CFL News - Secondary Concerns

In what will come as a surprise to many, I'm going to devote today's blog entry to actual CFL news (for the second time in as many posts). This week there were several stories across the league coming from the defensive backfield.

Cody signs with AAFL
In yet another case of "They'll do anything to get out of Hamilton", Tay Cody apparently signed a contract with the newly formed All-American Football League despite having 2 years left on his contract with the Ti-Cats. It sends a pretty strong message about how a player feels about his team when he throws contractual obligation to the wind and signs with a league that hasn't even filled all of the teams' rosters let alone played a game. There has been no word yet on whether the Ti-cats will pursue legal action to keep Cody in the CFL, but both the team and the league need to stand up for themselves before the situation escalates. Perhaps the Ti-cats are hoping that the AAFL will fold long before this even becomes an issue. Given that former Argo castoff Eric Crouch is currently the AAFL's biggest name player, maybe that's not such a bad plan.

Boulay sign with Jets
The NY Jets have always had a keen interest in taking a look at the best the CFL has to offer. In recent years they have auditioned Ricky Ray, Kenton Keith and Matt Dominguez. Now they are adding another Canadian hero to the list with the signing of Montreal safety Etienne Boulay. I have trouble seeing the logic in this move. When the Jets tried out Keith, Ray, and Dominguez they were arguably the best in the league at their respective spots. Although Boulay is a good safety, I would think there's other defensive backs who are better. I wonder if the Jets realize that "Gibson's Finest Canadian Player" isn't an official league award so much as online poll put on by whiskey makers (and judging by this year's nominees, they're not only the makers of whiskey, they're also clients).

Now the Alouette's are faced with not only finding a new Canadian safety (a tough spot to fill, I know) but also they must find a player to help meet their quota of players with French names.

Cox signs with Als
While one Alouette is trying his luck elsewhere, another is deciding to stay put. One of the biggest potential free-agents was taken off the market last week when the Alouettes re-signed Chip Cox to a 2 year plus an option deal worth $100,000 per season. Jim Popp wisely decided to lock up one of the league's most talented young DBs. I guess in football, as in life, when you've got a good Cox you don't let any other guys get their hands on it.

While this is the largest contract Chip has ever signed, something tells me it's not the first time that Jim Popp has offered $100k for Cox.