Don Heupel
It's suddenly raining quarterbacks in Toronto.
A day after acquiring Dalton Bell from the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the formerly quarterback-free Argonauts announced they had signed one-time Buffalo Bill pivot Gibran Hamdan to a two-year CFL contract.
Hamdan, 29, said in a news release he was "excited to learn as much as I can from my new coaches and teammates in Toronto and what to do whatever I can to help the team prepare and win."
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Hamdan was drafted by the Washington Redskins (seventh round) in 2003. He bounced around the NFL but was later named the MVP of NFL Europe. That was with the Amsterdam Admirals in 2006. Hamdan completed 63 per cent of his passes for 1,629 yards, 12 touchdowns and just three interceptions that season.
He was a third-stringer with the Bills lastyear and did not play in any regular-season games. Hamdan comes with at least one CFL connection. He is engaged to Jenny Grant, the granddaughter of Canadian Football Hall of Famer Bud Grant.
"I hope to bring a sound work ethic, leadership and a commitment to success to training camp that's consistent with someone who is focused on winning," Hamdan said. "Coming to Toronto is an excellent opportunity and I'm eager to get started."
Argos head coach Jim Barker noted: "Our plan is starting to come together. Gibran is a true professional … an accurate passer who has the arm strength to make all of the necessary throws. The 2010 Argonauts training camp is going to be extremely competitive and I can't wait to see our players perform on the field."
The Argos recently released their three quarterbacks from last season. Bell was acquired from Saskatchewan on Tuesday for a fifth-round pick in the CFL college draft.