Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:

He’s been perennially a good student, this Eric Tillman.

He’s posted steady marks for a long spell, shown the occasional flashes of brilliance over the years and then came his most-impressive effort last season in helping shape the Saskatchewan Roughriders into Grey Cup champions. That creation, given the hand he was dealt, trumped his other masterpieces in B.C. (1994 champs) and Toronto (1997 champs).

All of this, then, left us scratching our heads when examining his work this winter; an off-season in which he lost his head coach, traded away CFL Most Outstanding Player Kerry Joseph and sent his leading QB sack man in Fred Perry to the Edmonton Eskimos — a division rival, no less.

At first glance, it was akin to seeing a man with a master’s degree in managing a football team submitting a thesis of hieroglyphics scribbled in crayon and finger paint.

Inquiring minds across the CFL map are wondering if Tillman is, a) completely loopy; b) suffering the after-effects of some sort of blunt trauma to the melon; or c) a brilliant tactician working to stay ahead of the pack.

And so, seeking an explanation as we prepared our 9th annual Free Press off-season report card in which we grade the talent haul of all eight Canadian Football League teams, we reached Tillman in Regina and opened with a fastball delivered right under the chin:

“People want to know something, Eric. Have you gone bonkers?”

“Somebody’s going to be wrong,” began Tillman, clearly eager and ready for a healthy debate. “Most people are going to pick us third or fourth (in the West). It doesn’t make me mad, we love it here. I hope everybody picks us last. I’m thrilled everybody’s picking us last because it just takes the pressure off and it’s going to make it more fun if we’re good.

“This isn’t fantasy football. Every year we’re only critiqued as if it’s fantasy football and every move made is only based on guys the media has heard of. If we don’t see the changes that need to be made before the people in the stands do, then we might as well be sitting with them. In a cap era, moves just can’t be evaluated based on the moves themselves. They have to be evaluated on what they allow you to do as a result of that.”

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