The onside punt, the rouge, a desire to let some sweaty calves breathe a little; once a selection of members of the Toronto Argonauts and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were asked some questions about the football world around them, they didn’t hold back.
For this players survey, I had some serious and not-so-serious questions I wanted to throw at players from each team as they get ready for the 111th Grey Cup on Sunday. They were granted anonymity to speak freely and in turn they opened up on topics ranging from rule changes, to who some might like to see as the CFL’s next commissioner, to where they’d like to see the league’s 10th team located.
In total, 16 players took part in this survey, though they didn’t all answer every question. The answers are listed in descending order and were edited for clarity and brevity.
111th GREY CUP
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WHAT’S A RULE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHANGED?
Get rid of the onside punt: 4
No changes: 2
Get rid of the rouge: 2
Can’t end a game with a rouge: 1
Can’t win with a rouge in OT: 1
Bare legs: 1
Ratio: 1
Players, like many active commenting fans on social media, are not a fan of the onside punt that the Montreal Alouettes have executed so well over the last couple of seasons to keep offensive drives alive.
“I ain’t gonna lie, I just don’t get it,” one player said. “It’s so frustrating. The defence makes a good stop and then you see somebody do that.”
The third-down trickery does have its supporters, though. “I feel like that’s what makes Canadian football, Canadian football,” another player countered.
The rouge was another popular talking point for the players.
“I would keep it but after the three-minute mark, there’s no more rouge,” one offered. Another player was OK with the rouge through the course of the game but didn’t want it to decide a game in overtime.
“It’s a part of the game and it makes the game fun, right? It adds a little bit more IQ. I’m an IQ guy, so it’s one of those things you have to be aware of, where you can use it and when it’s being used against you. I’m all for it, just not in overtime.”
Another player said a rouge shouldn’t win a game at all.
“I think that’s just sometimes a cheap way to win. You don’t get a good feeling watching the finish of the game,” he said.
“The rouge to me…maybe I’m biased, just because I’ve grown up in this game for so long, but I think that’s one of the things that separates the CFL from the NFL, that has its own little taste on it,” another player said. “I like the rouge. The fact that you could win off of it, it’s part of the game. It’s like winning off of a safety. That’s a way you get a point in this game.”
One player had a very specific rule change he’d like to make.
“If I’m nitpicking, I sweat a lot. I get a little sweaty and maybe I could rock bare legs, not have to wear socks,” he said. “Other than that, I think the league does a great job.”
WHO SHOULD BE THE NEXT CFL COMMISSIONER?
Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons: 2
Chose self: 2
Solomon Elimimian: 1
Peter Dyakowski: 1
Overall, this was a question that a lot of players who are new to the league had difficulty answering. Other players are so immersed in playoff mode that they hadn’t taken time to consider what would come after the 2025 departure of the present commissioner, Randy Ambrosie.
Clemons’ name seems to come up somewhere every time there is an opening for the commissioner’s job. Given Clemons’ status among CFL fans and even among players across the league, it’s not a surprise that they’d think of him for the role.
One of the two players that chose themselves for the gig admitted he was joking. He did have a lot of thoughts on how the league could grow, though.
“You look at some of the European leagues and what they’re doing, like in Germany and how it’s set up. You have all these little towns, even England, you have how many teams in first, second and third division and they’ll have full stadiums. I think there are opportunities for more fans to be involved. There’s something missing that I think can bring the country together,” he said.
“I’ve got some ideas. Maybe one day there’s an opportunity, because I have so much love for the game that I’d want to be involved maybe later on.”
NAME A PLAYER WHO YOU THINK WILL BE A HEAD COACH ONE DAY
Nick Arbuckle: 4
Patrick Neufeld: 2
Landon Rice: 1
Nic Demski: 1
Fraser Sopik: 1
Drew Wolitarsky: 1
Brandon Alexander: 1
Redha Kramdi: 1
Jake Thomas: 1
Arbuckle’s name was one that came up repeatedly through the Argos’ morning availability.
“He’s very smart, he does his homework very well. Watches a lot of film. He’s up early. He’s got a bunch of kids, so I know he’ll want to be out of the house doing coach work,” one of his teammates said, laughing.
Neufeld’s name came up twice during the Bombers’ afternoon availability.
“I think Patty would make a fantastic coach,” one of his teammates said. “He’s super smart, knows the game inside and out. I think he’d made a great coach.
“He loves the game of football,” another teammate said. “You catch him in the sauna alone and he’ll just be looking at tape, like NFL teams or other teams around the league. He’s just always watching football.”
Kramdi got high praise from one of his teammates.
“I know it’s JY’s defence,” the player said, referring to Bombers’ defensive coordinator Jordan Younger, “but (Kramdi) knows how everybody is moving and it’s kind of like it’s his defence. He just knows it so well, it feels like it’s his.”
Sopik, a fifth-year linebacker who is carving out a niche in the Argos’ defence, has impressed one of his teammates.
“He’s really in tune with special teams and understands the game,” the player said. “He plays defence, too. So you might be have a young (Kevin Eiben, the Argos’ co-defensive coordinator), or a young (Mike) O’Shea. He loves the game so much.”
WHO IS A NON-HEAD COACH ON THE RISE?
One Argos player felt Mike Miller was very well suited to make the move to a head coaching role one day (Thomas Skrlj/CFL.ca)
Mike Miller (Toronto Argonauts): 1
Jordan Younger: 1
Ryan Phillips: 1
J.C. Sherritt: 1
Simoni Lawrence: 1
John Bowman: 1
Almondo Sewell: 1
The clarification is necessary for Miller, who shares a name with the Blue Bombers’ special teams coordinator and former special teams tackle king.
One Argos player went to bat for Miller, who is in his third season with the Argos but has put together a 27-year coaching career that’s taken him through the NCAA, the NFL and the CFL.
“He has the resume. He’s been in the NFL. He’s been here for years,” the player said.
“He understands the game, understands what it takes to be a coach and coaching different types of players. He’s a guy that understands how to how to teach the message that he’s trying to get across, and knows how to change his approach to different guys.
“He’s a guy that everybody respects in our building, too. So I think that he’s probably one of the most deserving people that doesn’t really get talked about much. I think that he should get the credit that he deserves for what he’s done for us.”
WHAT’S THE BEST ROAD TRIP IN THE CFL?
Vancouver 6
Winnipeg: 1
Saskatchewan: 1
Calgary: 1
Montreal: 1
Edmonton: 1
Toronto: 1
Ottawa: 1
Week long trips: 1
The host city of the 111th Grey Cup had won over members of both teams playing in Sunday’s game. Their weeks are full with preparation and added media responsibilities, but players from both teams said they’re loving that they get a week in Vancouver ahead of the game.
“Seeing the mountains. You have your morning coffee looking out at the ocean. It’s pretty good,” one player said.
In-game atmosphere was a big motivator for a lot of players. Montreal, fresh off of a sellout Eastern Final, got some love from the Argos players. Winnipeg and Saskatchewan, while hostile environments, brought the best out of the players that picked them.
“I like playing away because it’s a hostile environment. You’ve got to come in, your guys versus everybody else. Nobody else in that stadium is with you, so you have no choice but to come together,” a player said.
A veteran player said he enjoyed a weeklong trip that saw them play in Calgary one week and BC the next. The extended time on the road was great for team bonding and let players see a part of Canada many of them hadn’t been to before.
Sometimes it’s the actual field of play itself that’s a draw.
“I like (traveling to) Toronto because of the weather and then I’m able to play on the grass. I love grass,” a player said. “That’s the only game I get to play on grass.”
WHO IS THE BEST TEAMMATE YOU’VE HAD?
Argos’ offensive lineman Peter Nicastro was lauded as the best teammate you could have (Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca)
Nick Arbuckle 1
Rasheed Bailey 1
Peter Nicastro: 1
DaShaun Amos: 1
Folarin Orimolade: 1
Zach Collaros: 1
Brandon Alexander: 1
Jermarcus Hardrick: 1
Jackson Jeffcoat: 1
Tie: Juwan Brescacin, Ucambre Williams
While one player couldn’t just choose one teammate, most of the players that answered this question cited being roommates early in their careers, or bonding with someone from the same area as keys to fuelling their strongest friendships. The standout answer came from the player who pointed out Nicastro, the Argos’ offensive lineman out of Calgary.
“He’s just one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet,” his teammate said. “Before I came up (to Canada)…everyone in America thinks Canadians are nice. That’s a thing. But Peter Nicastro is one of those guys that are nice, like the people that I thought about when I came up here. He’s very nice, he’s generous, everything.”
