We are officially in the “dog days” of the CFL off-season.
The weather is cold, everyone is sick, and we’re all hitting refresh for any breaking news.
Not that there haven’t been transactions of consequence; Adam Bighill no longer a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is one of the moves that is both understandable and stunning all at once.
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Come this Sunday, the Free Agency Communication Window is opened for a week and teams are allowed to talk with upcoming free agents. Think of it as a time of light flirtation between team executives and players, but the real fireworks don’t go off until February 11.
For all you football fans feeling squirrely this time of year, I totally get it.
To help you pass the time during these slow days, I have put together a list of suggestions that range from “kind of dumb” all the way to “football nerdy” and everything in between.
I hope some of them can help.
1. IMAGINE CFL STARS IN NEW COLOURS
Break out your adult colour books, put away your red crayon, and sketch out what jersey would look best on the recently released Calgary Stampeders defensive lineman Mike Rose.
Rose and his 36 sacks of work during his last half decade with Calgary sure would look great in royal blue, gold, and white lining up next to Willie Jefferson as a member of the Blue Bombers. As an added bonus, his former teammate, James Vaughters, just signed in Winnipeg as well.
I say don’t be afraid to colour outside the lines as Rose has spent his careers crashing through plenty of offensive lines on their way to the quarterback.
2. KEEP AN EYE ON THE CANADIAN QBS
Kurtis Rourke was ranked No. 1 on the Winter Edition of the CFL Scouting Bureau (Indiana Athletics)
How about keeping tabs on two young Canadian quarterbacks who are taking very different steps in their respective football journeys?
Oakville’s own Kurtis Rourke is in the middle of his NFL draft preparation between rehabbing his injured ACL to participating in the East-West Shrine Game. Nathan’s younger brother is projected to go somewhere between the fourth and seventh round of the NFL Draft so the work he does now should play a part in how early his name is called.
Meanwhile, Hec Creighton Trophy winner Taylor Elgersma is going from Wilfrid Laurier to taking part in the Senior Bowl. Elgersma is the first Canadian quarterback to go from a university north of the border to go to this All-Star game. He has already had numerous interviews with a variety of NFL teams as he continues his improbable path to the NFL Draft.
We could be looking at two Canadians getting jobs at the most glamorous position in North American sports or possibly two future CFL stars. I’m curious about these two young men and how high their stock can rise at a time where the entire NFL scouting world is watching.
3. THROW YOURSELF INTO CFL TRIVIA
The website Sporcle has oodles of trivia games to sharpen your CFL knowledge. Can you name the franchise that played in both the Mud Bowl in 1950 and the Fog Bowl in 1962? I can!
Bonus, did you know both contests were held at the same stadium? Now, can you name that stadium?
4. RELIVE EPIC CFL HIGHLIGHTS
Have you seen the video of Bo Levi Mitchell and Tre Ford sitting in the backseat of a luxury SUV imparting wisdom and life stories for 15 minutes?
It’s a captivating and honest conversation that is well worth your time. Also, as a bonus, try to figure out what roads they are on. I am guessing no where close to Toronto as the traffic was moving well throughout their time together.
While we are here looking at videos, how about going down a classic CFL rabbit hole? May I suggest starting with some notable highlights from this past year? Here are three options that certainly scratched my CFL itch:
The Wynton McManis interception/lateral to Tarvarus McFadden ending any chance of an Ottawa REDBLACKS comeback in the playoffs against Toronto.
Brady Oliveira plowing through and spinning around the Elks defence for a touchdown.
The craziest 100+ yard play from 2024 that will also make you yell, “what is happening?”
5. LEARN ABOUT THE NEW BENCH BOSSES
How about you spend some time reading up on the two newest head coaches; Mark Kilam in Edmonton and Buck Pierce with the BC Lions?
I had no idea that Mark’s parents were both doctors and that Pierce’s first touchdown pass was to running back Antonio Warren back in 2005.
If everything goes right, both men will be in our football lives for a long time, so now is the time to familiarize ourselves with these two, who are both so deserving of this opportunity.
6. PLAY THE SCHEDULE GAME
This is a mental exercise as old as time where you run down the schedule of your favourite team predicting wins and losses.
Just know your final tally will most likely be two to three wins higher than the final reality, but isn’t that the point this time of year? Who wants to be pessimistic about their team in early February?
I’m not saying you should strut around with visions of 16-2 dancing in your head, but with free agency and the CFL Draft still on the horizon, the future is unknown, so why go in thinking doom and gloom?
By the way, how about the first week of the season! You have a re-match of the Eastern Final between Toronto and Montreal, Bo Levi Mitchell goes back to Calgary to take on Vernon Adams Jr., and the week ends with Tre Ford doing battle against Nathan Rourke for a little Canada-on-Canada crime to kick off the Canadian Football League season.