CFL: Retirements and veterans released early

[Blue In BC]

Something to keep track of players retiring, getting suspended or veterans released in the early days of rookie TC and main TC

Hamilton:

Grant MacDonald retired
Bralon Addision was released.

Edmonton:

Don Olumba released

Winnipeg:

Robbie Lowes  retired.

[DM83]

Tough one for Mr. Lowes. I bet he would have been a great special teams guy.  **** injuries!

[Blue In BC]

Hamilton: Releases Jake Burt

Calgary: Mike Moore decided to retire after signing with the Stamps in free agency.

[pjrocksmb]

What's the story on Addison? Injury woes?

[TecnoGenius]

What's the story on Addison? Injury woes?

Ya, inquiring minds want to know.  Addison goes from top-3-in-league SB to a zero after that first GC loss.  What a shame.  No one ever said a bad word about him and everyone wanted him on their team.

It's the go-to-NFL-to-become-a-zero curse.  Should have just stayed in the CFL.

[Blue In BC]

Ya, inquiring minds want to know.  Addison goes from top-3-in-league SB to a zero after that first GC loss.  What a shame.  No one ever said a bad word about him and everyone wanted him on their team.

It's the go-to-NFL-to-become-a-zero curse.  Should have just stayed in the CFL.

I haven no real idea about that. I took it to be an SMS move needed but that was just speculation. We'll see if he gets signed elsewhere ( Edmonton ) lol?

[the paw]

He had surgery for a ruptured Achilles last year. I think it's pretty clear that he hasn't passed his physical this year, and given that he has only played 11 games over the last 2 years, the TiCats want to move on. 

[pjrocksmb]

He had surgery for a ruptured Achilles last year. I think it's pretty clear that he hasn't passed his physical this year, and given that he has only played 11 games over the last 2 years, the TiCats want to move on. 

Sure hope he can get healthy, such a good player at 1st.

[M.O.A.B.]

https://www.thespec.com/sports/ticats/opinion/2023/05/11/it-just-kind-of-hurt-bralon-addison-released-by-ticats.html

Its about reduced salary but Addison wont oblige.

[Blue In BC]

Ottawa:

OL T. Vaughn
WR L. Durant

[Blue In BC]

https://www.thespec.com/sports/ticats/opinion/2023/05/11/it-just-kind-of-hurt-bralon-addison-released-by-ticats.html

Its about reduced salary but Addison wont oblige.

A 50% cut and the TiCats didn't budge either.

[Pigskin]

Hamilton offered him $70,000 and $15K housing? Slap in the face.

[Blue In BC]

Hamilton offered him $70,000 and $15K housing? Slap in the face.

Basically an ELC offer + housing. His contract was set at $142K for this season. Should have been some middle ground.

[the paw]

Basically an ELC offer + housing. His contract was set at $142K for this season. Should have been some middle ground.

Didn?t we do something similar with Brandon Alexander?s new contract last year?  I seem to remember reading that he got a below market rate for 2022 in recognition that he would miss most of the year, but then full value for 2023.

I can see why Hamilton would want to manage their risk, the guy has barely played the last 2 years and won?t be able to start the season this year.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Ottawa:

OL T. Vaughn
WR L. Durant

Wow Lemar Durant retires at 30, he had a good level of skill for a Natl. but never really established himself as a consistent starter in Calgary, BC or Hamilton.

[ModAdmin]

Wow Lemar Durant retires at 30, he had a good level of skill for a Natl. but never really established himself as a consistent starter in Calgary, BC or Hamilton.

He had one decent year year in 2019 with the Lions.  He never played a full season with any CFL team.  Many other National players were far, far superior to him.  "Good level of skill for a Natl." is a stretch.  My feeling is that he was less than average at best.  Don't mean to be overly harsh but I never understood the hype about him.

[DM83]

On to real life.

