2017 CFL Season Thread

[FireGilbert]

I was just looking at the standings. Any chance this season will be the final straw in the failed division format? I do not see any reason whey they couldn't just group all 9 teams together.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

I was just looking at the standings. Any chance this season will be the final straw in the failed division format? I do not see any reason whey they couldn't just group all 9 teams together.

Not going to happen in a gate driven league like the CFL. The Eastern teams need a home playoff game with their attendance issues, and the more chance it has to be a Division rival, the better. Toronto/Hamilton sells a lot better than a Toronto/Winnipeg matchup. I think they'd love to get rid of the crossover if they could.

[FireGilbert]

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

Not going to happen in a gate driven league like the CFL. The Eastern teams need a home playoff game with their attendance issues, and the more chance it has to be a Division rival, the better. Toronto/Hamilton sells a lot better than a Toronto/Winnipeg matchup. I think they'd love to get rid of the crossover if they could.

If the Eastern teams want higher attendance and to host playoff games maybe they should stop sucking.

[dash_pinched]

No Johnny Football this year in the CFL...

TORONTO — Johnny Manziel won’t be kick-starting his pro football career in the CFL this season.

The CFL announced Wednesday it won’t approve a contract for the former Heisman Trophy winner until next season, and only if he met certain conditions stipulated by commissioner Randy Ambrosie.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl...gue-announces/

[Corral]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

No Johnny Football this year in the CFL...

Good. Thumbs up to the Commissioner.

[dash_pinched]

Manziel in his own words - sounds like he has matured somewhat.

“I recently had a really positive meeting with Commissioner Ambrosie and welcomed the chance for us to get to know each other and have an in-depth talk about a possible future with the CFL. I love this game and want to be back on the field in a situation where I can help a franchise in the long term. Over the past months, my agent helped me vet all of my options for playing, figuring out where I could be most effective and get back to having the most fun with the game I love. I’m ready to play today, but we all agreed with the Commissioner that it made no sense for me to join a team with only a month left in the season – it wouldn’t have been fair to my teammates, coaches or the fan base. I want to come into a team and earn my job day one, like everyone else. I look forward to preparing myself as best I can and look forward to what the future holds.”

[CaptainCrunch]

To me its baby steps with Manziel. I admit I was a fan of his at Notre Dame and that he could be a prototypical CFL QB.

But at this point he has to prove it over the off season. Serious training, no partying. Show up at the try out camp and wow the coaches.

If he can do that, I think it could be positive for him to see if he really wants to play football.

[KelVarnsen]

He went to Texas A&M

[CaptainCrunch]

That's right, my bad, I got my schools all confused.

cause I'm old.

[dash_pinched]

The Als are a mess...

Former Montreal Alouettes linebacker Bear Woods was released by the club for reporting safety infractions to the players’ union, according to a report in the French-language newspaper La Presse.

Citing anonymous sources, reporter Miguel Bujold says that Woods – who was CFLPA player rep in Montreal – complained to the union after the Alouettes held padded practices on the first day of training camp, in violation of the collective bargaining agreement.

According to the story, he was released by general manager Kavis Reed the following morning and without the knowledge of head coach Jacques Chapdelaine.

http://3downnation.com/2017/09/28/be...lations-union/

[Corral]

Observing the Als decline saddens me as a CFL fan. Montreal is a nice city and the team had a good niche there and did well to escape the albatross of the Big Owe when it moved to McGill. I hope they turn things around soon.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Corral

Observing the Als decline saddens me as a CFL fan. Montreal is a nice city and the team had a good niche there and did well to escape the albatross of the Big Owe when it moved to McGill. I hope they turn things around soon.

Yup. Not good for the league at all.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I think the new Commish has done a great job but one of his big hurdles going forward is going to be keeping the league legitimate in the big markets. Winnipeg and Sask can't keep the CFL afloat.

There's only so much he can do about the "CFL is bush, NFL is king" mentality that is cropping up in a lot of places but he needs every single team to be a competently run organization with a solid fanbase.

Right now Hamilton and Montreal are both a total joke. TO and BC have no fans. You can't have 4/9 teams be the laughing stock. Even 1 is too many.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I think the new Commish has done a great job but one of his big hurdles going forward is going to be keeping the league legitimate in the big markets. Winnipeg and Sask can't keep the CFL afloat.

There's only so much he can do about the "CFL is bush, NFL is king" mentality that is cropping up in a lot of places but he needs every single team to be a competently run organization with a solid fanbase.

Right now Hamilton and Montreal are both a total joke. TO and BC have no fans. You can't have 4/9 teams be the laughing stock. Even 1 is too many.

For sure. I think this league is in for some troubled waters ahead. I can count on one hand the amount of people I know in the 25-40 age group who would actually sit down and watch a game.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

I was just looking at the standings. Any chance this season will be the final straw in the failed division format? I do not see any reason whey they couldn't just group all 9 teams together.

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

Not going to happen in a gate driven league like the CFL. The Eastern teams need a home playoff game with their attendance issues, and the more chance it has to be a Division rival, the better. Toronto/Hamilton sells a lot better than a Toronto/Winnipeg matchup. I think they'd love to get rid of the crossover if they could.

Also tradition.

[dash_pinched]

Ian Hamilton @IanHamilton45
The CFL has fined Roughriders receiver Duron Carter for violating the league’s social media policy.

[White Out 403]

yeah im really worried about the cfls future too. football is a sport on the decline in terms of participation and the nfl looms large over the cfl.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Resurrection

yeah im really worried about the cfls future too. football is a sport on the decline in terms of participation and the nfl looms large over the cfl.

There will always be plenty of American players looking to play football. IMO if the Canadian pool of players declines that may be a good thing as it would force the league to scale back the ratio. The officials and the ratio are the key components holding the league back IMO. There are a small handful of Canadians that are legit professional football players and the rest are basically on rosters because of their passports.

[Corral]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

There will always be plenty of American players looking to play football. IMO if the Canadian pool of players declines that may be a good thing as it would force the league to scale back the ratio. The officials and the ratio are the key components holding the league back IMO. There are a small handful of Canadians that are legit professional football players and the rest are basically on rosters because of their passports.

Whether or not the ratio is holding back the league depends, of course, on what purpose you think the CFL serves. For me, its the Canadian football league and a place for Canadians to pursue their ambition to play football professionally. thus i think it is important and valuable that we have limit on import players.

Allowing for more imports, and the CFL starts to look much like the AHL in hockey - ie a league with american cities that have teams stocked with Canadians who can't make it in the NHL - no thanks.

The CFL never has and never will match the NFL - no point trying - just be uniquely Canadian.

[transplant99]

And the CFL completely gasses yet another video challenge.

How freaking hard can it be to find people that can get it right?