CFL

Chad Johnson is working to try to get back into football, and judging by the reports, he has impressed while working out for a team.

No NFL team has given him a shot recently, but the CFL's Montreal Alouettes are working Johnson out this week. The video above shows that the 36-year-old still has something left in the tank.

Update: Thursday, April 17 at 1:45 p.m. ET

Chad Johnson is back.

The dynamic receiver impressed the Montreal Alouettes enough to earn a contract with the team:

[Montreal Alouettes, CFL]

--End of Update--

CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reported that the Alouettes have been impressed by the receiver's showing:

It looks like the man formerly known as Ochocinco is taking advantage of his opportunity to play the sport that he loves.

Johnson also posted some photos of him in action:

[Chad Johnson, Jason La Canfora; h/t Black Sports Online]

At a press conference Tuesday morning, Anthony Calvillo announced his retirement from the Montreal Alouettes, as per the CFL.

"As a kid growing up in California, I never thought that it would be possible to play professional football for 20 years in a country and a city that I knew nothing of," Calvillo said via CFL.ca.

The five-time all star quarterback had a lacklustre 2013 season, struggling with a concussion sustained in August and participating in just seven games. In limited action, he still passed for a team-leading 1,322 yards.

Calvillo retires as the all-time leading passer in professional football history, having thrown for a whopping 79,816 yards. The Utah State product holds several other CFL records, including most touchdown passes thrown (455), most pass completions (5,892) and most postseason passing yards thrown (2,470).

Calvillo broke into the CFL in 1994 with the Las Vegas Posse, one of the handful of American teams that expanded into the league in the 1990s before ultimately failing (Calvillo retires as the last player to have played on an American CFL team). After one season in Las Vegas, he moved to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for three seasons before finally settling in Montreal.

During his time with the Alouettes, Calvillo led the team to eight Grey Cup appearances, winning the championship three times, including back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. He also won the Grey Cup Most Outstanding Player award in 2002 while guiding Montreal to a 25-16 win over the Edmonton Eskimos.

Along the way, Calvillo broke the 5,000 passing yards plateau in seven seasons, and in 2012 he had a CFL-record eight-game streak of passing for 300 or more yards. 

Calvillo's career will be remembered for his consistency and durability. He undoubtedly will go down in CFL history as one of the finest quarterbacks to ever play the game and will very shortly find himself in the Hall of Fame.

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Over the course of the last few days, the Canadian Football League has been publishing videos of its Top 10 lists for the world to enjoy on its website. 

Beginning on Dec. 23, the CFL unveiled its first list: the Top 10 Runs of 2013.

While all these plays are impressive, a special shout-out has to go to the BC Lions quarterbacks. Travis Lulay is the star of No. 4 on the list, springing out of the pocket for a big gain and throwing his shoulder into a defender to pick up those last few yards. And on the No. 1 play, the critical block thrown to complete the run is executed by Buck Pierce, shadowing Stefan Logan right to the end.

Because that's how CFL QBs do.

Also noteworthy in this pack is how CFL running backs can use the wide Canadian field to great effect, cutting back for big gains when nothing opens up in the original play.

The CFL's Christmas present to fans was the Top 10 Returns. 

The No. 2 return is particularly notable for American viewers not only for the fantastic effort of Demond Washington to turn what appeared to be a play for no gain into a touchdown, but also for the fact that this play in the States probably never would've happened. Most kick returners in the NFL would have called for a fair catch in those circumstances.

There is no fair catch in the CFL, so Washington had no choice but to receive that punt and get on his horse.

Shifting gears to great defense, the next highlight package unveiled was the Top 10 Hits. A little bit of everything is presented here, from blown-up kick returners to stuffed running backs. My personal favorite is the No. 2 play in which Winnipeg Blue Bombers kick returner Aaron Woods lowers the boom on Lions linebacker Adam Bighill, showing that offensive players can throw hits too. 

Continuing with the defensive theme, the Top 10 Defensive Plays were released next. The top play, an interception by Montreal Alouettes defensive back Jerald Brown, is just flat-out athleticism at its best.

Returning to the offensive side of the ball, the Top 10 Catches were next to be presented.

As a loyal Calgary boy, I have to give props to Brad Sinopoli for the No. 4 catch. Sinopoli was a quarterback for the Ottawa Gee-Gees during his university career but converted to receiver in 2013 with the Calgary Stampeders. The one-handed stab he makes on that play was his third catch ever, so he seems to be settling into his new role.

