TSN Reports Printers Headed to the CFL

[wildthing]

Some more interesting developments on the Printers front as he was interviewed by Rick Dhaliwal on the NW noon hour sports.

Six of the league's eight teams have been in contact with Medlock, including the Lions via Bob O'Billovich who wanted to get his thoughts on returning to the Lions.

•The Ti-Cats have or will submit an offer and have asked for CP to come to Hamilton to meet with team officials.

•The Argos management and owners met today and agreed to go forward with an offer.

Printers was asked by Dhaliwal if the bridges have been burned for a possible return to Vancouver. His answer was no as he understands the business side of the game and the decisions that have to be made.

Said it will be more than just money should he return to the CFL, "it's about winning championships." The team would have to be a cup contender and have good personnel on offence.

Dhaliwal added Printers' first choice is Toronto followed by B.C.

My personal opinion after listening to him is B.C. is his desired destination but too much has to happen to make it a reality, never mind the team won the Grey Cup without him and have a future QB already in Buck Pierce.

Leave it to Medlock to stir the pot by telling Dhaliwal about his discussion with O'Billovich but at least he's doing his part to keep his client and the CFL front and centre in the news. :lol:

Check NW archives for full interview.

6 of 8? seems a little high, I suspect possibly bragging himself up a little to try and up the price. I can think of 3 or 4 with real interest Hamilton, Toronto, Calgary (they always bid on every player) and maybe either Winnipeg or Montreal (not sure which though). I think BC, Edm and Sask have cap issues and are not even considering a move of that nature at this time (especially BC and Sask)

[Gerry]

What a stupid move by Buono to not even make an offer to Printers. How dumb. Wally ought to really take heat over this.

The most exciting QB in the CFL, someone who can fill seats and create some excitement. And you don't even make an offer to him? What an insult to Lions fans.

I guess it's better watching Dickenson laying on his butt all game long from being sacked so many times

Printers is NOT "the most exciting player in the CFL". He is not in the CFL. He could have been. He was offered a spot, but he chose to try out in the NFL instead. His choice.

The timing of him coming back now does not work well for any club, except for Hamilton, and if I were them I'd look at this very carefully. If they sign Printers now there will be the expectation by the fans there that their problems are solved. But they need to build a decent football team from the ground up and they don't have that now. Printers won't solve all of their problems and may be no better than Maas at filling the QB spot. As others have pointed out, his last games as a Lion were less than inspiring, and he was also subject to injury, much like Dickenson and now Pierce.

Printers might fit into the Lions plans next year. At that time we will know if DD is done with playing. Even then, there's still Pierce. He's a legitimate starter and deserves to be number one. He also has football smarts that IMO Printers does not have, and he's a team guy, which Printers is not. Will Printers want to battle it out for the top spot with Pierce? I doubt it. He'll be a Burris, wanting a guaranteed spot. No matter who takes him, they'll be putting all of their eggs in one basket, and I don't think that that's a wise thing to do. The Lions have shown that this year. DD is out and Pierce fills in, only for Pierce to fall and JJ fill in. We're 6-2-1 because we have some depth and a good all round team.

I sincerely hope that Printers ends up on some NFL practice roster soon. He can cause a great deal of hurt on any team he lands with in the CFL except perhaps Toronto. (Bishop might be willing to play #2 until Casey strikes out.)

[Lion Guy]

I sincerely hope that Printers ends up on some NFL practice roster soon.

Amen to that.

[120dB]

Is it pure coincidence that the deadline to put Dickenson on the 9 week injured list came on the same day as Printers was released, last Friday?

The timing is questionable. Is there some nasty stuff going on behind the scenes here cause I find it hard to believe that printers was released on the same day as the deadline to put dickenson on the 9 week injured list. That move would've saved the Lions $ 200,000; now the Lions have to pay Dickenson his full salary even if he doesn't step on the field again.

If it's not Wally clapping his hands after Duncan O'Missey misses field goals, now it's this royal screw up. It's just one screw up after another for Buono. This one is a devastating blow.