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AN EXPANSION TEAM?
Halifax/Nova Scotia: 7
Just expand: 3
Quebec City: 1
London, Ont.: 1
Saskatoon: 1
Oakland: 1
St. Louis: 1
“Now we’re talking,” one player said, rubbing his hands together when we got to this question. Many of the Argos who have taken part in the recent Touchdown Atlantic games in Halifax and Wolfville, N.S. were very high on the Atlantic region and would love to see the league’s 10th team land there.
“I think it would be cool to get the game all across Canada,” one player said. “Seeing the team out there and developing out there would be pretty cool.”
The best answer to this question came as a player wondered aloud if Saskatchewan could handle having two teams. It wasn’t a matter of fan commitment or availability. It was deeper than that.
“There are definitely so many Rider fans out there,” he said.
“To me, you definitely have a market. But at the end of the day, I don’t know if they’d be able to…you know, do that peacefully, having two teams in that province. I just know they love their football over there.”
WHO IS THE MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE?
Makai Polk 2
Kalil Pimpleton: 2
Mark Milton: 1
Jarreth Sterns: 1
Peyton Logan: 1
Ontaria Wilson: 1
Ka’Deem Carey: 1
Jevon Cottoy: 1
Loucheiz Purifoy: 1
Long snappers and holders: 1
There was a big range on this answer and while a player like Carey gets his share of love, one player felt he was still under-appreciated, or perhaps overshadowed by the brilliance of Brady Oliveira.
Another running back caught another players’ eye.
“A guy I really like to watch on film is Peyton Logan in Calgary,” he said. “Just the way he runs, I think he’s a really good back and he’s a pretty crafty player.”
One Bombers’ player thought that Ontaria Wilson deserved consideration as the West Division nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie.
“I thought he could have had a good run at at least West Rookie of the Year,” his teammate said. “He got 1,000 yards this year. He was kind of thrown into the fire at the start of the year and for him to be able to make that work and play all 18 games, I’ve got a lot of respect for that guy.”
WHICH PLAYER HAS THE BRIGHTEST FUTURE IN THE CFL?
Makai Polk 6
Dru Brown: 2
Kalil Pimpleton: 1
Ajou Ajou: 1
Ontaria Wilson: 1
Kendall Randolph: 1
Tre Ford: 1
Justin McInnis: 1
Chose self: 1
This won’t surprise you, but the Argos *love* Makai Polk. The rookie receiver grew by leaps and bounds through the second half of the season and has been a crucial component in the team’s trip to this Grey Cup game.
“He understands. He thinks like a vet. He prepares like a vet. He asks all the right questions and he wants it,” one of his teammates said.
“Especially in Toronto. There’s a lot of guys that come in and get lost in the sauce of Toronto. His head is on right, he does all the right things. He’s humble and he’s a great teammate. I think his future is very bright.”
Dru Brown spent the 2024 season in Ottawa, after three years of playing backup to Zach Collaros in Winnipeg. His former teammates kept a close eye on him this season.
“To see the work that he puts in…in my opinion, Dru could be pretty dangerous in the future,” one Bombers player said. “(When he was in Winnipeg) he was my ride to practice, so I’d ask him what time we’re going. It was always 5 a.m. That just shows the type of man he is, right? He’s a family man as well and a man of faith, which I admire a lot.
“The handful of opportunities that he got, especially last season (in Winnipeg)…the one I remember was we were down 22 points against Edmonton. Zach goes down and Dru comes in and you see the whole sideline just chill. You see O’Sh just relaxed. To see O’Sh, to see everybody just so calm, I was like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna win.’ That makes me know. Then you see Dru just slinging it. Dru is my guy.”
Another player was impressed by the work that Ajou Ajou put in in his rookie season in the CFL.
“He could really pop,” the player said. “And he’s in a good organization in Saskatchewan. He really fits that dynamic over there. I think he can be really good.”
Another Bombers’ player chose offensive lineman Kendall Randolph as a future CFL start.
“He did a great job for us. We had a couple of injuries up front this year and he stepped in, played a little bit of guard, played a little bit of tackle, switched from right to left,” the player said. “He got his feet wet in the best way possible and he did a great job with it.”