Last but not least among the CFL's highlight packages is the Top 10 Plays of 2013. This collection is a nice compilation of the best of the best among the previous packages, with a couple added wrinkles for good measure.

A nice mix from all facets of the game is exhibited here, giving us a great look at all aspects of the CFL game.

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Following Monday's CFL expansion draft for the Ottawa RedBlacks, the league's newest franchise is finally starting to take shape. 

Overall, it looks like the front office for the RedBlacks had a good plan for the draft and executed it effectively.

When all was said and done, the RedBlacks had picked up two solid quarterbacks, a full offensive line to protect them, a proven running back, some receivers, a ton of defensive linemen, a few linebackers and some help in the secondary as well.

In a pass-first league, it was critical that the RedBlacks find some talent at the quarterback position, and they did very well selecting Kevin Glenn from the Calgary Stampeders and Thomas DeMarco from the BC Lions. 

This will be the fifth CFL team for Glenn, who is entering his 14th year in the league and who is currently 10th in CFL history in passing yards (36,666). Glenn will be the No. 1 guy for Ottawa and can serve as a mentor to DeMarco, who threw for 1,325 yards this past year with the Lions.

Arguably the best quarterback available was Zach Collaros of the Toronto Argonauts, but Ottawa decided to pass on him because he becomes a free agent this offseason, and they didn't want to risk losing a critical selection.

Said Ottawa general manager Marcel Desjardins, via tsn.ca, "It became a function of having two guys that we felt were the best quarterbacks available that were not going to be free agents."

The RedBlacks also got an interesting running back in Chevon Walker. Walker was a starter for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2012, picking up 656 yards on the ground and 336 yards receiving for 992 all-purpose yards. 

Walker could prove to be the steal of the draft if he can build on his early successes.

Ottawa also grabbed up six offensive linemen, so they have a solid unit to provide protection to their QBs and open holes for the running game.

Marwan Hage, Joe Eppele, Alex Krausnick and J'Micheal Deane have a combined 20 years of CFL experience, so they have built themselves a veteran O-line who should pay dividends immediately.

On the defensive side, the RedBlacks picked up six linemen including defensive tackle Keith Shologan who picked up four sacks with the Saskatchewan Roughriders en route to the Riders winning the Grey Cup this year.

Non-import linebacker Jason Pottinger has eight years of experience under his belt and racked up as many as 71 tackles for the Toronto Argonauts in 2010.

Non-import safety Eric Fraser has been a solid contributor to the Stampeders' defense for four years now. In 2013 he made 29 tackles, two interceptions and a sack in the Stamps secondary.

All nine CFL teams can now turn their attention to rebuilding for next year, but it appears Ottawa has selected pieces that could make them competitive right out of the gate.

Follow me on Twitter @calgaryjimbo

The newest CFL franchise, the Ottawa RedBlacks, will participate in their expansion draft on Dec. 16, giving them a chance to pick a handful of experienced athletes to fill out their roster.

The three-round draft will expand Ottawa's roster by 24, allowing them to take one Import player from each of the current CFL teams and two Non-Import players. 

Beyond that basic structure, there are some other wrinkles as well.

Ottawa cannot draft more than one quarterback from any one franchise, nor can they take a quarterback and a kicker from any one team. That means some teams will be able to gamble a little in terms of leaving quarterbacks and kickers exposed in the draft, as they'll lose one or the other, but not both.

Still, the RedBlacks should be able to get their hands on some excellent players with good CFL experience.

At that critical quarterback position Ottawa will have a number of choices, from seasoned veterans to young up-and-comers.

Jim Morris predicts that the BC Lions will protect Travis Lulay in the expansion draft. That would leave both Buck Pierce and Thomas DeMarco available to Ottawa.

Pierce is a nine-year veteran of the CFL with a respectable career 89.2 passer's rating. At age 32, he could provide some veteran leadership to a young team, although perhaps not for more than a couple of years.

DeMarco just completed his sophomore season with the Lions, passing for 1,325 yards in 2013 while Lulay was out of commission with injuries. DeMarco appears to have some good upside, so he could be a candidate for Ottawa to grab.

The Calgary Stampeders will also have some interesting prospects for the RedBlacks to sort through at the quarterback position. 

I suggested over the summer, and Mark Stephens agrees, that the Stamps should protect Bo Levi Mitchell, leaving Drew Tate and Kevin Glenn available in the draft.

