If I hear another media type talk about how the CFL should have a unified playoff format, I’m just going to point the the 2014 NFL season.
NFC South Carolina Panthers 7-9 in the playoffs,
NFC West SF 49’ers, 8-8 out.
All year long we were being told how ‘bush-league’ the CFL was because of the refs. Well….
Both leagues cracked down on Roughing the Passer and Interference style calls. Both leagues managed to confuse the heck out of pretty much every ref, player, coach and fan. With more and more cameras tracking every player of the game in HD, fans are always going to have 20-20 (unless your team got the penalty) when it comes to penalties and the refs live or die with what they see during live action. The refs call what they see and usually see what they call.
The CFL tested interference video reviews, I don’t expect the NFL to pick it up and I hope the CFL will drop it. Both leagues implemented mandatory turn-over and scoring reviews, that worked well.
He was fired, but I think Marc Trestman and his staff are going to be seen as the fall guys for a useless QB who management backed. I think he’ll end up somewhere in the NFL rather than go back to the CFL, sorry Montreal.
I think the CFL’s challenge in 2015 is going to be, “What do we do about Toronto?” New owner, new home? They have to get out of the cemetery they play in now. Get them into a 30k stadium and suddenly they look like they have fans, 20-30k in the Skydome provides no atmosphere.
For the playoffs, I’m hoping for Seattle vs. Green Bay then Seattle vs. Pittsburgh with Seattle winning.
I played university football in the mid sixties and coached a bantam team in the early seventies. Canadian football (CFL) would be an interesting sport if the following changes were made:
First, allow only one player to move toward the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. These days a CFL game looks more like a track meet than a football game.
Next, the CFL should only have Canadian-born players. Don’t you think its interesting that the only real full time QB I can remember was Russ Jackson. This would indirectly improve the quality of Canadian college ball.
Finally, go to four downs.
Then I might start watching the Canadian game again. Until then, its not football, its a parody of football.
your a long way out of the game and on the wrong blog if you forgot Ronnie Lancaster .
C’mon Jon, obvious troll is obvious.
All that typing to simply be dismissed as, “Be like the NFL.”
Just be nice if people paid for the facilities for their own idiot game, and not expect the taxpayer to do it.
OT Margaret Atwood is doing an AMA on reddit today. She says she’ll answer any questions. I asked a couple about her commitment to free speech vis-a-vis her willingness to sign petitions to restrict broadcasters in Canada.
Here’s the link
http://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/2qprzk/i_am_margaret_atwood_author_of_the_handmaids_tale/
Ah yes lance, these over paid entertainers certainly need some “guidance”, and the couch potaTOEs really need a reality check………..
give me 800HP screaming at 12000 RPM were the driver has a stake, his/her life, in it, now that’s real sport:-)))
Well I predict Seattle or New England or Green Bay
Jesus some of you need to try unclenching once in awhile.
Nice to see the CFL will never have you as a fan, Jon. Good riddance.
Rubbish! The CFL is just fine as far as receivers in motion is concerned. Sure it would be nice to have a Canadian QB leading a team or two, but that may never happen again until more Canadians are playing football. With all the soccer-mom wusses out there, that is unlikely.
Four downs is crap and the NFL game which I rarely watch any more is mainly boring crap. You do realize that the NFL is what it is today because of gambling. Most people don’t even care who wins anymore as long as the they are winning their pool or fantasy league.
Perhaps the NFL should go to a bigger field to cut down on injuries.
The only changes I would like to see for the CFL is more teams – at least 12 – and cut the end zones down to 15 yards.
One of the few times, Strad, where you and I are in full agreement.
“Don’t you think its interesting that the only real full time QB I can remember was Russ Jackson.” -Not really, it’s called dementia!
I used to follow CFL and NFL…then PBS started carrying Australian Rules Football.
They don’t carry it anymore. Pity. North American football just doesn’t come close.
CFL ? NFL ? Want excitement? Watch this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F9jXYOH2c0&feature=youtu.be
P.S. viewing not recommended with full bladder.
A good CFL game is great entertainment. More lead changes and more razzle-dazzle (planned or not) than the NFL.
As a bonus, you don’t have to break the bank for season tickets.
Pittsburgh vs. Detroit in the big game.
It will be a wild one, Detroit 34-Pittsburgh 30.
