Opinions On Eveything

Yesterday I found out that the CFL and TSN are going to reveal the top 50 CFL'ers of all time during Grey Cup Week. This is going to be HUGE. In fact, this is something that should've been done years ago. It's better late then never though as some of the long time experts have died in recent years. Luckily for us some of them are still around but it would've been nice if the panel of experts could've included the late Jim "Shakey" Hunt and Pat Marsden. Those guys have over a hundred years of experience combined when it comes to CFL football.

Nonetheless the panel of experts are a good cross-section of former players, columnists, and broadcasters. Below I'll be giving my personal all-time roster. I'll be limiting my picks to 3 QBs, 4 receivers, 2 or 3 RBs, 5 O and D linemen, 2 LB and DBs and 2 or more special teamers.

QBs
Doug Flutie: He only played 8 years in the CFL but man did he put up some eye popping numbers! He could pass, run and use his speed to evade tacklers. He used his size to his advantage in the wide open Canadian field by almost always rolling out of the pocket. He's the only player in CFL history to win the Outstanding Player award 6 times! He was the definition of "franchise QB" as he was successful everywhere he went.

Damon Allen: The all-time leading passer in pro football history is my back up QB. The main reason is that while he was very good for a very long time he was just a model of consistency. He was never viewed as THE quarterback. In many ways his accomplishments can be viewed as a matter of playing for so long and being so good. Still, he was/is the prototypical CFL QB. He had a solid arm, could run when he had to and displayed sound football smarts over the years.

Ron Lancaster: The Little General as he was known is more then just a great head coach. He was a great QB and the face of Saskatchewan football for 16 years. Lancaster is second all-time on the career list with 3,384 pass completions, 6,233 pass attempts and 50,535 yards passing and is 2nd in all-time TDs with 333. A mark that was surpassed by Damon Allen in 2003.


receivers

Darren Flutie: The younger brother of Doug is my number 1 receiver. He was a hell of a receiver as he was the go-to guy in tough situations. He made some great catches in his career. If my memory isn't failing me I believe he caught the TD that more or less clinched the game for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the '99 Grey Cup. Flutie is tied for first all-time in most 1000 yard receiving seasons, (tied with Allen Pitts) regular season receptions with 2972 and most playoff receptions with 185.

Milt Stegall: This guy is just amazing. He's in his 12th season in the CFL and he's got a knack for making highlight reel catches at the most critical times. If he can be compared to someone in NFL lore I would say that he's got the amazing grace of Lynn Swann but with the stature among receivers of a Jerry Rice. (although he doesn't own the record books like he does) Stegall is knocking on the door to a tremendous achievement. Right now he stands at 135 TDs for his career only 2 behind the overall career TD record of ALL TIME. Yes you read that right, He is very close to being the most prolific touchdown scorer in CFL history, meaning he will be greater then any offensive player in league history in that regard.

Other records by Stegall include

• Most TD receptions in a career (132)
• Most TDs in a season (23) in 2002
• Most Yards Per Catch in a season 26.5 in 1998
• Most yards by a Bombers receiver 12,333 and growing

Don Narcisse: The prototypical CFL receiver at only 5'9 and 170 pounds Narcisse was one of the many weapons for the Saskatchewan Roughriders offense in the late 80s/early 90s. Most of the passes he caught were short passes which meant he had to use his feet to gain the extra yardage. He was quite capable of getting the 1st down in tough situations. Although most of his records have been shattered over the years he's still remembered as one of the craftier players in the league's history.

Ray Elgaard: I only saw the tail end of his career so I'm not the most educated when it comes to his greatness but he retired as the leader in all-time receptions and receiving yards. (830/13,198) He also had 8 seasons with 1000 or more yards. What I do know is this, he was a steady player with great hands and rarely dropped a pass. He was Mr. Dependable in the clutch.



RBs

Mike Pringle: He is mentioned along with George Reed (oh well just let that one out of the bag) as the greatest RB in CFL history as he holds or is tied for just about every significant record for a RB. He finished his career with 16,425 yards rushing, 20,254 total yards from scrimmage and with 137 TDs. (that mark is tied with George Reed) All these are CFL records with the latter record about to be broken this year.

