Looking for players from New England’s past on Canadian Football League rosters."

/>Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhitePats Pulpita New England Patriots communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpPatriots NewsOpinion and AnalysisContribute!About the SiteTopicsPatriotsOddsShopStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhitePatriots News Opinion and Analysis Contribute! FanPostsFanShotsAbout the Site List of Patriots Twitter AccountsWrite For Pats Pulpit!New User Welcome and Commenting GuideCommunity GuidelinesMastheadTopics Patriots Off-Season CoveragePatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots NewsPatriots Draft CoverageSportfolio ManagementFiled under:Patriots AnalysisPatriots Offseason CoverageEx-Patriots in the CFL’s fold as 2019 season nearsNew Brandon Bolden Jersey ,3commentsLooking for players from New England’s past on Canadian Football League rosters.EDTShareTweetShareShareEx-Patriots in the CFL’s fold as 2019 season nearsPhoto by Jim Rogash/Getty ImagesThe Canadian Football League’s opening rosters had to be submitted by Saturday. Up to 10 practice players per team were eligible to be added as of Sunday. And come 7:30 p.m. ET this Thursday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats will get the 2019 CFL season up and running.So will some recent and distant names from the New England Patriots’ past.Six of the league’s clubs currently roster at least one player with a previous stop in Foxborough, and the BC Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes are the lone exclusions.As for who’s where in the three-down game, here’s a glance at the CFL 46-man rosters and practice squads through a Patriots prism.EDMONTON ESKIMOSDaVaris Daniels, wide receiver – The Patriots claimed Daniels at the old 75-man cutdown in 2016, and the undrafted wideout by way of Notre Dame and the Minnesota Vikings was waived in the days that followed the preseason finale. Daniels went on garner the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie of the Year Award. He tallied 148 catches for 2,375 yards and 20 touchdowns through three years with Calgary.Tommie Draheim, offensive lineman – Draheim spent a week on New England’s practice squad in December of the 2012 campaign. The San Diego State product with six NFL cups of coffee moved on to the CFL in 2015. Draheim won the Grey Cup in 2016 and started four games for Edmonton in 2018.Kelcy Quarles, defensive tackle – Quarles, now a member of Edmonton’s practice squad, was claimed by the Patriots as the calendar turned to September 2014. The UDFA out of South Carolina would log time on New England’s scout that season and the next. Quarles’ stay with New England was split by 12 months with the Indianapolis Colts.Nick Usher, defensive end – The Patriots signed Usher late last August, and the rookie outside linebacker out of UTEP was part of mass roster cuts six days later. Usher appeared in eight games for the Eskimos in 2018, recording 10 total tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.CALGARY STAMPEDERSDerek Dennis, offensive lineman – Dennis was in training camp with the Patriots back in 2012. He’s since checked into 56 CFL games. The 6-foot-3, 348-pounder out of Temple has been a Grey Cup champion, a recipient of the league’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award and a two-time All-Star.SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERSMarcus Thigpen, running back – The 2009 undrafted free agent via Indiana appeared in 50 NFL games and was rostered by eight teams. The Patriots were one of them, signing Thigpen to the practice squad in the formative stages of 2014. Thigpen, now 33, has amassed three touchdowns on missed field goals, two on kickoffs and another on punts in his CFL career. He’s scored 13 touchdowns on offense, too.Shaq Evans, wide receiver – New England added the former New York Jets fourth-round pick to the practice squad in October 2016. Evans was released a week later. The UCLA Bruin joined the CFL ranks this past season, catching 50 passes for 785 yards as a Roughriders rookie.HAMILTON TIGER-CATSRyker Mathews, offensive lineman – The most current ex-Patriot of the group, Mathews penned a futures contract with New England in January yet was waived at the start of May. The 26-year-old offensive tackle had spent the previous two seasons as a Tiger-Cat, and Mathews is one again. Ja’Gared Davis, defensive end – The Patriots were awarded Davis off the wire leading up to the 2013 campaign, and the linebacker via Southern Methodist played in four games on special teams for the Patriots over parts of two campaigns. Davis, who also resided on New England’s scout team Womens Dont'a Hightower Jersey , is now entering his first year with Hamilton. He racked up 123 tackles, 23 sacks, seven forced fumbles and three interceptions and a pair of touchdowns while with Calgary.TORONTO ARGONAUTSMcCleod Bethel-Thompson, quarterback – Bethel-Thompson has gone from the Arena Football League to the United Football League to The Spring League. He’s gone from the NFL and to the CFL, as well. The QB was a member of the Patriots’ initial practice squad back in 2014, and the won the Grey Cup with Toronto in 2017.OTTAWA REDBLACKSChris Martin, offensive lineman – The Patriots crossed paths with Martin on two occasions, with the Central Florida bookend checking in on the practice squad in the fall of 2014 and returning through waivers the following summer. Martin was with Ottawa in 2018 and returned to the CFL following the Alliance of American Football’s disbandment.Among the other onetime Patriots with recent CFL experience, there are the likes of wideouts Jalen Saunders, Chris Harper and Griff Whalen, plus offensive tackle Brian Simmons, linebacker Taylor Reed and cornerback Will Likely.Wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins was placed on Winnipeg’s suspended list last month. And in the months prior, linebackers James Vaughters and Alex Singleton signed futures contracts with the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively. The NHL, NBA, and MLB all play playoff series; what if the NFL did too?"It’s playoff season for both the NBA and the NHL, which means that there are a lot of multi-game series going down right now. Combine that with the way that the MLB schedule works, with teams hosting each other multiple times in a row we’re all watching the same teams play each other