The annual exodus of CFL talent to the brighter lights of the NFL has begun, albeit with some unexpected names. Instead of sack specialist Philip Hunt, outstanding kick returner Chad Owens or star receivers Andy Fantuz, S.J. Green and Emmanuel Arceneaux, all of whom have been previously linked to NFL interest, the first CFL players to officially be heading south appear to be Montreal slotback/kick returner Andrew Hawkins (who signed a deal with the St. Louis Rams last week) and Edmonton linebacker Mark Restelli (who apparently came to terms with the Miami Dolphins today). They're names many casual CFL fans might not recognize, but now they have an opportunity to showcase their skills on an even bigger stage.

Despite being only 24, Hawkins (pictured above attempting to evade a tackle from Edmonton's Weldon Brown in a Sept. 9 game) has had an interesting career so far. He played on offence, defence and special teams in college for the Mid-American Conference's Toledo Rockets, becoming

The off-season coaching staff shuffles are continuing around the CFL, and the latest shake-up is in Regina. The Roughriders' staffing changes were projected to be some of the most interesting to follow this offseason, given how late they left the hiring of head coach Greg Marshall, and they haven't disappointed thus far. It came out this weekend that the team elected not to renew the contracts of special-teams coordinator Jim Daley (pictured above in his time as Winnipeg's head coach in 2005) and defensive backs coach Nelson Martin. Daley told The Regina Leader-Post's Murray McCormick that he saw the move as a natural result of the team's head-coaching change:

"I won't be back and that's a normal part of the business when the coaching staff changes,'' Daley said Friday from his Calgary home. "It depended on who was hired. There were a couple of guys who could have been hired (as head coach) where I would be in a situation where I would come back. Greg wasn't in one of those

It's a decision that many had anticipated for some time, but it still comes as a bit of a shock. Herb Zurkowsky of The Montreal Gazette reports that according to a source, legendary Alouettes receiver Ben Cahoon (pictured at right with the Grey Cup during the Alouettes' Dec. 1 championship parade) is expected to hang up his cleats for the last time this offseason. Here are Zurkowsky's exact words, from his Als Inside/Out blog:

A reliable source told Als Inside/Out that Cahoon's days in Montreal are over. While the 38-year-old is expected to retire, that's not necessarily carved in stone.

Earlier this week, Cahoon told montrealgazette.com he believes he could play at least another season or two. But several Montreal players have been told Cahoon won't be returning to the team in 2011.

Presumably, we'll discover in the days ahead whether Cahoon, in fact, is retiring from professional football or merely the Als. Any CFL player who "retires" before training camp is eligible to return at