Crosby was set to begin the season healthy and back in a lineup

• It is one of those peculiarities of Canadian football that success – not just failure – can be a ticket out of the league. Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping . Thats just the economic reality in a league where the pay scale cant compare to that of the National Football League with its billion-dollar broadcast revenues, drawn from a market of more than 300 million people. And so CFL fans have come to accept that every few years a Jeff Garcia or a Cameron Wake, the kind of player who thrives in the three-down game, will want to prove himself against the best players in the world where he can maximize the financial return on his skills. The incentives for coaches and general managers to move south are no different, although its been a while since the NFL has gone looking to the CFL to fill a head coaching or senior management position, despite the fact names such as Jim Finks, Marv Levy, Bob Ackles, Bill Polian, Tim Ruskell and Thomas Dimitroff all have roots in the CFL. Which is perhaps why last weeks courting of Montreal general manager Jim Popp by the Indianapolis Colts caught so many people on both sides of the boarder by surprise. The Colts – who eventually hired Philadelphia Eagles director of player personnel Ryan Grigson -- had their choice of any number of young, aspiring general managers from within the ranks of 32 teams. And yet among the four finalists they chose to interview was someone who has never worked a day in the NFL. But is there really any reason to believe that Popps skill set and track record of success wouldnt translate to the NFL, any less than Cameron Wakes pass rush wouldnt succeed or Jon Ryan wouldnt be able to punt? Popp, raised in North Carolina as the son of an NFL and NCAA coach, has spent nearly his entire career in the CFL. He joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders as receivers coach and director of player personnel back in 1992, then moved on to join the Baltimore expansion franchise as general manager in 1994, leading the Stallions to back-to-back Grey Cup games. When the Stallions moved north to become the reincarnated Alouettes, the success continued, with the Als having played in eight of the past 12 Grey Cup games. To say success has followed Popp throughout his time in the CFL would be an understatement. In 18 seasons, the Baltimore-Montreal franchise has amassed a regular season record of 214-110, had one sub-.500 season, played in 15 Division finals, 10 Grey Cup games and won four championships. There has been just one employee whos been there for every second of that impressive run. Among the people whove followed Popps success is former NFL general manager Ernie Accorsi. Accorsi, who retired from the New York Giants in 2007, first met Popp when his father, Joe, coached for him with the Cleveland Browns of the late 1980s. "I think he is one of the better GM candidates (for) our league and Ive recommended him a couple of times," said Accorsi, who declined to say whether Indianapolis was one of those. "No one who has not been a GM in the NFL can talk about a record like his. Its unbelievable." There are two keys to Popps success. Hes been able to identify his teams most valuable assets and retain them, while demonstrating a remarkable ability to recruit new talent to fill void left by those who depart. Those same skills are exactly what wins in the NFL. Popps uncanny knack for finding excellent football players among those overlooked by all 32 NFL teams may have as much value south of the border as it does in the CFL. "I visited the Als camp in 2009 and sat in with some of the personnel meetings with Jim and listened to him handle those and was very impressed," said Accorsi. Its not easy to crack the NFL executive management ranks coming from the CFL, but the respect and publicity Popp earned through the Indianapolis process should make him a candidate elsewhere. "Im just so happy he got an opportunity to interview in Indy," said Accorsi, who recommended Dimitroff to Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank back in 2008.. "Sometimes it takes a few interviews. Ive done the best I can to propagate his name." It can be argued that Popp is nearing the point in his career where he has not that much left to prove in the CFL. And while he remains loyal to the Alouettes and owner Robert Wetenhall, those who know him well insist that the desire to challenge his skills against NFL general managers has grown increasingly stronger in recent years. The CFL will be richer if he stays. But it wont be a surprise if he doesnt. Wholesale Jerseys Paypal . From the NHLs standpoint, being in a position to deprive players of income represents pretty meaningful leverage during CBA negotiations. Wholesale Jerseys Cheap . President John Schuerholz announced the moves Friday, a week after the Braves were eliminated from the playoffs. Wren took over from Schuerholz as the Braves GM after the 2007 season. http://pavansukhdev.org/wholesalejerseys.html . An organization that is not shy about giving rock-star treatment to the Ryder Cup, the PGA of America said Tuesday it would reveal the next U. Wholesale Jerseys China . Revamped Offence - The Browns were left with no choice but to focus much of their draft efforts on the offensive side of the ball after their 2011 offensive disaster in which they scored over 20 points in just one game. Wholesale Jerseys USA . PETERSBURG, Fla.For the first time in franchise history the Los Angeles Kings were preparing to raise a championship banner. And after a long training camp and growing anticipation, the first overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Nail Yakupov was set to make his debut with the Edmonton Oilers. The Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators were going to clash in an opening day matchup of improving teams that could set the tone for either teams season. Unfortunately for NHL fans, all of these occasions have been put on hold due to the labour strife that has once again taken hold of the league. When the first 82 games of the schedule were cancelled due to the current lockout, it was assured that all of the great things that come with the beginning of a new season would be delayed. Labour talks aside, its easy to forget that the 2012-13 NHL regular season was set to begin on Thursday night in four cities. So with only empty arenas at hand, what is the thing that you are going to miss the most? The opening of a new season is a great chance to see how your off-season acquisitions gel and evaaluate the new line combinations that the head coach has assembled. Wholesale Jerseys From China. Yakupov is not the only member of the most recent draft class that is expected to have an impact on the new season. Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Ryan Murray is another first year player that was ready to make his NHL debut. At this point in the fall hockey pool players would be fine tuning their fantasy rosters and preparing for the first week of the season. But due the oncoming lockout, drafts were first delayed and then put on hold. After struggling with concussion issues last season, Sidney Crosby was set to begin the season healthy and back in a lineup that also includes Art Ross and Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin. Other teams that made major off-season gains would also be preparing to show off their new-look lineups. The New York Rangers added Rick Nash to the mix while the Minnesota Wild made moves for both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to bolster their lineups. What aspect of the new season are you going to miss the most? Its Your! Call. ' ' '

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