Tate is still Calgary's No. 1 guy when he's healthy, but his health has been a question mark for much of his career. Glenn has been effective throughout his career, but he'll be 35 at the start of the 2014 season, so he may not be the guy for a new franchise to build its team around.

As noted by Don Landry, the Toronto Argonauts will almost certainly protect veteran pivot Ricky Ray, which leaves Zach Collaros available. Collaros played in 14 games this year as a second-year QB for the Argos, throwing for 2,316 yards and 14 touchdowns while filling in for Ray.

In my opinion, Collaros is the best quarterback prospect the RedBlacks will get a look at.

Ottawa will need more than just a QB, however. If the RedBlacks decide to leave Calgary's quarterbacks alone in the import round of the draft, they could consider snapping up non-import punter Rob Maver who was second in the CFL last year in punting average, at 45.7 yards per.

Maver also has experience as a place kicker and he's just 27 years old, making him a prime candidate to get grabbed up.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats might also have some excellent prospects available for Ottawa to pick over. The Ticats are young and talented and have already earned themselves a trip to the Grey Cup, so they have invaluable playoff experience already.

As Justin Dunk observes, Hamilton will likely protect all its key pieces, including CJ Gable, Andy Fantuz and Brian Bulcke, but they'll have to leave talented young athletes like receiver Onrea Jones (505 yards receiving in 2013), linebacker Simoni Lawrence (team-leading three interceptions) and defensive lineman  Brandon Boudreaux (team-leading seven sacks) exposed.

The good news for Hamilton is that all three of those examples are imports, so Ottawa could only get one of them at most. But any one of them could be a future star.

On the non-import side of things, the Montreal Alouettes will be forced to offer a number of interesting acquisitions. Whether it's a four-year veteran offensive guard like Andrew Woodruff or six-year veteran linebacker Shea Emry, Montreal will have some Canadian talent that will help Ottawa be competitive.

The expansion draft starts on Monday, Dec. 16 at 11:00 am ET and is expected to run about four hours. Keep an eye on the results on the cfl.ca Draft Tracker.

Follow me on Twitter @calgaryjimbo

The Saskatchewan Roughriders scored 24 second-quarter points to build up a huge lead and never looked back en route to a lop-sided 45-23 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 101st Grey Cup.

Playing in front of a sold-out hometown crowd of 44,910 fans, a first-quarter touchdown pass from Darian Durant to Geroy Simon put the Riders ahead early, and it was a lead they would never relinquish.

It could very easily have gone the other way, however. On their first possession, Durant fumbled while getting sacked, but he was able to recover the ball.

In their next offensive possession, a few plays prior to the touchdown pass, Durant was flushed out of the pocket and fumbled the ball while scrambling. The ball took a wild hop and dropped into the hands of Roughriders running back Kory Sheets who extended run for a 42-yard gain on the play, putting the green-and-white in scoring position.

Had either of those first two fumbles resulted in a turnover, the Tiger-Cats may have been able to take advantage and put more early points on the board. And in fact, Hamilton's field goal late in the second quarter came swiftly on the heels of a third Durant fumble which the Ti-Cats were able to recover.

Instead, Hamilton was unable to recover those early fumbles and, aside from a field goal on their first possession, they found their offense neutralized for most of the game. 

Part of the issue was their running game. After a couple of unsuccessful runs by C.J. Gable in the first quarter, the Ti-Cats almost completely abandoned their ground attack, forcing quarterback Henry Burris to throw repeatedly against pressure in the pocket and coverage waiting for the ball in the secondary. 

Burris was subsequently sacked three times, fumbled the ball twice (with one lost) and threw an interception while only completing 20 passes on 43 attempts.

Aside from the early struggles to hang on to the ball, Durant settled in for a very solid game, completing 17 of 24 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 26 yards along the way.

Durant played all three playoff games this season without throwing a single interception. His steady play has resulted in his first Grey Cup victory in three tries.

Sheets had a record-setting night running the ball for Saskatchewan. His 197 yards of rushing are a new Grey Cup record and, along with two touchdowns, earned him the game MVP. 

Hometown hero and Roughriders slotback Chris Getzlaf was named the Most Valuable Canadian for the game on the strength of his three catches for 78 yards. Getzlaf was born and raised in Regina along with his younger brother Ryan, who plays hockey for the Anaheim Ducks.

Wind was a major factor in the game as well. Of the 68 points scored in the game, 48 were scored when the offense had the wind at their back.

The win is Saskatchewan's fourth in team history and their first while playing at home, making it special for the Riders faithful.

