With Canadian Football League training camps commencing in full this Sunday following rookie camps, sportsnet.ca takes a look at each team and poses five burning questions about each, beginning today with the East Division.
On Friday, the West Division will be profiled. Closer to the regular season, sportsnet.ca will provide a more in-depth analysis.
Toronto Argonauts
What will the defensive line look like?
Essentially the group that started in last year’s Grey Cup win is gone. Defensive tackle Armond Armstead, who had six sacks and 43 tackles as a rookie, was released so he could pursue an opportunity with the National Football League and signed with New England.
Rush end Ricky Foley pursued free agency and signed with Saskatchewan. Voted the Outstanding Canadian in the 2012 Grey Cup, Foley had only half as many tackles (35) as the year before and half as many sacks (three), so make what you will of that.
Adriano Belli came out of retirement and filled a role, but he’s retired again and won’t be pulling a Sugar Ray Leonard. Veteran end Ronald Flemons was released, as was backup Ejiro Kuale. David Lee and Alexander Robinson are returning non-imports, along with import DT Kevin Huntley.
Controversial DT Khalif Mitchell, acquired from B.C, is slated to report to training camp but what happens after that is anybody’s guess.
Who backs up quarterback Ricky Ray?
If Ray takes the majority of the snaps, it really doesn’t matter. Jarious Jackson retired, so the backup job is wide open.
Will receiver Mike Willams be a factor?
The former first-round NFL draft pick will try to resurrect his career, but it won’t be easy.
Will the middle linebacker spot be filled by an import or non-import?
Robert McCune finished off in that role, so it’s his job to lose. Jason Pottinger, who had the job and lost it, will battle free-agent signing James Yurichuk for the backup job, but if there’s a ratio issue it could change things.
Who fills the vacancies in the defensive backfield?
Evan McCullough and Ahmad Carroll, both defensive backs, are no longer with the team.
Montreal Alouettes
Can Dan Hawkins succeed in his first year as head coach?
He fills the shoes of Marc Trestman, who left after five seasons to sign with the Chicago Bears. Trestman came to the CFL as a rookie head coach and won two Grey Cups. Hawkins doesn’t have the same resume at Trestman did when he came to the CFL, but general manager Jim Popp is good at assessing talent, whether it’s coaches or players.
How will receiver Arland Bruce III do?
Signed as a free agent, Bruce was once in the top five in his position in the CFL. He can be effective, but not nearly as one of the go-to guys in Montreal because of the Als’ talent. He’ll need to prove himself just to crack the starting roster.
Who starts at running back?
Chris Jennings is a huge load and did well in some situations last year, but he’ll get a push from Jerome Messam, a former stud with Edmonton, which decided to trade him to the Als. He has shown in the past with the Eskimos he can be tough to stop when physically healthy. Dominic Rhodes, once a star in the NFL, will get a good look, but he’s not the same player he was in his heyday.
Will the offensive line change?
This is a veteran group, but the Als have some young talent and this could provide good competition.
Who backs up starting quarterback Anthony Calvillo?
Similar to Toronto it won’t matter if the starter stays healthy, and that has been somewhat of an issue for Calvillo. Adrian McPherson is gone, so onetime Hamilton starter Quinton Porter, who was signed as a free agent, will be given a shot. He probably needed a change of scenery anyway, much like Calvillo earlier in his career.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Can head coach Tim Burke benefit from a full off-season?
He was thrown into the mix last year as interim head coach but showed signs of a guy who was evolving into the job. He and offensive co-ordinator Gary Crowton, who had his ups-and-downs in his first year, will surely have had time to get on the same page. Casey Creehan, who was on the hotseat in Hamilton, was chosen by Burke to be the defensive co-ordinator. Similar to Crowton, there is at least a familiarity there and a sense these are Burke’s guys, not ones inherited.
Who starts at quarterback?
Buck Pierce is back and will begin as the starter in training camp, but who knows what will happen after that given his string of injuries? Only Justin Goltz is back from the various backups who were given a shot at starting or some game action when Pierce was sidelined.
Not sure why the Bombers didn’t go after someone with some veteran CFL experience or why they stuck with Pierce, who is a warrior but whose string of injuries makes you wonder how many games he will last until he’s hurt.
Will a full-time home help?
After starting off the first four games on the road last year and going 0-4, playing in their brand-new home will be a welcome change.
Who replaces rush end Jason Vega?
This guy was a star and left in the off-season to sign with New England. Did the Patriots go on a CFL shopping spree for defensive ends or what?
Can running back Chris Garrett return to form?
He was impressive in 2011 when given a chance to start but 2012 was a washout after suffering a torn Achilles tendon on the first day of training camp. Chad Simpson became a star in his absence, so Garrett could be in tough to stick.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
How does Kent Austin do as a combined GM/head coach?
He won the Grey Cup as a rookie head coach with Saskatchewan in 2007 and returns to the CFL six years later and with the added GM portfolio. He is a stickler to detail, but he’ll have to find a way to help this underachieving team get to the next level.
With a coaching staff that largely has no connection to the previous regime, Austin has his fingerprints all over this team, along with the signing of some key free agents that has radically changed the Ticats’ player personnel.
Will receiver/returner Chris Williams play for the team?
He wants out badly and is contesting his contract status with the league. He is a dynamic all-around player who is also deadly on returns. If he loses his grievance, he’ll either sit out the season or come back with a questionable attitude. Wouldn’t be surprised if the Ticats trade him to another team rather than have him sulk — assuming another team will want him.
Will playing all their games in a temporary home hurt?
It can’t help. With their home stadium undergoing renovations, they will play all but one of their home games on the campus of the University of Guelph.
This is another issue Austin will have to address, although he’s generally a fairly even-keeled type of person.
Can running back Chevon Walker produce for an entire season?
He was such a promising player in the first third of the year then ran into injury problems. Given an entire off-season to fully prepare for the possibility of being the feature guy for a whole season, he will undoubtedly have put in more time to get in better condition. Avon Cobourne is gone, so Walker is first on the depth chart.
Will receiver Andy Fantuz find the form that was absent last year in his first year as a Ticat?
It was almost like Fantuz was cursed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Rider Nation for turning his back on the team and leaving to play closer to home. He struggled often, but the focus won’t be nearly the same this year because of various other elements of the team that will garner far more attention. He needs to raise his level.
