BY RUSS GERMAIN – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
(Part two in a four part series on the lack of respect the CFL gets compared to the NFL)
In Part 1 I took a look at how the CFL suited all-star QB Anthony Calvillo. Now in Part 2, I will take a look at another CFL star who wasn’t able to find a job in the NFL but then found a great career with the B.C. Lions – Solomon Elimimian.
Signed as a free agent by the Buffalo Bills in 2009, Elimimian was only given a few exhibition games before being released from camp. He isn’t exactly what you’d call a prototypical Linebacker for the NFL at just 6 ft and 227 lbs but he still had something to prove and signed with the B.C. Lions in 2010 after a tryout in Los Angeles.
Now the argument that people will have in regards to Solomon again is that he’s an NFL reject but why not look at it in another way? His body frame and his quickness is better suited for the Canadian Football league! It’s not like Elimimian doesn’t have the talent for the NFL he just isn’t tall enough nor is he heavy enough.
You give the guy a shot in another league who has just as much talent as many NFL players but doesn’t necessarily fit the “standard” that the National Football League unofficially creates and you label him as a reject?
So Elimimian comes to the Lions training camp in 2010 and immediately impresses head coach Wally Buono and earns the starting job as their middle linebacker. He then goes on to win the CFL’s Rookie of the year and proves to millions that this player will be one of the best in the league.
Solomon is fast, he is very agile and hits very hard! This guy has the physical build that is perfect for a league where quickness and agility is more important than size and he has found his calling in the Canadian Football league.
Now you can argue with statements that if someone like Derrick Johnson, a Kansas City linebacker could play in the CFL and dominate but you could also counter with another argument – which league is he better suited for?
At 6 ft 3 and 242 lbs, Johnson has played numerous seasons in an NFL environment where on many teams they still run the ball more than they pass it and rushing styles tend to be more North South rather than East West. If he did come to the CFL there is a good chance that a lot of teams would look at using him as a rush end on the defensive line rather than a linebacker. Johnson in my opinion is too big and not quick enough to be used most effective in the middle as they’re required to do a lot more running and pass coverage than just tackling the opposing running back.
Again the statement being made is that some players are better suited for one league or the other not simply an NFL reject.
In Part 3 I will take a look at some NFL stars who in my opinion, would not be able to play in the CFL simply because they’re too big and too slow.
Come back Thursday to Fan Fuel for Part 3.