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News December 13, 2024

1st & 10 | O Canada

Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira (20) runs toward the goal line during second half CFL football game action against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Hamilton, Ont. on Friday, October 4, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power

@EdTaitWFC

Just FYI, it’s 200 days until July 1 — Canada Day — and a time when we collectively stand a little taller and boast a little louder about this absolutely spectacular country.

So, yup, what follows here as the lead item to our latest 1st & 10 column is more than just a tad premature. In fact, it’s a lot premature.

Yet, considering the book has just recently closed on the 2024 Canadian Football League season and the NFL campaign is reaching crunch time, now is as good a time as any to use this pulpit — again — to shout out the work of homegrown players on both sides of the 49th parallel.

Consider this from last week in the NFL as a starting point:

-Chuba Hubbard of Sherwood Park, Alta. and the Carolina Panthers rushed for 81 yards in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles to go over 1,000 yards — he’s now at 1,011 and counting — and become just the second Canadian to ever eclipse the 1K mark rushing in the NFL along with North Battleford, Sask. product Rueben Mayes, who had 1,353 yards for the New Orleans Saints in 1986.

-London, Ont. product Chase Brown helped the Cincinnati Bengals knock off the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night rushing 14 times for 58 yards and adding six catches for 65 yards and a TD. Brown leads the Bengals with 735 yards rushing and six TDs with four games remaining and has added 44 catches for 302 yards and three more scores.

And, of course, all this came after a CFL season in which Canadians led the league in rushing and receiving for the first time in history, with Winnipeg’s Brady Oliveira winning the rushing crown and Justin McInnis of the B.C. Lions topping the receiving charts.

It was Oliveira’s second straight rushing crown and his third straight 1,000-yard season and his 4,317 career rushing yards already ranks eighth in franchise history.

He was saluted for a second time as the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian and topped that by being named the league’s Most Outstanding Player in 2024 — becoming one of only four players to accomplish the rare MOP/Top Canadian double-winner feat along with Calgary’s Jon Cornish (2013), Tony Gabriel of the Ottawa Rough Riders (1978) and Russ Jackson, also of the Rough Riders (1963, 1966 and 1969).

Remember, the dude is just 27, too.

Let’s also take a moment to salute Nic Demski, who has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons — a year after he and Oliveira became the first two Canadians in CFL history to record 1,000-yard receiving and rushing yards for the same team in the same season — and led the Blue Bombers in receiving.

Just to reinforce how significant that is, consider this: Demski’s 1,000 yards in 2023 was the first by a Canadian Blue Bombers receiving since Gerald Wilcox in 1995 and this year’s numbers — he led the team in both receptions and yardage — was also a first by a Canadian in these parts since Wilcox in ’95.

So, bravo, gentlemen. And damn straight with glowing hearts we see thee rise.

More notes and tidbits in our second offseason instalment of 1st & 10…

ONE MORE NOTE RELATED TO THE ABOVE… The Edmonton Elks hiring of Mark Killam as their new boss last week now means there are four Canadian head coaches in the CFL and, according to league statistician Steve Daniel that’s a first in league history.

Killam, who hails from Lethbridge, Alta., joins the Blue Bombers Mike O’Shea (North Bay, Ont.), Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace (Port Moody, B.C.) and Ottawa’s Bob Dyce (Winnipeg) as the Canadian head knocks in the CFL.

Worth noting: there are now also four Canadian GMs in the CFL with Burlington, Ont. product Ted Goveia leaving the Blue Bombers to become the new GM in Hamilton. He joins Kyle Walters (St. Thomas, Ont.) of the Blue Bombers, Shawn Burke (Guelph, Ont.) of Ottawa and Danny Maciocia (Montreal, Que.) of the Alouettes.

NO WORD YET ON THE REPLACEMENTS FOR BUCK PIERCE AND GOVEIA… who have left the Blue Bombers for other opportunities in the CFL.

As we stated in this piece, it’s not just the holes their departures leave in the coaching staff and football operations departments but also the potential further purge it could leave if the pair take more staff away from Winnipeg.

