Ode to the Fat Guys: Part 1, The centre

Perhaps no other position on either side of the ball is as specialized or as important as your starting centre. A centre provides stability and unity to an offensive huddle. He is a leader in the locker room and will be the first to give his teammate a swift kick in the ass or a kind word of encouragement. His timing is impeccable and his ability to see things before they actually happen comes from an uncanny ability to analyze every defensive player's position, posture and stance. If that wasn't impressive enough, he will deliver the perfect snap while making line calls to his fellow linemen, and he will do it all within a matter of seconds.

In this, the first in our "Ode to the Fat Guys" series, we

today focus on the "big toe" of the offensive line — the centre.

At the start of every CFL season I try to give a little love to my O-linemen brothers. You would think after all these years, 2012 would be a year of enlightenment for football fans, a chance to finally see, not only are O-linemen cute and cuddly, they are also an integral part of any success an offense enjoys.

But despite this being our 100th Grey Cup season, some things never change. While we gleefully sing the praises of "skill position" players, recognizing quarterbacks, running backs and receivers as those talented athletes entrusted with "carrying the rock", making plays and scoring touchdowns, we somehow forget that behind every drop back pass, every run to day light, every over the shoulder catch, five fat guys with nasty dispositions are doing their jobs to make it all happen.

Every team starts building a winning franchise by solidifying the guys up front. Perhaps the biggest moves this CFL off-season involved the defection, retirement or re-signing of some of the leagues most highly coveted players. It may surprise many to learn some of those players were offensive linemen. Most notably, centres.

The health of any starting quarterback will always be measured by the passing statistics he compiles on game day. But buried in those numbers, at the centre of all the mayhem, is a large burly man responsible for the success or failure of every starting pivot.

Comfortable in his own masculinity, he begrudgingly accepts the idea of "top hand pressure", as he unceremoniously, and without great fanfare, makes every play from scrimmage run as smoothly as it can.

There is a reason a centre's tenure with a team usually spans multiple seasons and in most cases, well over a decade. Players like Rod Connop for Edmonton, Jamie Crysdale in Calgary, Jeremy O'Day in Saskatchewan, Chad Folk for the Argos or Brian Chiu in Montreal, all enjoyed long distinguished careers because their presence in a huddle or in a locker room was a highly coveted asset.

This year presents an anomaly of sorts. Never before have I witnessed almost every CFL team start a season with a new centre. In fact, with the exception of B.C., and Montreal, every CFL team this season will start the year with a centre almost entirely new to the position or their team.

The Eskimos will open with either Kyle Koch or Gord Hinse. Both come with less than five starts under their belts after sharing reps last season with former starter Aaron Fiacconi. New starting quarterback Steven Jyles will have a relatively short training camp to acquaint himself with either.

Calgary will go with either John Gott or Mark Dewitt, the latter coming over in a trade with Hamilton. With less than four CFL starts between the two plus Drew Tate under centre, expect a certain level of anxiety and some growing pains for a Stampeders organization in transition.

Saskatchewan was the big winner in the centre sweepstakes, luring free agent Dominic Picard from Toronto. Picard will be a welcome addition for Darian Durant and a Roughriders organization that hasn't enjoyed stability at the centre position since the retirement of O'Day.

Winnipeg lost Obie Khan to retirement and will start either Chris Kowalczuk or Justin Sorenson. Neither have any starts at centre and collectively have combined for just three starts at either tackle or guard. Add in the defection of Brendon LaBatte and the much talked about health of QB Buck Pierce suddenly rears its ugly head once again.

The Argos, who lost Picard, are all set to go with Jeff Keeping or Marc Parenteau. Parenteau comes over from Saskatchewan with limited starts at guard. Keeping has worked hard to break into the starting line-up, most notably seeing limited action at left guard. Both come with little or no starts at centre and with Ricky Ray now taking snaps, getting this position solidified is crucial. Especially for a quarterback who relies on timing routes and a soft touch in order to complete his passes.

Marwan Hage is unavailable to the Tiger-Cats, rehabbing a repaired knee. They instead will rely upon former Calgary starting centre, Tim O'Neil.

The only incumbents it would seem are Angus Reid in B.C. and Luc Jordain-Brodeur for Montreal. The former having more starts at centre than all the centres on every other team combined.

With continuity and experience being such critical elements in the over-all success of offensive-line play, it will be interesting to follow the development of each team. Whether or not immaturity or inexperience at centre will lead to the misfortunes of starting quarterbacks is a topic for the film room.

But despite the growing pains that come with the steep learning curve the centre position demands, there is room for optimism. If they can weather the storm, stay consistent and grow into the leaders the coaching staff think they're capable of being, many of these young centres may finally find permanent homes. And with the fortunes of every CFL club resting on the shoulders of a healthy, upright quarterback, here's hoping a work in progress doesn't become a Quarterbacks Nightmare.