Experience Counts
Photo by: Lori MitchellAt a point in the CFL league year when much of the news revolves around the release and “retirement” of veteran players, it was refreshing to hear about the signings of veteran free agents Kamau Peterson and Kerry Joseph by the B.C. Lions and Edmonton Eskimos respectively. Both players carry all-star ability and invaluable leadership to their new clubs, and there’s just no overstating the value of veteran presence to relatively young clubs like the Lions and Esks.
Too much lip service is paid to the value of getting “younger and cheaper” in the CFL these days, especially in places like Edmonton where well over half the club’s roster has seen turnover and veteran player after veteran player has been jettison in the name of fresh legs (and at the expense of locker room stability).
A quick look at the most successful teams in the league the past several seasons—the Montreal Alouettes, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Calgary Stampeders of the CFL world—will illustrate the impact veteran-laden rosters can have on a team’s success. All three of these squads sport significant experience at key positions up and down the roster. And there’s no doubt in my mind, that experience translates directly to Ws in the record books.
Anyone who doubts the value of veteran leadership should track the difference in tempo and confidence in the Montreal Alouettes’ offence when Anthony Calvillo is under centre, or chart the variety and range of defensive attack deployed in Calgary when vets like Devone Claybrooks are lined up in the front seven. And it almost goes without saying how the offensive lines of these clubs have performed behind veteran leaders like Bryan Chiu, Scott Flory, Paul Lambert, Jeremy O’Day, Gene Makowsky, Rob Lazeo, Ben Archibald, et al over the years.
For their parts, Peterson and Joseph will bring much more than leadership and insurance depth to their new clubs. Both are still in incredible football shape, and both are more than capable of playing at high levels even entering their second decades of play.
Hobbled by a lingering, undiagnosed Achilles injury the last two seasons, Peterson still managed to average over 12 yards per reception in a comatose Eskimos offence. Completely healthy, you can bet he’ll add consistent production and supreme reliability to the Lions’ aerial attack, two traits a young QB like Travis Lulay will no doubt cherish every game this season. Peterson also provides a target over the middle and in traffic for Lulay he simply didn’t have last season.
Joseph is coming off a series of unproductive seasons himself since winning the CFL MOP award in 2007. His years in Toronto were severely hampered by poor schemes and sub-par coaching. Even straddled with Bart Andrus’ ill-suited offence and porous protection, though, he still managed to display some hallmark athleticism and a ton of class when he was benched for players who had no business in uniform for a professional team. Should Ricky Ray go down for any length of time, you can bet Joseph will have plenty of those qualities left to display as soon as he finds the field again.
Time will tell whether signing Kamau Peterson and Kerry Joseph as veteran insurance policies will pay significant dividends on the field this season. But I don’t need either player to gain a yard in 2011 to know they’ve earned the right to be in the league and the examples they’ll set as members of the Lions and Esks will be positive ones for the league and for the clubs themselves.
UP NEXT
With pre-season games kicking off in a week, I’ll be taking a look at who the league’s top-performers were in the first live action of the year.
Until then, take care, and happy camping.