The next Home game vs. Toronto on the 15th could be Casey returning to BC Place, in an Argos uniform. That could create more interest here than the Beckham game!

That will be a dramatic night on the 15th if Casey comes here in an Argos uniform. Emotions will run high, and I have no doubt the media will have a field day with it.

Interesting to see on the 15th what the crowd reaction will be when / if Casey gets sacked by say Brent Johnson. The crowd may very well blow the roof off the building. Remember that wild vs. Bombers game in 1984 when the Bombers got sacked in the end zone? I expect that level of intensity

[Lion Guy]

Is it pure coincidence that the deadline to put Dickenson on the 9 week injured list came on the same day as Printers was released, last Friday?

No it's not. It is a master plot to F*** you up concocted by that terrible, terrible Wally wizard.

If it's not Wally clapping his hands after Duncan O'Missey misses field goals, now it's this royal screw up. It's just one screw up after another for Buono. This one is a devastating blow.

It is. Devastating. One I dare say the Lions will NEVER recover from. Very very similar to when Printers left and we won the Grey Cup right after. Devastating.

Interesting to see on the 15th what the crowd reaction will be when / if Casey gets sacked by say Brent Johnson. The crowd may very well blow the roof off the building. Remember that wild vs. Bombers game in 1984 when the Bombers got sacked in the end zone? I expect that level of intensity

Yes, and your org**m will be felt and heard everywhere in BC!!!

:lol:

[Dan_Payne_fan!!]

Interesting to see on the 15th what the crowd reaction will be when / if Casey gets sacked by say Brent Johnson. The crowd may very well blow the roof off the building. Remember that wild vs. Bombers game in 1984 when the Bombers got sacked in the end zone? I expect that level of intensity

Yes, and your org**m will be felt and heard everywhere in BC!!!
:lol:

LOL!!!

[B.C.FAN]

Is it pure coincidence that the deadline to put Dickenson on the 9 week injured list came on the same day as Printers was released, last Friday?

A player can be placed on the 9-game injury list at any point in the season, but it can't be done retroactively. Dickenson could be placed there now and would have to miss the final 9 games of the regular season. Tony Simmons was placed on the 9-game IR on Sept. 29 last year, which meant he missed the Grey Cup.

The Aug. 31 date is when CFL contracts for 6-year veterans are guaranteed for the season. I don't think it's a coincidence that it generally coincides with NFL cutdown day. It is designed to protect established CFL players from being discarded the moment that new and often cheaper replacements become available.

[ryant]

OMG...please enlighten us with your wisdom as to what possibly could be "going on behind the scenes". Let me guess- the NFL league office conspired with Wally Buono and set the official cut-down day for all NFL teams to coincide with the Dickenson deadline. And BTW what is this Dickenson deadline you're talking about anyway? The Lions can still put him on the 9 game whenever they want. Dickenson is still injured and he would have earned his full salary regardless of being placed on the list or not. FYI...you can't cut an injured player...players on the 9 game still get paid....the Lions don't save $200, 000 if he was on the 9 game (it still gets paid out, they just get that room on the SMS). Oh and one more thing...even if he were placed on the 9 game awile back the Lions surely wouldn't have freed up $200, 000 as I'm sure he received a sizable signing bonus when he re-upped in the off-season. The money freed up would only be 1/2 (9 games worth) of what the Lions had signed him for (minus his signing bonus ie. up front money).

And regarding Buono, you're right, it's been one screw up after another...getting 1st place in the West 3 out of the last 4 years, getting to the Grey Cup 2 of the last 4 years and winning the Cup last year (and coach of the year). I for one, am utterly stunned that he still has a job on this team let alone in this league.

[Big Time]

Why doesn't the league allow players to be retroactively placed on the 9 game IR list? This would make a whole lot of sense for a lot of teams, especially when you have concussions. The injury may not seem that serious at first so you leave the player active and then realize later that he's going to be out half the year. Now the team is on the hook for the entire salary not to mention cannot replace him with players due to cap relief. MLB allows players to be placed retroactively on the injured list. This is something the CFL should do as well.

