For just the second time in 59 years, the Canadian Football League season will start without a permanent commissioner in place.

Of course, better no commissioner than the wrong commissioner, as was clearly the case when American-raised former television executive Jeffrey Orridge was in charge for the past 25 months.

Orridge’s last day of a tumultuous two-year stint on the job was June 15. He announced he was stepping down in April due to “differing views” with the board of governors on the future of the league.

Read that as a mutual agreement at best, a push out the door more likely.

Orridge faced a litany of challenges while on the job, including attendance problems in Toronto (the Argos averaged a league-low 16,380 fans in 2016), waning interest in Montreal and Vancouver (second- and third-lowest average attendance), declining TV ratings, and the Calgary Stampeders battle to get a new stadium. Under his watch, the league went a whole year without a firm drug-testing policy and he made headlines for his controversial stance on the link between football and degenerative brain injuries.

All of those challenges will be passed along to the new commissioner and the board of governors, having whiffed on Orridge, is now tasked with finding someone who can take the reins quickly and lead the league forward for years to come.

The new commissioner will come into a league with plenty of positives as well, including new or recently renovated stadiums in six of nine markets, a strong television partnership with TSN and even a footprint in the United States, with 20 games scheduled for broadcast on ESPN.

With that in mind, chairman of the board and interim commissioner Jim Lawson, who is the first acting leader to start a season since David Braley in 2002, talked to Postmedia extensively about the process of hiring a new leader for the CFL and what’s good and troublesome about the league on the eve of the season opener.

(Note: Some answers have been edited for length and repetition, questions re-ordered for continuity)

You don’t have a permanent commissioner in place just a few days before the season. That’s obviously not ideal.

“Is it ideal? No. Is anyone concerned? No, they’re not. We’d all like to have someone in place, obviously. It’s better to have a permanent leader, but I don’t think we’ll miss a beat. I’m comfortable in the role and I think I have the confidence of the owners and the presidents around the league. It’s not like there’s a big void here. No, it’s not ideal. Everyone would like a permanent leader, who is taking us in a direction, but at the same time, we’re very stable, I’ve done this before and we’re in good shape.

Would it be fair to say that it’s more important to find somebody who will do the job for an extended length of time than to find someone quickly?

“Definitely, that’s the case. We’re fine. I’m headed to Montreal for the season opener on Thursday night and I’m dealing with things like disciplinary issues. We’re in good shape. From my own selfish perspective, this is not something that I need to be doing around the clock, but other than that, it’s most important to get the right person as opposed to letting Jim Lawson off the hook from doing double duty. Having said that, the process is well along and I won’t be at all surprised if we have someone in place in July.

Have you had to speed up the process with Jeffrey Orridge departing on June 15?

“We’re well along. It is a process and it is going to take some more time. It’s somewhat of an accelerated time frame on how we’ve dealt with things, but the goal has always been not for the start of the season necessarily. That’s just practical. The question was always, ‘Can this happen that quickly?’ The answer was, ‘I doubt for the start of the season, but hopefully in July,’ and I think that’s still a realistic timetable.”

Can you tell us a little bit about the process in hiring a new commissioner?

“I had a lot of applicants and I would say, for the most part, they were well-qualified. We specifically decided, this go-around, that we would seek out some candidates. It’s a pretty small world in Canada. We’ve got a group of board members and owners that are well-tapped into the Canadian corporate and sporting landscape. Not to suggest that we necessarily limited it to Canadian. From where I sit, Canadian is very much a nice thing to have, but not an absolute. I brought in a professional firm to help me with the screening process, set up interviews and manage everything. That’s ongoing today. We had interviews (Monday), we have more interviews (Wednesday). I will say, confidently, that I think we’re in the home stretch.”

What kind of person are you looking for?

“We had a pretty extensive list that we narrowed down in terms of process against a job specification that was fairly specific, more specific this time. I think it had more to do with those CEO-type qualifications, as the board looked forward in terms of what they felt they really needed. They wanted someone to come in and run the league office like a business, run the league like a business, much more focused on creating economic results that will make the league sustainable for the long term.”

What are the challenges going into the season? For instance, the attendance in Toronto?

“You didn’t have to mention it. I would have mentioned it. I think they learned a lot last year. I don’t think it was fair in some ways, in terms of the ownership change in January of last year, and they got a late start. It’s just such a competitive environment in Toronto. That Blue Jays phenomenon is tough and last fall we also saw the soccer team sell out. It’s just that the Toronto market is a tough environment. Having said that, they’ve got great ownership and everyone is excited internally about the culture of the team with Marc Trestman as coach and the players that Jim Popp has brought in. They have a really athletic team. There are cities where winning translates to selling tickets. I hope that can be more the case in Toronto. We know it is the case in other centres. With a better team including a healthy Ricky Ray, the guys Jim Popp is bringing in, a great culture around the team and good ownership … you can’t underestimate that they’ve got that whole Bell network behind them. I’m optimistic. It is a tough market, but at the same time, there’s lots of reasons to be optimistic. They are working very hard at it.”

What are your thoughts on the new stadium opening in Regina?

“It’s really something, a real showcase for our league. It’s got to be one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world. It has everything. Design for the fans, design for the players, it’s just exceptional. I think they spent a lot of time thinking about what would be the perfect stadium in today’s age and I think they nailed it. It’s beautiful, it’s fun, it’s going to be comfortable for everyone. That’s a highlight for me. And opening on Canada Day, July 1st for the 150th, that’s just perfect.”

What else is intriguing you as the season opens?

“I’m excited about the quarterbacks around the league. When you think of what you’ve got in a healthy Ricky Ray, Trevor Harris in Ottawa is the real deal, really a star, Zach Collaros in Hamilton is definitely the real deal and Darian Durant, I think, is going to have a good season in Montreal. Look in the West, you throw into that Matt Nichols, Bo Levi Mitchell, Mike Reilly, Jonathan Jennings … These guys are putting the ball up all the time. I just think there are some star quarterbacks and they are good guys too. They’re really likeable. They go out of their way to promote the league on social media and otherwise.

With that comes a lot of parity.

“I don’t know who is going to win the West, but I’m really scratching my head about the East this year. I think Toronto could be strong and I challenge anyone to say there’s an easy pick-’em in the East this year. The parity around the league in part has to do with the quarterbacks. I think Winnipeg is going to be very strong along with Calgary and Edmonton, but I think all the teams are going to be very strong. B.C. has an exciting team, with great receivers and a good young quarterback. Don’t ever underestimate Saskatchewan. They play tough and are well-coached.

“The other thing that comes to mind is the Grey Cup in Ottawa. We know now it’s going to be sold out because it’s already almost sold-out. Again centring around the 150th birthday and in Ottawa, a sold-out stadium with such a fun environment. I know Ottawa will do a great job of it.”

Has the league taken a turn in the way it markets itself with things like CFL Week in the off-season?

“No question it’s part of a strategy. We are working closely with the social media group, things like fantasy football, the CFL pick-’em. It’s been a lot of hard work and it’s definitely a market change in terms of bringing out new fans. The CFL Week in Regina was just tremendous in terms of the attendance and the fan turnout. It’s very tangible because they’ve put a lot of emphasis on content year-round, and keeping the game in the eyes of the fans during the off-season is important. You’ve seen a lot of the stars in the league pitch in and do their part and promote the game in the off-season. Everyone has raised the bar in part because of the constant ability to use digital media to stay in the eyes of the fans. You’ll continue to see us looking for ways to be in the eyes of the fans in the off-season because that’s what other leagues are doing in such a competitive landscape. It’s important strategy for us and I think we’re executing well on it.

twyman@postmedia.com