OUT OF THE TUNNEL: HALL OF FAMERS IN WAITING

BY: RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF

Lately, it feels like there has been a lot of positive news coming from across the country regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. So much so that it has many CFL fans starting to think a season could actually happen. Even our hopes here at O.O.T.T. are on the rise for the potential of seeing some sort of season with fans (even limited in the beginning) in the stands.

And once they take to the fields, it will take some time to get used to who is, and who isn’t, on your favourite team. 

What you will be seeing is the possible end of an era. We may have seen the three (and fourth for a short time) of the CFL’s best ever pass rushers.

We begin with a bit of a disclaimer, without the help of CFL defensive statistics, which weren’t tracked until 1981(!), it’s tough to see how much of a comparative impact players like Angelo Mosca, Bill Baker, Dave Fennel, Don Luzzi, Ed McQuarters and other defensive lineman had on the CFL.

The golden era of pass rushing began in the mid-1980’s with the likes of Grover Covington, Bobby Jurasin, James “Quick” Parker, Stewart Hill, Mike Walker and James Curry. Since then there have been individuals that dominate, notables like Will Johnson, Brent Johnson, Joe Montford and Elfrid Payton.

But beginning in 2006 and each year until 2009 there was a dominant pass rusher that started their career that is either still going or finished in 2019.

We say these four as a group may be the best because of how much CFL offences have changed. 

It was a different time back in the 1980’s and 90’s and even into the early 2000’s. CFL quarterbacks had a tendency to hold onto the ball a little longer as offences really tried to stretch defences. Quarterbacks were a little less mobile as offensive coordinators still preferred pivots who would sit in the pocket and throw. Finally, the stats were tallied a little differently. Half-sacks were tracked which meant if two or three defenders took down a quarterback, everyone was credited with a half-sack.

Combine all of these factors, it was a perfect storm to let defensive ends thrive and chew up sacks at a breakneck speed. 

In a five-year stretch from 1983-1988 the CFL sack leader had 20+ sacks including a single season record that still stands. In 1984 B.C. Lions defensive end, the late James “Quick” Parker, with a feather adorned helmet, collected 26.5 sacks in just 16 games.

In today’s game the goal of CFL offences is to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands and to the playmakers as fast as possible. Offensive line techniques have also changed. Look at any YouTube film from the 80’s and 90’s and you will never see a tackle in an athletic stance without his hand in the dirt.

Yes, there were many one or two year wonders over the past 20 years but this group of four CFL pass rushers will likely go down in the history books as the best ever.

We begin with the first sure-fire Hall of Famer in John Bowman. He is a unicorn in the CFL and for most sports leagues, beginning in 2006 he played all 14 seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. The CFL’s consummate gentleman played in 230 games and is the Alouettes career sack leader with 134.

At 6’3” and around 260 pounds, Bowman was a smart and powerful player that was incredibly consistent, despite only leading the CFL in sacks once, he had double digit sack seasons seven times.

The second notable on our list began his Hall of Fame CFL career in 2008 and for the next 12 seasons became the league’s preeminent edge rusher. Charleston Hughes had a slow start to his career feeling his way through the CFL game racking up six to ten sacks a season until his wild 2013 season where he collected a whopping 18 quarterback take-downs.

Since then he continues to improve with age, leading the CFL three more times in sacks with the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders and is now in the top-ten all-time CFL sack leaders. The ageless wonder will begin the 2021 season with the Toronto Argonauts.

The wild-man of this group is Odell Willis. He is wild and unpredictable on the field and in our experience just as fun off the field. Willis kicked off his CFL career in 2009 and it would be a bit of a rollercoaster career before he peaked with his dominant 2014 season where he had 13 sacks, two interceptions for touchdowns and five forced fumbles.

Willis is just a handful of sacks behind the top-ten all time leaders and his numbers took a slide in 2019. Who knows what 2021 has in store for the now 36-year-old player but being teamed with Hughes will be a fantastic story to watch as training camps (hopefully) open in a few months.

Is Willis a CFL Hall of Famer? At this point, it’s a 50/50 call. He is a two-time league all-star and never led the league in sacks, but as a cumulative career he has the numbers to get in.

Finally, the final player on our list, the one we consider to be the best defensive end to ever play in the Canadian Football League, Cameron Wake. This 6’3”, 265 pound former Penn State Nittany Lion began his CFL career in 2007 and in back-to-back seasons was the CFL’s most outstanding rookie, a two-time CFL all-star, a two-time CFL most outstanding defensive player and named to the CFL’s all-decade team for the 2000’s.

Cameron Wake took the CFL by storm and in just two seasons did enough to garner at least a discussion to be a CFL Hall of Famer and the league’s all-time best defensive end.

After destroying CFL offensive tackles, Wake moved south and did the same to NFL offensive linemen until 2019 (Wake was released by Tennessee in March 2020). Setting aside his NFL accomplishments, his CFL stats alone put Cameron Wake in the group with the other three pass rushers.

So when the CFL hits the field this season and before Hughes and Willis hang up the cleats for good and join Bowman and Wake in football retirement, enjoy it! Enjoy it for the return of football in Canada and the bittersweet moment that is the end of an elite era for a group of four players that started together and ended together.

(RodPedersen.com Staff)