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I'm with Rourke. Good on him for speaking out!

God bless him for saying it.

Instead of changing the rules, just hire people from Winnipeg to teach other markets how to market their team because apparently several markets are too stupid to figure out how to do any of this.

I had no idea that I didn't hate Nathan Rourke... I hope he leads a revolt.

Read Ed Willes's incredible "End zones and Border Wars" book about the failed US Expansion of the 90s. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

I miss the scarf guy!!

The changes are stupid and won't improve the game. The overall effect is to tone down all the cool and quirky rules that make the league unique. It's a shame, and will probably be followed by more of the same. Can't believe we're seriously nerfing the rouge like this...

I'm really not happy guys... CFL football is the only league I truly care that much about anymore and now the ***** commissioner says we gotta change everything about it to chase other fans. It's a slap in the face to all of us who do support this game. We don't matter, others are more important so we're going to make a shittier to try and magically find fans rather than putting in grass roots work to build support. **** everything about this.

Why does everyone think the NFL wants the CFL to be a development League? They have one, it's call the NCAA. The players moving into the NFL from there are getting paid more there than they would here. It's not worth it to the NFL to have a league where a half dozen players per year MIGHT finally take the leap and become servicable in the NFL

The part I don’t get about this is I literally remember the days when GCn would talk about hearing things from players because of working in the hospitality industry. I don’t get his obsession with doubting that players could talk to mere CITIZENS. I’ve had Wolitarsky in my basement for drinks, I’ve worked out at the same gym as Hefner, Suber and Willis. I’ve got to house parties at Swiston, Kowalczuk and Andre Douglas’ house when they all rented together. I’ve had to get Charlie Roberts a taxi home from the bar so he’d stop begging people for smokes. The stuff I’ve heard and the stuff you can hear as people around the city is out there. The interaction is there all the time, these guys aren’t millionaires with their own circles - they’re just dudes. Why is there so much doubt that Booch has similar access when we all know he’s got history coaching camps and being involved in training?

In typical CFL fashion, what a weird way to operate. An announcement of a big change coming in a press conference, in the middle of the season.

Making it into shitty NFL won't win any fans and will only alienate the fans you do have

Scarves at half mast for the CFL.

These changes will not improve game play. Will make it harder to score points. Game will be bogged down in midfield and you'll have teams punting from the 40 going in. If you want a better game, develop some QB's. This is why several stadiums have moved the sidelines all to one side for field level seating. They are losing that.

This is just a veiled "improving the game" that aligns it more to the NFL.

This is boiling the frog folks. They have decided to kill the league slowly. **** all of it.

You probably won’t until the last 3 minutes of a game and we go from #NoLeadIsSafe to #MostLeadsAreSafe

Well it's at least not a catastrophe, but this dude is for sure heading the CFL into NFL Junior League.

I think significant is really going to mean significant. I can think of one way they’d change things up … 3rd down and 5 or less, you’re not allowed to kick the ball. Field dimensions wouldn’t make sense - logistically too much of a challenge because of the teams that share fields with other teams (see: us) Going to four downs is the easy choice, I don’t think it’s that. If it’s not directly rules related, I wouldn’t be surprised if they announce they’re going to one division. They could technically announce that effective immediately, not that it would make sense.

Things to improve the game/viewership: Remove or increase Coaching cap Invest heavily in amatuer sport/family engagment/youth participation etc etc I can't wait for all those people who don't watch the CFL because it's boring/has a 100yrd field/has the rouge to come pouring in next year!!

So if you take out ten yards that changes the positioning of seats slightly. Feel like all that does is tick off some season ticket holders.

Hearing the changes did not make me call the ticket office and cancel my tickets, may need to look at relocating them though. Won't be much playing field in front of us at all, might get the goal line, will have to see... Really don't like the goal posts moving to the end zone, kick returns has always been one of the most exciting plays of the week and now they have eliminated the most exciting version.

Will changing the rules make people care? I don't see how. The only way to get asses in seats is to putting time and effort in your community. Toronto "we've tried nothing and got no results! It's the rules!"

Based on this weekends Bomber game. Vaval missed FG would have gone out the back of the end zone if the Redblacks even attempted it. He caught it deep in the back of the end zone. That's not going to improve the game. It will also reduce the number of last play game winning FG's due to the increased distance needed to try that FG.

