Free agent fizzle?

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This article was published 16/01/2010 (6033 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are without a GM or head coach and the doors to the Canadian Football League free agent market swing open in less than a month.

So, as a critical time in every team’s attempt to upgrade its talent nears, this question is being asked across the CFL by agents, players and rival executives: what the heck is going on with the Bombers?

Two agents with CFL connections who spoke to the Free Press this week hinted their clients are a little leery of the Bombers — ditto the Toronto Argonauts — what with their football operations departments still sporting key vacancies. And while the Bombers, for one, have indicated they’d like to have those jobs filled by the end of the month — a full two weeks before free agency is officially scheduled to begin on Feb. 15 — there’s no secret most of the negotiating is done well in advance of the market opening.

So, just what is being done on Maroons Road to prepare for free agency, to field potential trade offers and work to patch holes in a squad that has already lost three players to the NFL (Jonathan Hefney, Dudley Guice and Derrick Doggett) and has significant needs after missing the playoffs?

“It’s full speed ahead, but we’re kind of riding with a three-cylinder engine right now instead of a six-cylinder,” said Bombers director of player personnel John Murphy Friday before heading to Orlando for next week’s Shrine Game, followed by the Senior Bowl and the Texas vs. The Nation Game. “Things are constantly fluid and changing no matter what the situation with other seats that aren’t currently filled here.

“We have to make sure the best information is available for those people for when they are here.”

To that end, Murphy and interim vice-president of football operations Ross Hodgkinson — both candidates for the vacant football ops job — have been instrumental in getting two key players, kicker Alexis Serna and cornerback Jovon Johnson, to re-sign. They also continue to field calls about possible trades and adjusted the negotiation list.

But that stop-gap approach doesn’t help make the Bombers appealing to would-be free agents.

“I can understand that, but I’ll take a different angle,” said Murphy. “It doesn’t matter who is going to be here, the opportunity is here. The track record is here: we just had three guys signed by NFL teams plus we had a lot of younger guys have an opportunity to earn and win jobs over veteran players here last year. To me, that makes this a very attractive place to come play this season no matter what the rest of it is.

“Besides, players are never going to have control over who a vice-president or coach is going to be. It’s an issue if they want to make it an issue, but Jovon signed here because of the opportunity and the organization. It was the same with Alexis Serna.

“But, yes, at a certain point as the clock ticks we have to start formulating what this roster will look like to present the next group of people or the current group of people the best options they can have when they get here.”

Murphy didn’t think the team would be as big a player in free agency as it was a year ago when it brought aboard Steve Morley, Glenn January, Shawn Gallant and Luke Fritz while losing Alex Gauthier, Dominic Picard, Kyle Koch and Graeme Bell all within a couple of weeks of the market’s opening. He also hopes they can find replacements for Hefney and Doggett.

“We’re built right now to have a lot of what we lost covered internally,” said Murphy. “I’m also one to believe in the salary-cap adage that if you compensate with your own and have your guys step up the way a Jonathan Hefney did… that’s better than rewarding somebody else’s player with a boatload of money. Then you start creating chemistry issues and money issues for your salary cap over a long period of time.

“Remember, we had a short window last year (between him coming aboard and the start of free agency) and we still got a lot of things done. I’m pretty confident that if the same scenario took place… we’ll have good people in here who have worked in this league and have tangible ideas.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

A free agent

TOP 10

Free Press football writer Ed Tait ranks his Top 10 CFL free agents (free agency begins on Feb. 15):

1. Andy Fantuz, WR, Saskatchewan Roughriders — A Canadian who could become one of the all-time greats if he stays healthy.

2. Rickey Foley, DE, B.C. Lions — Tied for lead-league in QB sacks and, as a homegrown, is a ratio changer.

3. Sandro DeAngelis, PK, Calgary Stampeders — Money kicker.

4. Byron Parker, CB, Edmonton Eskimos — Shut-down corner a must in every defence.

5. Kerry Watkins, WR, Montreal Alouettes — Five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and 37 TDs playing catch with Anthony Calvillo.

6. Wes Cates, RB, Saskatchewan Roughriders — Numbers were down in ’09 and he is 30, but still a beast.

7. Stevie Baggs, DE, Saskatchewan Roughriders — Likely to command big money; recorded 12 sacks.

8. Diamond Ferri, LB, Montreal Alouettes — Undersized, but packs a wallop.

9. Dominique Dorsey, RB/KR, Toronto Argonauts — Still only 26. Kick-return dynamo who can add some spice to an offence as well.

10. Keron Williams, DT, Montreal Alouettes — Only 25 years old, but a future star if he stays in this league.