2014 free agents

[notahomer]

I continue to wonder about Keron Williams' status with the Lions. Despite having a poor year last season, I'm not sure we can replace everyone on the D-line. I'm wondering whether the situation with Keron and Wally is for Keron to remain in free agency for as long as it takes for him to get an offer from another team, and then have Wally match it to keep him a Lion. Is this perhaps the private agreement between the two? Let the market determine his value and then match it in the knowledge that Keron would rather play here for the same money offered somewhere else. There'd have to be a deadline at some point, I guess. I suppose it would play nicely into Wally's hands if Keron failed to receive an offer from another team, so that he (Wally) could sign Keron for less.

Keron was flexible enough to try to change to fit the Lions scheme last season. Now he's lost the extra weight he put on (most of it anyways). I won't be at all surprised if he has a much better season this year.....

It just seems obvious he'll be back due to his Grey Cup logo. I'm really impressed by it. I'll admit maybe I'm biased because a player designed. Its not that I think football players are dumb oafs or anything. Its just you get used to them as football players, so to see a player do something that looks that good in graphic design, is amazing to me. What is kinda sad is that Keron, IIRC, was making some kinda documentary on the 2011 season that was cut short by management input due to the rough start the team had. If his film-making is anything like his graphic design he's gonna do just fine when he retires from football.........

[Hambone]

after looking at the following

http://www.cfl.ca/page/transactions

I have to wonder.....are the lions still in the league???

Its beginning to seem to me line the lions are going to be possibly this seasons train wreck. Playoffs..doubtful

You can't judge the activity book by the transaction cover. The Lions were one of 4 teams who have managed only 1 FA acquisition to date. These numbers are approximate. I didn't have time to double-check. I have 45 transactions as being to extend or re-sign teams' own players while 24 changed addresses and half of them were split between Hamilton and Ottawa. The other 7 teams accounted for only 12 FA acquisitions. The difference between lost and gained numbers should be those who have gone south.

BCL - 6 PFAs, 0 extended or re-signed, 1 retired, 3 lost, 1 gained.
CGY - 20 PFAs, 11 extended or re-signed, 3 retired, 1 lost, 1 gained
EDM - 11 PFAs, 4 extended or re-signed, 0 retired, 4 lost, 4 gained.
SSK - 19 PFAs, 6 extended or re-signed, 2 retired, 5 lost, 1 gained.
WPG - 23 PFAs, 8 extended or re-signed, 3 retired, 5 lost, 2 gained.
HAM - 8 PFAs, 1 extended or re-signed, 1 retired, 3 lost, 6 gained.
TOR - 17 PFAs, 4 extended or re-signed, 4 retired, 4 lost, 2 gained, 1 listed as suspended.
MTL - 19 PFAs, 11 extended or re-signed, 2 retired, 2 lost, 1 gained.
OTT - 1 PFA, 0 extended or re-signed, 0 retired, 1 lost, 6 gained.

Not surprisingly Ottawa was active in acquiring FA talent. Hamilton obviously had significant cap room and used it well. Swapping out Burris' salary for Collaros had to help too. On the other end of things you have 6 teams with 2 or fewer FA acquisitions to date. I think what is reflected here is where most teams still had to deal with extending or re-upping several players BC had already dealt with such issues. The other thing that I think is reflected is the impact of the SMS. The teams at the inactive end of the scale in terms of FA signings likely we pushed that way due to lack of cap space to be big players. I have no doubt the Riders and Lions were both flush up against the cap last year, if not over, thus they have relatively empty shopping carts. Calgary, Toronto and Montreal would also be teams I would expect to be operating thin on cap space. True Calvillo's salary is now off the Als' books but at the same time they were very active retaining their own.

[Shi Zi Mi]

He just changed agents....and the new agent is looking into NFL interest......Buono has stated that he's not prepared to wait much longer and will commit to other players soon if Keron doesn't agree to the Lions final offer

[Toppy Vann]

Interesting the reasons the FAs leaving are giving for moving on.

As someone pointed out the fact that the GC is in Vancouver this year didn't seem to start a groundswell of players heading to BC.

Yes, the Lions must have a rep with Wally dumping players as they get a bit older. Fans always cut him slack with "Wally knows best" but from a players perspective they would see this quite differently - and they do talk among themselves.

Calgary wasn't big in the FA market either.

Bell going because of Stubler seems a reach to me.

[DanoT]

I continue to wonder about Keron Williams' status with the Lions. Despite having a poor year last season, I'm not sure we can replace everyone on the D-line. I'm wondering whether the situation with Keron and Wally is for Keron to remain in free agency for as long as it takes for him to get an offer from another team, and then have Wally match it to keep him a Lion. Is this perhaps the private agreement between the two? Let the market determine his value and then match it in the knowledge that Keron would rather play here for the same money offered somewhere else. There'd have to be a deadline at some point, I guess. I suppose it would play nicely into Wally's hands if Keron failed to receive an offer from another team, so that he (Wally) could sign Keron for less.

I think you have nailed it because if they are not waiting to see Keron's market value then he would have signed with the Lions by now.

Wally being the astute GM knows that Keron's market value is somewhat diminished by a poor statistical year so matching the market offers will not break the bank.

[South Pender]

He just changed agents....and the new agent is looking into NFL interest......Buono has stated that he's not prepared to wait much longer and will commit to other players soon if Keron doesn't agree to the Lions final offer

Yeah, Shi Zi Mi, I just read yesterday's Vancouver Sun this morning and saw Beamish's column on that. WTF? He'll be 30 this season, is coming off a really sub-par year, and is hoping to land in the NFL? I wonder just how much this dawdling about re-signing with the Lions has tied Wally's hands in looking at other free agents. In my opinion, Keron is not so important to our D that he should be given this much leash. I'd like to see Wally give him a hard, prompt deadline. He hasn't attracted any interest from other CFL teams, and the NFL can't be considered realistic. (Having said that, now watch him catch on as a rush end for the Seahawks when they lose Michael Bennett.... )

[Shi Zi Mi]

Quite honestly, I don't understand the urgency......we're months away from TC. The Lions will conduct a number of FA tryout camps......they'll "sign" players on a temporary basis without registering the contracts just in case they find someone better at a later date/camp. They can only bring so many players to camp.....and they will bring the best available players.....whether a player is signed in February or signed on the eve of TC. When/if Keron chooses to accept the Lions offer....they will sign him, if and only if, he is one of these best players.

[South Pender]

Quite honestly, I don't understand the urgency......we're months away from TC. The Lions will conduct a number of FA tryout camps......they'll "sign" players on a temporary basis without registering the contracts just in case they find someone better at a later date/camp. They can only bring so many players to camp.....and they will bring the best available players.....whether a player is signed in February or signed on the eve of TC. When/if Keron chooses to accept the Lions offer....they will sign him, if and only if, he is one of these best players.

Is that how it works? I would guess that Wally might feel that he won't find anyone better than Keron at one of the FA tryout camps and want to know what his player budget is going to be as soon as possible going forward--factoring in Keron's salary.

[WestCoastJoe]

Keron and Wally are both playing it cool. It seems kind of strange.

Keron seems to want to be here.

Wally seems to want him here.

Not much happening with offers for Keron?

NFL seems way out of the realm of possibility.

If he returns to the Lions, I expect he can once again be a top D End. We have let that group get old. Another year for Khreem, Eric and Keron?

.......

Kind of like the Lions off season ... Seems pretty sleepy, or counter-productive (releasing both the OC and DC), or out of touch with reality (naive hopes re LaPolice and Cortez, and naive expectations in FA).

Well, things will heat up soon enough.

[Shi Zi Mi]

Quite honestly, I don't understand the urgency......we're months away from TC. The Lions will conduct a number of FA tryout camps......they'll "sign" players on a temporary basis without registering the contracts just in case they find someone better at a later date/camp. They can only bring so many players to camp.....and they will bring the best available players.....whether a player is signed in February or signed on the eve of TC. When/if Keron chooses to accept the Lions offer....they will sign him, if and only if, he is one of these best players.

