In two seasons of having him has SirVincent Rogers played one game with the Eskimos? Seems like he's been on the injured list constantly.
Isn't Ellingson in some legal trouble right now? I wonder if that may have helped play a part in signing Walker and moving on.
Well nobody played a game in his second season for us. It was a torn tricep in training camp if I remember correctly which is typically up to 6 months for rehab. Doesn't mean he's a band aid, but had a serious injury that cost him that first season. That said, he's now 35 going on two full years without playing a snap so I wouldn't invest a ton on him being overly effective this year.
It was for DUI after the week after the Grey Cup here where he refused to blow. I think it's been dismissed so there shouldn't be anything holding him up from resigning legally, but it's a bit of a stain on his character.
Criminal charge against star CFL receiver Greg Ellingson dropped - 3DownNation Yes, I think you nailed it. He plead guilty to a lesser charge and insisted that the reason he didn't "blow" was due to a football injury (yeh, o.k.) but well... as you say it does say something about character and perhaps this influenced the Eskimos' thinking. According to this article he was told multiple times by police to stop and then had to be pursued and apprehended. He might still return to the club though.
The Eskimo website has 21 players listed as defensive backs and 10 at linebacker. Of course this hasn't been updated in a while. I see Ellingson is still listed here. In looking over the names (and assuming that they are coming back even after the list is updated) and I really like both our offensive and defensive lines. The two lines are a good mix of proven veterans and some younger guys who have shown real promise. Only 4 arms in camp this year? I'm sure they'll add one more. Kilgore fans will note that he is still on the list.
I think the website still lists a lot of free agents that the Esks still have the rights to for a few more weeks.
Yes that makes perfect sense. Out of the 21 guys listed at DB, you know that Mincy and Rose are locks back there and they are both signed through 2022. Everybody else is a prospect/suspect given our defensive backfield woes of the last decade.
The CFL could opt for a different rollout Have early games in the schedule be at outdoor stadiums, Commonwealth perfect for this, remove all the tarps and have a distanced crowd of 15K people outdoors. This would be summer when infections are very low in July and August. The CFL could have West teams play only west clubs the first few weeks, and only at one proper stadium like Commonwealth, and Riders and Stamps fans travel here anyway to watch games. Not sure where they would play in the east. Outdoor large stadiums rock. We have the perfect venue solution for this.
In the every changing Covid world, July/August seems like years away. Don't know what to believe anymore. Yesterday Jr said we should all be vaccinated by Sept, now Ontario says they might start vaccinating the Tier 3 group in August. Alberta said they can do 200K/week starting in March, which would mean everyone that likely wants one has it by June. All over the map.
I have a feeling the CFL will have a shortened schedule that will likely start in the fall. Maybe 8 games or so. In a league that depends more than others on gate revenue, with general population vaccinations projected till summer to early fall, I don't see how they can function with mostly empty seats till then. (Toronto excepted )
But the wild card in all that is the availability of vaccines to be given. Alberta could very well be primed and ready to do 200,000/week by March, but it won't matter if the supply isn't there.
Alberta also enquiring if they can buy vaccine as a province as well, to speed up process of vaccination for Albertans. I doubt the feds are going to allow that.
The Feds just yesterday said go for it if provinces want to make their own side deals. The provinces and certainty not this one won't, no chance in the world. The Fed bashing is funny round these parts, they are funding almost every thing to do with this crisis. Paying and procuring the vaccines, all sorts of job subsidies, huge grants to provinces for their covid expenses. They have let the provinces decide their own strategies for mitigation measures, they are letting the provinces decide their vaccine roll out strategies.
I'm not an expert by any means, but I believe it is the Feds responsibility first and foremost to supply the provinces with vaccine. The provinces have their own responsibilities in this, such as setting lockdown procedures or restrictions (mitigation measures as you called it), as well as distribution of the vaccines. The frustrating thing in this though, is when one party criticizes the other for not not doing their job, and then gets exposed not even a week later, as we find out the Feds are not keeping up their end of the bargain. The provinces are not supposed to be the ones going out to get the product, but it would appear they may not have a choice, given the inability of the Feds to do their part.
Translated: We screwed up and can't get you what you need in time, so now it's up to you to get what you can.