooting my own thought-making horn, that’s a fascinating thought.
I can’t wait to see what Ford could do with a full season as the Elks’ No. 1 QB. Giving him an off-season and training camp to work with offensive coordinator Jarious Jackson, then a complete 18-game run as the team’s starter should do wonders for Ford.
Finally, we land at Jevon Cottoy. The six-foot-five, 230-pound receiver has always been intriguing to me, being a National with some serious size. He played junior football — and had a near career change when he briefly trained to be a firefighter — before landing with the BC Lions as a territorial pick in 2018. In his fourth CFL season, Cottoy had something of a breakout as part of a lethal Lions’ passing game. He caught 57 passes for 807 yards and four touchdowns — all career bests — as the Lions went 12-6 and played in their second consecutive Western Final.
If the Lions are able to bring Cottoy back, they’ve got an improving ratio-friendly weapon in their loaded receiving corps. If he makes it to free agency, Cottoy will likely hear a number of pitches on his role (and paycheque) increasing in a new uniform in 2024.
Closing out on a holiday note
We’ve entered into that time of year where I seek out my favourite holiday-themed movies whenever possible. As I made the leap from Home Alone to Home Alone 2 this past weekend, it occurred to me that we’ve let a tremendous opportunity with Tyreik McAllister, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ receiver/returner slide by us. I can’t guarantee an audience, but I would certainly watch Tyreik use his quickness and elusiveness to get his Kevin McAllister on as he set up a series of traps around Tim Hortons Field for some intruders decked out in Argos’ Double Blue.
It also feels like a mandatory inclusion on any holiday-themed article to mention Gene Lockhart. A World War I-era member of the Argos, he became an actor and landed parts in two major holiday movies in his career. He played judge Henry X. Harper in the original Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and played Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol (1938).
Here’s hoping you get some time to see those movies and to relax and enjoy the holidays in the ways you like the most over the next couple of weeks.
O’Leary: Thinking football during the holidays
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21.12.2023
The holidays are very much upon us and in some ways, what we’re seeing happening around the CFL is typical.
The days start off lately with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers announcing that another piece to their puzzle has signed an extension, avoiding free agency. This week we’ve seen Pat Neufeld, Redha Kramdi, Tanner Cadwallader and Deatrick Nichols sign deals. That goes with Willie Jefferson, who signed a one-year extension on Dec. 4.
The Bombers may not be as busy this year as they’ve been in years past, where it felt like the bulk of the band was racing to get their names on paper to load up for the coming season, but in a quiet time of the off-season, they’ve been active. That’s a good sign for fans that want to see this group bring its core back and take another shot at getting back on top of the heap in the CFL after a pair of heartbreaking ends to the season.
As we look around the league, the most noteworthy stuff has been happening for the team that was showered in confetti just over a month ago now. Let’s have a look at the Montreal Alouettes.
RELATED
» Foundation Intact: Als extend GM Maciocia, HC Maas
» Als extend QB Cody Fajardo through 2025
» Disruptor Secured: Als extend DL Shawn Lemon
» Als extend receiver Tyson Philpot through 2025
It’s the Als world, we’re just living in it
The Als have spent the last four weeks basking in their win in the 110th Grey Cup, while GM Danny Maciocia has been diligently working away at........
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