Craig Smith
It’s that time of year! Time to hit the road and scout the National Football League.
It has been a big part of our recruitment and we have brought in a number of players with NFL on their resume. It is one of my favorite times of year.
My year is broken down into segments and they go something like this: September through to the end of November, I scout the CIS. They are our lifeblood.
December to February, I scout the NCAA. Bowl games and All-Star games are on the agenda and this includes the Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL as well as the East-West Shrine game currently in St Petersburg, FL. March is essentially for the CFL Draft. There are four Evaluation Camps to cover in Edmonton, Montreal, and two in Toronto and I always look forward to that time of the year.April is reserved for our Mini-Camp and NCAA Spring Ball.In May, we get a start on next year’s draft at the CIS East-West Bowl where to prospects travel to London, Ontario to undergo testing, practice, and a game. Another great week! June is our Training Camp and July our season gets rolling. That brings me to the NFL.
This year, I will scout 10 camps and 9 games. I am on a tight schedule to try to see as much as I can over a short period of time. Traffic, weather, cancelled practices can all change my schedule pretty quickly. I just pray everything goes well and I love it when a plan comes together. My first week included the New York teams. I have scouted this region for several years now so I am pretty familiar with these organizations. You get to know the Personnel people as well as the facilities the clubs utilize during camp. I am a creature of habit so I tend to stay in the same hotels and eat at the same restaurants, take the same routes between cities.
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The Giants practice at Quest Diagnostics Training Center which is right across from Met Life Stadium which was the site of Super Bowl XLVIII. The facility is in the shadow of Lady Liberty and that wonderful Manhattan skyline. I was able to catch 2 practices and I will go back next week to watch some film. The Giants are very accommodating.
jhhh
Quest Diagnostics Training Center – Met Life Stadium East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants facility
Eli Manning after practice.
Next off to Cortland, NY, which is the Training Camp home of the New York Jets.
I was able to catch 2 practices there as well as spend some time in the video room. I watched film with Ottawa REDBLACKS scout Miles Gorrell where we cranked out several hours of video work. Often I run into other CFL scouts on my NFL scouting travels. We are always asking each other ‘how many teams do you have, where you going next, want to go for dinner’ where we talk about many things including football. We rarely compare notes, but it is always good to see other CFL scouts out on the road.
Get to park with the Media at Cortland State Former CFLer Garrett McIntyre now with the New York Jets
My next and last Camp stop in the State of New York was in Pittsford, NY at St John Fisher College to scout the Buffalo Bills. Spent time with Bills Pro Personnel man Tom Gibbons to go over the Roster. I will also see the Bill in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. It will be my fourth trip to scout the game.
Me at the Bills camp St John Fisher College
That evening I got an opportunity to see our game vs. the Argos on ESPN2 in HD! Stayed up until 1 AM. Well worth it.
Leaving the Rochester area I had breakfast at Cracker Barrel with fellow road warrior Jean-Marc Edme of the Montreal Alouettes. He is also on his NFL camp trek. I worked with JM in Hamilton. Admire his work ethic. He will go far in this business.
Three down, seven to go. Oh yes and 9 games.
Love my work!
Go Riders!!!
Smitty
