OUT OF THE TUNNEL: THE WILLIE WATCH

BY: RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF

For the first time in a few years the opening bell of CFL free agency will not have fans across the league buzzing in anticipation.

It begins and pretty much ends with one man who has been at the top of every potential free agent list and that’s Willie Jefferson. Once that 6’7″ domino falls, the headline makers are few and far between. As of Monday morning, Willie Tweeted that he’s having such a hard time with the decision that he may let his daughter make the final call!

From the Out Of The Tunnel top ten lists over the past two weeks we have seen names like Shaq Evans, Matt Nichols, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Eugene Lewis, Cam Judge, Jumal Rolle, Ed Gainey and Chris Streveler (who is going to give the NFL a shot) all fall off the list.

There are still some solid players out there, especially along the offensive and defensive lines, and at receiver but other than that the players available are there to fill out potential roster spots.

This will be nothing like last season when most of the top free agents were still available on day one. The quarterback list generated enough press on its own. It began with Mike Reilly signing his giant deal with the B.C. Lions, Trevor Harris headed west to join Edmonton, and the Bo Levi Mitchell saga that had him potentially going to Toronto but finally ending up back with Calgary.

It will be a little less frantic this year, but that is a good thing for fans in the long run. Yes, it’s fun to talk football in February but it’s tough to build a fan base around so much player movement.

We will stay close to home for the four best examples with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Naaman Roosevelt may or may not return to the Roughriders but he, along with Ed Gainey, has been key in bridging the gap between the glory years of the Green and White to the present.

There are a lot of Roosevelt and Gainey jerseys in the stands and much of the Roughriders marketing revolved around these two great players on the field and off. They know the importance of being in the community.

Kids across the province will see them on the field and then at their school or event and that begins the love affair of being a Rider fan for life. No amount of marketing, ad campaigns or flashy shiny videos can build a fan base that can compare to having a pair of players attached to a team for more than three or four years.

The next generation is Shaq Evans and Cam Judge-types. They are young and will still need to stick around a little longer and make those community connections, however the ground work for the future has been laid.

It is so important to have players like this in place, along with Cody Fajardo this could be the building blocks of memorable players and teams for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Changing gears a little. For the second year in a row we are talking spring football in America.

 The XFL made its return this weekend and it was pretty darn good. Sure we were super excited last year for the first season of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) but we didn’t know the financial problems behind-the-scenes. The AAF never made it to the championship game. The XFL already feels a little different.

The head of the WWE, Vince McMahon, has poured millions into the league and still has millions to spare so the financials are a little less worrisome. Unlike the crazy first version of the XFL in 2001, McMahon has also stepped away from the day-to-day running and development of the league, also a good thing.

Other positives from the first weekend:

The football wasn’t that bad. For the most part the offences were able to execute, there were great plays by defences, but there was also the odd flash of potential brilliance. On the other hand, the offensive lines had a tough time and the tackling was woeful but those are things that improve as the season progresses.

It is nice that the XFL didn’t try to bank on names and actually fielded players who wanted to be there. Other than the quarterbacks and the few ex-CFLers (hi Matt Elam) the recognizable names are few and far between. The XFL took the best available players and this should be great for them in the long run.

Their new rules, especially on kickoffs and converts are great. Now if we can just get the coaches to go from the two-point and three-point convert line it will be even better.

The broadcasts were solid. ESPN and Fox used their own great talent pool, graphics packages and overall feel for the games. Unlike the AAF, this actually feels like a true sports property that the networks can embrace. The cameras in the locker rooms, more sideline interviews and a better use of the mics on players and coaches are fantastic.

This gets us to the CFL #pleaselikemyleague crowd. Yes, the CFL has had the coaches mic’d up but the way ESPN and Fox splashed it in was a lesson to TSN. You don’t have to blast it all the time or use it because you have to. Just use it when you can and build from there. Also, don’t get butthurt if they don’t mention the CFL; they are trying to build their own brand and the easiest tie for American football fans is the NCAA and NFL.

The success of the XFL can only be good for football. Front offices across the CFL will have to work harder to bring players north but this will help players hopefully see more money in their pockets in the future.

The toughest competition for players will be at quarterback. The Calgary Sun’s Danny Austin had a great article on January 8 about the trials and tribulations of trying to recruit potential quarterbacks to the CFL in 2020. But the one thing the article does mention at the end – and it’s something we should stress here – there isn’t too much to worry about, at least until this new league survives one year.

Either way, it’s early February and between CFL free agency and the XFL, it’s great to be talking football