[KINGCHARLES]

He had one decent year year in 2019 with the Lions.  He never played a full season with any CFL team.  Many other National players were far, far superior to him.  "Good level of skill for a Natl." is a stretch.  My feeling is that he was less than average at best.  Don't mean to be overly harsh but I never understood the hype about him.

Weird Durant is similar to Addison, one good/amazing year in 2019 and injury prone.

[the paw]

He had one decent year year in 2019 with the Lions.  He never played a full season with any CFL team.  Many other National players were far, far superior to him.  "Good level of skill for a Natl." is a stretch.  My feeling is that he was less than average at best.  Don't mean to be overly harsh but I never understood the hype about him.

Durant was a physically gifted receiver, who dropped in the draft because of poor interviews and questions about his attitude or motivation.

Calgary was bringing him along slowly, but in 2019 he finally lived up to potential in BC.  Why he couldn't sustain that, or his proneness to injury are questions beyond my ken. 

As to the hype, the only other receiver of note in that draft class was Demski.  The Bombers passed on Durant in favour of the luminous talent of Addison Richards.

I think it is fair to characterize Durant's career as disappointing, but the kid had all the tools to be a top level receiver.

[Horseman]

Stove was released by BC, is he worth bringing in for a look see too determine if his play has dropped off?

[Blue In BC]

Stove was released by BC, is he worth bringing in for a look see too determine if his play has dropped off?

He wasn't expected to be able to play in most or all of 2023. Whether he would fully recover by 2024 is still a question I guess. Could sign him to a 2 year deal with him retiring immediately. That would allow him to return to the team at some point? As long as there is no signing bonus that could be a win win for his future.

[ModAdmin]

DownNation
@3DownNation
2h
B.C. Lions release two-time Grey Cup champion DL Steven Richardson

https://3downnation.com/2023/05/13/b-c-lions-release-two-time-grey-cup-champion-dl-steven-richardson/

[Jesse]

Stove was released by BC, is he worth bringing in for a look see too determine if his play has dropped off?

No way in hell. Unfortunately, injuries have derailed his career.

[Blue In BC]

Ottawa released DL Davon Coleman. Might be worth a call to his agent.

[kkc60]

Ottawa released DL Davon Coleman. Might be worth a call to his agent.

now that i could get behind

[Pete]

Ottawa released DL Davon Coleman. Might be worth a call to his agent.

We need to get younger at some positions especially on the defensive line..the two Jeffs and Thomas all 32. Adding Coleman would add another 32 yr old. Also Coleman didn't resign with Ottawa  til April , if we wanted him likely we could have done so earlier.

[TecnoGenius]

Basically an ELC offer + housing. His contract was set at $142K for this season. Should have been some middle ground.

They should have ELC'd him with massive incentives for yard/TDs etc.  He might have gone for that.  I think teams are shying away from the pricier guys when they start Nevising and Stoveing.  Can't tie up your whole SMS on guys in the tub.

A better question is why are the superb guys getting injured so much with these career-enders?  I don't recall this being as frequent a decade ago...

[TecnoGenius]

Don't mean to be overly harsh but I never understood the hype about him.

Ya, I never got the Durant hype either.  I think that's what it was: all hype.  Poof, hype is gone and he fades into oblivion.  Glad we never wasted money on the guy.

[Blue In BC]

Bombers released DB's:

Noah Hallett and C Lavigne

Lots of new Canadian DB's fighting for those spots.

Also released import receiver Heiligh, a late 2022 PR player.

Hamilton suspended:

J. Davis and S. Small. I wonder what that's about?

Elks suspended:

LB K. Francis

[DM83]

Long term injuries like a failed medical?

[Blue In BC]

Long term injuries like a failed medical?

Francis had requested a trade due to not being able to re-negotiate his contract. Not sure if any of the 3 suspensions had injuries but they could have been 1 game IR's as veterans IIRC.

[the paw]

Ya, I never got the Durant hype either.  I think that's what it was: all hype.  Poof, hype is gone and he fades into oblivion.  Glad we never wasted money on the guy.

Yeah, I am glad we were shrewd enough to pass on him for Addison Richards....

https://www.cfl.ca/players/addison-richards/161508/

Have you considered employing slightly more objective criteria in player evaluation than your gut feeling?

Durant's best year was 800 yards receiving.  Addison Richards best year was 12 yards.  That's not a typo...

[ModAdmin]

Hamilton Tigercats placed all-star defensive lineman Ja'Gared Davis and American kicker Seth Small.

Davis just recently signed with Hamilton.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Hamilton Tigercats placed all-star defensive lineman Ja'Gared Davis and American kicker Seth Small.

Davis just recently signed with Hamilton.

I knew they couldn't keep them all, the Ti-Cats D-line is absolutely stacked with talent.

[Pete]

I knew they couldn't keep them all, the Ti-Cats D-line is absolutely stacked with talent.

I wouldn't read too much into the suspension yet, often times at training camp with vets it just for a family issue  ie a wedding etc.

[TecnoGenius]

Noah Hallett and C Lavigne

Tough injury breaks for Noah.  Strings of bad luck and we couldn't keep giving him chances.  They actually tried harder than usual on him.

Lavigne: I thought he was already gone.  Weird.  The life as a borderline NAT is a tough one.

[TecnoGenius]

Yeah, I am glad we were shrewd enough to pass on him for Addison Richards....

https://www.cfl.ca/players/addison-richards/161508/

Have you considered employing slightly more objective criteria in player evaluation than your gut feeling?

Durant's best year was 800 yards receiving.  Addison Richards best year was 12 yards.  That's not a typo...

No, it's all from my memory and my gut.  I almost never check stats, sorry.  My memory is pretty good, and gut often tells me more than stats can.  It's the same reason I know Demski is a better player than his stats show.  If you just looked at stats you'd have no idea why he's a top-5 paid WR (including IMPs!) in the CFL.

Speaking of Demski, he switched teams within 1 year of Durant, and I'd say WPG got the better end of that choice.  Durant literally had one good year, and the rest he was like a Corey Watson.

I wasn't the first person on this board to bring up the over hype on Durant.  You're forgetting how the TSN guys always talked him up.  It was never that he was bad, it's that he didn't live up to the near impossible hype.  That's not his fault.  You're missing the whole point of the argument.  When he was in CGY they were trying to sell people that he was basically the league-best NAT.

Richards is a straw man argument.  No one is comparing Durant to a 3rd stringer.  That's as useful as bringing up Ekatitie.

[Ridermania]

Argos Dontrelle Inman retires. 

https://3downnation.com/2023/05/15/toronto-argonauts-place-former-nfl-receiver-dontrelle-inman-on-retired-list/

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

No, it's all from my memory and my gut.  I almost never check stats, sorry.  My memory is pretty good, and gut often tells me more than stats can.  It's the same reason I know Demski is a better player than his stats show.  If you just looked at stats you'd have no idea why he's a top-5 paid WR (including IMPs!) in the CFL.

Speaking of Demski, he switched teams within 1 year of Durant, and I'd say WPG got the better end of that choice.  Durant literally had one good year, and the rest he was like a Corey Watson.

I wasn't the first person on this board to bring up the over hype on Durant.  You're forgetting how the TSN guys always talked him up.  It was never that he was bad, it's that he didn't live up to the near impossible hype.  That's not his fault.  You're missing the whole point of the argument.  When he was in CGY they were trying to sell people that he was basically the league-best NAT.

Richards is a straw man argument.  No one is comparing Durant to a 3rd stringer.  That's as useful as bringing up Ekatitie.

Based on gut remembrance you can't really compare Durant with Cory Watson, they were not at all similar in style.  Watson was a very effective secondary receiver in the mold of Sheed or Woli  during his playing days, I would hazard a guess if he was in his prime today he could start on most teams.  Unfortunately he played so hard he was often injured, which I think is the main reason the Bombers eventually moved on from him.

