Lionbackers.com

Hi guys, I'm trying to get a list of 2010 CFL Free Agents... just about have them all, but am struggling with the final two Lions free agents.

You guys apparently have only five, Grice-Mullen, Valli and Foley are three.

I have narrowed it down to:

Ian Smart
Tad Crawford
Zac Champion
Jason Arakgi
Rolly Lumbala
Dan McCullough
Jeremy Gibbs

Alexis Bwenge
Jon Hameiser-Ries

Any help in narrowing it down would be great. Thanks.

Here's a full list of free agents, according to Lowell Ullrich's blog:

WEST DIVISION
B.C.
WR/KR Ryan Grice-Mullen
OL Dean Valli
DL Ricky Foley
ST Alexis Bwenge

Calgary
TB Joffrey Reynolds
DE Charlston Hughes
TE Teyo Johnson
LB Justin Phillips
K Sandro DeAngelis
TB Jon Cornish
DL Miguel Robede
OL Tim O'Neill
OL Godfrey Ellis
WR Ryan Thelwell
WR Arjei Franklin

Edmonton
CB Byron Parker
DE Kai Ellis

Saskatchewan
DT Marcus Adams
DE Stevie Baggs
RB Wes Cates
RB Hugh Charles
DB Eddie Davis
RB Stu Foord
LS Jocelyn Frenette
QB Steven Jyles
LB Tad Kornegay
CB Omarr Morgan
RG Marc Parenteau
S James Patrick
FB Chris Szarka
WR Gerran Walker

EAST DIVISION
Winnipeg
DB Jovon Johnson
OL Ryan Donnelly
P/K Alexis Serna
WR Aaron Hargraves
DB James Johnson
LS Pat McDonald
DB Steven Holness

Toronto
DE Jonathan Brown
TB Jamal Robertson
OL Taylor Robertson
KR Dominique Dorsey

Hamilton
OL Peter Dyakowski
OL Cedric Gagne-Marcoux
WR Corey Grant
S Sandy Beveridge
RB John Williams

Montreal
C Bryan Chiu
OL Paul Lambert
WR Kerry Watkins
WR Eric Deslauriers
RB Dahrran Diedrick
FB Kerry Carter
DL John Bowman
DL Keron Williams
DE Riall Johnson
LB Diamond Ferri

LU also reports in the Sunday Province that the Lions have made contract offers to Foley, Grice-Mullen and Valli and received positive feedback from all three.

I really hope we make a big push for Stevie Baggs. With the apparent rift between him and John Chick it's quite possible that the Riders don't bring Baggs back, given that Chick is under contract and Baggs is a free agent. Could you imagine having both Foley and Baggs coming off the ends? This would allow Brent Johnson to compete with Steve Williams and Aaron Hunt for the DT positions.

The_Pauser wrote:I really hope we make a big push for Stevie Baggs.

Yes to this.

I agree with The Pauser. Did Hell freeze over?

And please sign one Eddie Davis, por favor.

Hawkballer 14 wrote:

The_Pauser wrote:I really hope we make a big push for Stevie Baggs.

Yes to this.

I agree with The Pauser. Did Hell freeze over?

And please sign one Eddie Davis, por favor.

I think that the Lions should go after Jonathan Brown DE off the Argo's, he was a force all by himself two seasons ago, until he ran into an injury this past season. Also Cornish would seem to be an interesting fit for the Lions if he becomes available.

Hawkballer 14 wrote:And please sign one Eddie Davis, por favor.

Just what we need. A 37 yeard old DB to lineup beside a 38 year old safety. Davis and Miles could share Geritol and Depends.

The_Pauser wrote:This would allow Brent Johnson to compete with Steve Williams and Aaron Hunt for the DT positions.

I don't think Johnson would be a good fit at DT. He'd be a lightweight for that position for that being close to 25# lighter than hunt and 35# lighter than Williams. Brent's strengths are his quickness something easily nullified in the trenches in the middle of the line.

Hambone wrote:

The_Pauser wrote:This would allow Brent Johnson to compete with Steve Williams and Aaron Hunt for the DT positions.

I don't think Johnson would be a good fit at DT. He'd be a lightweight for that position for that being close to 25# lighter than hunt and 35# lighter than Williams. Brent's strengths are his quickness something easily nullified in the trenches in the middle of the line.

Hmm...well then cut him and throw his money towards signing Baggs, and bring in new recruits to compete for a DT position.

The_Pauser wrote:

Hambone wrote:

The_Pauser wrote:This would allow Brent Johnson to compete with Steve Williams and Aaron Hunt for the DT positions.

I don't think Johnson would be a good fit at DT. He'd be a lightweight for that position for that being close to 25# lighter than hunt and 35# lighter than Williams. Brent's strengths are his quickness something easily nullified in the trenches in the middle of the line.

