It looks impressive if you don't mention they played the Argos... lets them play against the Pats or the Steelers and Cobourne might have 20 yds and Calvillo will have the lowest QB ratings in NFL history...
In most of the cases yes, and probably so for Calvillo also. But there have been stars in the CFL that turned into stars in the NFL too: Doug Flutie, Warren Moon, Mervin Fernandez, Joe Theisman, Rocket Ismail, Joe Kapp, Cookie Gilchrist (spelling)...Heck, I've seen NFL stars fail miserably in the CFL too: Vince Ferragamo comes to mind, Fred Biletnikoff, David Overstreet, Ricky Williams (who sucked BAAAAD with Toronto, and then, got back in the NFL and was pretty solid).
The leagues are different, the systems are different. Somes teams from both leagues met in the 50's and 60's, with the NFL coming on top all the time. Let's remember that the NFL and AFL hadn't joined forces yet. The only time an AFL team met a CFL team, the CFL team came out of it as the winner, by a solid margin. But the AFL was the weakest of leagues during that era, even moreso than the CFL.
ug. 12, 1950
Ottawa
N.Y. Giants 20, Ottawa Rough Riders (CFL) 6
Aug. 11, 1951
Ottawa
N.Y. Giants 41, Ottawa Rough Riders (CFL) 18
Aug. 5, 1959
Toronto
Chicago Cardinals 53, Toronto Argonauts (CFL) 26
Aug. 3, 1960
Toronto
Pittsburgh Steelers 43, Toronto Argonauts (CFL) 16
Aug. 2, 1961
Toronto
St. Louis Cardinals 36, Toronto Argonauts (CFL) 7
Aug. 5, 1961
Montreal
Chicago Bears 34, Montreal Alouettes (CFL) 16
Aug. 8, 1961
Hamilton
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL) 38, Buffalo Bills 21
Today, the story is different; the NFL teams being way ahead in talent and structure than the CFL teams. No doubt. The NFL is in a class of its own, just like the NHL and just like Major League Baseball.
But the leagues are way different in more sense than one. And for that only, it's very tough to compare the products. I'm more of an NFL guy, but I still cheer for the Als. I think the CFL fills a gap in Canada, where the NFL wouldn't thrive for many reasons.
Those who think that the NFL would succeed here have no clue. Canada doesn't have the same football culture, nor the same grassroots structure. Our american posters would be the first to say that football is as much part of their nature as hockey to us. I've been to some NFL games and I could never feel the same passion for football at any level here as I've felt at NFL fields. And they've told me that it's even worse at the college level. I can just imagine!
The CFL is good for Canada, because football, while being popular, is still a marginally practiced sport in this country. Kids do play it more and more in this province, but it is still a fraction of what goes on across the border. A fraction.