CFL NOTEBOOK
TORONTO – Hamilton linebacker Larry Dean, Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and Tiger-Cats defensive back Emanuel Davis are the CFL top performers for Week 13.
Dean matched a career-high eight tackles, while adding a sack and forcing two fumbles, in Hamilton’s 20-17 comeback victory over visiting Montreal on Friday.
Davis also contributed to Hamilton’s defensive effort, hauling in his ninth career CFL interception and recovering both of Dean’s forced fumbles.
Mitchell completed 23-of-35 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns in Calgary’s 48-23 home victory over Ottawa on Saturday.
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SURREY, B.C. – Contemplating a CFL return, Terrell Sinkfield made sure he did his homework.
The speedy receiver was cut by the Minnesota Vikings at the tail end of training camp last month and could have signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the team he starred for north of the border last season.
But while talking to players around the league and mulling over a couple of offers, Sinkfield was intrigued by what he was hearing about the B.C. Lions. He eventually decided the club was the right fit and agreed to a contract for the remainder of the 2016 season that was finalized late last week and announced Monday.
“I did a lot of research,” Sinkfield said after his first practice. “I was watching videos of what was going on here and I saw that they kind of had the Hamilton atmosphere that we had when we were going on winning streaks and making it to the Grey Cup and doing all the good things.
“I’ve been on teams that didn’t have that atmosphere, so that was big for me.”
The 25-year-old from Minnetonka, Minn., split time between the Toronto Argonauts and Tiger-Cats in 2014 before catching 69 passes for 1,030 yards and six touchdowns for Hamilton in 2015.
Sinkfield took some first-team reps Monday and could find his way into the lineup soon for the Lions (8-3), who sit second in the West Division behind the Calgary Stampeders (10-1-1).
“He’s a specific kind of receiver who I think adds to our offence,” said Lions head coach and general manager Wally Buono. “I’m not sure we have that kind of player. He’s very good with the ball in his hands, he’s got tremendous speed.”
That speed is what immediately comes to mind when Sinkfield’s name is mentioned.
The University of Northern Iowa product ran a blazing 4.19 seconds in the 40-yard dash at his pro day back in 2013, a time that was clocked manually and not with the electronic sensors used at the NFL combine.
The time would have set the record at the combine and questions have been raised about its accuracy ever since – Sinkfield also ran 4.27 and 4.41 that day – but he’s happy to just sit back and enjoy the conversation.
“It’s been highly debated,” Sinkfield said with a smile. “I just let everyone else debate it … 4.19, I’ll definitely take that.”
Accurate or not, he said the eye-popping number opened some doors for a player who failed to make a name for himself in college.
“It was a blessing,” said Sinkfield. “It went big, national news. It went everywhere. It really helped out my career. As you can see … I ran it like four years ago and you’re still asking me about it.”
Sinkfield, who also had NFL stops with Buffalo, Green Bay and the New York Giants, joins a balanced receiving corps with the Lions that has benefited from sophomore quarterback Jonathon Jennings’ ability to spread the ball around.
“It puts a smile on my face,” Jennings said when asked about Sinkfield’s quickness. “It stretches defences.”
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REGINA – The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced Tuesday they had signed two players to the practice roster.
Canadian receiver Joshua Stanford – who was originally cut Sept. 14 – was added to the practice roster as was import running back Joe McKnight.
McKnight started this season with the Edmonton Eskimos tallying four punt returns for 20 yards and four kickoff returns for 81 yards in two games before being released Aug. 10.
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HAMILTON – The Tiger-Cats announced Tuesday that the football club has signed two international free agents to practice roster agreements, including running back Michael Ford and defensive back Jermaine Robinson.
Ford, 26, has appeared in three CFL games with the Saskatchewan Roughriders this season, rushing eight times for 39 yards and adding eight receptions for 64 receiving yards. The 5-10, 216-pound native of Leesville, Louisiana, returns to Hamilton after registering 186 rushing yards on 33 carries and nine receptions for 86 receiving yards in six games with the Tiger-Cats in 2015.
In 2013, Ford appeared in 12 games with the NFL’s Chicago Bears, returning five kickoffs for 37 yards and collecting three special teams tackles. He also suited up in 37 games at Louisiana State University from 2009 to 2012, registering 243 carries for 1,392 rushing yards, eight receptions for 69 yards and 14 total touchdowns (13 rushing, 1 receiving).
