If nothing else, the Canadian Football League is not dull.
If nothing else, the Canadian Football League is not dull.
In the past two weeks there have been two major trades - one of which is still pending - which doesn't happen very often, at least not at this juncture of the season.
And then comes two head coaching changes on back-to-back days.
It's one reason the CFL stands for Canadian Fun League.
Certainly the decision by the Toronto Argonauts to fire Rich Stubler and hire Don Matthews came right out of the blue.
Or to use an Argo expression, out of the Double Blue.
Matthews hasn't coached since being dismissed by the Montreal Alouettes with four games left in the 2006 season, supposedly because of health reasons.
And he basically disappeared from the face of the CFL, presumably never to be heard from again. He is the winningest head coach CFL history, but Matthews has always maintained his privacy and leaving without saying goodbye or giving any interviews in the time since his last job seemed to suit him well. His name had surfaced as someone who might help the Ottawa group seeking to bring a CFL team back to the nation's capital.
But, alas, The Don, as he is known, is back in the spotlight. It's only until the end of this season, but with The Don you never know.
The Argos made the change while sitting in second place in the East with a 4-6 record, six points behind the division-leading Alouettes and four points ahead of Winnipeg and Hamilton, both tied for last in the division and in danger of not making the playoffs.
Hamilton decided to make a coaching change on Monday, replacing Charlie Taaffe, who was midway into his second season and struggling badly. The team named offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille as the interim replacement. Bellefeuille has never been a head coach in the CFL, although his name has sometimes surfaced as a candidate.
So while the Argos go with a proven winner, albeit one who might not want to coach beyond this season, the Ticats choose a rookie.
That's basically a style difference between the Argonauts franchise, which has always been about making a big splash, and the Tiger-Cats, who are more into the ripple effect.
But no sooner had the Tiger-Cats' coaching change been announced and there was news of a trade that would send popular middle linebacker Zeke Moreno to Winnipeg for defensive end Tom Canada and the rights to Canadian defensive lineman Corey Mace, currently on the Buffalo Bills' practice roster.
That move is in limbo because Canada has health issues for which he is undergoing tests. The Bombers are saying it's not life-threatening, but won't say anything else. One source said Canada doesn't want to play for Hamilton anyway. But how could he possibly return to the Bombers? This isn't Major League Baseball or the National Hockey League in which a player can refuse a trade.
Moreno has already reported to Winnipeg, which will have to come up with another trade if the Canada situation is not resolved.
Last week, the Bombers traded Charles Roberts, one of the most celebrated players in the team's history and who is nearing the 10,000 mark in career rushing yards, to B.C. for fellow running back Joe Smith, who is considered even more of a flake than Canada.
Head coach Doug Berry wanted a bigger, powerful back, and Smith fit the bill, despite the fact the Lions had no use for him because of his attitude - or lack thereof - and his failing production. Last year he led the CFL in rushing yardage - with Roberts second - but this year he was a healthy scratch in several games. The Lions were desperate to trade him and finally found a partner in the Bombers, who gave up a struggling player but one with a proven history.
In the midst of all this, the Bombers have signed Berry to a three-year contract extension but have yet to announce it because the team has been playing so poorly. Last year Berry took the team all the way to the Grey Cup, and this year many people, me included, picked the team to win the Grey Cup. I also picked Roberts to be the Most Outstanding Player in the CFL.
I've only been covering the CFL since 1995, so it shows you all I know.
Then again, at the best of times it's hard to totally figure out the CFL, but it's always fun trying.
