Tim Tebow warmsup in Buffalo, which may be as close as he ever gets to Canada. (Getty Images)

Tim Tebow's release from the New York Jets has provoked plenty of speculation about where he'll land, and with his NFL options apparently dwindling (although perhaps not non-existent), many are bringing up the idea of him heading to Canada. At first glance, this isn't a ludicrous idea given the history involved: quarterbacks once overlooked by the NFL such as Warren Moon, Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia honed their skills in the CFL before finding success south of the border.

Moreover, there is some interest in Tebow on the CFL end: TSN's Dave Naylor reported Monday that the Montreal Alouettes still have Tebow on their negotiation list (meaning they're the only CFL team he can play for, barring a trade of his rights) and that general manager Jim Popp said the team would "take a look at him" if Tebow elected to come north. Canadian football has changed significantly since the days of Moon and Flutie, though, and there are particular circumstances in Tebow's case that might make heading to the CFL a poor decision for him.

The first argument against the Tebow to the CFL storyline is that heading to Canada isn't a quick path back to NFL stardom. The Canadian game is vastly different from the American version, featuring a bigger field, 12 men a side, three downs, expanded motion rules and several other changes, so that makes adapting to it a tough challenge for any athlete. That's why the CFL all-star list each year tends to have plenty of older players who have been in the league for years; experience in the three-down game can be just as valuable as raw athletic skill.

This is even more true for American quarterbacks, as they essentially have to relearn the route trees, coverage packages and reads they've seen all their lives thanks to the differences in the game (particularly the 12 men on each side). A standard CFL defensive alignment is four defensive linemen, two linebackers, a hybrid linebacker/defensive back, two cornerbacks, two halfbacks and a single safety; the reads against that package are incredibly different from anything seen in American football, and when you throw in the expanded motion receivers can use and the larger field (plus the need to get more yards on each down), it can be exceptionally difficult for quarterbacks to adapt.

Stars like Alex Morgan will have to find somewhere else to play this year.

It's been a few days of highs and lows for women's soccer. Shortly after Sunday's CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament final in Vancouver drew a record-setting crowd of 25,427 to watch Alex Morgan and the U.S. knock off Canada 4-0, the news came out that the Women's Professional Soccer circuit would be suspending its operations for 2012 at least partly as a result of a legal battle with former franchise owner Dan Borislow. That's going to dramatically change the picture in the months leading up to the London Olympics, and not just for American players like Morgan who are now without a league, as WPS featured national team stars from Canada (including Christine Sinclair, Karina LeBlanc and Lauren Sesselmann), England, Brazil and several other countries. Without WPS in the picture, those national federations will have to significantly alter their plans for how they approach the Olympics.

Canadian head coach John Herdman on the sidelines against Cuba.

VANCOUVER, B.C.—The Canadian women's soccer team's 4-0 loss to the U.S. Sunday may have wrapped up the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, but it wasn't the most important match of the event for either team. Those crucial matches would be their Friday victories over Mexico and Costa Rica, which resulted in the Canadians and the Americans earning berths in this summer's Olympics. For the U.S., anything else would have been a shock; they entered this tournament as the top-ranked team not just in the confederation, but in the world, and went on to prove their dominance by going 5-0 and scoring 38 goals while not allowing a single one. For the Canadians, though, fresh off a disastrous World Cup and still adapting to new head coach John Herdman, although they were favoured to nab the second CONCACAF berth, it was never a sure thing. Canada pulled it off, though, clearing the bar for the first real test of Herdman's reign. That's significant in its own right, and it also presents a springboard towards London and the further challenges that lie ahead.

Christine Sinclair signs a fan's flag after Canada's 4-0 loss to the U.S. Sunday.

VANCOUVER, B.C.—There's no dispute that a 4-0 loss to the Alex Morgan-led U.S. was far from an optimal way for the Canadian women's soccer team to wrap up their hosting of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament. Sunday's clash illustrated just how wide the gap between the seventh-ranked Canadians and the top-ranked Americans is at present, and in many ways, it was a disappointing ending for Canada to a tournament that had previously proved to be a celebration of what this team can accomplish. Still, the Canadians left this competition beaten but unbowed, and while they're disappointed with the ending, captain Christine Sinclair said they're happy with their performance in the event as a whole, and particularly with their qualification for the London Olympics this summer.