[the paw]

No, it's all from my memory and my gut.  I almost never check stats, sorry.  My memory is pretty good, and gut often tells me more than stats can.  It's the same reason I know Demski is a better player than his stats show.  If you just looked at stats you'd have no idea why he's a top-5 paid WR (including IMPs!) in the CFL.

Speaking of Demski, he switched teams within 1 year of Durant, and I'd say WPG got the better end of that choice.  Durant literally had one good year, and the rest he was like a Corey Watson.

I wasn't the first person on this board to bring up the over hype on Durant.  You're forgetting how the TSN guys always talked him up.  It was never that he was bad, it's that he didn't live up to the near impossible hype.  That's not his fault.  You're missing the whole point of the argument.  When he was in CGY they were trying to sell people that he was basically the league-best NAT.

Richards is a straw man argument.  No one is comparing Durant to a 3rd stringer.  That's as useful as bringing up Ekatitie.

I've seen your hot takes and gut reads here for some time, this is why i am recommending more objective criteria.  Just a suggestion....

Your memory has failed you on Cory Watson. He was a rock solid receiver with a 10 year career who consistently put up 400 yards and did a ton of dirty work in terms of blocking.  He was also a second round pick. Durant should aspire to have had a career like Watson.

And talk about straw men arguments, of what relevance is Demski?  He as highly rated from the start, was drafted in an appropriate slot, and lived up to his potential in a few years once he landed in Winnipeg.  Its not an apples to apples comparison at all.  The comparison to Addison is apt because we actually passed on Durant to draft Richards, and the proof is in the pudding as to who the better ball player was.  You said you were glad we never touched Durant, but that certainly can't be based on any kind of objective analysis, because we took an inferior player at the same position. 

The reason Durant got "hype" was because he was a physically gifted receiver who got drafted much lower than expected in a year that was really thin on receivers.  That is noteworthy, and that's why TSN and everyone was talking about it.  It is 100% accurate to say Durant never lived up to his full potential.  But to slag him off as not having had the tools, is just a lot of wind....

[pjrocksmb]

Argos Dontrelle Inman retires. 

https://3downnation.com/2023/05/15/toronto-argonauts-place-former-nfl-receiver-dontrelle-inman-on-retired-list/

That's too bad was decent.

[TecnoGenius]

I've seen your hot takes and gut reads here for some time, this is why i am recommending more objective criteria.  Just a suggestion....

Get ready for your petard...

Your memory has failed you on Cory Watson. He was a rock solid receiver with a 10 year career who consistently put up 400 yards and did a ton of dirty work in terms of blocking.  He was also a second round pick. Durant should aspire to have had a career like Watson.

You said go by stats, so I did what you recommended I do.  I took a NAT I thought of as closest to Durant from memory (Watson), and looked up the stats to compare.  They are basically the same stats. when you look at YDS and TD columns (what most people look at)!  It is actually the perfect comparison.

What you're doing is what you accuse me of, being subjective using your guts and memory.  "Rock solid receiver" and "ton of dirty work" is the definition of using your gut and your memory since it is not a column in the stats sheet.  LOL.

Excluding their rookie year and their petering-out years, both receivers were basically the same guy: every year is 300-400 yds and 1-3 TDs, and both have one aberration "star" year where they got 800 yds.  For the years-in-active-use they are the same receiver, stats-wise.  Watson just lasted longer.

Everything else, such as style of play or type of player or all other subjective measures are literally "gut feelings and memory".  But that's my whole point, and you proved it perfectly: the stats don't tell the whole story and our personal impressions of these players is often the correct take because we both watch hundreds of hours of CFL year after year and internalize things that aren't on stats sheets.  My take on Durant is pretty correct, yours on Watson is also pretty correct.  The only difference is I didn't bash you for your take.

