9/12/2007 9:23:34 PM
Searching…

When NFL cuts roll around in late August, early September it can be a trying time of year for a CFL player. At this point in the season, there’s only a couple of teams who’s seasons are going the way that they imagined them which means new blood is in the water. On a winning team, it’s tough to argue with a successful combination. The secondary on a team that’s 7-2 would in most cases be safe from tampering, but not always. If the NFL cut is intriguing enough even a successful team would be enticed into a potential upgrade. When a player like Juran Bolden is released from the NFL even a solid secondary like Winnipeg has would be silly not to take a shot at him. His success level and track record in this league speaks for itself. A move like this for a proven player is understandable as a player because of the experience level of the player involved, bringing in CFL rookies at this time however, is completely another matter.
I’ve never coached so I can‘t pretend to know what that type of pressure is like, and I’ll probably never get into coaching for fear of ulcers and such. That being said, when under duress it’s natural to reach for the uncertain in effort to find a spark, or even that piece that you may need to your teams puzzle. From a player’s perspective however, bringing in new players at this time of year at the same position that you play, is and should be taken downright offensively. In the same way that a vet should take exception to the depth brought in to replace him in training camp, new players coming in September is no different really. Except for the fact that the new players have less time in which they need to show what they can do before they are put under the lights.
When the revolving door begins in the CFL, those who have the presence of mind to keep their jobs would do well to stay sharp, and make sure that there’s a large gap between yourself and the new players. If history in this league has told me anything, it’s that the majority of these new players coming in at this time of year are not coming in to raise the temperature on the sideline. As a veteran the last thing you want is for a coach to be able to look at your practice habits and not see much of a vast upgrade when compared to a new player at the same position. Chances are, he’s just signed a contract for much less than you currently make so it’s not really in your best interest to let those options enter the minds of management under the new SMS.
Depending on the level of severity or need of the team, these players as we’ve seen in Edmonton can be playing virtually as soon as they land in some cases. I feel ours were extreme cases though, as injuries had decimated the team. Such is not the case on all teams however, I can recall being on teams where what seemed like entire defensive backfields, and receiving corps arrived and supplanted those that had been playing prior, in a matter of days - without an injury to speak of.
The bottom line as a player is that when you’re on a team that is scratching and clawing for every inch it can get in order to get a win, that pressure and hunger for a win must be expected to affect everyone in the organization… especially higher ups. It’s important to understand both the pressure to perform that we feel as players, but also the pressure felt by those in power. To understand that pressure, is to know that when the bullets are flying it tends to become every man for themselves very quickly, which is not an inviting thought on any team. One always wants to think that his team has loyalty to him, and that he’s not being pushed out behind the scenes. While competition is healthy and should bring out the best in everyone involved, “Nobody likes to feel like they’re working with a loaded gun to their head” as coach Maciocia often says. Then again, when you’re a head coach and you can’t seem to shake the stench of losing, you’ll do whatever it takes to heal up your team dynamic.
The only cure for us players that I know of is winning. ©

KP8