I thought I'd start a discussion about the looming league-wide player movement that will flow from the December, 16th expansion draft. Here's an excerpt from wikipedia, describing the upcoming draft:
[i]"The 2013 Canadian Football League Expansion Draft is a three-round CFL draft scheduled to take place on Monday December 16, 2013. It is designed to assign players from existing CFL teams to the expansion Ottawa RedBlacks. The structure of the draft was announced on January 19, 2011, which described one round for selecting import players and two rounds for selecting non-import players. Additionally, the RedBlacks were given the last pick in each of the first four rounds of the 2013 CFL Draft and will also be given the first pick in every round of the 2014 CFL Draft.
The draft was originally planned for 2012, but with lawsuits and delays pushing the opening day of the remodeled Frank Clair Stadium back to at least 2014, the draft was postponed.
Ottawa will select three players from each of the eight existing teams for a total of 24 players. Ottawa will select eight import players and 16 non-import players with quarterbacks, kickers and punters eligible within their respective import/non-import categories. Ottawa will be able to select a maximum of two quarterbacks and one kicker/punter, but they may not select any of these three players from the same team. The CFL Commissioner will resolve any dispute related to player eligibility for the Expansion Draft process.
ROUND ONE: IMPORT DRAFT Existing teams may protect one quarterback and ten additional import players, while only being able to select, at maximum, two quarterbacks in the draft. If a quarterback is selected from a team, that team may protect an additional two non-import players in the first round of the Non-Import Draft. If a kicker or punter is selected from a team, that team may protect one additional non-import player in the first round of the Non-Import Draft. Ottawa will select one import player from each existing team in this round.
ROUND 2: NON-IMPORT DRAFT Existing teams may protect six total non-import players, including the team's one protected quarterback and one protected kicker/punter. If a quarterback was selected in the Import Draft, eight total non-import players may be protected. If a kicker or punter was selected in the Import Draft, seven total non-import players may be protected. If a non-import kicker or punter is to be selected, it must be done in this round and, if so, that team will be able to protect an additional two non-import players in the second round of the Non-Import Draft. Ottawa will select one non-import player from each existing team in this round.
ROUND 3: NON-IMPORT DRAFT Existing teams may protect six more non-import players in addition to those that were protected in the second round. If a kicker or punter was selected in the Non-Import Draft, eight more non-import players may be protected. Ottawa will select one non-import player from each existing team in this round."[/i]
Result? Come the off-season the other eight teams will be scrambling to fill at least three spots, undoubtedly quality players. So enjoy your favourite Lions guys, because some of them will get their area codes changed next year to play for the Ottawa TwoColours. By the way, what the hell was wrong with the name Renegades, arguable the second best team name in the CFL? Let's hope the Moncton expansion team's management call themselves something regionally-based, like the Atlantics, Maritimers or Seafarers.
Looking forward to the OrangeWhites playing well against the GreenYellows on Friday, who are so bad that a team coming off a 3-game losing streak against the league's top two teams will still kick their butts. Shut down Fred Stamps, keep Reilly in the pocket and who else do they really have that can beat you?
You also have to wonder how long both coaches will say with their starting QBs, in a mean-nothing game where one team is trying to regain its winning form and the other is trying to decide which players they'll invite back to training camp in 2014. For the sake of their long-suffering fans and league parity, I hope both the excruciating Eskimos and abominable Bombers get their acts together in 2014.
Dooger in Surrey :cowboy: