Posted by Darin Gantt
NBC sports
"With NFL offseason rosters swollen to 90, and General Managers desperate to unearth hidden gems, more and more of them are looking north of the border.
And that’s all well and good, unless you’re a G.M. who happens to reside north of the border.
Brendan Taman, the G.M. of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, said it’s getting harder and harder to hang onto players in the CFL, with NFL teams becoming more aware of players there.
“I just think it’s important for our league to keep our good guys as long as we can,” Taman said, via Kirk Penton of the Winnipeg Sun. “I mean, if they’re a free agent, they’re a free agent and they can go to the NFL or the CFL or wherever. But the trend is that the NFL is coming to get our good players. That’s the trend. That’s where this is going.”
Taman knows first-hand how it works, as the Colts just signed his right tackle Ben Heenan to a deal with guaranteed money, and pried Montreal wide receiver Duron Carter away after two years in the CFL. Heenan was the top pick in the 2012 CFL Draft, the second straight top pick signed by the Colts (along with linebacker Henoc Muamba, who was No. 1 overall in 2011).
The Giants are going to sign the CFL’s top offensive lineman (Brett Jones), and more NFL teams are dipping into the Canadian college ranks, such as former Saints third-rounder Akiem Hicks from the University of Regina. The Panthers also burned a 2014 roster spot on University of Montreal tackle David Foucault, who was a top-five CFL draft pick, but clearly needed and needs time to develop.
And with former CFL star Chris Matthews becoming a Super Bowl sensation, with four catches for 109 yards and a touchdown), Taman knows more people will be looking north.
He’s trying not to sound sour about the whole deal, but Taman knows it’s getting harder for him to put a roster together and keep it together with the NFL winking at his best players.
“It’s an element now that you have to add into play,” Taman said. “The first one is: Do you get him? The second one is: How long do you have him if you do get him?
“The league is definitely staring at a reality of not having player continuity like it used to. Compounding that are the one-year contracts. That’s going to lead to (a lack of continuity) in itself. And when you add the NFL’s angst to grab our good guys, we’re just asking for trouble.”
Where he’ll really be in trouble is if the NFL ever decides to create a developmental league which coincides with the CFL season, which would rob their league of the fringe players they depend on now.
