Tobin Rote.JohnHenry wrote:South Pender wrote: The fact is I don't know of any "proven" NFL player who has come to the CFL and dominated right out of the box?
Argos Bring in a Proven Running Back
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South Pender
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Kerry josephSouth Pender wrote:Tobin Rote.JohnHenry wrote:South Pender wrote: The fact is I don't know of any "proven" NFL player who has come to the CFL and dominated right out of the box?
Every day that passes is one you can't get back
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South Pender
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Maybe our own Arnie Weinmeister, although it was hard to be dominant with the Lions in their first two years of operation! He certainly had been a dominant NFL player and undoubtedly boosted attendance for the early Lions. The reason we don't see this much today is the phenomenal salary difference between the leagues. An NFL player can hang around at the veteran's minimum of anywhere from $850K to $950K, so why come to Canada for $150K? This hasn't always been the case, however. Weinmeister came to the Lions for $15K in 1954, $3000 more than the New York Giants were paying him!JohnHenry wrote:The fact is I don't know of any "proven" NFL player who has come to the CFL and dominated right out of the box?
Good gets, Tobin Rote, Kerry Joseph and Arnie Weinmeister were proven players who came to the CFL and excelled. After the NFL salaries ballooned in the 80's, most proven players probably chose to stay in the NFL rather than come to Canada.
Maybe there's hope for Slaton in Toronto yet?
Maybe there's hope for Slaton in Toronto yet?
Slaton was also quick to note that he thinks his speed will be purrfect for the Canadian game, as the league is all about getting, “your playmakers in open space. With the wider field you’ve got a lot of space to work with.”
The Argos coaching staff will also be happy to hear that Slaton could fit right into the Argos style of offence. He mentioned near the end of his interview that, “protecting the quarterback is the number one thing.”
Music to the ears of Scott Milanovich and #15 behind centre.
http://argonauts.ca/article/slaton-im-j ... gn=twitter
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WestCoastJoe
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Seems to me wuz a time when 5'9" 199 lb Steve Slaton was the size of back (along with the running talent) that was destined for the CFL. A bit bigger than a scatback. Smaller than a bull dozer. In the size range of Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith (all around 205 pounds).
Does he still have it, at age 28? We will see.
Will his skills fit the CFL? I've never seen him run. If he can make guys miss (no guarantee), then he should do fine as a running back.
Blocker and receiver? Dunno.
How will he compare to Jon Cornish, Andrew Harris and Kory Sheets? Could be on their level, methinks. He had the pedigree from college. If he is not quite on their level, it speaks very highly of the quality of our CFL backs.
So it will be interesting ...
Also with John Beck ... Outstanding ability shown in college. Throwing the ball. Leadership. Did he lose something in the translation to the NFL? Many guys do that, when they get chopped up by cookie cutter, stereotypical thinking. Could he show some good stuff with the Lions? Dunno ...
In looking at the CFL and NFL I do not worship all things NFL. No instant stardom predicted for any guy from the NFL heading north. Somewhat different game. CFL players have massive skill sets of their own.
Ex NFL guys coming to the CFL? Cool ... Nice to see the talent flowing both ways.
Does he still have it, at age 28? We will see.
Will his skills fit the CFL? I've never seen him run. If he can make guys miss (no guarantee), then he should do fine as a running back.
Blocker and receiver? Dunno.
How will he compare to Jon Cornish, Andrew Harris and Kory Sheets? Could be on their level, methinks. He had the pedigree from college. If he is not quite on their level, it speaks very highly of the quality of our CFL backs.
So it will be interesting ...
Also with John Beck ... Outstanding ability shown in college. Throwing the ball. Leadership. Did he lose something in the translation to the NFL? Many guys do that, when they get chopped up by cookie cutter, stereotypical thinking. Could he show some good stuff with the Lions? Dunno ...
In looking at the CFL and NFL I do not worship all things NFL. No instant stardom predicted for any guy from the NFL heading north. Somewhat different game. CFL players have massive skill sets of their own.
Ex NFL guys coming to the CFL? Cool ... Nice to see the talent flowing both ways.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.
Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.
Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.
Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
I don't know that I would have considered Lawerence Phillips as a proven NFLer, but if he could have stayed healthy, he would have been a terror (in the football sense) in Montreal.
People forget that the Argos lost two offensive linemen early in Ricky Williams' season. Williams would have been respectable, but not what people thought he was going to be up here.
That said, I wish he would have stayed. Culturally, Canada was, and is, a much better fit for him.
Also, someone find an award of some sort to give Big Time for that Adam Rita reset. Phenomenal work.
As for Beck. You can have all the athleticism in the world as a QB, but if you can't make quick decisions, you are going to fail. Beck's problem is in his head. And I don't know if he can move past that this far along in his career. I wish him luck, though.
People forget that the Argos lost two offensive linemen early in Ricky Williams' season. Williams would have been respectable, but not what people thought he was going to be up here.
That said, I wish he would have stayed. Culturally, Canada was, and is, a much better fit for him.
Also, someone find an award of some sort to give Big Time for that Adam Rita reset. Phenomenal work.
As for Beck. You can have all the athleticism in the world as a QB, but if you can't make quick decisions, you are going to fail. Beck's problem is in his head. And I don't know if he can move past that this far along in his career. I wish him luck, though.