Who Will Rise and Who Will Fall in 2017
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 3:49 pm
Jamie Nye predicts a B.C. Lions/Hamilton Grey Cup game for this 2017 season.
In looking at each CFL teams off-season moves prior to the 2017 draft..... which teams, at least on paper, do you think have improved the most?
My thoughts are the Montreal Als and the Saskatchewan Rough Riders look to be the most improved the most for 2017. The Calgary Stampeders could be even stronger than in 2016 if they can replace Dennis well enough.
Our B.C. Lions will very likely be even more dangerous on offence if Steward of Facault can play left tackle well. Our receiving crew, with four Internationals, while adding Chris Williams to the mix will be high octane but our defensive changes make our Leos hard to assess this early. Our Leos were only .500 in our division in 2016 and feasted on the Riders, who don't appear to be as easy an opponent for this 2017 season.
The Eskimos and Blue Bombers mostly stayed the course. Hamilton and Ottawa will likely experience the most changes to their roster. Hamilton doesn't look to be much improved unless they can bring in some talented new blood. Toronto is the biggest question mark. Trestmann and Popp are back together as a combo but they also have a lot of rebuilding to do.
Montreal Alouettes
I think the Als will go into this season as a very improved team. They have made some good off-season moves by bringing in some mature, experienced vets onto a roster that needed player leadership. Darian Durrant, Jovan Olifioye, and Ernest Jackson will make the Als offence better. Keith Sholagan, Ryan Phillips, and Jabar Westerman will likely benefit from playing in an aggressive defensive system and also provide a steadying influence.
The Als lost Winston Venable and Marco-Olivier Brouillette. Chapdelaine should be a big improvement than having Popp on the sidelines and Thorpe, one of the CFL's best defensive coordinators returns.
Saskatchewan Rough Riders
I didn't anticipate that the Riders would struggle as long as they did in 2016. Willie Jefferson and Muamba will play a full season for the Riders and the free agent additions of Marc-Olivier Brouillette, linebacker Glenn Love, defensive tackle Eddie Steele and defensive lineman Zach Minter will bolster their defensive depth.
The Riders also signed last year's CFL Best Offensive Lineman in Derek Dennis.
The Riders also have a slew of receivers with a lot of talent competing for this year's squad. Bakari Grant and Chad Owens were added to the mix in free agency that already had Roosevelt, Ricky Collins and Celeb Holly. The Riders look to be much tougher to play than they were in 2016 and could be the CFLs' most improved team if their quarterbacking is good enough.
B. C. Lions
Our Leos offence will likely be improved for 2016. Jonathan Jennings enters 2017 with a full season as a starter under his belt. Manny, Burnham and Johnson return and Chris Williams is ahead of schedule to play and he will bring an additional threat to our passing attack with his speed. Shawn Gore, coming off an excellent season retired.
The loss of Olifioye can be mitigated if Steward can play well at left tackle and he has a lot of tools. Facault adds another first round National draft choice to our offensive line. We now have three first round draft choices in Fabian, Vaillencourt, and Facault on our offensive line roster.
But defence will be a question mark. Our Leos lost our leading pass rusher in Bazzie, a talent in Bighill, a National starter in Westerman, and a potential star who played very well for us as a rookie in Anthony Gaitor. We also lost some defensive backfield leadership with the departure of Ryan Phillips who turned down a reduced role and a salary cut and talented depth in Bo Lokombo.
New free agents have been signed for our defense for 2017 to fill those holes. How well we can do that will play an important role in our overall team success or not for 2017.
Calgary Stampeders
The Stamps could not afford to sign Bakari Grant but with their impressive group of receivers, they will transition well. They have favorite target McDaniel back and DeVaris Daniel became a star in hi s rookie season. With Kamar Jorden emerged and Anthony Parker the Stamps receiving corps give Bo Levi a lot of weapons. Mitchell Gale was signed for quarterback depth but Bo Levi doesn't get injured often behind an outstanding offensive line, no matter who is starting on their offensive line or where.
The Stamps lost Derek Dennis, named the CFL best offensive lineman in 2016. While Dennis will not be easy to replace, the Stamps have replaced another Best Offensive Lineman in the past (Stanley Bryant) because they have a lot of depth on the offensive line and are very good at targeting International tackles who can step in quickly and effectively.
The Stamps also lost Matt Bucknor, Glenn Love, and Zack Minter but these three players were not key to their best CFL best record in 2016 and Hall will replace Minter more than adequately.
Alex Singleton, at middle linebacker will start his first full season and appears headed for stardom. The Stamps signed free agents Anthony Woodson for National depth behind Jerome Messam. They also signed Internatioal Brian Hall. Cordarroh Law joined the Stamps towards the end of last season and he was a tough player to pass defend and the Stamps already. had Charleston Hughes.
Will the Stamps, overall be better in 2017? Hard to say. But they should be at least as good.
Edmonton Eskimos
The Eskimos offence suffered a major blow for 2017 with the departure of Derel Walker to the NFL. However the Eskimos didn't really lose any other starters of their 2016 team to free agency.
