During the second week of the CFL's free agency period, there's news to report out of Las Vegas, and this time it's not another rant by Vegas GM turfToe.

For the first time in at least a decade, the Rounders have free agent acquisitions to report during the early stages of free agency. Here are some excerpts from TurfToe's press conference at Ceasar's Palace:

TurfToe discussing the significance of landing free agents early in 2022 free agency...

"...which is exciting as we haven't had many free agent signings to discuss, let alone a significant one during the opening stages of the free agency period."

The details...

"We are very happy to land one of the biggest names in free agency this year. DT Brian Kellett has big shoes to fill. Not only has Ah Yat been synonomous with the Vegas defense forever, Kellett is expected to play the same position Mario did and support the other aging defensive stars like DE [player]Shannon Hutchinson[/player] and MLB [player]Bryant Lochtefeld[/player]. It's not an easy task but that's why he's getting paid a significant salary. If I didn't think he could handle the pressure I wouldn't have signed him. Despite the lack of press on TE Ellis Talley, he was a key addition to the offense this year. He's as close to a star as this franchise has ever had at the position and will be a lifesaver for Moore, both as a blocker and a receiver. We desperately needed to add depth at LB but some other franchises have been spending serious dollars to snag them all. We're comfortable with Kellett's ability to make our current LB corps better simply with his presence in front of them."

A new dynamic for the new Rounders...

"Brian Kellet is an outstanding football player. This generation doesn't have quite the same mentality as those in the past, like Mario Ah Yat or [player]Zachery Aaron[/player], but I expect the studs of this generation to produce like the studs of previous generations. The names have changed but the GM has stayed the same. I sign the checks so I don't have to be the one who is flexible."

TurfToe on nicknames...

"Everyone has a nickname these days unlike the old days when a player had to earn one, so it was no surprise when I learned that Kellet had one. I guess they call him The King since his initials are BK or some crap like that...I don't care what he gets called as long as I get $104m worth of performance on the field. Will I call him The King? Yes, as long as he understands I'll have it my way."

Not quite done yet...

"We still have a lot of needs and those will be addressed in free agency and the draft. We're not quite ready to boldly state the division is ours but I will state that the Vegas franchise will be competitive in the division and in the conference. As long as we make it to the second season, we'll have as good a shot as anyone."

It was a fairly upbeat press conference for once and only one young reporter was verbally thrashed by TurfToe. Fortunately, no one ended up in a garbage can. There will likely be more news coming from Vegas before the draft concludes, as this seems to be a year quite different from those Vegas fans have have come to expect.

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ROF Division Champions: 2039 - 2043, 2045, 2047, 2054, 2056 - 2060, 2063, 2066-2067, 2070-2072
WFC Conference Champions: 2018, 2041, 2042, 2057-2058, 2060, 2062-2063
CFL Champions: 2018, 2041, 2057-2058, 2060, 2062