Harvin is back disguised as Rainey!!!

[DRU2012]

Yeah, I get sick of hearing "from THE Ohio State University", or "THE University of Southern Claifornia"--and of course HATE " The U!-niversity of Miami" MOST OF ALL!!! Need more "University of Florida 'Fightin' Gators!' " around the league, announcing their names and graduating school at the top of featured night games on national TV.

 

[Escambia94]

I am okay with a simple "Florida". One word says it all.

 

[DRU2012]

I am okay with a simple "Florida". One word says it all.

Can't argue with THAT.

 

[GainesvillebornNraised]

rainey is doing a good job getting his NFL stock up if he keep this up he'll be a 3rd rounder at latest and play a dexter mccluster type role

 

[DRU2012]

He keeps this up, he'll go higher than THAT. Could get invited to New York by that "Downtown Athletic Club", at this rate. I'd call him a "steal" as a 3rd-rounder NOW. May be slotted as a kind of cross between old (NY Giants') Joe Morris-type RB crossed-with-Rocket Ishmael-style multi-threat--but quicker, faster, and more elusive than EITHER (yes, those ARE 3 different things).

 

[Escambia94]

I'm glad you mentioned Joe Morris. Here are some of the smallest NFL running backs and a quick snippet of how they did in the NFL. Note that Chris Rainey is 5'9" 174 lbs. Jeff Demps 5'7" 191 lbs.

• Darren Sproles - 5'6" - 190 lbs - 4th round draft pick - 1,161 rushing yards - 22 TDs rushing - 7,496 return yards
• Warrick Dunn - 5'9" - 180 lbs - 1st round draft pick - 10,967 rushing yards - 49 TDs
• Charlie Garner - 5'9" - 187 lbs - 2nd round draft pick - 7,097 yards - 39 TDs
• Brian Westbrook - 5'8" - 200 lbs - 3rd round draft pick - 6,194 rushing yards - 38 rushing TDs - 3,915 receiving yards - 30 receiving TDs
• Napoleon Kaufman - 5'9" - 185 lbs - 1st round draft pick - 4,792 rushing yards - 12 TDs
• Stump Mitchell - 5'9" - 188 lbs - 9th round draft pick - 10,000+ all purpose yards
• Joe Morris - 5'7" - 195 lbs - 2nd round draft pick - 5,585 rushing yards - 50 TDs
• Darrin Nelson - 5'9" - 188 lbs - 1st round draft pick - 4,442 rushing yards - 18 rushing TDs - 2,559 yards receiving - 5 receiving TDs
• Dave Meggett - 5'7" - 190 lbs - 5th round draft pick - 3,708 punt return yards - 5,556 kick return yards - 1,684 rushing yards - 3,308 yards receiving - 114 yards passing - 31 TDs total
• Bruce Harper - 5'8" - 174 lbs - undrafted - 5,407 yards kick returns - 1,829 rushing yards - 2,409 receiving yards

 

[DRU2012]

Yeah--and he's looking more and more like a Westbrook or even Warrick Dunn-type guy...on the other hand, for eg. Megget went that low, I forgot...but even with fewer rushing yards, which MAY be how today's pass-happy (let's face it: pass-HEAVY) NFL-thinking dictates how he is thought of, if you knew you could get someone with those kind of moves and speed NOW, you'd think it'd be a good move to jump on him a LOT sooner, right?

 

[CaliZona_Gator]

He could also go to the slot in the NFL. That's where Meyer had him last year to start. Also, look at Woodhead of the Patriots.

 

[FrozenGator]

I know this is probably mean of me, but I'm hoping the NFL has a complete brain-freeze and forgets to draft him. That way, there's a chance he'll wind up playing for us here in Winnipeg. He and Dustin Doe could get some sweet FrozenGator chomps going.

Of course, there's no chance of that; Rainey's one of the fastest players I've ever seen at the position.

 

[DRU2012]

I know this is probably mean of me, but I'm hoping the NFL has a complete brain-freeze and forgets to draft him. That way, there's a chance he'll wind up playing for us here in Winnipeg. He and Dustin Doe could get some sweet FrozenGator chomps going.

Of course, there's no chance of that; Rainey's one of the fastest players I've ever seen at the position.

Didn't know Doe was in Winnipeg...what other Gators are up there (not just the Bombers, but in the CFL in general)?

 

[Escambia94]

He could also go to the slot in the NFL. That's where Meyer had him last year to start. Also, look at Woodhead of the Patriots.

Hmmm. 5'8", 195. Good call.