The Eskimos signed Kendial Lawrence and Trevon Vann as running backs. Other than those signings the Eskimos mainly stayed the course.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Bombers lost Khalil Bass and Tony Burnett, who didn't fit into their plans going forward, signed with our Leos. The Bombers signed Drake Nevis to a defense that led the CFL in takeaways in 2016.
The Bombers are looking to keeping the same group that improved so much together in 2016. They added T.J. Heath later last season in their trade with Toronto for Drew Willie and also received the first choice in this year's CFL draft.
With Nichols in place for a second season as a starter and Kevin Glenn as a backup, the Bombers have solidified their quarterback position after a number of seasons of not doing so.
Hamilton Tiger Cats
Hamilton will have a lot of new players in uniform after losing Matt Coates, Kendial Lawrence, Jeff Mathews, Drake Nevis,
Ron Omara, Chad Owens, Jacory Harris, and Beau Landry. Most were not key players fitting or fit into Hamilton's plans for 2017 but the loss of Drake Nevis will likely hurt.
The Tiger Cats added a lot of talent to their defensive backfield with the signing of defensive halfback Abdul Kanneh.
who had played with Ottawa the past three seasons and is a top notch defensive back. The Tiger Cats will need to bring in some new blood to improve.
Ottawa Red Blacks
The Red Blacks will experience some significant change for 2017. They lost Kienan Lafrance, Abdul Kanneh, Domaso Munoz. Chris Williams, Ernest Jackson, Travon Van and Aston Whiteside. Not all figured into Ottawa's plans for 2017 but losing Jackson and Kenneh were players Ottwa would have liked to have back.
Ottawa quickly signed a number of free agents to fill holes for 2017. AJ Jefferson, Kenny Shaw, Khalil Bass were added and the Riders traded for Drew Tate to give them an experienced backup behind Trevor Harris.
Toronto Argos
Toronto lost AJ Jefferson, Kenny Shaw, Diontae Spencer, Alexander Dupuis, and backup depth quarterback Dan LeFevour to free agency. The Boatmen also signed a slew of players including Jeffrey Finley, Winston Venable, James Tuck, Jeff Fuller, Khalif Paden, and Johnny Sears Jr.
Its difficult to assess the Argos for 2017. The Argos plan to use Ricky Ray as their starter and have him adapt to Trestmann's quick passing West Coast offence. Popp will likely bring in some good players and Trestmann is an innovative and very smart coach. The big question is how long will it take for Trestmann's strategies to be translated to his squad successfully.
In looking at each CFL teams off-season moves prior to the 2017 draft..... which teams, at least on paper, do you think have improved the most?
My thoughts are the Montreal Als and the Saskatchewan Rough Riders look to be the most improved the most for 2017. The Calgary Stampeders could be even stronger than in 2016 if they can replace Dennis well enough.
Our B.C. Lions will very likely be even more dangerous on offence if Steward of Facault can play left tackle well. Our receiving crew, with four Internationals, while adding Chris Williams to the mix will be high octane but our defensive changes make our Leos hard to assess this early. Our Leos were only .500 in our division in 2016 and feasted on the Riders, who don't appear to be as easy an opponent for this 2017 season.
The Eskimos and Blue Bombers mostly stayed the course. Hamilton and Ottawa will likely experience the most changes to their roster. Hamilton doesn't look to be much improved unless they can bring in some talented new blood. Toronto is the biggest question mark. Trestmann and Popp are back together as a combo but they also have a lot of rebuilding to do.
Montreal Alouettes
I think the Als will go into this season as a very improved team. They have made some good off-season moves by bringing in some mature, experienced vets onto a roster that needed player leadership. Darian Durrant, Jovan Olifioye, and Ernest Jackson will make the Als offence better. Keith Sholagan, Ryan Phillips, and Jabar Westerman will likely benefit from playing in an aggressive defensive system and also provide a steadying influence.
The Als lost Winston Venable and Marco-Olivier Brouillette. Chapdelaine should be a big improvement than having Popp on the sidelines and Thorpe, one of the CFL's best defensive coordinators returns.
Saskatchewan Rough Riders
I didn't anticipate that the Riders would struggle as long as they did in 2016. Willie Jefferson and Muamba will play a full season for the Riders and the free agent additions of Marc-Olivier Brouillette, linebacker Glenn Love, defensive tackle Eddie Steele and defensive lineman Zach Minter will bolster their defensive depth.
The Riders also signed last year's CFL Best Offensive Lineman in Derek Dennis.
The Riders also have a slew of receivers with a lot of talent competing for this year's squad. Bakari Grant and Chad Owens were added to the mix in free agency that already had Roosevelt, Ricky Collins and Celeb Holly. The Riders look to be much tougher to play than they were in 2016 and could be the CFLs' most improved team if their quarterbacking is good enough.