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After a long, arduous season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday, Nov. 24, to determine the winner of the 101st Grey Cup.

The host Roughriders (11-7 this year) took down the defending champion Calgary Stampeders last weekend, 35-13, to reach the final, while Hamilton (10-8) advanced with a solid 36-24 victory over Toronto. 

After defeating the defending champs, it would appear Saskatchewan has the advantage in this upcoming matchup, but that's why they play the game—anything can happen, and it often goes against what we see on paper prior to the contests.

For players in the CFL, winning the Grey Cup is the ultimate goal, and this game will bring out the best in those competing. Here are a few predictions about what will transpire once the action commences on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium.

Kory Sheets Will Rush for 150-Plus Yards

Since coming over to the CFL after failing to make it in the NFL, Kory Sheets has emerged as one of the finest running backs in the league. He rushed for 1,277 yards with 11 touchdowns in his first season and has been unstoppable this year, rushing for 1,598 yards with 12 touchdowns.

He was absolutely magnificent last weekend, rushing for 177 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. His ability to generate consistent plays on the ground allowed the Riders to control the clock and take down the champs with ease.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d78bnXUzFgU

Hamilton comes into the game with the league's No. 3-ranked defense, allowing just 88.9 yards per game. Toronto didn't even try to run against this team last weekend, gaining just 13 yards on five carries, though the Argonauts did manage a score on the ground.

But the Tiger-Cats didn't fare nearly as well against the Roughriders the first time the two teams met. Sheets rushed for 130 yards in that game, and he's going to improve upon those numbers on Sunday with the title on the line. 

Riders Will Sack Henry Burris Five-Plus Times

No team in the league allowed more sacks this year than Hamilton with 65. 

On the other side, Saskatchewan comes into the game having registered 57 sacks this year, which is a big reason why the Riders led the CFL this year in passing yards allowed (226.9).

Led by freak of nature Alex Hall, who has 16 sacks this year, the Riders have five pass-rushers on the team with at least seven sacks. 

Hamilton quarterback Henry Burris is due for a long, long afternoon when Hall and his defensive mates start crashing the line of scrimmage.

Geroy Simon Will Catch a Touchdown

Legendary receiver Geroy Simon has played 15 seasons in the CFL. During his career, he's caught 1,029 passes for 16,352 yards and 103 touchdowns.

There was some concern about his health coming into the upcoming game, but it turned out Simon was just dealing with a flu bug and will be fine to play on Sunday, as noted by Arash Madini:

Since coming over to Saskatchewan from B.C. last year, Simon hasn't been as dominant as he was the past 10-plus seasons. He's only caught 40 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns this year for the Roughriders, and he's only caught three passes thus far in the postseason. 

However, you have to believe the veteran will show up for one more final hurrah with the Grey Cup title on the line. He'll catch a touchdown pass in this upcoming contest to help lead the Roughriders to a big win. 

Roughriders Will Roll

Saskatchewan's strengths line up well with Hamilton's weaknesses. 

As noted earlier, even though the Tiger-Cats have been stout against the run this year, the Roughriders ran roughshod over them earlier this year, and Sheets is on a roll right now heading into this game.

Veteran quarterback Burris is the only hope Hamilton has of winning the game. He must have a monster game against the potent Saskatchewan defense, but his offensive line will be overwhelmed from the outset. 

This will be a huge win for the Roughriders. After the way this team tore through B.C. on its way to the Grey Cup, nobody should be surprised if the Tiger-Cats lose by more than two touchdowns. 

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78 

In what should be the most interesting game of the entire playoffs, the Saskatchewan Roughriders (11-7, 2-0) will square off against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (10-8, 2-0) in the 101st Grey Cup game on Sunday.

These two teams played each other twice this season, with Saskatchewan taking both victories in convincing fashion. Hamilton has improved since the two teams last played in July, but the edge still goes to the more talented Roughriders.

Here is all the vital information every fan needs to witness the CFL’s championship game.

Where: Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field, Regina, Saskatchewan

When: Sunday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT)

Watch: TSN

Live Stream: TSN Mobile TV

Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Keys to Victory

Hamilton deserves immense credit for making it this far, but the elite play of the Saskatchewan offense and the home-field advantage should result in another championship win for the Roughriders.

The talent of quarterback Darian Durant is unquestionable, but the real star of the offense is running back Kory Sheets and his 1,598 yards rushing with 12 touchdowns. Add in the team’s ability to score points in bunches, and Hamilton is in serious trouble.