The reason I hate moving the goal posts is because they are now on the GOAL LINE. You score when the ball crosses that plane. Move them to the back now you have 2 goal lines. It's just dumb. #RadicallyCanadian4Ever

I like the changes - or at least am willing to see how they pan out over the next few seasons. The only thing I would have liked, in addition to the changes is if you're going to a 35 second play clock, teams should have an additional timeout. I could see it being much easier to sit on leads now.

My take: This has to be an early April Fool's joke.

I don't mind these changes. Keeping 3 downs, the motion, the width of the field, no fair catch, the extra player are all key. Willing to give these a chance and see what it does to the game.

What a way to weaken the special rules of the CFL These changes - will lead to becoming a farm system for the NFL

I honestly don’t know why you think that they’d be holding a press conference on a Monday morning to announce replay changes. This is obviously a much bigger deal than you’re making it out to be.

Personally I think revenue is unique to each market. There isn’t anything they can do to all of a sudden make 30000 ppl go to game’s in toronto. Same with Calgary and whoever else not Winnipeg or Saskatchewan rules? There’s 5 or 6 games left. Field size? That is more work than people think and would cost money. 1 division actually might make the most sense here. Or it’s a merger but that ain’t gonna go well. I think going American when ppl dislike everything American right now would be the beginning of the end here. Read the room guys. We avoiding the USA. We don’t want to be them currently also what works here may not work elsewhere. Wade has created a social like environment centered around a football game cuz the soccer team ain’t drawing ****. Meanwhile in Toronto the soccer team draws but the cfl team don’t. We need a person who lives in torontos perspective to fix that mess.

He’s going to announce Wilson as the starter for Saturday.

The point is for kicking the ball past the goal line. The extra 2 are for precision.

I don't understand the point of shrinking the field ? Is the idea that with 100 yard fields that more points will be scored? Are these changes really going to make any sort of impact on creating interest and increasing revenue for the league?

I don’t think it’s the changing of the rules. I’m sure it’s not lost on any one of these executives that they are gaining 25 yards of space at field level - how do they use that? Field level patios? Influencer bullshit?

Not a receiver, we know that much!

But even most of those long ones are missed wide, not short, are they not? Overall knee jerk thoughts - most of the changes seem fine at first glance. Nothing about them takes away too much from the CFL-ness. That said, I don't know what problem they solve either. For every ball clanging off the goal post there are probably 25 missed FG returns. Seems like the trade off isn't worth it. The argument about TV sightlines was comical. To me they amount to "easier to explain to an NFL fan" type changes without improving the game much (or at all).

Most returned missed ones are long range ones.. ones 40 yards and in generally go out the endzone anyway...

How many field goals are going to be returnable with the goal posts in the back? Very few. My least fav adjustment is the 35 second play clock. I would’ve been fine with it if they dropped it to 25 in the final 2 minutes of a game.

What are you going to do? Call that person up to confirm one way or another? Either believe the information or don't but for the love of God ... let it go.

Its clear that they have signed sponsorship deals with Enron and Nortel. Its going to be huge.

They're messing with a game that needs mo messing with. They need to do things to make the game better by getting rid of the coachss cap. Marketing needs to be better on a ntional level. Those 2 areas need addressing. Not moving the goal posts to the backof the end zone. So, I agree. For a league that wants to up the scoring if they do that, it'll kill it. Why do I think the boys & girls from Genius Sport are behind this?

And, I've heard that he may also bring in the forward pass.

Walters' greatest sin is in allowing O'Shea carte blanche to hobble the team as he has. Walters has learned nothing from the Willy/Nichols incident.

I'm going to be pissed if we add more american rules such as 4 downs or american kicking rules.

Do we really think the number one reason young fans aren't watching in the worst markets is the rules, though? I think it's more "I don't look football, and I don't like football that isn't the NFL". Rule changes won't fix either of those.

I'd trade any of our QBs for Brown in a heartbeat. If he's not achieving in Ottawa, it's because Ottawa is the forbidden zone of the CFL, there's some weird malaise over the place that prevents the assembly of talent into teams, and it's been that way since the early eighties.