 

[FrozenGator]

Didn't know Doe was in Winnipeg...what other Gators are up there (not just the Bombers, but in the CFL in general)?

I've been trying to keep track of them on the Gators in the NFL thread. but I'll recap:
Dustin Doe - Winnipeg Blue Bombers (btw, that's the team you should all cheer for... in spirit, even if you never see a game)
Dallas Baker - Saskatchewan Roughriders
Dee Webb - Toronto Argonauts (injured)

Chris Leak was recently released by Saskatchewan, and I think he's going to try his hand at coaching. Too bad, really, because I don't think he ever got a fair chance.

That's where we're at this year.

 

[InkedAdrenaline]

Do they make alot of money in the cfl like the NFL?

 

[DRU2012]

Do they make alot of money in the cfl like the NFL?

FrozenGator can tell us a lot more about that, obviously, but as I recall (and if it hasn't changed) there is a kind of scaled system, with more flexibility in the "no-limit/special arrangements" allowed for American players...at the same time each team must have a certain minimum portion of their roster be Canadian players. If a particular team has the money and can arrange it, though, they can and over the years HAVE brought in high-profile American players when they graduate. It's often a situation where there is some controversy, as with Doug Flutie--who of course was thought too small by the NFL, but who quickly became an absolute STAR in the CFL, as I remember it, before finally getting a chance in the NFL (with the Patriots?), and having a certain level of success there on the back-end of his career. Then there was Warren Moon, who was a record-breaking top-QB for a BUNCH of years with the Edmonton Eskimoes, I think, a nice CAREER for many guys, then he went on to repeat that success with the (then) Houston Oilers in the NFL. Both QBs made what was "big money" for the CFL, but probably doubled or tripled that with their first NFL contracts after coming over--and did better still once they proved themselves that 2nd time...Still, they neither get those chances nor the larger paychecks in the FIRST place without the opportunity and experience of playing "Up North".
Finally, there HAVE been notable special cases, like with Rocket Ishmael, back in the late 80's I believe (?): I forget all the details, but for a number of reasons, some personal (I remember him saying he liked the way folks treated him up there, "cause they look at these..." pointing at his eyes, "...instead of THIS", pointing at the skin on his face and arms), some situational and yes, financial (he would have been the first pick in the NFL Draft that year, but there was some problem with him wanting too go to certain teams AND expecting a certain minimum value and length of contract), and when the Toronto Argonauts stepped up with what was (for then) a big bonus-and-pay, relatively short-term (one year?) contract to play up there, he surprised the NFL and the sports world in general by jumping to the CFL. I forget the amounts, but it WAS millions, which was pretty well unheard of before then in the CFL.

 

[FrozenGator]

Do players make the same money as in the NFL? - No way. Not even close. There are players on the practice rosters of some NFL teams who make as much as starters in the CFL. Teams in the CFL don't publish salaries, but it's generally believed that a "franchise player" would be able to earn about $300K per season.

There is a requirement that a certain number of players on the field at any given time be designated "non-imports." This means Canadian citizens, athletes from Canadian schools, or players who spent a certain amount of their pre-adult years in Canada.

Pre-salary cap days (yes, the CFL didn't have a salary cap for many years), teams bought championships. Rocket Ismail was brought in for what was then a record-breaking salary of 1.2 million in 1991.
Warren Moon won 5 consecutive Grey Cups with the Eskimos, and it is widely believed (and said by him) that if it wasn't for the CFL, he probably would never have gotten a chance in the NFL as a black QB.
Doug Flutie won championships wherever he went. After the CFL, he went to San Diego and then Buffalo and then the Patriots, and he worked what we called the "Flutie magic" throughout the league. It was awesome to cheer for him.
Jeff Garcia was Flutie's backup in Calgary, by the way... He did alright for himself.
Mike Reily (current coach of Oregon State Beavers) was a beloved coach here in Winnipeg. Sends us his best all the time.

Of course, you can also have players like Ricky Williams who played in the CFL when he was suspended by the NFL who absolutely sucked up here. The game is very different for many players, and it takes a bit to adjust to the speed, size, and rules.

Some players do look at the CFL as the NFL's "farm league" but those players don't usually last in the CFL for very long because the attitude shows on the field. Fans of the league are very particular about how the players treat the CFL. It's like how SEC fans are about the SEC; if a player in the SEC was just looking forward to transferring to the Big 12 or something, we'd all think he was an idiot.

I love the CFL. I also love watching the Gators. I watch the Packers, too. There's absolutely no sense in comparing them in terms of which is better, because they're very different games. If you'd like to know more, I'm happy to explain a few of the finer points of the game, but I won't distract from this topic.

