GAME 1 : Montreal at STAMPEDERS

[M*A*S*H 4077]

Originally Posted by Bar-Down

That makes no sense. Ya a clean hit that happens 20+ times a game is a hit to the shoulders/chest. A dirty hit like Hebert made is a straight close line hit to the head and is penalized for good reason.

Just like a hockey hit is legal when your elbow is down and hits a players chest, when an elbow is high and hits a player directly in the head it is a penalty and sometimes an suspend-able offence.

It was a dirty hit. Cornish was running upright. If he was falling down as Hebert hit him it would be a bit more understandable but to fly through the air and close line a guy is ridiculous.

The ejection was well warranted. I would suspend him one game, but Im sure a fine is all there will be. Head shots don't belong in any sport. Hit the guy as hard as you want in the shoulders/chest and all is good.

I know your a Rider's fan but try and show a little bit of unbias..

I tried to be unbiased and explained why. Hebert was dodging flying bodies and making a tackle. Chris Schultz said it was a bad play by a good player and should be a fine. I totally agree with him. I don't think it was an intent to injure. His hand was 4 inches too high. The comparison to a hockey elbow is a good one. I think it was illtimed and careless. Not deliberate. Hence the fine. (you are allowed to hit people in the head)

Heck, Harris took a worse hit I the Lion's-Eskimos game, head to head and his helmet popped off and there was no flag. I think the ejection and a fine are a sufficient penalty for the hit.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Crowd was only 26k. Little surprised considering it's the home opener on a beautiful (albeit windy) day.

I just don't see it as surprising. Our fanbase has been eroding these past few years, and even though it's only one game, it looks like that trend will continue. The atmosphere is starting to take a hit as well.

Football's not hockey in Canada, you have to offer more of an experience and with a garbage stadium (ha, like moon would say!) and the Stamps cracking down on the biggest draw at Stamps games; tailgating, it's no surprise that people are starting to watch the games at home, or just not follow the Stamps as much.

7 or 8 seasons ago, the stadium wasn't quite as outdated as it is now, AND we had a tailgate scene that was the envy of the league. TSN would always talk about it back in the day, saying how it was almost US like in the all day party atmosphere at McMahon leading up to a game.

Now that's all gone, and a Stamps game just isn't the experience it used to be. Really too bad, too, as we used to be known as the King of CFL fanbases.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

26k is being really generous to the amount of people actually there today. It was downright embarrassing.

Lower the ticket prices!

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by flameswin

I just don't see it as surprising. Our fanbase has been eroding these past few years, and even though it's only one game, it looks like that trend will continue. The atmosphere is starting to take a hit as well.

Football's not hockey in Canada, you have to offer more of an experience and with a garbage stadium (ha, like moon would say!) and the Stamps cracking down on the biggest draw at Stamps games; tailgating, it's no surprise that people are starting to watch the games at home, or just not follow the Stamps as much.

7 or 8 seasons ago, the stadium wasn't quite as outdated as it is now, AND we had a tailgate scene that was the envy of the league. TSN would always talk about it back in the day, saying how it was almost US like in the all day party atmosphere at McMahon leading up to a game.

Now that's all gone, and a Stamps game just isn't the experience it used to be. Really too bad, too, as we used to be known as the King of CFL fanbases.

Yup. The Stamps badly need a new facility.
Frankly I think the environment is a problem in some games too - namely when the Riders come to town. I have no interest in taking my young kid to a game where there are going to be thousands of drunken idiots spewing f-bombs (and worse) at each other, threatening police/security officers and brawling.

I think they still have the family section - but the atmosphere just isn't great.

Most of the time I'd rather sit at home and watch the game in more comfort.

I certainly don't feel that way with most sports - would far rather see hockey/baseball in person. But CFL football - the in-game experience just isn't compelling enough.

[OzSome]

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

Saw the replays.

Lewis' hit was clean, but cheap. Cheap as the guy he hit was no longer part of the play and cheap given the scoreboard. That said it was clean. I did think he should have gotten a taunting penalty as he basically stood over the guy and celebrated.

The Hebert hit. I can't decide what to think of it. That type of tackle happens 20+ times a game except the guy's hand is slightly lower and gets him in the chest - not the neck. So because of that I think the disqualification was harsh. BUT, because it happened right after Lewis KOed an Alouette he was likely trying to hurt (NOT injure, there is a big difference) Cornish. Give him a fine and be done with it. Hebert was also evading an Alouette as he was making the tackle so it is tough to say. Watching it in slow motion makes it worse too. I thought the DQ was ridiculous while at the game as there was no obvious penalty. Now I think it may have been a tad harsh but the refs needed to get control of the game back. Fine him and be done with it.

Sounds like Cornish is going to be ok, hopefully the Alouette will be too

I guess you should watch the replay over and over again. Lewis hit was not cheapshot, the guy was chasing Fuller and Lewis saw an opportunity to make the block. He was not mocking the guy he was celebrating his good block until he realized the guy was hurt. He even watched the trainer trying to help the player then when everything is alright, he even tapped him. If that was a cheapshot, he wouldn't even acknowledge the guy.