Part of Jon’s recipe for improving the CFL is restricting it to Canadians only. I disagree. We cheer for the Blue Jays or any number of Canadian-based hockey/soccer teams knowing that many players therein are not Canadian. Who cares about birthplaces? we just want our team to win. Why hobble Canadian owners with import limitations (currently 13?) We don’t insist on a certain number of Canadian hockey players per team. If there is any limitation, then limit the number of Canadians so only the cream of Canadian colleges reach the top. If we insist on protecting places for players, then where do the market distortions stop?
I hate Seattle for the treehuggers and all the democrats (same thing really). At least pick a “red” state if you have to, come on Cowboys!
…the refs live or die with what they see during live action
If only that were true, I might be willing to cut the refs a bit more slack when they blow one at game speed that looks obviously wrong on replay. There are way too many pass interference flags that come in 5 seconds after the ball has hit the ground for me to believe that the refs aren’t looking at the jumbotron or being worked by the players or bench.
I’d say get rid of replay and put a full-time ref in the booth. Make him an ordinary member of the officiating crew, and let him call anything he sees on any of the screens available to him up until the ball is snapped for the next play. He’d just be doing what we already know the officials on the field are doing unofficially when they feel like it.
I like both the CFL and the NFL. Different games but football all the same.
A die hard rider fan and a New Orleans Saints fan. This has been a disappointing year in both leagues for me.
The CFL was always a passing but this year it seemed more like a defensive league whereas passing has opened up in the NFL with the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Tony Romo. The NFL has gotten more exciting offensively the last few years. The CFL had a great season in 2013 and I feel this year was a step back. Maybe because the riders weren’t in the grey cup.
Superbowl prediction: Seattle repeat against New England
Jon you are an idiot.
I like the CFL , I like that it’s low budget, I’d like to see it grow a bit more but not to big.
I like that tax payers don’t pay for arenas and stadiums. I like 3 downs. Way more action. I would like to see a majority of canadian talent on the field but I don’t mind american players being in there.
I LOVE the CFL!!!!
Lance what is this NFL you speak of? Sounds like the American over commercialized ,over paid ,over sexed, dog fighting gun toting pot smoking scandalous sex with minors pro homo anti christian lefty wannabe utopia version of our beloved CFL.
For references see , micheal Sam first gay black in nfl, see micheal Vick for dog fighting, see emit smith for the team gangbangs of under age (mostly white) girls and you can find the others yourself one guy had his gun go off in a night club and numerous drug abuse scandals the media and nfl are silent about all of these, but one Tim taboo bows and prays on the field and the media pile on him !!! Nice .F$&k the nfl and american sports period.
Seattle (Marshawn M.J. Lynch) vs whomever, it don’t matter.
He was fired, but I think Marc Trestman and his staff are going to be seen as the fall guys for a useless QB who management backed. I think he’ll end up somewhere in the NFL
I think that Trestman is one of the many coaches who is a very good co-ordinator but not a very good head coach. There’s nothing wrong with that. He should end up somewhere as an offensive co-ordinator; he did that for the 49ers and for the Raiders, and was good at it.
What is this CFL you speak of? Is it a feeder league for the NFL or just an arena league? I would like to know more about this.
I don’t know what Ron Lancaster’s citizenship was when he passed away but during his playing years with Saskatchewan he was always listed as an “import”.
I’d like to see Pittsburgh win it… that’d be 7? or is it 8? Superbowls… they’ll need a bigger trophy room.
I’m not so sure of that marc.
Lancaster was born in the US (Pennsylvania) and went to US college, but he came north to start his pro career.
By some quirky CFL ruling he was classified a ‘non-import’.
I may be wrong, but that’s my recollection.
If memory serves the only stadium that wasnt 100% paid for by taxpayers in the cfl is McMahon stadium in cgy – McMahon donate the dough to the U of c a very long time ago.
The CFL is as close to death as it has ever been the Argos will be homeless in about 24 months and the TO market couldn’t care less. Crowds are well below 10000 now. And there is nil interest in dropping 50 to 100 million for a stadium. Braille has essentially said he’s wlaming away before then.
If the Argos fold so to do the national advertisers and quickly Montreal followed swiftly by Ottawa Hamilton and van. It may take a couple seasons but it could happen much more quickly.
Comparing games – NFL is vastly better produced for TV and much better to gamble on and possibly more significantly long-term – you can play it on Xbox, playstation etc. the Cfl is semi-pro bush league by comparison because that is what it is. But the monopoly it had on Canadian TV is long gone (the grey cup used to be carried by both CBC and ctv – amazing in retrospect) and like s many former monopolies it is going extinct.