Is that how it works? I would guess that Wally might feel that he won't find anyone better than Keron at one of the FA tryout camps and want to know what his player budget is going to be as soon as possible going forward--factoring in Keron's salary.

Unless Buono is contemplating throwing big money at a different FA (ie Laurent, Hall) thereby leaving no SMS room for Keron....that would incite some urgency.......but even then, we know the SMS is going to go up.

Tryout camp guys get standard minimum salary offers. But with no guaranteed contracts in the CFL and the SMS doesn't have to be reconciled until the end of the season (obviously you have to consider every game salary) they can sign players now.....and cut them before TC if better comes along. If Buono finds cheaper, younger, equally or better skilled than a current veteran.....buh bye veteran....it's just the nature of the business.

[WestCoastJoe]

Josh Bourke ... Wishful thinking on our part. No way Popp could let him go. And, by the way, kudos to the Alouettes for their success in drafting and developing Non Import O Linemen over the years.

Craig Butler ... Chose Hamilton over us. Ouch. Good draft pick back when. Good development with the Riders. We have had zero success in drafting and developing a viable safety.

Wayne Smith ... Not the pick of the litter, but a guy who can start in the CFL. We missed out, however. We are extremely thin with our NI O Line roster. I expect we will draft at least two linemen. We may also have to trade for one, as we did last year with Steve Myddleton.

Shea Emry ... Not sure he would have been a ratio buster. A team needs depth behind its Non Imports (if you start a Non Import, you need backup behind him). We are extremely thin at NI LB. Extremely thin.

Nick Moore ... Been a fan since Day 1. Slick, smooth and slippery. Hands sometimes questionable. Concentration? Focus? Nerves? But he is almost always open, and he was our leading receiver. Not all that easy to replace. Lulay could find Moore open all game long. A comfort zone receiver for Lulay. Not a burner, but could get open long as well as mid range.

Josh Bell ... Took the Stampeders offer, which was less than ours. ????? Unhappy with the organization? Likes Rich Stubler that much? Dunno, but we are not the apple of every player's eye, it seems. Nor of every coach we wish to hire.

[South Pender]

Josh Bell ... Took the Stampeders offer, which was less than ours. ????? Unhappy with the organization? Likes Rich Stubler that much? Dunno....

I wonder whether he might have had a beef with Mark Washington who was his position coach and now is DC.

[DanoT]

Josh Bell ... Took the Stampeders offer, which was less than ours. ????? Unhappy with the organization? Likes Rich Stubler that much? Dunno....

I wonder whether he might have had a beef with Mark Washington who was his position coach and now is DC.

I think it is fairly common that when coaches change teams, they have "their guys" that follow them to the coach's new team. It seems to me that Byron Parker and Lin J Shell and now Josh Bell are examples of guys following Stubler.

[SammyGreene]

Butler talking to the Leader Post on why he chose Hamilton.

Even though Butler had moved to Vancouver this off-season - his girlfriend is completing her schooling there - he eventually decided to join the Tiger-Cats. Butler wouldn't comment on reports that his deal calls for an annual salary in the neighbourhood of $150,000, but he did say his choice wasn't based solely on cash.

"The money thing kind of happened by itself," he said. "It was the market demand. It was there because of how I've been playing the past three years and my production.

"It wasn't the No. 1 thing for me. There were teams that were going to offer me more money, but I decided not to go there because it just didn't feel right for me."

Ok so the Vancouver off-season home sounds temporary if his girlfriend is completing her schooling here. And perhaps the Lions were in tough if Butler didn't like the idea of playing for one of the Riders main rivals.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.cfl.ca/article/fa14-eight-th ... ree-agency

FA14: Eight things we've learned through free agency

Posted: February 17, 2014 10:00 AM

CFL.ca Staff
#CFLFA14

TORONTO – Free agency is only a week old, but the moves made across the league have already set the foundation for what’s surely to be an interesting season, full of homecomings and new rivalries.

On the surface, General Managers made these moves to make their respective rosters more competitive. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll notice that their actions mean a little more in the grand scheme of things.

