DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Should the Browns be looking at the CFL too?

Miami just signed the defensive player of the year for 2007, and 2008 Cameron Wake:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/conte...ud_cameron.html

It got me thinking are the Browns looking for a few hidden gems in the CFL or is it a waste of time, I've looked up a few I think who could help us:

Wes Cates RB 6'00 215 lbs 1229 yards 12 td's
http://www.cfl.ca/roster/show/id/879

Joffrey Reynolds RB 5'10 221 lbs 1310 yards 10 td's
http://www.cfl.ca/roster/show/id/344

Jamel Richardson WR 6'3 207 lbs 98 rec 1287 yards 16 td's
http://www.cfl.ca/roster/show/id/289

Arland Bruce III WR 5'11 191 lbs 92 rec 1210 yards 9 td's
http://www.cfl.ca/roster/show/id/194

Chris Thompson CB 6'0 189 lbs 9 int's
http://www.cfl.ca/roster/show/id/1290

These are just some guys I looked at after I looked into the Miami signing, I'm not saying we go out and sign 10 of them to our team, but I'm sure we could find a gem or two.

I think it's as much a crapshoot as the draft. Just because they are good in the CFL, doesn't mean they can carry that same performance against NFL players.

Isn't the CFL made up of a good amount of players that couldn't make the NFL?

NFL scouting departments regularly look at the CFL for any players who may be worth taking a shot on. It's not a secret that the players are there and we have to find them for the Browns.

We've signed quite a few players from the CFL in the past and the only one that i can remember amounting to anything was Felix Wright.

I don't know that there is any hard fast rules one way or the other. I would think its a case by case basis.. I can think of two QB's that came from the CFL that did very well in the NFL, Moon and Garcia..

Are there any others? I have to believe that out of all those players up there, there has to be a handful that would do well in the NFL.. who they are is way beyond me. I don't follow the CFL at all. I would hope that every NFL team at least takes a look at those in the CFL to make sure of what's there.

Didn't Flutie play up there?Hardly a great QB,but he did ok in the NFL..

Yeah,, Flutie did as well... but I believe he started with the Pats then ended up in the CFL,,, then Chicago and didn't he also spend time in San Diego as well?

Yes he did, and he was better than OK......Theisman started his career up there....maybe the first 4-5 years out of college.

Most of those CFL guys you listed are too old though. The problem is, the CFL is almost always a haven for those without NFL talent. On occasion it serves as a training ground for those that aren't ready coming out of college, but that rarely happens. Those players that improved enough to play at the NFL level are the ones that need to be signed, but they're incredibly hard to find.

I think Raghib "The Rocket" Ismail played for the Cowboys,after starting out in CFL.

"The Rocket" was drafted by the Raiders, didn't like the rookie scale contracts back then, and jumped for bigger $$$ in the CFL. Then, he came back to the NFL when he could get a better payday.

I think if anyone watched those games they could see most belong up there.

Didn't we sign a WR when Marty was here that was supposed to have been one of the top ones in CFL and he failed miserably here? Can't remember his name.

Harry Holt....TE

Forgot about him, but he's not the one i was thinking of. This guy was a WR and was so supposed to have been one of the top ones in the CFL at that time. I think he only lasted a year or 2.

Joe Theisman was in the CFL.

Doug Flutie.

Warren Moon.

Mike Sellers

Jeff Garcia

Just to name a few.

There are gems ...... but they are few and far between. Probably on a level with undrafted free agents, I would guess.

Might I suggest we have a few exports who could be competitive there next year if they can't do any better than we saw? Sorry, ref, is that on another forum topic? All for good players! Most can't cut it here. Saw one there. Not the same game IMO.

Watching the last few Browns games,I was thinking they should look at the CFL,but I don't think they can beat anyone there either.

Some guys do need to develop....or more on point, some guys don't fit the cookie cutter and need to prove themselves. Flutie being a good example. The guy spent his best years in Canada...NFL teams could have won with that guy if they just let him play and didn't allow the thinking that a frame under 6 feet could never play QB...sometimes scouts and teams let measurables tell them something the film doesn't in the wrong sort of way.

Don't worry about size and speed so darn much if every time you watch the guy he is punking the big boys...being "undersized" can be a problem, but don't let it dictate your every move.

I would scoop those guys up...when you have a little guy who can hang with the big boys, you KNOW he has the heart as well as talent....I will take as many of those guys as I can get because heart is a big part of the puzzle......but heart is hard to scout.....so these goofy scouts just write guys like that off.

Yes they should, the Browns might be able to compete in that league.

Didn't we get Kevin Mack and Frank Minnifield from the CFL?

Yeah, thats right....I knew they came from a non-NFL league. Thanks!

Quote:

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I think the talent pool in the CFL is much worse than it was in the 80s when superstars came from the CFL - I think Hershel Walker, Jim Kelly, and several others.

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Kelly and Walker didn't play in the CFL they played in the USFL.

The Browns cleaned up when the USFL folded - Mack, Minnifield, Dan Fike, Gerald McNeil, Mike Johnson...even Lindy Infante. I always maintain that league folding was an integral part of our success in the mid-late eighties.