over and over each night, Groundhog Day style.Last night, the Boston Bruins swept the Carolina Hurricanes to send them to the Stanley Cup, meaning they are just four games away from completing their quest to bring the third of the four major professional sports championships to Boston (nice going, Celtics), a feat no city has accomplished since the Mets, Knicks, and Jets all won a championship in 1969. Before that, it was the Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings all the way back in 1935. And as I was watching yet another Boston sports team dominating, it got me to thinking:What if the NFL structured their playoffs like the other major sports leagues? What if the Super Bowl was a series?The Patriots have been to 11 Super Bowls in team history, winning six of them; not too shabby overall. But what would their SB record be if they had to get multiple wins in order to hoist the Lombardi Trophy?I thought I’d give it a shot. I decided to go back through the 11 Patriots rosters that made it all the way to the Super Bowl, looked at their opponents, and see what New England’s record would be if they had faced each in a best of seven series.Yes, I realize that this is a fruitless http://www.patriotslockerroom.com/authentic-jonathan-jones-jersey , stupid, and ridiculous exercise - there’s just no way to tell what the actual results would have been. And yes, I realize that “give Bill Belichick seven games against the same opponent and there’s no way he loses a series” is probably the correct answer to nine of the 11. But that makes this whole exercise pointless. So I’m going to try and take the Belichick factor out of it just a bit and assume that he wouldn’t figure everyone out eventually, otherwise it would always be Patriots in seven.Super Bowl XX, vs. Chicago Bears. This is a no-brainer. Patriots get swept and swept handily. Maybe - MAYBE - they pull an upset game out of thin air at some point if Chicagodoesn’t come out of the locker room until the fourth quarter, but they have zero chance of winning this series. Bears in four.Super Bowl XXI, vs. Packers. I want to say that Drew Bledsoe and company would find a way to take down the Brett Favre led Packers over the course of a playoff series, but I just can’t do it. The ‘96 Patriots overachieved that season, and the Packers were pretty explosive. New England takes a game, but Green Bay ends up coming out on top in five.Super Bowl XXXVI, vs. Rams. Can the Patriots upset the Greatest Show on Turf multiple times? Honestly, I don’t think so. The 2001 Patriots caught an overly confident Rams team completely off guard with punishing defense, constant contact, and a conservative offensive gameplan. St. Louis would adjust and find a way to give Kurt Warner more time to get the ball to his weapons, and the Rams would take the Patriots way more seriously as the series continued. Patriots go up early and steal one at home, but Rams take it in six.Super Bowl XXXVII, vs. Panthers. These were two very evenly matched teams; I don’t think that history has been as kind to 2003 Jake Delhomme as it should be, and the Panther defense was fierce. The Patriots were a better team, though, and capable of beating you different ways. This is a matchup that favors the Patriots, and they still find a way to take the series on a multifacted gameplan. Patriots in six.Super Bowl XXXIX, vs. Eagles. Maybe if Philly takes Game 1, they get a little more confidence coming into the rest of the series and manage to ride the momentum to a championship, but neither Andy Reid nor Donovan McNabb were ready for the pressure and spotlight that accompanies the Super Bowl. New England takes Game 1, then Game 2. and Philly just can’t see a way to dig themselves out of that hole. Pats take it in five.Super Bowl XLII, vs. Giants. New England comes into Game 1 cocky and arrogant, and they get kicked in the mouth. They then come out fuming for Game 2, impose their will, and then ride the Giants into the ground for a convincing 5 game series win. The offense is just too potent and versatile to get caught like that again.Super Bowl XLVI, vs, Giants. You’d think New England would remember the last time these two teams met in a championship series, but they don’t; once again, they come out flat Rex Burkhead Jersey , and drop Game 1. A narrow Game 2 victory evens it up, and the slugfest is on. New England ends up needing all seven games, but they’re able to get it done.Super Bowl XLIX, vs. Seahawks. They say that defense wins championships, and the 2014 Seahawks had that in droves. It took Tommy B three and a half quarters to figure this Seahawks D out; are they versatile enough to fool him four times? I don’t think so; Pats take the series in 6 VERY hard-fought games. [I think this is a homer pick, to be honest. Hawks probably take this series]Super BowlLI, vs. Falcons. The 2016 Falcons offense was incredible, and Matt Ryan was the well-deserved NFL MVP. But as we saw in OT of that game, their defense gets gassed, and the 2016 Patriots offense was versatile and crafty. Falcons go up 3-0, but then completely blow the lead and allow the Patriots to storm back and take it in seven games.Super Bowl LII, vs. Eagles. Perfect gameplans, brass balls, and everything going your way is a great way to win a game - but it isn’t going to win you a series. Eagles take game one, then the Patriots get to work, win the next three, allow Philly to steal one at home, and then take Game 6 in Foxboro to repeat as champs.Super Bowl LIII, vs. Rams. If this past Super Bowl taught us anything, it’s that it’s easy to get overwhelmed in the moment, and I don’t think Sean McVay suddenly comes into his own given mutiple games to get it together. He spends the whole series two steps behind Belichick, who is always coaching a game ahead of his opponent, and the Rams continue to look lost and confused as the Patriots win it four games to one, and the three-peat is on.So that has New England with a SB series record of 8-3, with no losses after that first Rams game. Maybe 7-4 if you want to make a case for Seattle taking that series, which you could very easily do. Regardless, the Patriots still have a winning record in championship games.To be honest, I’m extremely glad the Super Bowl is only one game. The way the Patriots tend to play them, they’d most likely all go to seven, it would come down to one play at the very end, and I probably would have died of a heart attack back in 2004.