Stay tuned on this because if something doesn’t happen before the holidays, replacements will soon be on board in early January.

THE CFL GAVE US ANOTHER SNEAK PEEK… at the nine team’s negotiation lists with 10 players from each team’s prospect group being unveiled on Friday.

This is a critical component to every team’s roster build and some of the players the Blue Bombers have had on this list in the past include current players Deatrick Nichols, Terrell Bonds, Michael Ayers, Kody Case and QB prospect Darren Grainger and, at one time, the team did have the CFL rights to QB Brock Purdy before he landed the starting gig with the San Francisco 49ers.

Here’s a brief look at the 10 names on the Blue Bombers latest negotiation list reveal:

-Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame: Book has been on the team’s list for a few years from his days with the Irish through his NFL journey that has taken him to New Orleans, Philadelphia, New England and, most recently, Kansas City. He was released by the Chiefs in late August.

-Haynes King QB, Georgia Tech: Made history in the Yellow Jackets epic 44-42 overtime loss to Georgia at the end of November by becoming the first player in FBS history to throw for 300 yards, rush for 100 yards and have three rushing TDs in a game against an AP Top 10 opponent.

King will be in action in the Birmingham Bowl on Friday, Dec. 27th, 2:30 p.m., against Vanderbilt.

Haynes King — photo courtesy Danny Karnik

-Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt: Yes, check out the Birmingham Bowl as both pivots in that game have their CFL rights held by the Blue Bombers. Pavia threw for 17 touchdowns against just four picks this year for Vandy and was the Conference USA Player of the Year last season while at New Mexico State. He was recently named the SEC ‘Newcomer of the Year.’

-Chase Atropeus, QB, Tennessee Chattanooga: Led his school to a 7-5 record in 2024, including throwing for two TDs and running for another in a win over Austin Peay in the regular-season finale in late November.

-Mark Gronowski, QB, South Dakota State: Another pivot who has been on the team’s neg list for a long spell. Gronowski has helped lead the Jackrabbits to the last two FCS national championship titles and has SDSU poised to win another. They host Incarnate Word on Saturday in a national quarterfinal.

Mark Gronowski — photo courtesy South Dakota State University Athletics

–LaJohntay Wester, WR, Colorado: Has posted sensational numbers this year with the Buffaloes, pulling in 70 passes for 880 yards and 10 TDs — second on the team to  Heisman Trophy candidate Travis Hunter. Colorado meets BYU in the Alamo Bowl on December 28th.

-Eric Garror, DB, Louisiana: First team All-Sun Belt in 2022 and also served as a punt returner during his days with the Rajin’ Cajuns. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans in 2023 and then with the Seattle Seahawks this year. He was released in October.

–Tay Gowan, DB Central Florida: Former sixth-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals who has also had NFL looks from Philadelphia, Minnesota and Tennessee. He was among the Titans final cuts in August.

Tay Gowan — photo courtesy Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire

–Anderson Hardy, OL, Appalachian State: Released from the Miami Dolphins practice squad at the end of October. Has also had NFL stints with Pittsburgh and K.C. He played tackle at App State and some centre with the Chiefs and was projected as a guard coming out of college, where he was an All-Sun Belt selection.

-Malik Fisher, DL, Villanova: A 6-4, 265-pound end who starred at Villanova, where he earned First Team All-CAA in 2020, Second Team in 2021, and Third Team in 2019. He had seven sacks with the DC Defenders in the XFL, tied for second in the league, and was signed by the Houston Texans this summer before being released in September.

‘TIS THE SEASON… for year-end polls and lists and jump in here to vote in our Plays of the Year contest.

AND FINALLY… this is the last 1st & 10 column of the year — thanks so much for reading — with the next instalment coming in early January.

So let’s end with a couple of notes from Sergio Castillo, because everyone could use a dose of the Blue Bombers energetic kicker once in a while.

First, Castillo’s response to a CFL tweet asking fans which receivers they want their teams to sign in free agency:

And, second, Castillo returned to Winnipeg last weekend to host a free kicking camp: