Shutter strutting his stuff for CFL teams
Cayman Shutter is running a West Coast offence these days.
The former University of Regina Rams quarterback currently is in San Diego, where he has been staying with his agent between workouts with CFL teams.
On Sunday, Shutter was in Las Vegas for a B.C. Lions tryout camp. On Saturday, the 24-year-old Regina-born pivot is to be in Temecula, Calif., for a Toronto Argonauts tryout camp.
“(His schedule) is based on which teams are considering me realistically and also a certain amount of practicality,” Shutter said. “I’m not going to go to the East Coast unless (teams) really need me to get there.
“There’s a possibility I’ll be doing other ones on the West Coast if teams want me there ... I have a little tour of tryouts and a pro day at the University of Hawaii on the 18th. That will probably be the last thing I do and hopefully from there I’ll have a place to go in June.”
Shutter was born in Regina and lived in the Queen City until he was 10, when he moved to Oahu with his parents. He played high school football on the Hawaiian island before earning a scholarship to the University of Hawaii. He spent three seasons with the Warriors before leaving the program.
Shutter attended the CFL combine in 2013, but wasn’t selected in the league’s draft that spring. He subsequently transferred to the U of R and was the Rams’ starter in the 2013 Canada West season.
When injuries sent Shutter to the sidelines during the 2014 campaign, he was replaced as the starter by Noah Picton. As a result, Shutter’s numbers in his final year with the Rams didn’t compare to those he put up in his first year.
Because he hasn’t been signed as a free agent, he’s trying to spark interest by attending tryout camps.
“To me, they’re a showcase,” Shutter said. “I get to do the testing and I also get to throw in person where there’s no opportunity for (teams) to mistake anything that they might see on film.
“That’s the benefit of being there in person. You get to show what you’ve got and there’s less opportunity for people to have differing opinions.
“It’s right there in front of them and hopefully that’s what will come across — my abilities and the way that I throw the ball compared to any American talent that might be there.”
CFL teams traditionally have been reluctant to sign quarterbacks who are born and trained in Canada, but Shutter considers himself a unique case.
While he was born here, his formative years in the game were spent in the United States — and he played NCAA Division 1 football before heading to the CIS.
Shutter believes that, given a chance to compete against Americans in tryout camps, he can “defeat that stigma of being a Canadian quarterback.”
“If there are other quarterbacks (in Temecula), this tryout is a chance to measure myself against American-trained players and remind (CFL coaches) that I’m not just another Canadian quarterback,” he added. “That’s what I’m really looking forward to.”
Shutter isn’t sure what kind of competition he’ll face in Temecula, but he’s confident that he won’t be asked to do any drills he hasn’t done previously or attempt any throws he hasn’t tried before.
A good showing could earn Shutter an invitation to a CFL training camp, which in turn could lead to future opportunities in the league for Canadian quarterbacks.
But the main thing that Shutter wants out of the tryout camps is a chance to show his skills.
“It’s really up to me to put on display what I’ve been trained my entire life to do,” he said. “Where I get some comfort is knowing that this is something I’ve prepared for every day of my life up to this point.
“It’s really just an opportunity for me to be myself.”