Scouting during pandemic presents some obstacles
Canadian Football League personnel face difficulties getting ready for the future
It cost the Canadian Football League it’s 2020 campaign. Now the COVID-19 pandemic is creating challenges for football personnel to prepare for next season.
Many CFL scouts would usually be on the road now evaluating Canadian and American university talent. But the global outbreak has forced U Sports to cancel its 2020 season and while four of U.S. college football’s Power 5 conferences are playing — the Pac-12 is the lone dissenter — the Canada-U.S. border remains closed for nonessential travel.
Scouts can still fly to the U.S., but any time spent in so-called hot-spot states would mean having to do a 14-day quarantine after leaving that state. They’d also have to self-isolate upon returning to Canada.
And it’s become more difficult to get on American campuses and gain access to players.
Syracuse University, for example, is allowing pro scouts to its home games on a limited basis. But they must adhere to the school’s stadium protocols — wear masks at all times, no field access and remain in assigned areas to maintain social distancing.
Syracuse has six Canadians in its program, including sophomore starters Matthew Bergeron (offensive lineman from Victoriaville, Que.) and Geoff Cantin-Arku (linebacker from Levis, Que.).
“It’s a challenge,” said Brendan Mahoney, the Calgary Stampeders’ player-personnel director. “There’s no playbook for this because we’ve never had to scout from your home office. We rely heavily on our video department in terms of getting the film we need to evaluate. You might not be getting the face-to-face interaction you normally would so you must get creative and get on the phone and talk to people.”
Game film was a key part of the 2020 CFL draft preparation after the league cancelled its annual evaluation camp.
But many scouts had attended games in ’19 and spoken with prospects and coaches beforehand.
For many evaluators, the eyeball test remains a crucial tool.
“You get to see someone’s body type, how they’re built and some clues to their physical structure,” said Drew Allemang, the Hamilton TigerCats’ senior director of personnel and co-manager of football operations. “Sometimes just being at a live game gives you context to certain plays ... if it’s in the fourth and the game is close, you can see how the player arrives at that particular occasion.
“Some scouts like to be on the sidelines before or during a game to get a sense of a player: Does he give information to coaches about what he sees on the field, how do people speak to him and how does he speak to others?”
Many CFL teams have football personnel in the U.S. who can drive to nearby schools. But with no season in Canada — the league nixed plans for an abbreviated 2020 campaign in August — franchises have dramatically scaled back operations.
A bigger issue will be evaluating Canadian university prospects without the benefit of ’20 game film.
“Being unable to see them is definitely a challenge because most of your evaluation is based upon what these kids do in games,” Mahoney said. “I know the University of Calgary is practising a bit so we’ll be able to get a sense of what they’re doing.
With no football in 2020, the onus will fall upon draft-eligible players to handle their pro football preparation.
“I think they can still get prepared for the CFL but obviously nothing beats playing actual games,” Allemang said. “I still think you’re excited about the draft, there’s some very good players going into it.”
The pandemic has created plenty of uncertainty.
CFL officials remain unsure if there’ll be an evaluation camp for 2021 draft-eligible Canadian players.
“Fingers crossed that’s up and running and we’re back to somewhat of a semblance of normalcy in the spring,” said Kyle Walters GM of the Grey Cup-champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers. “There’s a real question mark with the time some of these kids haven’t been playing football.
“It will be quite challenging without seeing them in person to gauge their fitness level, their health level, everything.”
U Sports is the lifeblood of Canadian content in the CFL. Franchises must carry 21 Canadians on the 46-man game-day roster and start at least seven Canadians.