Rookies face tough task making CFL clubs

Brendan Taman feels for young players looking to use the CFL as a springboard to professional football.

Rookies reported to CFL training camps Tuesday, along with veterans rehabbing injuries that required surgery in 2009. Physicals and equipment fitting were on the agenda, with first official workouts set for Wednesday.

Taman, the Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager, says first-year CFL players face a daunting task.

“Oh God, yes,” he said. “New country, new city, new league, new rules and, oh, by the way you’ve got four or five days of practice before you play your first exhibition game.”

Veterans will report Saturday with two-a-day workouts starting Sunday. A week later, all eight CFL teams will play their first exhibition contest.

“They have a short mini-camp . . . then you have the vets coming in Sunday,” Taman said of the rookies. “Then you’ve got basically Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to get ready for a game. It’s like the regular season, to be honest, because you taper it down Friday and Saturday with the walk-through and you play Sunday. It’s very difficult for a young guy to come in and make an impression.”

For the first time in four or five years the vast majority of CFL rookies find themselves out of their comfort zone. No longer are they the top dogs on their university campus, instead most are relative unknowns in a strange city and country — some playing Canadian football for the first time. They’re also faced with having to battle older, more established veterans for a roster spot.

“That’s why we prefer to sign guys who’ve had a little bit of experience in an NFL camp or some pro experience somewhere because it gives them a little bit better preparation in terms knowing what to expect,” said Hamilton Tiger-Cats GM Bob O’Billovich. “We have a handful of guys who we brought in during the NFL cuts and they spent two to four weeks with us last fall.

“Some of those guys will have a bit of an idea of what it’s all about. But for the majority coming right out of college it is a big adjustment, no question.”

And time is of the essence.

CFL camps last roughly three weeks, giving first-year players precious little time to not only adjust to their new surroundings but also learn their team’s schemes and terminology. A rookie’s every move — and mistake — are captured on film and evaluated nightly by coaches who expect excellence and aren’t shy about brow-beating a first-year player in front of his peers.

There are also the physical demands of twice daily practices in blistering heat, then burning the midnight oil poring over playbooks and notes taken during film study and position meetings.

And playing time is at a premium. There are just two exhibition games before the season opens — with the second usually reserved for veterans — giving youngsters few opportunities to perform when it counts.

“It’s difficult for young guys to come in and (impress) just because of the time you have to work with them,” Taman said. “You can have a good rookie come in and have three or four days of bad practice and have an off few days and he’s done.”

Some rookies won’t even see training camp. Most CFL teams will have to make cuts this week to reach the 68-player limit.

“That’s tough when they’ve only had a couple of days to show you what they can do,”O’Billovich said. “But that’s just the way it is.

“We have to do things and move forward.”

But 2010 draft picks like Queen’s linebacker Shomari Williams, selected first overall by Saskatchewan, find themselves in a more enviable position than most other first-year players.

Those taken in the 2010 Canadian college draft — as well as Canadian junior football players — don’t count against a team’s camp roster, meaning clubs can take the full three weeks to evaluate them before deciding whether they’ll make the season-opening lineup. The Riders’ decision to take Williams first overall is a clear indication of their high regard for the six-foot-two, 245-pound Toronto native, who helped lead Queen’s to a Vanier Cup title last year.

“They, as young guys, have a huge advantage,” Taman said.

And with the Riders already being a solid club — they reached the Grey Cup last year — they’re likely to be more patient with Williams because they don’t necessarily need him to start right away. He’ll be able to contribute immediately on special teams while learning defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry’s defence.

The defending West Division-champion Riders will open camp with a veteran-laden roster. But they do have vacancies on the defensive line and in the secondary with the off-season defection of defensive ends John Chick and Stevie Baggs to the NFL and retirement of veteran defensive back Eddie Davis.

“We have some opportunities for young guys to come in and make an impact,” Taman said. “We have veteran depth for sure but if the right young guy comes along we are open for business here.”

A top priority for Taman is that his team break camp relatively unscathed.

“The main thing I always want is players to be healthy,” he said. “The last thing you need are injuries coming out of camp.

“When you get a veteran hurt in camp, that’s a devastating blow in some cases.”

O’Billovich and the Ticats also head into camp with the weight of expectation firmly on their shoulders. The squad was second in the East Division last year to earn its first home playoff game since 2001 and first playoff appearance in five seasons. However, the B.C. Lions upset Hamilton 34-27 in overtime in the East Division semifinal.

Still, the Ticats are again expected to contend in the East Division in 2010.

“Without question it will be the most competitive camp we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said O’Billovich, who became Hamilton’s GM in December 2007. “We started out in the bottom of the barrel and had to work our way up and now I think we’re going to be in a position where there’s not going to be as many question marks for new players.

“As a result I think it’s going to make things a lot more competitive and that usually brings out the best in the athletes that want it the most.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS