Let’s kick off the 2011 CFL campaign with seven questions that should get answered between the season openers on Canada Day weekend and the time the Grey Cup is hoisted Nov. 27 in Vancouver.
1. Needing 4,200 yards to overtake Damon Allen as the CFL’s career passing yards leader, Anthony Calvillo still can’t get his name on many lists of the CFL’s all-time greatest quarterbacks. Critics argue Calvillo lacks arm strength and mobility, both valid claims, and that his career stats are the product of longevity instead of talent. Yet late this season, A.C. should eclipse Allen’s passing mark, a staggering stat north of 72,000 yards, while challenging for a third-consecutive Grey Cup ring. Will it finally be enough to help Calvillo receive the respect he deserves?
2. Greg Marshall has waited a lifetime to earn his first head-coaching job, taking over from Ken Miller as Saskatchewan’s boss. Countless times Marshall has been a bridesmaid when CFL teams were courting head coaches, despite earning respect as one of the league’s top defensive gurus. Marshall deserves this opportunity, but when a candidate gets passed over that many times, you have to wonder: Do other teams know something the Riders don’t?
3. The Calgary Stampeders have been a perennial Grey Cup contender since QB Henry Burris arrived in 2005. But with just one championship ring in six seasons and after two straight West final losses, is time running out for the 36-year-old Burris and his talented group to claim another?
4. B.C. Lions boss Wally Buono believes in QB Travis Lulay so deeply he’s given the young pivot the starting role in Vancouver. Will the green Montana slinger develop into a quarterback the likes of Dave Dickenson or Jeff Garcia, two other top passers Buono helped groom?
5. The Edmonton Eskimos aren’t used to losing and have handed the controls to GM Eric Tillman, who’ll guide an intense rebuilding program. With a new coaching staff, can Tillman quickly produce the winning results green and gold fans demand?
6. For the second consecutive season, the Toronto Argos are destined to enter the season without a legitimate starting quarterback. The three main contenders – Cleo Lemon, a failure last season, along with backups Steven Jyles and Dalton Bell – hardly strike fear in the hearts of opponents. Who’s going to help the Argos find the end zone?
7. Winnipeg’s 4-14 record last season hardly suggests the team is on the verge of a Grey Cup appearance, but nine of those losses were by four points or less. Can Winnipeg turn those close losses into victories in 2011 and earn a playoff spot?