[obs]

I'm a Printers fan, but I don't think it would be good for the Lions to see him back this year. With all the injuries (and new offensive coordinators), it's already been chaotic enough. BC looks to be finally getting into some kind of flow, so I don't want that disrupted.



Very very similar to when Printers left and we won the Grey Cup right after. Devastating.

True, but if Printers played in the 2004 game, we might have had two Grey Cups . (as to the "he was injured" arguments, if he couldn't play in the championship game, he shouldn't be dressed)

[Blitz]

Well, well. All those folks who were in favour of CP hanging with the team during last years WDF - remember the thread below?

I wasn't in favor of him hanging with the team...you're either a player or you're not, in terms of the dressing room, hanging at a practice or games. However, I did think it was ok for Casey to come back to watch the game from the stands and to drop by and wish his old teamates well. Depends on how it's done!

For Dickenson, Buck, and Jarious they have a vested interest in Casey not returning and player loyalty is an important concept on a winning team and our Leos players have a sense of loyalty to Dickenson, Pierce, and Jarious. However, no player minded playing for Printers when he was on the field and gave them an opportunity to win in 2004 or even 2005 when Geroy said "He's the man!" Even after that visit from Casey, during the Western Final and Murphy's sentiments, Wally still offered Casey the starters position at $425,000 a season plus incentives...so Wally wasn't all that concerned about team chemistry with Printers if he had returned for that 2006 season.

I also doubt that Wally would be all that concerned about team chemistry for next season if Printers became available, rather than at mid-season. Team chemistry, while important, is also often given too much due as well. When a team is winning, they will say they have great team chemistry. When they are losing, suddenly the team chemistry goes out the window and players want to bring in guys that will help a team win. Winning has a lot more to do with team chemistry more than team chemistry has a lot to do with winning. Right now, we're winning and team chemistry and loyalty to each other are there, as they were last season.

However, I truly believe we could have won a Grey Cup last season with Dickenson, Pierce, or Printers at quarterback. It was our defense that was so good and created so many turnovers last season. We also had the benefit of Rob Murphy and Jason Jiminez last season, along with Joe Smith. Murphy and Jiminez made a huge difference, not only to the two offensive tackle positions but changed the whole nature of our offensive line and Joe Smith added a running dimension we lacked in 2005.

I was an unabashed Printers supporter in 2004 and 2005. I want our Leos to win and believed, over the long haul he would be a more dependable quarterback than Dickenson, was bigger, stronger, younger, and had a lot of upside. However, I wouldn't have wanted our Leos to sign Printers now either and am happy we don't have the ability to. I really haven't totally made up my mind about next season, depending on how things evolve...although I really don't relish the thought of Printers playing against us.

If Printers is still available in the off-season and wanted to come back to the CFL I believe our Leos staff would have to make an assessment based upon how this season has gone. They will have to look at Buck Pierce, how he has healed up from his injuries and how well he's played. I really like Buck Pierce as a future quarterback for our Leos. However, a worry is not that Buck has also had a lot of injuries, even though not as serious as Dickenson's, and hasn't been healthy for any long stretch.

Our Leos will also have to look at Jarious and how he has developed this season. He played a very good second half against Montreal and we will have a chance to look at him further as a starter until Buck heals up. Therefore, if Dickenson doesn't make a full recovery and has to retire or it is deemed to risky to have him as our quarterback in the future we can assess things at the end of the season. At that time we'll know if we need more quarterback depth or not.

Whatever happens from now on, I'm really happy that Dickenson was our quarterback when we won a Grey Cup. It was not only an accomplishment but a monkey off his back and he proved he could be a starter for a Grey Cup champion. Things don't look good for him at present and the odds seem against him now but who knows for sure.

However, there is often too much emotion in the Prinrters debate. There wouldn't be so much serious fuss about him, or offers from CFL teams, or interest from all of them if he wasn't a very talented quarterback, dispite the dum criticisms of his play that sometimes appear here.

