Darrell Davis: Musing about fake CFL kickoffs and other timely items

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A four-pack of mini-columns:

Number 1: Any changes to the CFL’s kickoff rules must include fakes.

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Short, fake kickoffs — when the kicker drills the football at an opponent hoping for a mishandled ball, or pops it in the air while a teammate tries to catch it 10 yards downfield — have to be available at any time. Not just in the fourth quarter when a team is trailing. And not just when the kicking team says, “Hey, ref, we’re gonna try a short kickoff.”

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It’s inevitable the CFL is going to change its kickoff rules. The CFL is following the lead of the NFL, which has conducted studies showing high-impact, high-speed kickoff returns are responsible for more injuries than any other play. The CFL can simply point to last postseason’s horrific collision between Calgary Stampeders returner Peyton Logan and tackler Jack Hinsperger of the B.C. Lions, which injured both players.

They should also remember the time Saskatchewan Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther attempted three short kickoffs; his team recovered twice and nearly got the third one.

The NFL’s new kickoff rule puts players closer together, reduces how far/when they run, specifies where the ball lands and makes no concessions for middle-of-the-game fakes.

How will the CFL handle it? Players, coaches, fans and analysts overwhelmingly want kickoffs to remain basically unchanged, realizing they’re an important part of the Canadian game. One suggested possibility allows receiving teams to scrimmage on their 40-yard line, rather than return a kickoff. That would virtually eliminate kickoff returns.

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It’s best to keep studying this until there’s a rule that makes the play safer, doesn’t reduce the number of kickoffs, keeps alive the possibility of a game-changing return and still allows fakes at any time. Study it for another 10-20 years.

Number 2: Opening Day.

New hope for everyone. Except the Colorado Rockies and Oakland Athletics.

Like the Masters, MLB season-openers mean summer is right around the corner. In Canada that means 162 Toronto Blue Jays games on Sportsnet, usually with one of the best play-by-play announcers anywhere in Dan Shulman. His on-air sidekick, Buck Martinez, is a superb analyst but we can do without his “Get outta here, ball!” homerism when he’s calling a Blue Jays game.

Toronto opened with an impressive 8-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. A towering homer from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who needs a bounce-back year to show he’s worthy of hero-worship, plus a strong outing from starting pitcher Jose Berrios were good signs.

This may overshadow the gambling scandal surrounding superstar Shohei Ohtani, whose link to a bookmaker was barely mentioned during his first home appearance with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Get ready for an intriguing “30 for 30” ESPN documentary on Ohtani amid the interminable “Blue Jays in 30” recaps.

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Number 3: Zach Hyman is rich. Good for him. So are many of his Edmonton Oilers teammates, none of whom had a wealthy father who purchased an amateur hockey league for his younger son to play in.

A podcaster recently said Hyman’s financial advantage allowed him to become an NHL 50-goal scorer. Never mind that Hyman plays alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Others had that opportunity without scoring 50. Many from wealthy backgrounds never made the NHL.

If the point was “Hockey is expensive” there are better ways than claiming Hyman is a spoiled, rich kid. Seeing how hard he works, hearing him humbly conduct interviews and noticing how much he’s liked by his teammates shows he didn’t get where he is by accident.

Number 4: Listening to Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris is the best prep for a new CFL season.

Online with media, Harris gushed about family, faith, football, his recovery from knee surgery and the team’s offseason acquisitions, including head coach Corey Mace and offensive coordinator Marc Mueller. Leader-Post sports editor Taylor Shire did a great job capturing the gathering in today’s story. Harris was cautious about criticizing anyone, even when asked how he reacted to head coach Craig Dickenson not being retained after a second non-playoff season.

“As the season wound down we started hearing rumblings from the media,” said Harris. “There were a few guys I thought would be possibilities. It was fun to sit back and see the process play out.

“You never know what to expect from a new coach. Just before Corey Mace got announced, he FaceTimed me (and afterwards) I told my wife, ‘We got the right guy.’ ”

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