THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Toronto Argonauts drafted Canadian running back Clifton Dawson in 2006 knowing they’d have to be patient to get him into their uniform. They’re going to have to wait a little longer now.
Two CFL sources requesting anonymity said Tuesday the Indianapolis Colts have re-signed the former Harvard star after releasing him prior to their 23-20 overtime exhibition loss to the Carolina Panthers on Saturday night. The five-foot-10, 212-pound Dawson had apparently suffered a minor knee injury and the Colts needed an extra roster spot for Saturday’s game. So they decided to take an educated gamble by releasing Dawson, expecting he’d clear NFL waivers and therefore be eligible to return.
Dawson, 23, rejoins a very cluttered depth chart at running back. Joseph Addai, barring injury, will remain the starter with returnee Dominic Rhodes the favourite to be Addai’s top backup. Also in the mix are Dawson, former CFL star Kenton Keith and former Michigan standout Mike Hart.
Dawson, a Toronto native, enjoyed a stellar college career at Harvard. He started 39 of 40 games there and emerged as the Ivy league’s career rushing leader with 4,841 yards. He also ranks first overall in career rushing touchdowns (60), career touchdowns (66), career points (398) and career all-purpose yards (6,138).
Dawson isn’t the only Canadian at the Colts camp. Offensive lineman Dan Federkeil of Medicine Hat, Alta., and receiver Sam Giguere of Sherbrooke, Que., are still vying for spots with the NFL club.
KEY DATES: Labour Day in the CFL is generally regarded as the time when games really start to matter. It signifies the second half of the season and presents an opportunity for clubs to begin mounting their playoff runs.
But it’s also a very important time of year for veteran CFL players as well as team general managers.
CFL contracts aren’t guaranteed, which usually means when a player is released he stops being paid by his club. However, there are guaranteed dates as per the CFL’s collective bargaining agreement that do give a player the luxury of knowing he will be paid for the rest of the year even if he’s cut.
For players who’ve played six or more years, their salary is guaranteed following the ninth regular-season game.
The guarantee date for a five-year veteran is after 10 games while a four-year veteran’s contract becomes guaranteed after the 11th regular-season contest. The contracts of all other players are guaranteed after the 14th game.
CFL teams will all play their ninth games of the ’08 season on the Labour Day weekend.
Teams can still release players after the guarantee dates but the remainder of their salaries would still count against the salary cap, along with that of the players’ replacements.
The CFL will conduct off-season audits of its member teams. Those surpassing the $4.2 million cap will be fined or lose draft picks, depending on how much they’ve overspent. Last year, the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders surpassed the salary cap. Both were fined but the Als also lost an ’08 first-round draft pick.
QB CAROUSEL: The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will make a quarterback change this week while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are standing pat.
Veteran Kevin Glenn will return under centre this week when the Bombers host the Ticats on Thursday night. Glenn opened the season as Winnipeg’s starter before giving way to Ryan Dinwiddie two weeks ago.
Winnipeg is last in the East Division with a 1-6 record but their lone win came against Calgary after Dinwiddie threw for 450 yards and the game-winning touchdown pass.
Hamilton will continue with backup Richie Williams under centre. Williams will be making his second straight start in place of injured starter Casey Printers (thumb) but last week guided the Ticats to a 45-21 home win over Toronto. Williams threw three TD passes in the game, Hamilton’s first passing touchdowns of the season.
GOOD TIMING: This marks a bye week for the four West Division teams, and the timing couldn’t be better for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The defending Grey Cup champions sit atop the West Division with a 6-1 mark, suffering their first loss of the season last week to Calgary 30-25. But the Riders lost two more players to injury in that game as offensive lineman Belton Johnson suffered a broken fibula (the fourth Saskatchewan player to sustain that injury this year) and cornerback Omarr Morgan also left the game with an unspecified injury and didn’t return.
What’s more amazing, though, is Saskatchewan being 6-1 despite a plethora of injuries. Included among the club’s walking wounded are: receivers T.J. Acree (foot), Carl Berman (torn Achilles), Matt Dominguez (knee), Andy Fantuz (broken leg), D.J. Flick (broken leg), Chris Getzlaf (undisclosed) and David McKoy (knee), quarterbacks David Tate (shoulder) and Darian Durant (ribs), defensive end John Chick (knee), running back Neal Hughes (broken leg), defensive backs Leron Mitchell (broken leg), James Johnson (concussion) and Denatay Heard (knee), offensive linemen Glenn January (leg bruise), Jean Francois Morin-Roberge (undisclosed) and Marc Parenteau (knee) and linebacker Kevin Scott (undisclosed).
RECORD PURSUIT: When the Toronto Argonauts face the Montreal Alouettes on Friday night, the game will feature two of the more exciting players in the CFL.
Toronto’s Dominique Dorsey has emerged as one of the league’s top special-teams players and is on pace to become just the third player in league history to accumulate 3,500 all-purpose yards.
Montreal running back Avon Cobourne is chasing an even more exclusive mark. He’s trying to become the first player in CFL history to register 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same reason.
Dorsey is the CFL’s leading punt returner with 428 yards and is third in kickoff returns with 558 yards. He has also returned two missed field goals 94 yards.
Dorsey has accumulated 1,376 all-purpose yards, averaging 196 yards per game. At his current pace, he’d finish with 3,538 yards, the third-highest total in league history.
Eric Blount had 3,816 yards with Winnipeg in 1998 while former Argos head coach Michael (Pinball) Clemons, had 3,840 yards for Toronto in 1997.
Cobourne supplanted Jarrett Payton as Montreal’s starting tailback this season after joining the Alouettes last year as a linebacker. And he hasn’t disappointed.
Cobourne has rushed for 582 yards and registered 360 yards receiving on a team-high 41 catches. That pace would land him 1,496 yards rushing and 926 yards receiving, leaving him well within being able to become the first player in CFL history to register the historic 1,000-yard double.