The comparison to Addison is apt because we actually passed on Durant to draft Richards, and the proof is in the pudding as to who the better ball player was.  You said you were glad we never touched Durant, but that certainly can't be based on any kind of objective analysis, because we took an inferior player at the same position. 

You and I both know the draft is at least one half part luck.  And I didn't say or mean I wanted to DP Richards over Durant, I was referring to being glad that we never made a FA splash to get Durant.  I actually had no idea about where Durant or Richards stood in the draft, no idea we passed on Durant, and had actually completely forgotten about Richards.

The entire argument is from Aards saying Durant didn't live up to his hype.  I still 100% agree with Aards.  Durant over-promised and under-delivered.  My Demski comparison is the counter-example of UPOD, and it's still a great counter-example.  Demski was kind of Petermann-esque in SSK and that's why they just let him walk.  Fans were happy to see him go.  TSN never hyped Demski even close to how they did Durant.  Suits et al were always stroking Durant; I can't remember how many times I got so sick of hearing it during CGY vs whoever games.  Aards remembers.

But to slag him off as not having had the tools, is just a lot of wind....

I never said that.  I said I was glad we never signed big-$$ Durant (in FA).  I stand by that.  He was never a good fit for WPG, and I'm pretty sure he was never on our radar.  That would mean The Mafia agreed, too.

[TecnoGenius]

Based on gut remembrance you can't really compare Durant with Cory Watson, they were not at all similar in style.  Watson was a very effective secondary receiver in the mold of Sheed or Woli  during his playing days, I would hazard a guess if he was in his prime today he could start on most teams.  Unfortunately he played so hard he was often injured, which I think is the main reason the Bombers eventually moved on from him.

I fully agree on Watson.  That wasn't my point: see my post before this one.  The argument is about living up to hype.  I would say Watson lived up to (or exceeded) his hype (which wasn't much).  The comparison to Durant is that he didn't live up to the God-level hype from TSN.

The argument from paw is that I shouldn't rely on subjective gut/memory.  But thanks to both paw and TLB, we can clearly see that gut/memory is our (and most fans') #1 go to tool.  (TLB: "not at all similar in style", "effective secondary receiver", "in the mold of...".)  And I thank you for helping me make my point to paw!

[Ridermania]

Ottawa REDBLACKS announced on Tuesday morning that they have released American linebacker Patrick Levels.

[Blue In BC]

Ottawa REDBLACKS announced on Tuesday morning that they have released American linebacker Patrick Levels.

I saw that. What the heck?  SMS issue?  He's a tackling machine. 58 DT's in 13 games and was 21st in the CFL stat column.  I would think there will be a new home for him soon.

Was his high number of tackles due to teams picking on him? That can be an indicator of that but it's not my specific recollection of his play. IIRC he just seemed to be a play maker.

[blue_gold_84]

Baffling move by OTT.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Ottawa has some big contracts despite not being very good recently:

Jeremiah Masoli $450,000
Nick Arbuckle $200,000
Drew Desjarlais $250,000
Jacob Ruby $170,000
Cleyon Laing $170,000
Lorenzo Mauldin IV $210,000
Jaelon Acklin $185,000
Jovan Santos-Knox $150,000

[Blue In BC]

Where will Levels end up? He was listed as Ottawa's starting SAM when depth charts were posted. He can play multiple positions in a secondary but what will his contract demand be like now?

[Jesse]

Where will Levels end up? He was listed as Ottawa's starting SAM when depth charts were posted. He can play multiple positions in a secondary but what will his contract demand be like now?

He had success why the Als before Ottawa scooped him up.

[Blue In BC]

He had success why the Als before Ottawa scooped him up.

Yes but they added talent in free agency as well. So I don't think he'll be returning there.

[Blue In BC]

Jamal Rolle retires in Montreal.

Shawn Lemon is released by the Lions.