While the Tiger-Cats defense has allowed 24 points or less in each of the past four games, the inconsistency shown this season, coupled with the high-powered attack of Saskatchewan, will result in the defense getting beaten early and often.

The Roughriders offense will have Hamilton’s defense on its heels all day.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ Keys to Victory

Head coach Kent Austin and star wide receiver Andy Fantuz were with Saskatchewan when the team won its last championship in 2007, but the tide has turned as the duo will go against their old team on Sunday.

That familiarity will give Hamilton a distinct edge against their foes.

The Tiger-Cats will be prepared for the boisterous fans in Mosaic Stadium and will not be overwhelmed by the stage. Led by the balanced offense orchestrated by quarterback Henry Burris, Hamilton will give the Roughriders a much tougher game than most expect.

Hamilton may not win, but Saskatchewan won’t dominate them on Sunday.

Prediction

Hamilton has made a dream run to the Grey Cup, but the team doesn’t have the talent needed on both sides of the ball to beat Saskatchewan Sunday.

After the Roughriders destroyed the top-ranked Calgary Stampeders to make it to the championship game, it became clear that this team had the perfect mix of raw skill and momentum to win the CFL title.

The Tiger-Cats had a great season, but the stage is set for Saskatchewan to bring home the franchise’s fourth Grey Cup in front of the home fans.

Predicted Score: Saskatchewan 40, Hamilton 30

*Stats via TSN.com.

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will meet in the 101st edition of the CFL Grey Cup Sunday.

The two sides took similar paths to the final. The Roughriders took down the defending West Division Champion Calgary Stampeders 35-13 in a major upset. Meanwhile the Tiger-Cats followed suit with a 36-24 victory over the defending champion Toronto Argonauts.

Clearly the Roughriders appear to have a major advantage, considering the contest will be played in Saskatchewan's Mosaic Stadium, but the Tiger-Cats have been able to overcome plenty of adversity as well this season.

Here is everything fans need to know about the impending showdown.

When: Sunday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. ET

Where: Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field, Regina, Saskatchewan.

Television: TSN

Betting Lines (via Vegas Insider)

• Over/Under: 53
• Spread: Saskatchewan (-5)

Which Quarterback Will Shine the Brightest?

Darian Durant is the lead-man for the Riders, and finished the season with 4,154 passing yards, a league-leading 31 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions.

Durant has a triple-headed monster at wide receiver—Chris Getzlaf, Weston Dressler and Taj Smith all went over 1,000 yards on the season.

Henry Burris led the CFL with 4,925 yards to go with his 24 touchdowns and a league-leading 19 interceptions for the Ticats. Burris has a few quality weapons to work with, including receivers Bakari Grant and Andy Fantuz, a duo that combined for 1,843 receiving yards.

Burris is the key to a Ticats upset, just as he was last week when he threw for 371 yards and three touchdowns in an upset win over the Argonauts. Durant himself had quite the day with a 24-of-30 line for 280 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Stampeders.

Whichever quarterback can elevate his play to match the magnitude of the game will see his team emerge victorious.

Prediction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d78bnXUzFgU

The Ticats have put together a great season, but this is not a great set of circumstances.

Saskatchewan stomped Hamilton 37-0 in Week 4, and then followed that up with a 32-20 victory in Week 5.

All of this goes without mentioning star running back Kory Sheets, who racked up 1,598 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground this season.

Simply put, the Riders are too talented for the Ticats to handle.

Add in the fact the Riders are at home and the 101st Grey Cup goes to Saskatchewan.

Final Score: Riders 35, Ticats 24

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After their first Grey Cup practice at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan, on Wednesday, several players from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats suffered frostbite from the chilly conditions, according to assistant coach Paul Osbaldiston, via CBC Sports.

The temperature on Wednesday was listed at minus-16 degrees Celsius, or three degrees Fahrenheit, but the wind chill made it feel like minus-28 degrees Celsius, which equals minus-18 degrees Fahrenheit.

Osbaldiston said that the players didn't complain about the conditions; they just kept practicing.

There's more to the story. Kickers flattened four footballs because of the cold weather, according to the Hamilton Spectator, and assistant coach Corey Grant's binder shattered.

Thursday's conditions aren't expected to be any better. The morning temperature was recorded at minus-21 degrees Celsius, or -5.8 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill of minus-31 degrees Celsius.

It seems like tough practice conditions, but the coaches want the players to be prepared to play in the chilly conditions.

The Tiger-Cats will face the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday.

Hat tip to Deadspin for the find.