B. C. Lions
Our Leos offence will likely be improved for 2016. Jonathan Jennings enters 2017 with a full season as a starter under his belt. Manny, Burnham and Johnson return and Chris Williams is ahead of schedule to play and he will bring an additional threat to our passing attack with his speed. Shawn Gore, coming off an excellent season retired.
The loss of Olifioye can be mitigated if Steward can play well at left tackle and he has a lot of tools. Facault adds another first round National draft choice to our offensive line. We now have three first round draft choices in Fabian, Vaillencourt, and Facault on our offensive line roster.
But defence will be a question mark. Our Leos lost our leading pass rusher in Bazzie, a talent in Bighill, a National starter in Westerman, and a potential star who played very well for us as a rookie in Anthony Gaitor. We also lost some defensive backfield leadership with the departure of Ryan Phillips who turned down a reduced role and a salary cut and talented depth in Bo Lokombo.
New free agents have been signed for our defense for 2017 to fill those holes. How well we can do that will play an important role in our overall team success or not for 2017.
Calgary Stampeders
The Stamps could not afford to sign Bakari Grant but with their impressive group of receivers, they will transition well. They have favorite target McDaniel back and DeVaris Daniel became a star in hi s rookie season. With Kamar Jorden emerged and Anthony Parker the Stamps receiving corps give Bo Levi a lot of weapons. Mitchell Gale was signed for quarterback depth but Bo Levi doesn't get injured often behind an outstanding offensive line, no matter who is starting on their offensive line or where.
The Stamps lost Derek Dennis, named the CFL best offensive lineman in 2016. While Dennis will not be easy to replace, the Stamps have replaced another Best Offensive Lineman in the past (Stanley Bryant) because they have a lot of depth on the offensive line and are very good at targeting International tackles who can step in quickly and effectively.
The Stamps also lost Matt Bucknor, Glenn Love, and Zack Minter but these three players were not key to their best CFL best record in 2016 and Hall will replace Minter more than adequately.
Alex Singleton, at middle linebacker will start his first full season and appears headed for stardom. The Stamps signed free agents Anthony Woodson for National depth behind Jerome Messam. They also signed Internatioal Brian Hall. Cordarroh Law joined the Stamps towards the end of last season and he was a tough player to pass defend and the Stamps already. had Charleston Hughes.
Will the Stamps, overall be better in 2017? Hard to say. But they should be at least as good.
Edmonton Eskimos
The Eskimos offence suffered a major blow for 2017 with the departure of Derel Walker to the NFL. However the Eskimos didn't really lose any other starters of their 2016 team to free agency.
The Eskimos signed Kendial Lawrence and Trevon Vann as running backs. Other than those signings the Eskimos mainly stayed the course.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Bombers lost Khalil Bass and Tony Burnett, who didn't fit into their plans going forward, signed with our Leos. The Bombers signed Drake Nevis to a defense that led the CFL in takeaways in 2016.
The Bombers are looking to keeping the same group that improved so much together in 2016. They added T.J. Heath later last season in their trade with Toronto for Drew Willie and also received the first choice in this year's CFL draft.
With Nichols in place for a second season as a starter and Kevin Glenn as a backup, the Bombers have solidified their quarterback position after a number of seasons of not doing so.
Hamilton Tiger Cats
Hamilton will have a lot of new players in uniform after losing Matt Coates, Kendial Lawrence, Jeff Mathews, Drake Nevis,
Ron Omara, Chad Owens, Jacory Harris, and Beau Landry. Most were not key players fitting or fit into Hamilton's plans for 2017 but the loss of Drake Nevis will likely hurt.
The Tiger Cats added a lot of talent to their defensive backfield with the signing of defensive halfback Abdul Kanneh.
who had played with Ottawa the past three seasons and is a top notch defensive back. The Tiger Cats will need to bring in some new blood to improve.
Ottawa Red Blacks
The Red Blacks will experience some significant change for 2017. They lost Kienan Lafrance, Abdul Kanneh, Domaso Munoz. Chris Williams, Ernest Jackson, Travon Van and Aston Whiteside. Not all figured into Ottawa's plans for 2017 but losing Jackson and Kenneh were players Ottwa would have liked to have back.
Ottawa quickly signed a number of free agents to fill holes for 2017. AJ Jefferson, Kenny Shaw, Khalil Bass were added and the Riders traded for Drew Tate to give them an experienced backup behind Trevor Harris.
Toronto Argos
Toronto lost AJ Jefferson, Kenny Shaw, Diontae Spencer, Alexander Dupuis, and backup depth quarterback Dan LeFevour to free agency. The Boatmen also signed a slew of players including Jeffrey Finley, Winston Venable, James Tuck, Jeff Fuller, Khalif Paden, and Johnny Sears Jr.
Its difficult to assess the Argos for 2017. The Argos plan to use Ricky Ray as their starter and have him adapt to Trestmann's quick passing West Coast offence. Popp will likely bring in some good players and Trestmann is an innovative and very smart coach. The big question is how long will it take for Trestmann's strategies to be translated to his squad successfully.