Wally is showing his wisdom. He made it clear he would consider Printers and said all 8 CFL teams would. It may all be academic in that Printers may choose to go elsewhere but our Leos have to seriously consider him...as all the other CFL teams are... and some are already making offers. It has to be a rational decision in the best interest of our Leos, winning in the future and the best way to accomplish that.

I'm not concerned about future chemistry if Printers returned here in the off-season even though it would be a distraction now. Players get loyal to the players they play with and past Leo players played hard for Printers and would in the future. The big question will be how much quarterback depth to we need next season, what is Dickenson's status, if he is no longer able to play do we have enough depth with Buck and Jarious, is Buck able to be fully healed up and have a good chance of remaining healthy in the future, how well did Jarious play this year.

My personal preference would be to go with Buck and Jarious but I don't sit in the chair of the Head Coach/General Manager who has the pressure of winning or the team President in Bobby Ackles who has not only the pressure of winning but bringing in crowds. My personal preference might be the same but I may have a totally different view of things when I am responsible for winning! Much easier to sit where we are!!

The responsibility of a General Manager/Head Coach is to get the best players for his team. He can't afford to get too emotional about likes and dislikes with a player or even his own players views..because they can change and sometimes quite quickly. What he has to do is drive the amount of information he has up as much as possible to make the best assessment for our Leos future at the quarterback position. I'm confident Wally and Ackles will take considerable time to do that IF that decision does come along in the future!

[120dB]

It's time for Dickenson and Wally to sit down and have a heart to heart talk.

Dave has to make a decision here and put the interests of the club first.

I think you all know what that decision has to be. And I hope Dave makes the right decision. The time for that decision is now.

Dave has done a lot in the past but this is Here and Now.

[smphantom]

It's time for Dickenson and Wally to sit down and have a heart to heart talk.

Dave has to make a decision here and put the interests of the club first.

I think you all know what that decision has to be. And I hope Dave makes the right decision. The time for that decision is now.

Dave has done a lot in the past but this is Here and Now.

So, if Printers did come back to the Lions, would you become a season ticket holder to help put more butts in the seats?

[Blue In BC]

Why doesn't the league allow players to be retroactively placed on the 9 game IR list? This would make a whole lot of sense for a lot of teams, especially when you have concussions. The injury may not seem that serious at first so you leave the player active and then realize later that he's going to be out half the year. Now the team is on the hook for the entire salary not to mention cannot replace him with players due to cap relief. MLB allows players to be placed retroactively on the injured list. This is something the CFL should do as well.

Well, you could keep a bunch of players around so they were available if you needed them. If you didn't need them and then suggest, oh well, they were really injured and couldn't play anyway so we want to do it retroactively.

Don't you think some teams would cheat the process? If a guy is injured, usually they know he's injured and is added onto the IR.

Perhaps there should be multiple levels of 3, 6 and 9 games players could be added to as an option.

I'm not in favor of any retroactive plan.

[Hambone]

It's time for Dickenson and Wally to sit down and have a heart to heart talk.

Dave has to make a decision here and put the interests of the club first.

I think you all know what that decision has to be. And I hope Dave makes the right decision. The time for that decision is now.

Dave has done a lot in the past but this is Here and Now.

So who would benefit from that? As Dickenson has said based on recommendations from the specialist he will not be making long term decisions until he is declared fit. And that makes sense. You don't make decisions like that while your noodle is still fuzzy. He has consistently stated he wants to return to action once cleared. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a return this season is in question and I have no doubt Dickenson knows that too. Dickenson's contract is now guaranteed.

Obviously you are trying to push the Printers button yet again from a different angle by suggesting Dickenson pull the pin and retire. Doing so will do absolutely nothing to aid your incessant Printers campaign. If Dickenson retires today his salary is already guaranteed and the Lions would be on the SMS hook for that commitment. I believe under the CBA if he retires now he's ineligible to play for the rest of the season. So if next week the cobwebs clear and he's declared fit to play he can't.

Net effect is if Dickenson was to retire now it would do nothing help your fantasy of getting Printers back in BC this season. It would have the same impact on the BC SMS situation as it would if he retired after the Grey Cup. So he might as well wait until then.