GAME THREAD / Lucky Week 13 / Edmonton @ Toronto

[AngeloV]

A couple more games close to Saturday's performance and Wilder will be in the NFL next year.

That would be entirely up to the Argos. As a CFL rookie, he is bound to a 1 + 1 entry level contract.

[Wobbler]

That still won't be the ticket for an NFL call though. Jon Cornish had how many thousand yard CFL seasons in a row, plus one of the best yards/carry averages for a RB in decades ? - he did not get an NFL call.

Wilder's name will matter, strong performance (if he keeps it up) will matter, and his *age* will matter. At 25, he's still young and healthy enough to be worth investing in. Cornish was 28 by the time he started to dominate.

That would be entirely up to the Argos. As a CFL rookie, he is bound to a 1 + 1 entry level contract.

History suggests that the Argos would let him go.

[gilthethrill]

Wilder has one huge game and now all this NFL talk?

[Wobbler]

It's (very) premature, but I'd be cautious about planning my future offense around him. If you follow him on Twitter it's pretty obvious that he'd like to play in the NFL if someone gives him a shot.

[Jon Gonzo]

Honestly, with the way Free Agency works now, it's almost impossible to plan anything past the next season.

Jim Popp has a plan, which he has referred to on occasion. In fact, if any CFL GM's don't have them, they won't be around long. These are still football programs, regardless of FA, and that takes foresight and planning. The good ones are better at making them, and the best ones make them and implement them most effectively.

They still sign guys on 3 & 4 year contracts and with the ratio; it is even more important to work your Canadians up with an eye to the future.

[Argo57]

I read a few years ago that Cornish did get NFL interest and he turned it down. No doubt in my mind he was NFL calibre. IMO not every player in the NFL is better than all the CFL players.

I think most American players who come to the CFL are shocked at the quality of play, different game and skill set required to succeed.

[AngeloV]

They still sign guys on 3 & 4 year contracts and with the ratio; it is even more important to work your Canadians up with an eye to the future.

Oh really? Find me the last CFL contract that was for more than 2 years. The new free agency system with 2nd contracts only having to be 1 year changed all that, and it's only been in effect for 2 years now. Sorry, but the landscape has changed.

[Jon Gonzo]

Oh really? Find me the last CFL contract that was for more than 2 years. The new free agency system with 2nd contracts only having to be 1 year changed all that, and it's only been in effect for 2 years now. Sorry, but the landscape has changed.

So, CFL GM's don't have long term plans anymore?! Well, I'll be dipped in buttermilk, rolled in flour and you call me a corn dog then! Why didn't we just keep ole Jim Barker around?

[OV Argo]

Wilder has one huge game and now all this NFL talk?

Exactly.

And Butler, Laing, Woods, Posey, Ball and Tyler Holmes can all expect to be wooed by the NFL for next season.

[Wobbler]

There's no need to be petulant, JG. There are some players you can plan around long-term (e.g. guys who don't want to leave town and can be expected to accept fair offers) and some roles you can plan around long-term (e.g. easily-replaced players), but Angelo's right - long-term contracts just don't happen any more.

[Jon Gonzo]

There's no need to be petulant, JG. There are some players you can plan around long-term (e.g. guys who don't want to leave town and can be expected to accept fair offers) and some roles you can plan around long-term (e.g. easily-replaced players), but Angelo's right - long-term contracts just don't happen any more.

Was a joke, and that wasn't the original point I made. But yes of course, Angelo is right

[ArgoRavi]

Running back has been a traditionally difficult position for anyone looking to make the transition from the CFL to NFL. Mike Pringle tried and didn't make it. Off the top of my head, Cedric Minter might have been the last one to do it successfully. The late Jimmy Edwards spent some time with the Vikings after a successful tenure with the Ticats in the late 1970s.

[argolio]

Isn't it typically the CFL player (through agents setting up off-season workouts) who pursues the NFL and not the other way around?

[Wobbler]

Was a joke, and that wasn't the original point I made.

OK, but I don't know what your original point was. Never mind!

[OV Argo]

Running back has been a traditionally difficult position for anyone looking to make the transition from the CFL to NFL. Mike Pringle tried and didn't make it. Off the top of my head, Cedric Minter might have been the last one to do it successfully. The late Jimmy Edwards spent some time with the Vikings after a successful tenure with the Ticats in the late 1970s.

Gill Fenerty made the NFL via the Argos after Minter, and i think did more there.

Bo Scott & Vic Washington had pretty successful NFL careers after playing for the powerhouse Ottawa Rough Riders.

Pringle had an NFL try-out where they looked him more as a kick-returner ? - just not his strength.


Be glad the NFL super-scouts have either no clue about or else write-off a lot of CFL talent - and particularly at RB.

[jerrym]

Wilder was named offensive player of the week. No surprise after gaining 190 yards on the ground and 76 through the air. Former Argo Diontae Spencer was also named ST player of the week.

[Rich]

Gill Fenerty made the NFL via the Argos after Minter, and i think did more there.

Bo Scott & Vic Washington had pretty successful NFL careers after playing for the powerhouse Ottawa Rough Riders.

Pringle had an NFL try-out where they looked him more as a kick-returner ? - just not his strength.


Be glad the NFL super-scouts have either no clue about or else write-off a lot of CFL talent - and particularly at RB.

Kenton Keith had a couple of half-decent seasons with the Colts in the 00s.

[Argo57]

Wilder has one huge game and now all this NFL talk?

Wilder has proven that he has the ability to be an effective back, doing it consistently is another story.

[Jon Gonzo]

OK, but I don't know what your original point was. Never mind!

Here is my original point;

A lot more football to be played, but it's nice to see a younger back step up for us. It seems like a long time since we've had a dominant running game like that (Boyd, Kackert).

Brandon Whitaker is 32 and wasn't a priority re-signing in the off season. I actually think the team had designs of a Kendall Hunter/ James Wilder backfield going in.
At 32 the digression is not only predictable, but nearly certain. He's a fantastic player and team-mate and I doubt he's sung his last song yet, but it's essential for this team to progress with an eye on the long term plan.

O.Lineman generally won't look very good (nor will an offense) if all you do is pass protect. Especially with an immobile QB who is in his mid 30's and hasn't been able to stretch the D. That's a recipe for the infirmary. This new dimension will help and if they can keep the ball rolling could jell this team into a contender.

We may see Colaros and Ray in tandem towards the end of the season.

Most important, as I see it, is the long term plan. Wilder checks that box in that part of the field.

Well, that wasn't too outlandish now was it? And the rebuttal seems (to me) to be a stretch. It brushes off my statement with the implication that CFL GM's don't have master plans, which IMHO, is rubbish. I interjected humour to move on. We don't want a humourless board now do we? I have re-read my post several times and I can't really find issue with this original statement. But I guess someone can pick, if they feel like it.

If there is something I said here that seems way off base, Wobbler, go ahead and flame away. But do me a favour, before you come running to one of the old boys defense (which is sadly predictable in this little forum) please read the original thread through for an unbiased understanding. Us interlopers are not all bad, and we are knowledgeable fans too. Unless of course I am trespassing? Thank you.

[paulwoods13]

I don't think any GM makes long-term plans around young INT players. All of them aspire to move from the five-figure CFL to the six-figure NFL, several actually try every year and a few successfully make the jump. Unless you can persuade a guy to sign a first contract longer than two years, making long-term plans involving specific individual players who are new to the league would be a recipe for disappointment. Once you get a guy signed to a second contract, it makes more sense to see them as part of you team's future. But I reckon most if not all GMs view most players (apart from QBs and NAT starters) as fairly easy to replace.