MONTREAL – Already recruiting is a very complex art, imagine when you have to identify excellent athletes, but not good enough for the NFL. And that, while analyzing calibers as different as the NCAA, the XFL, the USFL and the NFL. Let yourself be transported into the unique universe of CFL scouts.
In the spring of 2022, Danny Maciocia and Byron Archambault meet in Dallas to attend a camp for free agents. They hope to find one or two hidden gems there to join the Montreal Alouettes.
“It’s the least common avenue,” says Archambault from the outset.
Very often, more than 100 players – and sometimes up to 200 – show up for these trials where a very competitive atmosphere spreads given the scarcity of positions to be won.
That day, the action takes place in a dome surrounded by low concrete walls. Archambault remembers being side by side with Maciocia when the one-on-one confrontations between receivers and defensive backs began.
They are very attentive when it is the turn of a receiver with an interesting physique.
“He’s stroking around the corner. But everyone fights fiercely in these camps. And the defensive backs are very aggressive, no referee supervises the drills. And there, the defensive back clings to the receiver, he tackles him even before the ball arrives. It would be an obvious punishment. But the receiver succeeds catch and he was coming so fast that he fell, rolled and crashed straight into the wall. To the point where we asked if it was correct. He gets up right away, takes the ball and returns to his position. Her catch was amazing and he didn’t say a word,” Archambault said, miming much of the scene.
“Danny and I look at each other and say, ‘Okay, he’s got something special about him. We did more research, we found images of his university career and we ended up hiring him, ”he added. Byron Archambault
That receiver was Cole Spieker. The one who surprised and amazed many Alouettes fans when he entered the scene at the end of the 2022 season, after spending the year with a reduced salary on the practice squad.
“He always continued to progress and he always found a way to do well,” boasted Pier-Yves Lavergne, the Alouettes’ national scouting director.
“Cole is from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, not Wisconsin. We don’t even have the videos of this team in our computer tools! “explained Archambault giving a good idea of the task that rests on the recruitment department which includes Éric Deslauriers, Jean-Marc Edmé, Lavergne, Archambault, and Allyson Sobol.
Because in general, scouts focus on finding the best athletes wherever they go. But a layer of complexity is added to the mandate of CFL team scouts. They must forget the exceptional athletes and rather identify those who will not establish themselves in the NFL.
“You have to look for the guys who are just not good enough for the NFL, who will get tries or who are on the edge,” noted Archambault, who also serves as special teams coordinator and assistant head coach. .
Each clue becomes valuable. For example, NFL team scouts can be great sources to tell them who is at risk of being cut.
But where it gets complicated is when you add the evaluation of USports (the Canadian university network), the XFL and the USFL. The challenge of having to adjust your gaze, depending on the caliber, can blur the equation.
“That’s it, we have to adjust our gaze continuously and try to project what’s next. Is this a guy who will be competing to be a starter as soon as he arrives? Will it need a year, but is it worth the investment? commented Archambault.
In addition, while the CFL training camps are taking place, the Alouettes must spy on what is happening at other clubs.
Byron Archambault” There is some bread on a wooden board. I don’t work seven days a week, I work six big days because there are unlimited videos to watch. But we have a great gang, we work well together, “said Archambault while the work is done by 4-5 people compared to more than twenty in the NFL.
“We like to discuss and debate potential candidates. It creates a positive atmosphere. In other places, when you are less experienced, you don’t really have the right to speak, you have to take your place. It’s not like that here,” he continued.
In 2023, Archambault is looking forward to seeing the evolution of three players found via the more common route, that of athletes who have not broken through after an NFL camp. He alludes to Mustafa Johnson, Jabari Ellis and Nick Heninger.
Last season, Johnson ended up starting on the defensive line while Ellis scored a touchdown after blocking a punt against the Argonauts.
“We are very confident of sending them into the field this year,” concluded Archambault, an enthusiast and adept at optimizing with his busy schedule.