THE CANADIAN PRESS
Dan Federkeil and Sam Giguere have ensured that the Indianapolis Colts will open the NFL season with some Canadian content on their roster.
The six-foot-six, 290-pound Federkeil, a native of Medicine Hat, Alta., survived the Colts final cut Saturday, cracking the team's 53-man roster. The third-year player from the University of Calgary signed as a free agent with Indianapolis and spent his first season on Indianapolis's practice roster (when the Colts captured the Super Bowl) before being promoted to the active roster last year.
Federkeil, a transformed defensive lineman whose CFL rights belong to the Toronto Argonauts, appeared in the Colts' first eight games in 2007 before being de-activated for the next four. Federkeil was then put on injured reserve with a concussion.
Giguere, who was selected in the first round, eighth overall by Hamilton, in the 2008 CFL Canadian college draft, will open the season on the Colts' practice roster. After being bypassed in the NFL draft, Giguere, from Montreal, signed as a free agent with the Colts.
NFL teams reduced their rosters down to 53 players Saturday in preparation for the start of the season. The '08 NFL campaign begins Thursday night with the New York Giants beginning their Super Bowl title defence against the Washington Redskins.
The Colts did release running back Kenton Keith, a former Saskatchewan Roughrider.
There will also be plenty of Canadian content on the St. Louis Rams roster, with starting centre Brett Romberg and safety O.J. Atogwe, both of Windsor, Ont. But safety Sebastien Sejean, a six-foot-two, 223-pound former star at the University of Laval, was allocated to the Rams for the 2008 season as part of NFL's international player development program. He took part during training camp and will remain on St. Louis's practice squad this year.
The Buffalo Bills let sophomore defensive lineman Corey Mace go. The six-foot-three, 287-pound Mace, a native of Port Moody, B.C., spent last season on the Bills practice roster. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers own Mace's CFL rights should Buffalo not be interested in keeping Mace on the practice roster for another year.
Another Canadian receiver, Montreal native Jabari Arthur, was released by the Kansas City Chiefs. Arthur, an '07 first-round pick of the CFL's Calgary Stampeders, could also wind up on the Chiefs practice roster as well.
Being kept on the practice roster will definitely pay off financially for Giguere. He will make over US$5,000 a week and that stipend would be boosted to over $18,000 per game if he's promoted to the Colts' active roster. The minimum salary in the NFL this season is $295,000.
As a first round CFL draft pick, Giguere would've likely made about $55,000 with the Ticats.
Giguere appeared in four of Indianapolis's five exhibition games, playing mostly on special teams. As a practice roster player, he will practise with the NFL club but won't play unless promoted to the active roster.
The six foot four, 219 pound Arthur was attempting to crack the Chiefs' roster as an undrafted free agent. The Calgary Stampeders selected Arthur in the first round of the `07 CFL Canadian college draft, but will have to wait a little bit longer to see if Arthur will report. He must first clear NFL waivers and could still stick with Kansas City as a practice roster player.
Arthur had a stellar college career at the University of Akron. He appeared in 45 games, 25 as a starter, and registered a school record 184 receptions for 2,653 yards and 17 touchdowns. He began his U.S. college career as a quarterback before switching to receiver.
Arthur had a breakout `07 senior campaign, recording a school record 86 receptions for 1,171 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named a first team All Mid American Conference all star as a result.
Packers cut punter Ryan
HE CANADIAN PRESS
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Canadian born punter Jon Ryan is looking for a new job.
The 26-year-old Regina native was released Monday by the Green Bay Packers despite boasting a sparkling 48-yard punt during the NFL exhibition season. The Packers cut Ryan loose in favour of Derrick Frost, who had been released Saturday by the Washington Redskins.
Ryan began his pro football career in the CFL, spending the 2004 and '05 seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before joining the Packers in 2006.
Ryan performed well in Green Bay, averaging 44.5 yards per punt over his two year stint with the NFL club. He registered 35 punts inside the opposition's 20-yard line.
Once Ryan clears NFL waivers, the former Regina Rams star he will be free to sign with any other team south of the border.
Ryan posted a CFL record 50.6 yard punting average with Winnipeg in 2005 and would be free to sign with any Canadian team of his choice. But a CFL source requesting anonymity said he figures Ryan's future remains in the NFL and that he's confident the Canadian punter will land with another team in the U.S.