Pringle in only his 3rd season became the starting RB for the Baltimore Stallions in 1994 after only being a barely used talent for the Edmonton Eskimos and Sacramento Gold Miners. He paid huge dividends in the role tho as he ran for an incredible 1,972 yards, scoring 13 TDs and amazingly enough took kickoffs by returning the ball 38 times for 814 yards!

The true measure of Pringle's greatness didn't come until 1998 at the age of 31 where he did the unthinkable. Mike Pringle became the first and only CFL RB to rush for over 2000 yards. (2065) In a league where passing is dominant, Pringle did the almost unthinkable. IMO and in the opinion of many CFL fans we won't see a feat like that for a VERY long time.

George Reed: A tough and hard hitting RB who was hugely successful in the CFL. From what I've heard about his style he was in the mold of an Earl Campbell. I know this is very little to say about a legend but as I've stated off the top the CFL should've done this kind of thing years ago and quite frankly the CFL has neglected its proud history for many years.



OL (I won't say much just mention their names. If I have a comment I'll make it)

Chris Walby: A tough and tenacious center for the Blue Bombers. He was a guy that had a defensive mentality on the field and was quite popular with his teammates. Today he attempts a poor man's Madden in the booth when calling CFL games.

Dan Ferrone: played on wildly varying Argos teams in terms of success but he was a main constant. I believe he's still the head of the CFLPA these days.

Rod Connop: was a link to the Dynasty Years of the Eskimos and bridged his way to the more or less current Eskimos culture.

Roger Aldag: Gritty, anchor of the Saskatchewan Roughriders O-line during the 1980s.

Al Wilson



DL (same as above)

Junior Ah You: He played for some great Montreal ballclubs in the 1970s. He was the cornerstone of one of the bigger front fours of the era and was known for his speed in getting to the RB.

Jearld Baylis: I remember this guy for being able to put pressure on the QB and having some good speed and agility for his size.

Jim Corrigal: Argo legend; played in the 1970s

Angelo Mosca: The heart and soul of the Hamilton Ti-Cats for so many years. He was Canada's answer to Dick Butkus as he would almost always play hurt but he was rewarded with 5 Grey Cup victories in his career. One of the enduring images in CFL history is of him holding the cup high in the air with a nasty smile on his face.

Joe Montford: His best years were spent in Hamilton and he's regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in CFL history. He's a 4 time CFL sack leader and was one of the speediest guys on the defensive side of the ball. It's a shame that his career has seemingly ended so badly as he was recently cut by the Edmonton Eskimos.



LBs

Willie Pless: Another guy I grew up watching. This guy was one hard hitting SOB! His career was just amazingly great. He was an All-Canadian 11 times, 12 time Division all-star and was outstanding defensive player of the year 5 times.

Dan Kepley: One of the key defensive players during the Eskimos glory years. He was the leader of the defensive unit for that team and deserves a lot of credit for their success on the defensive side of the ball.


DBs

Less Browne: Probably the greatest DB in CFL history. He holds the all-pro record for most INTs with 87 and interception return yards with 1,508.

Garney Henley: One of the true legends of the game. Henley left the game with 59 INTs and 900 yards on interception returns. Amazingly at age 36 he was switched to flanker and won the most outstanding player award!

Special Teams

Henry "Gizmo" Williams: This guy was a human highlight reel. He was a bundle of energy and one couldn't help but feel that through his style of play. He was primarily a punt and kick return specialist in his career but boy did he make the most out of it! Williams got the nickname from Reggie White when he was playing for the USFL's Memphis Showboats for his shiftiness on the field. Gizmo set 20 CFL records in his career and still holds the records for most yardage on KR and PR. He also still holds the record for most TDs on returns with 31. Gizmo is known for his signature flip after scoring a TD. His most famous TD would have to be the 115 yard missed FG return in the 1987 Grey Cup.

Kicker
Dave Cutler: Would you believe that he started his career at age 16? Yap, that's the truth and he became one of the most prolific kickers in CFL history. He was another key member of those great Eskimos teams in the 70s and early 80s.

punter
Bob Cameron: Old reliable bob was a fixture in Winnipeg for 23 years. Cameron is the leader in all time punting yards with an eye popping 134,301 yards. Cameron is also the CFL's iron man having played in 324 consecutive games in his career.