Bighill’s tale of two leagues
Winnipeg linebacker Adam Bighill will tell you, now that he knows first-hand, what the real difference is between the NFL and the CFL.
“They don’t look at things the same in the NFL. One guy’s salary there is an entire team’s salary up here. So the values they put on things are completely different,” he said during the Blue Bombers’ training camp in early June.
“In the CFL, the best players usually play. Coaches find a way to get those players on the field, no matter their background, no matter their size, height, weight, speed, arm length, hand size, whatever. They find a way to play and make plays. That’s one of the biggest differences, I found.”
The 29-year-old from Montesano, Wash., encountered that reality in New Orleans, when the Saints cut him loose after a minicamp in May. He signed a three-year deal in January 2017, but spent the year mostly on their practice roster. He played in only three regular-season games, and only on special teams.
But he knows he can play down there. He answered that question for himself, emphatically, during the 2017 pre-season. He had four tackles and a pick in his first two games, 11 tackles in his final tilt against Baltimore.
“The answer was, look at my tape. In the pre-season I played lights-out. I proved to myself that I can play down there. Whether or not I ended up sticking down there for a year, is something I can’t control. My play spoke for itself. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.”
It didn’t work out for him, a former CFL all-star and most outstanding defensive player, and he has advice for the next CFL star who will test the NFL waters.
“It’s trying to find the right fit, the team that really likes you. You would hope to speak to some coaches before you sign, as opposed to the scouting staff. Because sometimes coaches and scouting staff, they don’t necessarily completely agree with one another on decisions, or communicate well enough.
“Sometimes a scout may love a guy but the coach is like, ‘Meh, I don’t know.’ You need to have someone who is making decisions down there going to bat for you.”
Bighill believes Saints head coach Sean Payton respected him for his skills and work ethic, but wouldn’t go to bat for him because Bighill simply did not fit the preferred physical model. He’s undersized at 5-foot-10, 230 pounds.
“I think the scouting staff down in New Orleans really liked me, but I just don’t think I ended up fitting the height, size mold that Sean Payton wanted. He’s a former Bill Parcells guy. They like linebackers at 6-foot-2, 6-foot-3, big linebackers.
“I’m more of a hybrid safety/ linebacker who can move, cover, play the run and be more explosive, cover more ground.”
He is doing all of that again in the CFL. Against the Eskimos in Week 1, he had eight tackles and a quarterback pressure.