As for the Cornish hit, Hebert tackled him in the head and grabbed his helmet and pulled him down. That is not a natural occurence in the CFL and Hebert deserved getting kicked out. You must be the only one that claimed that was not a cheapshot. PBP guy and Duane Forde was claiming it was a cheapshot after tge replay and even suggested he should get suspended for it. This is the CFL though, players hardly gets suspended in this league.

Unless we watched the different game, i have to disagree with you.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

I never claimed it wasn't a cheap shot, and if I did it was wrong. I'm saying I don't think it was an intent to injure. Chris Schultz said there is no need for a suspension and I agree with him. Bad play and he got punished for it. I'm saying I don't think it was as bad as everyone is making it out to be. It was ill-timed, not a head hunting mission, that's my point of view on it. We can agree to disagree on that but I am certainly not alone in my thinking on that one.

As for Lewis, it was a cheap hit. Perfectly legal, but still a cheap play. It was unnecessary, the guy was out of the play, Fuller was just starting to be tackled when he got blocked. Again, it's in the rules but as a defensive player it is flat out dangerous (the NFL has banned crack-back blocks). I agree that he wasn't mocking the guy but he was celebrating right beside him and in the face of other Alouettes. For sure a taunting penalty could have been called. It was a clean hit, but cheap and the type of hit Lewis is known for delivering.

I'm not saying the one hit equals the other. Hebert deserves a fine and Lewis doesn't. Lewis' hit was within the rules and Hebert's was outside the rules.

[OzSome]

After watching the PVR of the whole game, I thought this game was boring as heck. Montreal looks terrible and if it wasn't for some boneheaded penalties by Stamps D (Roughing the Passer 4x and one Unnecessary roughness) and 2x Roughing the Kicker by Special Teams, the score would have been a huge blowout. None of those penalties got the Stamps in trouble and the only penalty that helped Montreal score was the PI before the end of the game and the score was already 29-1.

Offense :
I think BLM managed the game well but could be better. Being windy was definitely a factor today and it is only a first game in the season. I am sure it'll get better next few games. Jeff Fuller was pretty good today and made some nice catches. He could have score a TD on one play where he dropped the ball. Maurice Price..dang this guy is fast. That was a nice 50 yards throw by BLM though and Mo just did the rest. Jon Cornish did not run the ball as much as he usually does but when he does, it was always good. Nik Lewis even though he only caught one pass contributed in some nice blocking. He and the others made some nice block on Cornish TD run. Good on Anthony Parker to get open and caught a TD pass.
As for the young OLine. They were pretty good today and gave BLM lots of time and they were good blocking for the run as well. I am very impressed with the play of OG Branden Craighead though. The offensive lines is actually intriguing this season. They lost some good players in Tsoumpas, versatile Gott and Deane. Looking forward in seeing what Craighead, Wilson, Lavertu can do this season. Hoping for another Brett Jones in this group.

Defense :
Against BC on pre-season game, I was dissappointed in Stubler's system but I guess that was just a pre-season and did not want the other team what his defense is capable of. Today's game they pressured Troy Smith a lot that forced Smith to overthrow a lot. The guy got a cannon throw but off target most of the time. Early in the game, the match-up was between Ochocinco vs Bennett. I have to give Bennett the huge edge on this battle. Bennett intercepted a pass thrown at Ochocinco and almost caught another one vs Johnson as well..he dropped the ball. Bennett also caught an INT in the 2nd half only be wiped out because of the roughing the passer penalty. By the way, Ochocinco did not catch a pass against Bennett. He caught a pass against Jamar Wall.
Stamps D sacked Troy Smith 4 times today (Hughes, Mace, Evans and Simpson). Hughes played well with one sack, blocked pass, tackles. DBs was pretty good with their coverage and I am not sure if that's the reason why Smith's passes was erratic.

Special Team :
Returns was meh today and Jock Sanders made some stupid play but luckily it didn't cost us. He could have given a single point on that play but instead he tried to run it then they got hit by a penalty. The only positive thing on that attempted return was that's when the same series BLM marched the ball all the way to the end zone.
The kickers Paredes and Maver did their job even though it is so windy out there.

Overall :
Lucky for the Stamps they played an awful team today; otherwise their unnecessary penalties would have cost them a game. It is a first game and they are still working on some kinks. They will have a bye week next week and maybe the coaching staff will make them watch the game a lot and point all the mistakes.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by flameswin

I just don't see it as surprising. Our fanbase has been eroding these past few years, and even though it's only one game, it looks like that trend will continue. The atmosphere is starting to take a hit as well.

Football's not hockey in Canada, you have to offer more of an experience and with a garbage stadium (ha, like moon would say!) and the Stamps cracking down on the biggest draw at Stamps games; tailgating, it's no surprise that people are starting to watch the games at home, or just not follow the Stamps as much.

7 or 8 seasons ago, the stadium wasn't quite as outdated as it is now, AND we had a tailgate scene that was the envy of the league. TSN would always talk about it back in the day, saying how it was almost US like in the all day party atmosphere at McMahon leading up to a game.

