The week didn't start well for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats thanks to news that their Ivor Wynne Stadium renovation plans faced a significant funding gap, but the past couple of days have seen positive developments for them on a couple of fronts. On the football side, they were able to agree to a new contract with linebacker Markeith Knowlton (pictured above making a tackle against Montreal Oct. 22), the CFL's reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player. On the off-field side, the Ivor Wynne renovation plan was endorsed 10-6 by Hamilton city council Monday despite significant funding questions remaining, and the provincial government is apparently willing to fill some of that funding gap. All of those developments are likely to prove critical to the Tiger-Cats' success both on and off the field over the coming years.

Only two years after B.C. traded him and kicker Ara Tchobanian for the ninth-overall pick in the 2008 draft, Knowlton turned into a star for the Tiger-Cats alongside other

At the start of this offseason, there were plenty of questions of how the Edmonton Eskimos would look in 2011, and perhaps the biggest centred around the man wearing number 15. With a new general manager in Eric Tillman and a coaching change from Richie Hall to Kavis Reed, it certainly seemed possible that free-agent quarterback Ricky Ray (pictured at right under pressure from the Tiger-Cats' Garrett McIntyre in a Oct. 3 game) could be on his way out of town, either of his own volition or out of management's desire to move in a different direction. Instead, the Eskimos have opted for stability at the pivot spot, signing Ray to a three-year contract that runs through the 2013 season.

There are certainly signs that this could work out well for the Eskimos. Changing coaches and coordinators is difficult in the first place, and changing quarterbacks can be even more difficult. Edmonton does have another promising quarterback with some game experience already on their roster in Jared

Stop me if you've heard this one before; the Tiger-Cats and the city of Hamilton agree on a promising stadium plan after months of contentious negotiations, only for things to completely unravel when someone bothers to add up the numbers and finds they don't match. That's pretty much exactly what happened back in December when it came out that the Canadian Pacific Railway's yards, the proposed site for the new stadium, would cost $70 to $90 million to purchase, leaving the project with a $90 to $140 million funding gap. That in turn prompted an attempted move to Confederation Park that was shot down by council, proposed moves to Burlington or Moncton , and an eventual return to Hamilton thanks to plans for a renovated Ivor Wynne Stadium (pictured above before the Tiger-Cats' November 14 playoff game against Toronto). Now, the CPR experience appears to be repeating itself, as a report prepared by Hamilton city staff indicates that the cost of Ivor Wynne renovations is projected to be

It looks like B.C. receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux (pictured at right hauling in a last-second Hail Mary from Travis Lulay to send their November playoff game against Saskatchewan into overtime) has become another entry in the long string of Lions attempting to ply their trade south of the border. Sportsnet reported Saturday that Arceneaux had agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings, citing a report from Vancouver radio station CKWX. According to that report, Arceneaux's deal is for $1.8 million with a $70,000 signing bonus.

The deal doesn't appear to be formalized yet, though. TSN's Dave Naylor talked to Vikings' director of player personnel George Paton, who said the contract isn't official yet, but it seems likely that a deal will get done:

"We're close but nothing has been signed," said Vikings director of player personnel George Paton. "We'll talk to his agent Monday and try to get it solidified."

It seems unlikely that there would be any major stumbling

Once the Montreal Alouettes' Grey Cup victory celebrations settled down, it looked like they might have one of the league's rougher offseasons. Head coach Marc Trestman had been linked with every job from the University of Minnesota to the University of Miami to NFL head coaching or offensive coordinator jobs everywhere from San Francisco to Carolina, and with president Larry Smith also on his way out (not before tripping over the doorsill) and offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich strongly considered for the Saskatchewan Roughriders' job, it appeared the Alouettes' organization could look substantially different in 2011. They also had a league-high 13 potential free agents, including such notable players as S.J. Green (pictured at right) Chip Cox and Avon Cobourne. Throw in that their quarterback's still recovering from cancer surgery, and it looked like the Alouettes might be brought back to the pack a little.

Despite all that, the Alouettes have had perhaps the best off-season of

One of my favourite things about the CFL is the way many of its players are willing to donate their time, effort and energy to a wide variety of charitable causes. From Adriano Belli donating his salary while injured to Toronto's Sick Kids hospital (he's also organizing a Valentine's Day dinner to benefit the hospital) to Tony Proudfoot's unbelievable efforts to raise awareness of ALS and funds to fight the disease to Jay Roberts leaving his brain to concussion researchers to the guys who recently travelled to Haiti to help with reconstruction work, players across the league have long been willing to support great causes. Some of them don't even mind getting laughed at while doing so, as the Canadian Cancer Society's video below with Calgary Stampeders players (including Henry Burris, Wes Lysack and others) and fans to promote awareness of testicular cancer and the importance of regular checkups illustrates:

Some of the best exchanges from the video follow after the jump.

— Henry

There are still many hurdles to be cleared before a CFL team begins playing in Ottawa again, but one particular question mark was addressed today with the league's official release of their detailed plans for an expansion draft (most of which were accidentally leaked early). As I wrote back in September, getting the expansion draft right is crucial; one of the most important factors in the financial success or failure of new professional sports teams is their on-field record, and a lot of that depends on the players they're able to get. A limited expansion draft might protect existing franchises' talent, but an overly-weak new franchise hurts the league as a whole.

Fortunately, the process set up for this draft seems to strike a nice balance between helping Ottawa get off the ground while not damaging existing teams too severely. It took a while to get here, but Jeff Hunt (pictured above with CFL commissioner Mark Cohon at a 2008 press conference), the key member of the prospective

The annual exodus of CFL talent to the brighter lights of the NFL has begun, albeit with some unexpected names. Instead of sack specialist Philip Hunt, outstanding kick returner Chad Owens or star receivers Andy Fantuz, S.J. Green and Emmanuel Arceneaux, all of whom have been previously linked to NFL interest, the first CFL players to officially be heading south appear to be Montreal slotback/kick returner Andrew Hawkins (who signed a deal with the St. Louis Rams last week) and Edmonton linebacker Mark Restelli (who apparently came to terms with the Miami Dolphins today). They're names many casual CFL fans might not recognize, but now they have an opportunity to showcase their skills on an even bigger stage.

Despite being only 24, Hawkins (pictured above attempting to evade a tackle from Edmonton's Weldon Brown in a Sept. 9 game) has had an interesting career so far. He played on offence, defence and special teams in college for the Mid-American Conference's Toledo Rockets, becoming