Blue Bombers Blog

Of Bowls, Books and other stuff….

Here’s an idea for a gift for the football fanatic in your family and it comes from one of the good guys in the media biz, ex-Montreal Alouette-turned colour guy Tony Proudfoot…

Born in Winnipeg and raised in Montreal, Proudfoot played for 12 years in the CFL with the Als and B.C. Lions, winning Grey Cup championships in 1974 and 1977. He’s now a teacher at Dawson College — he was one of the heroes of the horrible shooting there in September when he raced to the aid of a student who had been shot.

Using his football connections and his access to athletes as the colour analyst on Alouette games on CJAD radio, Proudfoot has written ‘First and Goal’ - The CFL and the Pursuit of Excellence and it’s an outstanding read. The full-colour book is packed with photos and details what separates the good CFLers from the great, focussing on their understanding of the game, mental toughness and their consistency.

Included in the book are interviews with a number of players, including former Bombers Less Browne, Marvin Coleman, Joe Fleming, Gene Gaines (assistant coach), current defensive co-ordinator Greg Marshall, Danny McManus, Elfrid Payton, Geroy Simon, Milt Stegall and Gerald Vaughn. It’s worth the $36.95.

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Space restrictions kept us from running the entire Football Fans’ Guide to the Bowl Games in today’s Free Press. The beauty of a blog is we can run the rest here. Left out was a small box that showcased some of the other CFL teams’ QB prospects who will be playing in bowl games this holiday season. They are:

FUTURE STARS?
A look at some of the quarterbacks currently on CFL neg lists who will be featured during the U.S. college bowl season:
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
-Troy Smith, Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0, ranked #1)- Tostitos BCS Championship Game, Glendale, AZ, Jan. 8th, 2007 (7 p.m. FOX) vs. Florida Gators (12-1, ranked #2).
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
-Syvelle Newton, South Carolina Gamecocks (7-5, not ranked) - AutoZone Liberty Bowl; Memphis, TN, Dec. 29th (3:30 p.m. ESPN/The Score) vs. Houston Cougars (10-3, not ranked).
-Bobby Reid, Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-6, not ranked) - PetroSun Independence Bowl; Shreveport, LA, Dec. 28th (3:30 p.m. ESPN/The Score vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-6, not ranked).
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
-Reggie Ball, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-4, not ranked) - Toyota Gator Bowl; Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. 1st, 2007 (Noon, CBS) vs. West Virginia Mountaineers (10-2, 13th ranked).
-Chris Leak, University of Florida Gators (12-1, ranked #2) - Tostitos BCS Championship Game, Glendale, AZ, Jan. 8th, 2007 (7 p.m. FOX) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0, ranked #1).
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
-Chase Daniel, Missouri Tigers (8-4, not ranked) - Brut Sun Bowl; El Paso, Tex., Dec. 29th (1 p.m., CBS) vs. Oregon State Beavers (9-4, ranked 24th).
-Matt Flynn (not the starter), Louisiana State Tigers (10-2, ranked #4) - Allstate Sugar Bowl; New Orleans, LA, Jan. 3rd, 2007 (7 p.m. FOX) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2, 11th ranked).
-Paul Thompson, Oklahoma Sooners (11-2, ranked #7) - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl; Glendale, AZ., Jan. 1st, 2007 (7 p.m., FOX) vs. Boise State Broncos (12-0, ranked #9).
EDMONTON ESKIMOS
-Drew Tate, Iowa Hawkeyes (6-6, not ranked) - Alamo Bowl; San Antonio, TX., Dec. 30th (3:30 p.m., The Score/ESPN) vs. Texas Longhorns (9-3, ranked #18).
-Jared Zabransky, Boise State Broncos (12-0, ranked #9) - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl; Glendale, AZ., Jan. 1st, 2007 (7 p.m., FOX) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (11-2, ranked #7).
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
-John Beck, Brigham Young Cougars (10-2, ranked #19) - Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl; Las Vegas, NV., Dec. 21st (7 p.m., The Score/ESPN) vs. Oregon Ducks (7-5, not ranked).
-Brian Johnson, Utah Utes (7-5, not ranked) - Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl; Fort Worth, TX., Dec. 23rd (7 p.m. The Score/ESPN) vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-4, not ranked).
B.C. LIONS
-Pat White, West Virginia Mountaineers (10-2, 13th ranked) - Toyota Gator Bowl; Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. 1st, 2007 (Noon, CBS) vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-4, not ranked).

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Interesting trade just announced between the Alouettes and Argos — Montreal has shipped former All-Canadian safety Richard Karikari, the guy the Bombers coveted last winter, to Toronto for Keith Stokes. Karikari is coming off a sub-par year and Stokes, who left the Bombers for Toronto in free agency, was a bust in the Big Smoke. I like the deal for the Argos because Karikari is a starting Canadian while Stokes has been terribly inconsistent over the past two years and Toronto already has deadly returners like Bashir Levingston and Arland Bruce III.
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Finally, don’t expect the Bombers to have any interest in some of the six Toronto Argonauts released last week, including receiver R. Jay Soward or defensive end Eric England. They already have a solid D-line and Soward is not only inconsistent, the former NFL first-round draft pick was expensive.

Cheers