Oh, and Brandon James plays for the Edmonton Eskimos, last time I checked.

Thanks for indulging my Canadian-ness. I appreciate it.

 

[Escambia94]

I like Canadian football. It's faster paced. I also like Australian football. My preference is in this order: NCAA football, CFL, Australian, then NFL. I know. It's blasphemy, but I am tired of the boring offenses. I'm tired of the roster changing every year. I'm tired of people talking about fantasy football instead of actual NFL.

 

[FrozenGator]

I like Canadian football. It's faster paced. I also like Australian football. My preference is in this order: NCAA football, CFL, Australian, then NFL. I know. It's blasphemy, but I am tired of the boring offenses. I'm tired of the roster changing every year. I'm tired of people talking about fantasy football instead of actual NFL.

An AFL fan, eh? My friend, you have found a special place in my frozen heart. I'm CFL, NCAA, AFL, then NFL. Oddly, by purely by coincidence, I cheer for the Bombers in the CFL and AFL. And as far as blasphemies go, I have you beat: I do not like professional hockey in any way.

I also wind up having to download most of my AFL and NCAA games...

 

[Escambia94]

Semi pro hockey is awesome. Minor league baseball is good. I have to download all my sports as well, American, Canadian, or Australian because I travel a lot. That might include Japan, Korea, or even Afghanistan.

 

[DRU2012]

An AFL fan, eh? My friend, you have found a special place in my frozen heart. I'm CFL, NCAA, AFL, then NFL. Oddly, by purely by coincidence, I cheer for the Bombers in the CFL and AFL. And as far as blasphemies go, I have you beat: I do not like professional hockey in any way.

I also wind up having to download most of my AFL and NCAA games...

Actually, this is a response to both you AND E- on this subject: I'd put MY order-of-preference the same--SEC/NCAA, CFL, AFL (when I can get it here--we get over 800 channels here at my house and if it wasn't for the "search-and-record" feature I doubt I'd find the few games that are carried amongst the 70 odd sports channels available to me on this system!), and the NFL an almost-afterthought last (don't get me started on THAT subject!). I like everything about the differences in the CFL: the game is really balanced for the style and the players--longer, wider field, deep endzones, 3 downs to get 10, motion towards the line from the backfield BEFORE the snap, greater emphasis on the kicker and the kicking game and "the rouge" 1-point play (that's another place the deep endzones, along with allowing all kinds of passing plays deep in the redzone, comes into play)...even the names, including TWO teams (out of nine? Can't remember more...) almost but NOT named the same, and so on. Let's see, we're what, maybe 4 weeks from your Thanksgiving and 8 or so from the Grey Cup? Meanwhile, it's goin' over 100 degrees (high 30s, Celcius) still where me and Escambia live, down here in South-Central Texas (E- in San Anton', myself in Austin). Like anything else (including snow and long winters, as I recall), ya get used to it.

(Oh yeah, and regarding Ricky Williams--and having lived here in Austin during the time when he was the beloved Heisman-winning RB with the UT Longhorns, I have been inescapably exposed to every detail of his public "saga"--in addition to his then all-pervasive lackadaisical attitude, we now know that he was consuming massive quantities of cannibis during that period of his life, not exactly a motivational plus, nor known for its performance-enhancing qualities in violently physical regimens like professional football--which, much as it may have made him an offbeat, introspectively interesting guy who "marched to the beat of a different drummer", no doubt ALSO made him a frustrating failed investment and a lousy player to BOOT...Here's a strange and weird fact, though: did you know that he is by now approaching somewhere in excess of 9,000 yards as an NFL runner, putting him somewhere in or at least near the top 5 runners in the HISTORY of The League, at least in terms of yardage?--and he only came back mostly because he would have owed the Dolphins and the league more than $8 million in unearned pay and fines had he not; imagine what he might have done if he'd gone after a career in a timely and determined manner--but such was not his way, to say the least)

 

[FrozenGator]

Hah! DRU, you brought up that one thing that so many Canadian NFL-only fans mention: the two "Riders" teams. See: Ottawa Rough Riders were named after the loggers who rode the timber down the river, and were a part of the original CFL. The Saskatchewan Roughriders were named after cavalry groups like Roosevelt's Roughriders, and kept the name when their league joined the CFL. So... yeah, we had two teams with almost the same name. I thought it was cool that neither team was willing to sacrifice their history (the Sask Riders have been around 103 years, now).

I should have just started a "Why the CFL is awesome" thread....