Alex Morgan rounds keeper Erin McLeod to score her second goal Sunday.

VANCOUVER, B.C.—At the start of the CONCACAF women's soccer Olympic qualifying tournament, there was plenty of discussion that the event could be a breakthrough moment for 22-year-old forward Alex Morgan. The tournament as a whole didn't really happen that way, but Sunday's final certainly did: Morgan scored two goals, including a crucial fourth-minute marker that took the hometown crowd out of it, and set up two more to lead the Americans to a 4-0 win over Canada.

It may have been mostly pride that was on the line for the teams, as they'd both already qualified for this summer's Olympics, but given the depth of these squads, Sunday's match also served as an opportunity for players to make their case for increased roles going forward. Morgan's performance was the most impressive of the night, and it will undoubtedly help her cause as the U.S. heads onwards and upwards towards London.

The Canadian team, seen celebrating after beating Mexico, faces the U.S. Sunday.

VANCOUVER, B.C.—The two CONCACAF berths for the women's soccer tournament at the London Olympics this summer have already been secured by Canada and the U.S., but that doesn't make Sunday's tournament final between the two countries (8 p.m. Eastern, Sportsnet/CONCACAF.com) irrelevant. Both rosters are deep, and players will be fighting to keep or earn starting jobs; a strong performance in this game could help boost their cases for London. Perhaps even more importantly, though, there's plenty of pride at stake for both countries.

Canada's Christine Sinclair (foreground) and Melissa Tancredi celebrate Friday's win.VANCOUVER, B.C.—It can be an odd moment when a game is summed up not by the first goal and not by the winning goal, but by a so-called "insurance" goal. It's even more odd when that's a goal that arose not from a singular effort, but rather a remarkable pairing between two separate players. Yet, that was the case with Canada's 3-1 win over Mexico Friday night, which earned them a berth in the 2012 London Olympics. The victory was defined by the Canadians' third goal in the 76th minute, and that goal in turn was dictated by an incredible, almost-telepathic link between two long-time Canadian players, Melissa Tancredi and Christine Sinclair.

"They've got a little bit of a connection, don't they?" Canadian coach John Herdman said afterwards. "Tanc and Sinc, there's something about what they've got, playing together for so long."

Friday night, that connection manifested itself with an incredible moment. The Canadians received individual goals from Sinclair and Tancredi in the 15th and 23rd minutes, but it was the combination of the two players that proved truly special. Following Tancredi's goal, Canada seemed to have the game well in hand, but Mexico stormed out after the halftime break. The Mexicans forced several incredible saves from Canadian keeper Karina LeBlanc, and Veronica Perez finally drove one home in the 67th minute when a LeBlanc punch off a corner fell to her. With Mexico mounting further pressure, the game and Canada's Olympic berth seemed very much in question until Tancredi and Sinclair teamed up. In the 76th minute, Tancredi collected the ball just on the Mexican side of the halfway line, spun and booted a long ball into the box for Sinclair without much of a look. Sinclair somehow raced past her defender to exactly where the ball arrived, then flicked it up over Mexican keeper Cecilia Santiago and into the back of the net, sealing the Canadian victory.

U.S. keeper Hope Solo lunges as a first-half shot hits the crossbar Friday.

VANCOUVER, B.C.—Through the first three matches of Olympic qualifying, arguably the biggest American star off the pitch had been primarily an afterthought on it; U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo, of Dancing With The Stars and nude ESPN photo shoots fame, had played reasonably well and recorded three clean sheets, but she hadn't been particularly tested. That changed in Friday's crucial semifinal, as Solo had her top game of the tournament precisely when the U.S. required it, making several critical saves to help the Americans to a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica and a berth in the 2012 London Olympics. American coach Pia Sundhage said afterwards that Solo's world-class play gave the U.S. a crucial edge.

"We have Hope Solo," Sundhage said. "No other country has Hope Solo."