The good, the bad, and the dumb of Grey Cup media day

Photo: John Hodge/3DownNation. All rights reserved

On Thursday, it was time for the annual Grey Cup gathering of CFL players and members of the media. This year’s event in Calgary has a strong French-language contingent, as is typically the case when the Montreal Alouettes reach the game.

Media day always offers up the opportunity for reporters to have looser and more in-depth conversations with players. The format has continued to changed over the years (more on that in a bit) but at its core, the day remains the same: it’s a more relaxed setting for the players, which usually leads to better answers — and better stories.

You see and hear just about everything at media day from football questions, to more lighthearted queries, to things that seem straight-up bizarre.

Here’s the good, the bad, and the dumb of media day.

The Good

Quarterback is not only the most important position on the field but it is arguably the most important position off of it as well.

Cody Fajardo and Davis Alexander have to balance preparing for Sunday’s game, while also fulfilling more media obligations than anyone else. The two passers have been through the Grey Cup wringer before, so they know what to expect.

It’d be understandable if the star players became tired of answering questions, though that doesn’t appear to be the case for either Fajardo or Alexander.

Both quarterbacks were in their stalls at the BMO Centre for the entire hour, and while some players got a break here or there, they did not. Both seem to relish the opportunity.

When asked about dealing with the media and other obligations during the week, Fajardo said he enjoys the interactions and welcomes them.

As for Alexander, at one point during his hour I saw an Alouettes staff member signal to the pivot if he wanted to end the session. Alexander said he was good to continue.

It’s a small thing, but it’s good to see that both players understand their role in marketing and promoting the league. They are the two most recognizable players heading into the biggest game of the year.

The Bad

As mentioned, this event’s format has undergone many changes over the years.

When I first started covering the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the CFL in 2012, there was a breakfast with one team in the morning and a lunch with the other in the afternoon. There was also a more casual conversation period during which every player and coach was in the room and available to talk.

Since then, the shared meals have been dropped, which is probably for the better, and a little more structure has been brought in. This is probably also not a bad thing.

However, the pendulum has probably swung too far away from casual toward structure.

This year’s event featured two groups of 12, including both head coaches, both general managers, and 10 players from each team. The groups were available for one hour each.

In the past, there have been four groups of 12, with each set available for 30 minutes. This meant less time with each person, but a wider variety of players and coaches available.

This year’s smaller selection limited the stories that could be told. One also could argue that every player should probably be at this event.

One counterargument is there are sometimes players sitting around for too long between interviews.

I believe the league had the answer to this problem a few years ago when they had games and activities set up for the players. These not only kept them occupied, but also made for good video footage and some fun talking points.

The other argument is you can get those players after practice, but that environment isn’t the same, and often produces more rushed, cliché-filled interviews.

Grey Cup week is the CFL’s biggest event of the year on and off the field. They aren’t in a position to be limiting which stories can be told, so a wider net is probably better.

The Dumb

Cody Fajardo has caught my ear with something he’s said a few times this week.

Unsurprisingly, the veteran quarterback has been asked about playing his former team several times. More than once, he’s said he still has many friends on the Alouettes and that he cares deeply for them — until the game begins. Then, in his words, it becomes a steel cage match.

Naturally, I had to ask Fajardo if he were a wrestler what would his persona be, and what his finishing move be.

I was actually surprised learn that Fajardo — like many of us millennials — was big into wrestling during the late 1990s and early 2000s. This was era defined by the “Monday Night Wars” between WWE and WCW. It’s also known as the “Attitude Era” of WWE.

Fajardo offered up the Rock Bottom or the People’s Elbow as his finishing moves, which are moves made popular by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who was briefly with the Calgary Stampeders before turning into the international star he is today.

If Fajardo is The Rock, then that must make Alexander Stone Cold Steve Austin.

“People would say that,” joked Fajardo. “He’s a little bit more in your face with it, which Stone Cold was.”

From his perspective, Alexander sees himself as more John Cena, though he was also a fan of the Big Show (because he said he was a pudgy kid at the time) and Rey Mysterio. He figured his finishing move would probably come from the top rope.

Either way, like the Big Show once did with Brock Lesnar, Alexander is looking forward to breaking the ring on Sunday.

“Let’s do it,” he said. “A steel cage for 60 minutes.”