BARRIN SIMPSON JOINS GREEN AND WHITE

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today they have signed import linebacker Barrin Simpson to a contract. Financial details of the signing were not released. 

Simpson is heading into his tenth season in the CFL and has spent the last four with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The 32-year old started his CFL career in 2001 with the B.C. Lions where he spent five seasons. In his first CFL season, Simpson had a league leading 115 defensive tackles which earned him the title of the CFL's Rookie of the Year. 

In 139 CFL games played, the Mississippi State product has tallied 782 defensive tackles, 44 special team tackles, 29 quarterback sacks, 16 fumble recoveries and ten interceptions.

Over the course of his career Simpson has been named a divisional and CFL all-star six times, and was also named Western Division Defensive Player of the Year in 2001 and was the Eastern Nominee for Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. 

In 2009, Simpson had 84 defensive tackles, three special team tackles, two quarterback sacks and one interception in 13 games played.

CATES BACK WITH GREEN AND WHITE

The Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club announced today that they have signed import running back Wes Cates to a new contract. Financial details of the signing were not released. 

Cates is heading into his fourth season with the Riders after being acquired in a trade from the Calgary Stampeders in June, 2007. In his four seasons in the CFL, Cates has tallied 584 carries for 3,313 yards and 24 touchdowns. In addition he has added 138 receptions for 1,525 yards and five touchdowns in 62 regular season games. 

In 2009, Cates started 16 regular season games and finished with 195 carries for 932 yards, five touchdowns and tallied 33 receptions for 336 yards and two touchdowns.

Eskimos To Ditch Grass

EDMONTON — The natural grass field at Commonwealth Stadium will be punted in favour of artificial turf if city council approves.

A report going to council on Wednesday recommends the city enter a cost-sharing agreement with the Edmonton Eskimos to replace Commonwealth Stadium's natural grass field with artificial turf before the regular CFL season starts in June.

The benefits of converting the field to artificial turf are numerous, Dave Jamieson, the club's director of communications and marketing, said Tuesday.

Today's artificial turf is nothing like what it was in the past which was little more than indoor-outdoor carpet, Jamieson said.

"It is fair to say, with no disrespect to Mother Nature, that Mother Nature has been equalled if not surpassed. What we have now looks like and plays like grass should," he said.

Commonwealth Stadium is the only one in the CFL with natural grass. While a source of pride with many Eskimos fans, a grass field is not without its share of problems particularly when it comes to inclement weather.

"Anyone who remembers our last game last year which was played in a heavy downpour, or the 2002 Grey Cup, which was played the day after ice fog rolled in and made that surface terrific for hockey, but not for football, will understand that grass ... is unreliable," Jamieson said.

Today's generation of players joining the Edmonton Eskimos are more comfortable on artificial turf because that is the surface they have experienced with other clubs, he said.

The installation of an artificial surface also means the Eskimos can move their practices to the stadium which opens up Clarke Stadium to expanded community use, Jamieson said.

In addition, artificial turf requires no water and no fertilizer use, he said.

(COURTESY EDMONTON JOURNAL)

CFL Congress Kicks Off

EDMONTON (Wednesday, March 3) -- The Canadian Football League Coach of the Year Award is coming home. The league will honour its 2009 Coach of the Year at a special luncheon at noon this Friday, March 5th in the Enoch Room of the Edmonton Marriott at the River Cree Resort.

This year's nominees are head coaches Marcel Bellefeuille of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Ken Miller of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Marc Trestman of the Grey Cup Champion Montreal Alouettes.

The event has a special connection to Edmonton: the city hosted the CFL Coach of the Year ceremony from 1966 until 2004, and the winner receives a trophy donated by the Edmonton Eskimos Alumni in honour of the late Annis Stukus, a former head coach of the Eskimos and the British Columbia Lions.

"It seems fitting that we're here in Edmonton because the Eskimos organization has always symbolized excellence, and this year's nominees for Coach of the Year are all a tremendous credit to our league," said Mark Cohon, Commissioner of the CFL.

Friday's Coach of the Year luncheon is the final event of CFL Congress, an annual three-day meeting of team and league staff that kicks off Wednesday evening with an opening session hosted by Cohon.

Most of the working sessions are private, a chance for employees to share best practices on things such as ticketing, finance and game day operations.

As part of Congress, the CFL's rules committee will hold its annual meeting over Wednesday and Thursday afternoon.

One of the topics that will be discussed is the league's 'shootout' overtime format, which Cohon asked fans to submit feedback and suggestions on early this year. 

"Some of our most exciting games last season, including one of our playoff games, were decided in overtime, and that prompted some informal discussion among fans about our format," Cohon said."We decided to turn those chats into specific ideas from our fans, which have a tremendous knowledge of our game."

Fans sent in more than 2,000 rules suggestions with three-quarters of them focused on overtime.

Many want to see the current "shootout" format kept and suggested some tweaks, while others want it replaced with an additional period, such as five or ten minutes of traditional play.

Any recommendations made by the rules committee would still require approval by the CFL's Board of Governors later this Spring.