New Bombers' OC Gary Crowton drew mixed reviews at LSU.

New Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive coordinator Gary Crowton is an unconventional hire, as he hasn't spent any time in the CFL previously. He does have plenty of experience at high levels of football, including numerous stints at big NCAA schools such as LSU (where he helped win the 2007-08 national title), Oregon and BYU and a year as the Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator. However, many of those who have watched him closely in those positions haven't been particularly impressed, and his stock seems to be at a particular low right now. I spoke with Carter Bryant, the sports director at LSU's 91.1 KLSU radio station, and he said Crowton's offence frequently didn't accomplish much for the Tigers, especially in the past few years.

"Crowton was last in the SEC in offense in 2009 and then 11th (second to last at the time) in 2010," Bryant said. "His main problem was with the quarterback position, which has been a disaster since the Ryan Perrilloux saga was ended in 2008. But also a lack of identity hurt him as well."

Jovan Olafioye hoists quarterback Travis Lulay after B.C.'s 2011 West Final win.

Over the last several years, the B.C. Lions have probably lost more talent to the NFL than any other CFL team. That trend continued Friday with the departures of star right tackle Jovan Olafioye and renowned defensive line coach Randy Melvin for the St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins respectively. Those departures will undoubtedly hurt B.C., as both Olafioye and Melvin were crucial parts of their 2011 Grey Cup championship team, and replacing them won't be particularly easy. Yet, if the past several seasons have shown anything, it's that the Lions have been able to find a great deal of NFL-ready talent, but have also been able to replace those players when they leave. Will they be able to keep that record up going forward?

The SPFL logo, from their November presentation.

Deadspin's Tommy Craggs had an interesting piece this week on plans for a new American football league, based off a November confidential summary (PDF) he was able to obtain. The new league, termed the Spring Professional Football League for the moment, is very much a rough draft at the moment and isn't planning to start until 2013, but it has several positive elements that could make it more than one of the myriad NFL competitors that have sprung up and failed over the years, most notably playing in the spring, having centrally owned teams, not directly challenging the NFL and incorporating former executives from the NFL, USFL, XFL and other leagues. As such, if it does manage to get off the ground, it could become a potential competitor to the CFL for talent.

Saskatoon mayor Don Atchison in 2003.

There's been plenty of discussion around a potential CFL franchise in Saskatoon lately, but it's sprung from an unlikely source, which perhaps says a lot about the likelihood of this ever happening. Rather than arising out of legitimate discussions around CFL expansion, this story's popped up as the result of The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix's reporting on two Credit Union Centre (the arena for the WHL's Saskatoon Blades) officials reportedly fired as the result of an expensive trip to Arizona, who are claiming in lawsuits against the CUC that their trip was authorized and was chiefly to examine the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and look into "sponsorship, event production, relationship building and the possibility of a Canadian Football League franchise and stadium for Saskatoon." However, despite the story's inauspicious beginnings, it's drawn comment on the Saskatoon CFL file from everyone from Saskatoon mayor Don Atchison to Saskatchewan Roughriders' president Jim Hopson. Thus, it's worth looking at five conditions that would be required to put a CFL team in the city: the difficulty of meeting them demonstrates why this discussion has come under fire from both Regina and Saskatoon.

Avon Cobourne on the sidelines in July.

It turns out the signing of Martell Mallett did in fact spell doom for incumbent Hamilton Tiger-Cats running back Avon Cobourne. The team released Cobourne and offensive lineman Simeon Rottier Wednesday, and both of their replacements seem likely to be less experienced. The soon-to-be-33 Cobourne had a decent season for the Tiger-Cats in 2011 and played a crucial part in their playoff upset of Montreal, while Hamilton selected the 28-year-old Rottier first overall in the 2009 draft and appeared to have him as an important part of their offensive line; he started at right guard in every game they played in 2011. Both were deemed expendable, though, and replacing them is an interesting gamble for a team that appears to be trying to win now on several other fronts.

Construction on Investors Group Field in January.

Building a new stadium can be a difficult proposition, and it's not particularly surprising that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have run into delays on the construction of their new facility, Investors Group Field. However, there's disagreement over the extent of those delays, with the official line being that they're likely to be only a couple of weeks and other sources suggesting that delays could take months. The first scenario really isn't much of a problem, as the as-yet-unreleased CFL schedule could be rearranged to have the Bombers start the year on the road. The second would be much more problematic, though, as there may not be another acceptable place for the team to play.

Chris Rudge with the Grey Cup in 2010.It's no secret that the Toronto Argonauts have a lot invested in this upcoming season. They're hosting the 100th Grey Cup, which will be one of the most important CFL title games in recent memory, and one that could potentially help them escape accusations of irrelevance. There's a clear on-field focus towards winning now and doing so in entertaining fashion, as has been shown by moves like trading for Ricky Ray and bringing in Montreal offensive guru Scott Milanovich as the new head coach. Their move Monday to replace club president Bob Nicholson with Chris Rudge could be another move aimed at improving the immediate future, but if it's to be successful, Rudge will have to think about the long-term future as well as what's immediately ahead.

Of course, it's not like Rudge is a stranger to the club. After working as the Canadian Olympic Committee's chief executive officer from January 2003 until April 2010, he joined the Argonauts in June 2010 as the chairman and CEO of the 100th Grey Cup Festival. In that role, he's already been working to some extent with the team's day-to-day operations staff, and he's also served as the club's chairman and alternate governor. Monday's announcement that Nicholson was resigning and Rudge would be stepping in as chairman and CEO of the team just adds more to his plate, but Rudge said that won't be a problem.

Gary Crowton during his BYU days.

Of all the CFL coaching changes made this offseason, Winnipeg's hiring of Gary Crowton as offensive coordinator (to replace the fired Jamie Barresi) Monday seems like one of the most likely to be either a brilliant success or an incredible disaster. Crowton certainly has a list of past accomplishments to hang his hat on, including claiming a Mountain West championship when he was Brigham Young University's head coach in 2001 and a BCS national championship as LSU's offensive coordinator in 2007. He also has an impressive resume over almost 30 years of coaching stints in the NCAA and NFL. However, Crowton has never worked in the CFL game, his offence doesn't appear particularly suited to the CFL mould, and his stock has been trending sharply down of late. Will the Blue Bombers' decision to think outside the box pay off, or will it explode in their faces?