I’ve been looking into that for 30 minutes with no conclusive results as to when Ron Lancaster qualified as a Canadian. He started in Canada as an import, then qualified after “x” years as a Canadian. So we’re both right!
I can’t seem to find how many years that qualification took though… some sports experts have said Ron was one of the last to jump through that hoop, but don’t provide any additional facts i.e. years played as import or Canadian..
The CFL is bad right now because all the offensive linemen are Canadian (white), while all the defensive linemen are American (black)…therefore no protection for quarterbacks at all.
Arizona at 11-5 is the away ‘wild card’ team to Carolina?
I enjoy what Chip Kelly has done for college and professional football, the Ducks and the Eagles,
running a play every 24 seconds.
Professional football is considering a 10 second rule so the fat refs can catch their breath.
The Ducks run a play every 22 seconds.
–
But the Ducks will bow/lose to the ACC, and Florida.
Go Carolina…
Panthers 26 – Cardinals 24.
The Super Bowl will most likely be Seattle vs. New England, with Green Bay having the next best shot. But there are two “sleepers” — Dallas and Baltimore.
Nice to see polite comments to my earlier thoughts.
Face some truths: The CFL is inferior to the NFL when it comes to entertainment value. I gave what I thought would be improvements in the game. This included making the CFL 100% Canadian instead of featuring cast offs, most of whom couldn’t make it in the NFL. By making the CFL 100% Canadian, a vast improvement in Canadian college football would result because they would have a place to go.
But, there are some parts of the Canadian game which could be adopted by the NFL to improve its product. Bringing Canadian punting rules to the NFL would vastly improve the American game. Almost every punt in Canadian ball gets returned. I think it is stupid to see huge football players standing around watching a ball roll around on the field. Even worse is to see a player wave his hand and then make a catch without a return. Make the players stand off and then let the return take place. Also, in Canadian ball a player can line up behind the punter and go down field to make a play on the ball without having to give yards. That would be a great addition to both games.
For your information, Ronnie Lancaster was an American who was “naturalised” under the league rules.
I agree, more punts and kickoff returns would be great for the fans,
but punts and kickoff returns increase head injuries to the players by about 10-15 percent.
With all the millions of dollars in litigation for head injuries,
we will never ever see big 350 lb football players slamming into 175 lb running backs when all they have to do is raise a little hand to keep their 240 million dollar body intact.
your memory came back
Gord Tulk’s right on with his post.
No tailgating, no fans.
If the CFL and Canada want to make tailgating illegal on top of presenting only second stringer line ups, then good luck with that.
I’m going to Buffalo as will anybody with a car that likes football and fun.
The CFL will do nothing, absolutely nothing to change anything and will be gone shortly.
Too bad; Eat Em Raw and GO BILLS!
Cheatriots.
No team with a losing record should be able to claim a Division title spot in the playoffs. Give their spot (call it “A” for now) to the best non-division title winner and let the nominal “A” team go into the wildcard mix. If they make it in, fine. If not, win more games next year. Just my humble O.
Gord, Possible but not probable. The CFL is raking in more money than ever due to intense competition for the sports TV properties. If the Argos fold it will be a blow to the league regarding advertisers, but you must realize the CFL outdraws the NFL in TV ratings in Canada by a wide margin. It is second only to the NHL in TV viewership. Most of their largest audiences come from Western teams -including BC which is drawing good crowds.
The Argos could be moved to Moncton or Halifax if an owner can be found in the Maritimes (Irving family?). They would need to upgrade the stadium in Moncton and get one built in Halifax. But, like Saskatchewan, a regional approach to marketing the team would likely work.
One must remember that Los Angeles (2nd biggest media market in the US) does not have an NFL team and it used to have two! The NFL still gets huge viewership numbers from LA.
I hope the CFL doesn’t die. I like the product over the NFL. The NFL has turned into a ‘gambling game’ as that’s all many fans I talk to seem to talk about when the NFL comes up – their fantasy team or their proline picks. Kind of sad IMO.
CFL games get lots of fans and there is some tailgating. Unfortunately antiquated liquor laws prohibit the US style tailgating.
If you’re of the mindset that you have to get hammered to watch a football game then so be it. I’d rather be able to remember the game than try to remember what happened the next day.
The NFL tailgating experience is a great one but Detroit doesn’t have that dynamic anymore and they still get huge crowds. Actually most NFL cities are facing plenty of empty seats (watch the regular season games closely and you will see thousands of empty seats in some stadiums). Thanks to the billion dollar TV contracts the teams can absorb the losses….but one wonders for how long.