It seems some NFL fans feel compelled to turn their noses up at the Canadian Football League. For what?
The question is on my mind as the next NFL season begins. Personally, I like both.
• Previous column by Marc Calixte: No debate about the Alouettes quarterback
If you like entertainment, watch the NFL. We’re talking about a Hollywood production for each game with the numerous cameras and different settings. This all helps create the impression that the game is much faster than in the CFL.
However, the die-hard soccer fan will appreciate the execution of plays in the Canadian League as well as the skill of the players. We are spoiled at this level in the CFL.
Several former NFL players recognized the quality of athletes present in the Canadian circuit when they played there, be it Ricky Williams or Chad Ochocinco. Currently, it is former British Columbia Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke who, at 25 years old, is tending to prove that he has the talent needed to play in the NFL. After impressing in preseason games, he has just signed a contract and is on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad.
Betts and Bowman are in town
In 10 games with the Lions, who visit Percival Molson Stadium on Saturday, Rourke completed 78.7% of his passes last season and averaged 335 yards per game through the air. It’s huge! Former Alouettes Vernon Adams Jr. will be his successor. The Lions’ visit also excites me because of the presence of Quebec defensive player Mathieu Betts and, in these circumstances, also of coach John Bowman.
John Bowman archive photo, QMI Agency
Bowman, now the Lions’ defensive line coach, will be honored at halftime along with Larry Smith, Jacques Dussault, Josh Bourke and Lloyd Fairbanks for his upcoming induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
I had the opportunity to meet Bowman when he played with the Alouettes because we trained at the same place in the offseason, at Catalyst Santé. In my eyes, Bowman is the ultimate professional athlete. He is a down to earth man and when he is in a room he brings light to it. On Saturday evening, the entire Percival Molson Stadium will appear better lit as the other future inductees are introduced. Among them, I particularly recognize Larry Smith, who played a key role in giving the Alouettes an identity and who, as commissioner, made the CFL what it is today: a very interesting league for football fans. .
(Comments collected by Benoît Rioux)