Now that's all gone, and a Stamps game just isn't the experience it used to be. Really too bad, too, as we used to be known as the King of CFL fanbases.

With respect to the Stamps current management, tailgating (and all the activities included in tailgating) is something that is now embraced and encouraged (Current President Norrie has personally let it be known that this is the case). I have been part of a tailgate for 10+ years it was only in the 'Ackles era' around 2008-2009 that it was a war on tailgates. That era did significant damage though as I think a lot of long time tailgaters quit and dropped their tickets. Pre-2008 the guy who runs our tailgate would have to show up 3 hours plus before every game to get the spot we usually occupy in the parking lot. Now there are free spaces in our area an hour before game time for most games.

As for the fanbase, I think there are four reasons for the attendance drop over the past 10 years:

- The price increases over the last decade has driven a lot of the marginal attendees from coming out. You used to be able to get Season tickets for $100 in some sections. No longer even close to that now and in the premium seats it's approaching or sometimes exceeding $100/game walk up

-The decline of the Edmonton Eskimos. Now I know most Calgary fans think Edmonton sucking is always a good thing, but longtime fans can recall when the Eskimos fans would occupy an entire section on Labour Day and the games between the two teams decided the division. Now there's only token Eskies fans who come out to witness the Eskimos get bent over every game they play here and the games mean so little. Edmonton should always be Calgary's natural rival for everything.

-The Rise of Riders and their diaspora. Riders fans in the stands in large numbers at McMahon actually takes away from people's fandom in the Stamps and ruins the family-friendly atmosphere at the games. Personally I think this phenomenon has jumped the shark as Stamps-Riders games aren't as crazy in the stands as they were 5 years ago, but the reputation these games have had keeps families away.

-McMahon Stadium - as it's been said, if they want to charge these kind of prices for CFL football it needs to be in a venue better than a Stadium built for a city of 250k in the early 1960s.

[OBCT]

Great post Cowboy89. I strongly agree with all your points.

[troutman]

An afternoon game this early in the season probably doesn't help the gate. Many families are leaving town on summer holidays, or busy in the afternoons.

I'm not sure a nicer stadium will increase attendance long term. McMahon isn't that bad. There seems to be a limited number of core CFL fans in Calgary.

I think the pricing is very reasonable (compared to NHL).

[Maccalus]

While the pricing is still reasonable, I think they price the corners way too high. It would be nice to see a spattering of fans up in the corners every game before they move down.

I also think reduced price game day tickets could be a good means to improve walk up sales. More butts in the seats is just better for everyone.

[Da_Chief]

Don't forget HD TV coverage.

I had season ticks one year (on the benches, sure I can spend more and get better seats but don't want to), did not like the experience at all. The stadium needs a nig time upgrade.

My current excuse is that I'm usually out of town for work, like I was for the season opener.

[SuperMatt18]

The TSN contract has something to do with it too in past seasons, made it easier to watch a game at home in HD. Plus the 8 P.M. Friday night starts don't make for a family friendly outing, and late in the season those games are down right cold.

There appears to be a return to more Saturday/Sunday afternoon games this year though so that is good.

[troutman]

The CFL should avoid Sundays and the NFL.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by troutman

An afternoon game this early in the season probably doesn't help the gate. Many families are leaving town on summer holidays, or busy in the afternoons.

I'm not sure a nicer stadium will increase attendance long term. McMahon isn't that bad. There seems to be a limited number of core CFL fans in Calgary.

I think the pricing is very reasonable (compared to NHL).

Well, that ignores a significant drop off in fan support over the past few years, though. It wasn't that long ago when the papers were discussing the "however many games of crowds over 30k" streak and how declining tickets over the years were leading to that being the first year where we see a game under 30k.

Can't remember what year that was, but now we'd kill for just under 30k most nights. The new norm for premium games is like 32k for labour day, and 30-32k for Riders games.

The new norm for most games is a pathetic 26k with more like 22k actually there. We're on a trend to have a half empty stadium soon.

Your argument seems to imply that 26k has always been the norm "and here's why". There's more "core" football fans in this city than we're seeing at the games and this thread is a bit of a sample of the reasons.

[Yoho]

The stadium is bad, how does Winnipeg have a state of the art stadium and all we have are stories of the last outdoor super tramp concert held at McMahon.

Calgary's sports facilities are starting to get embarrassing.

[Arsenal14]

Originally Posted by Yoho

The stadium is bad, how does Winnipeg have a state of the art stadium and all we have are stories of the last outdoor super tramp concert held at McMahon.

Calgary's sports facilities are starting to get embarrassing.

Probably because Winnipeg is not growing at anywhere near the rate that Calgary is and thus has a lot less new infrastructure to build. When there is nothing else pressing it's a lot easier to find some money for a stadium.

[Otto-matic]

Mo Price fractured his hand in the 3rd quarter.

@MauricePrice17: I guess its no longer a secret. Yes it's true, I suffered a fractured left hand in the 3rd of Saturday's season opener. This really SUX !!

[troutman]

Novelty has worn off new stadium in Winnipeg. Lots of empty seats in first two home games. I'm not convinced a new stadium results in bigger attendance long term.