There might be blogging manna for someone who just wants to recycle American media references to the CFL.
It is at least reasonable to wonder about the possibility of the CFL making another U.S. incursion, given the Arena League's demise. The notion of a high school running back, Bryce Brown, skipping college to play in Canada, fails the no-way test.
(Update: Tell that to College Football Talk. Don't they realize Tim Tebow would struggle in Canada?)
As in, there's no way it world work, even assuming that the CFL got out of the bed with the NFL long enough to let it happen. Speculating about it comes across as Americans failing to appreciate the calibre of athlete playing for the seven professional teams up here, along with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The difference between CFL lifer and a NFL player pulling down a couple million a season is so narrow that you could barely slide a bank card into the gap. Brown has the requisite highlight package online, but that was high school.
(Granted, Brown seems like quite the scatback and the Argos did just loseDominique Dorsey to the NFL. Squash that thought.)
It's too funny by half. Every spring CFL teams bring up players who have got Heisman Trophy votes, played on teams which went to and won big bowl games, and found them ill-suited for the Canadian game, after four years at some big football factory. The Times is right to point out that there are stud basketball players who are opting to play in Europe instead of play for free at Big State, but basketball is a different game.
This is good a time as any to note that in the States, it is National Letter of Intent day in football. One player from Ottawa has signed with a Conference USA school, but you'll have to read it in the Ottawa Sun.
Related:
College Recruiting's Thin Gray Line (Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans, The New York Times)
Bryce Brown to the C.F.L.? (Pete Thamel, The Quad)
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4 comments:
I thought dave dickensons comment about the NFL this week was rather intereting. He said trying to make it in the NFL was his beggest regret... being on a team in the NFL is one thing... not playing for 2 years hurts.
Exactly, you look at some of those guys standing on the sideline with the ballcap on making crazy hand signals and think, "Man, wouldn't you rather play in the CFL for 200 Gs instead of do that for 600?"
Pro athletes are competitors by nature, though, and every guy in a ballcap on the sidelines believes he can be the next Tony Romo or Kurt Warner story. Besides, as their agents will surely remind them, their prime earning years are awfully limited, and 600K > 200K.
As for the high school senior who will allegedly come to the CFL, I sincerely hope he tries. When he limps home, beaten up and cut within the first week, perhaps some folks in the States may realize that the CFL is not the garage league they think it is. When the Arena League folded, err, I mean suspended operations for a year, one of their QBs casually suggested that he could go to the CFL. Dude was 38 years old, smallish, and had been an Arena Leaguer for years. He sincerely believed, though, that he could just stroll up to Canada and pick a team to go play for.
Finally, speaking of Dickenson, score one for the medical community. Dude still wanted to play, but thankfully was unable to find a doctor to clear him despite some shopping. I know the competitive fire still burned and all, but I can't believe that his wife didn't insist he retire. What is she, Mrs. Cap Rooney?
First off the Ti-Cats have some pretty good players...just not a lot of them...and need better schemes overall. We're now officially fighting Neate :D
But on the topic of American expansion since the demise of the Arena League, if done properly (read: marketed well), I think it could work out! An example I keep thinking of is if the Bills skip town and don't end up in Toronto (I highly doubt they will personally), that would be a pretty good option for a new team. They'd have to make sure the rules suit the American teams as well (a concern the last time they tried it) but I don't think it's an awful idea, even if the first attempt failed. Hey it helped lead to Baltimore's successful acquisition of an NFL team, there was some interest around.
Thoughts? Yay or nay to US expansion?
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