Here now, are the eight things Free Agency has taught us so far.

1) The Ticats will have one of the most dangerous and depth-filled receiving corps in the league

Think about this. A team that already had Andy Fantuz, Bakari Grant, Sam Giguere, Greg Ellingson, Luke Tasker, and CJ Gable added another reliable and young piece in Cary Koch through free agency.

Simply put, Kent Austin has made sure that new QB Zach Collaros will be surrounded with a wealth of talent in his first year as a starting pivot.

2) Ottawa’s addition changed the climate of the entire market

REDBLACKS GM Marcel Desjardins may have been in the best position heading into his first free agency. With no money committed to anyone as of yet, Desjardins was free to spend as much as he wanted until reaching the $4.4 million salary cap.

And don’t think other teams didn’t take notice.

Argos GM Jim Barker, who is usually reserved on free agency (more on that later) had this to say about Ottawa’s introduction to the market:

“I don't believe in building teams through free agency but I think this year with Ottawa coming in, it changed the landscape a bit,'' Barker said on a conference call last week.

"We lost two really good Canadians and a good American and I think it became more apparent that free agency was going to be a part of what we're doing.''

3) Jim Barker isn’t afraid to hook a big fish after all

He’s been on record saying that he doesn’t believe in building a team through free agency (as mentioned above), but Barker couldn’t resist hauling in the likes of Shea Emry on day one of free agency.

Maybe it was the addition of Ottawa, or maybe Emry was just too good to pass up on. But Barker made it clear that he can play the market if he wants to.

Look at it this way; the biggest names added to Toronto’s roster last year through free agency were James Yurichuk, Romby Bryant and Jonathan Hood. All solid players, but they don’t hold the same weight as Emry does.

4) Bombers are proactively pursuing improvement immediately

They may still have some questions to answer on the offensive line, and they do have an unproven starting quarterback, but Kyle Walters is doing everything in his power to make the Blue Bombers a competitive force in the West.

To date, the Bombers have brought in through trades and free agency QB Drew Willy, receiver Nick Moore, DB Chris Randle, and veteran LB/DB Korey Banks.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it’s definitely a start.

5) BC wants to let fans in

How’s that for transparency?

On the eve of free agency, the fine people that run the BC Lions Twitter account let everyone know what Wally Buono’s intentions were for free agency, stating publicly that they’ve submitted offers to pending free agents Keron Williams and Joshua Bell.

But they weren’t done there. Shortly after free agency opened, the Lions sent out another information-filled tweet.

They then sent out yet another tweet, this one with a little bit more of a cryptic feel to it.

Buono had this to say of his team’s openness: “It's a new world out there and we wanted our fans to be part of the process this year. They support this club and they had a right to know what our plans were going to be today. We would have liked to have had a bit more success, but to think we would have signed every player we targeted would have been unrealistic. I don't regret letting them know we tried to sign these players and improve our team.”

6) The Lions aren’t afraid to let go

As much as the Lions aren’t afraid to let people in, they also aren’t afraid to let people go. Heading into free agency, they had five players that needed to be signed. As of now, three of them have signed with other teams (Josh Bell in Calgary, Nick Moore in Winnipeg and Steve Myddelton in Hamilton) while two others remain free for the taking (Keron Williams, Stu Foord).

It’s fairly evident that change is very much in the air in Vancouver.

7) Offensive line is a priority for Ed Hervey and the Esks

They gave up the second most sacks in the league with 60 last season, so it comes as no surprise that Hervey made it a priority to bulk up his offensive line.

The Esks went out and signed four free agents in the first six days, two of which were offensive linemen. It will be interesting to see how David Lee and Justin Sorensen help improve a highly maligned Eskimos offensive line.

8) John Hufnagel is perfectly happy staying par for the course

Hufnagel had 20 free agents to make a decision on prior to the start of free agency, and based on the amount of extensions and re-signings he worked out, he seems perfectly happy with what he has.

As of now, Hufnagel has signed 11 players to new contracts, while five have either retired or signed elsewhere. Four remain without contracts, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Hufnagel managed to lure them back into Calgary.