Is the CFL Screwing Canadian QBs?

[doubleblue]

Good for Adam and Joe. I hear Barcelona is a great place to live. Merchant has been lighting it up over there, but do we know the calibre of the league he's playing in?

[OV Argo]

Good for Adam and Joe. I hear Barcelona is a great place to live. Merchant has been lighting it up over there, but do we know the calibre of the league he's playing in?

Doubt the Spanish league is considered high calibre by many; the German league seems to be considered the big kahuna of American football over there; be interesting to see if Merchant's team could advance to the Euro play-offs or Championship over there.

That AFI website that jerry has provided links to seems next to useless for good info - stats or game recaps; but reports seem to show Merchant throwing for TDs galore plus running for yardage/TDs in leading his team to an un-defeated season. Good for him - still getting to play the game he loves and getting to travel (Senioritas & Sangria ;o))

Maybe he would come home to play in a new top level Canadian football league if the CFL sells-out Canadian rules and Canadian players ?

[j-ski]

If the CFL/XFL does merge, and gets rid of the Canadian rules and ratio, I wonder where the Canadians will go.

A handful will play in the NFL, and probably a similar number will play in the new CFL/XFL.

Probably some may try Europe, but my guess is that the restarting NFL European Football League will use mostly American players with some developmental European players like it did before.

I hope they do start some kind of senior Canadian Football League. I would be great to follow some U Sport players for a few more years.

[jerrym]

I posted this under the new European League of Football, which starts in June as the first fully professional league in Europe since NFL Europe, but I think it warrants consideration here as well.

Adam Rita, the coach and GM of the Barcelona Dragons, has hired Joe Paopao as QB coach. In addition to his CFL experience as coach and QB, Paopao also coached for the University of Waterloo Warriors from 2007 to 2013 and at SFU from 2015 to 2018 as OC. Would Rita and Paopao be willing to give a Canadian QB, like Merchant who has gone 7-0 and is already playing in Spain, a chance to play in the new professional league?

Good for Adam and Joe. I hear Barcelona is a great place to live. Merchant has been lighting it up over there, but do we know the calibre of the league he's playing in?

One reason Merchant might be signed is that he is known and done extremely well in Spain, making it make sense to sign him and bring to TC to spark fan interest. If he makes the team, he gives them another QB, even as a backup. If he doesn't he perks some interest in the local market and some media attention because he's already played there, at little cost to the team. It wouldn't be the first time a team in a higher league team has signed a guy who played locally to spark interest, especially when they are starting up. That's partly why the Las Vegas Possee signed Anthony Calvillo who had played in neighbouring Utah State and won the Las Vegas Bowl and the game's MVP award in his senior year, although no other teams in the CFL or NFL showed interest in him. I think he didn't perform too badly in the CFL.

In addition, with Rita and Paopao we have guys who are familiar with the CFL and Canadian college football. There is also the question though, if Merchant were invited to play in the European League of Football, would he be given a real shot of making the team or not, a la the CFL and Canadian QBs?

[OV Argo]

One reason Merchant might be signed is that he is known and done extremely well in Spain, making it make sense to sign him and bring to TC to spark fan interest. If he makes the team, he gives them another QB, even as a backup. If he doesn't he perks some interest in the local market and some media attention because he's already played there, at little cost to the team. It wouldn't be the first time a team in a higher league team has signed a guy who played locally to spark interest, especially when they are starting up. That's partly why the Las Vegas Possee signed Anthony Calvillo who had played in neighbouring Utah State and won the Las Vegas Bowl and the game's MVP award in his senior year, although no other teams in the CFL or NFL showed interest in him. I think he didn't perform too badly in the CFL.

In addition, with Rita and Paopao we have guys who are familiar with the CFL and Canadian college football. There is also the question though, if Merchant were invited to play in the European League of Football, would he given a real shot of making the team or not, a la the CFL and Canadian QBs?

Who knows, but interestin' Jerry.

I'd guess that the new European League would be lucky to get many QBs near Merchant's calibre.