Hmm...well then cut him and throw his money towards signing Baggs, and bring in new recruits to compete for a DT position.

The coaches graded Johnson as one of the team's top defenders this year, along with Korey Banks, Ricky Foley and Anton McKenzie. He was held without a sack in the second half of the season, but he equalled a career high in tackles with 39 and showed in the playoffs that he can still be a force, picking up three sacks against Hamilton and three tackles against Montreal. Johnson is an experienced and disciplined defensive end who rarely loses contain or overpursues on play action. Those qualities are often unappreciated by fans but highly respected by coaches. That, and the fact that Johnson is one of only two defensive non-import starters on a team lacking in non-import depth, suggests he's not going anywhere.

B.C.FAN wrote: The coaches graded Johnson as one of the team's top defenders this year, along with Korey Banks, Ricky Foley and Anton McKenzie. He was held without a sack in the second half of the season, but he equalled a career high in tackles with 39 and showed in the playoffs that he can still be a force, picking up three sacks against Hamilton and three tackles against Montreal. Johnson is an experienced and disciplined defensive end who rarely loses contain or overpursues on play action. Those qualities are often unappreciated by fans but highly respected by coaches. That, and the fact that Johnson is one of only two defensive non-import starters on a team lacking in non-import depth, suggests he's not going anywhere.

Johnson just turned 33. Getting closer to the end but seemingly with some mileage left on the odometer.

I agree that he would seem to be too light to play DT, listed at 271, depending on how he would be used in the scheme.

It would not surprise me if he is pencilled in as starting DE again. If not, then I expect he would be considered very valuable as a backup.

IMO ...
................

Thanks for the information on the grades, BCFAN.

Johnson, Banks, Foley and McKenzie with the best grades. Interesting. With the number of ways offences went over, under around and through our defence this year, I can only surmise that there were also some low grades for many of the defenders.

Could the old dog learn some new tricks? Perhaps a switch to a pass-rushing situational OLB?

Suggestion is that Baggs is already signed but not announced yet.

Sir Purrcival wrote:Suggestion is that Baggs is already signed but not announced yet.

I think over in Riderville they are refering to Bagg and not Baggs being already re-signed although it very well could be both.

Back to Johnson .... we're not exactly bursting with options for Canadians to be starting elsewhere if Wally elects to go with an import over Johnson at defensive end.

I've seen Jason Aragki suggested in a few threads but Wally would make him a situational player first before handing him a starter's job — the same way he has done over the years with Johnson, Glatt, Foley and Crawford. Even Pottinger was being used quite a bit in ’08 at the start of the season but obviously didn't show enough for his role to expand. So far, Aragki or Yurichuk haven't even stepped on the field, except for special teams.
And even if Miles doesn't return or the Lions don't want him back, is Tad Crawford the answer for a vulnerable secondary or should they be looking for a hard hitting import at TC?

The biggest concern with Johnson is his salary given it is based on his play 3 or 4 years ago when he was a dominant impact player. He won't be at that level again but perhaps would look a lot better with more impact DTs beside him, and more importanty, quality linebacking in a more aggresive and unpredictable scheme. The same could be said of Glatt who looked fine in Dave Ritchie's scheme with a dominant LB (Floyd) beside him.

It's really far too early for anybody to get excited about FA's. CFL free agency is rather over-rated in today's SMS world. Nobody can toss out big money. Players aren't lured away as much as deemed expendable for cap/age reasons by their former team. Because there is so little to gain financially one place versus the other teams now usually are able to retain the players they really want to keep unless their cap situation forces them to let somebody go. With free agency still over 2 months away at least half of the players on the list will already have signed extensions with their current team. You know guys like Chiu, Szarka, and Reynolds aren't going anywhere. Nearly half of the list will be 29 or older come New Year's Eve. So far I'm seeing names like Eddie Davis and Jonathan Brown mentioned here. They are football senior citizens now. You'd only have interest in them as depth players which is counter productive. You might as well have a young guy who can develop into a starting role as opposed to an aging talent as a one or two year stop-gap measure who only serves to stifle the development of a young player. A lot of the names on the list are special teams role players or career backups.

The gems I see in this group would include the following, and not necessarily in this order:
Ricky Foley of course.
Grice-Mullen - as much as some Lion fans like to dump on him he just turned 23 and does show the potential to develop into something special.
Pete Dyakoswki - Hamilton OL is only 25 and a 2 year starter.
Keron Williams - Montreal DT is also only 25 and has 18 sacks in the last 2 years. I don't think the Larks let him get away though.
Stevie Baggs - although he's bounced around enough already to wonder if this year was the norm or an anomole.

I think Williams may be the pick of the litter.

Hambone wrote: I think Williams may be the pick of the litter.

His name alone warrants consideration.