TBURGESS

I say that because that's the truth and my argument has been consistent despite folks trying to move the goal posts. We lost to Hamilton, then Toronto, then squeaked by Calgary in Nichols last 3 full games. I don't call that dominance, but you and others do. If you want to see what actual dominance looks like, watch last years games. Besides, being good in the first third of the year doesn't define the whole year. In other words, the full season is a better look at the team than any other point in the season.

and they still ended up 3rd in the West, 4th in the league which is (read it very slowly) MIDDLE OF THE LEAGUE!

You're making justifications/excuses for the fact that we were 3rd in the West, 4th overall in 2019, which is the definition of middle of the road. Before that is COMPLETELY RELEVANT when talking about the level of success for the team in the Canadian Mafia era. The Mafia era: a 5th, a 4th, 3 3rds, a 2nd and a 1st. 2021 is the only dominant team. The 2nd was above average and the rest were average to below average. Before 2019 we had 1 playoff win in 4 playoff games. That's below average. Words matter. I said Middle of the road, which means being in the middle, not mediocre which means below average. Collaros moves the pocket, extends plays, hits the deep ball and doesn't turn the ball over very often. He throws on time and on target. None of the QB's we've had in the last 7 years or more could do all of those things. I've constantly said we were dominant in 2021 because we were, but we weren't in 2019 or any time before that. It's why MOS got his first COY award in 2021. The dominance started the day that Collaros got his first start in Blue and Gold. Is that fact lost on you? BTW: Someone asked who I'd be willing to give up to sign Collaros for what he's worth. Adams and/or Harris plus the guys we're losing to the NFL would more than make up the extra dollars. BTW2: I think we sign Collaros for a bit more than Faj-JJ got.

We've had 1 year of being dominant with Collaros. Before that we never got a first in the west and we didn't win many playoff games. 2019 was a great playoff run with Collaros after coming in 3rd in the West, 4th in the league. That's the definition of middle of the road and you know it. Lapo was 4-0 with Collaros.

Collaros was the top QB in the league last year so he should be paid the top $. If we don't pay him, other team(s) will. Considering we were a middle of the road team without him and a dominant team with him, we need to sign him at top $ even if that means losing a couple of other players. I don't buy the idea that we can be dominant with Harris or MBT or Masoli.

Suitor has never been impartial. He's a Rider through and through and always has been. He's a fan and an ex player who has a mic, not a league spokesman. The rules say teams can go over the SMS limit and pay a fine. Suitor and tons of other fans have said that their team should take advantage of that rule. It gets clicks. It get fans talking. It makes the CFL relevant in the middle of the off season. That's Suitor's job description. Those of you who get on the 'That's terrible' bandwagon are helping Suitor be relevant at this time of year.

None that I can think of. Fans just want him to sign for less than he's worth so we can build a better team with the extra cash.

It's a big nothing burger. I read the same idea around here tons of times when we were bad.

What are you trying to say?

Says 'Not to disrespect' then proceeds to disrespect.

Lucky isn't even the best receiver on the Lions, how much are they gonna pay Burn-em?

Great day for signings. Put a smile on my face.

Wally offered Harris a contract that we matched and Harris came home.

I don't mind losing our players to the NFL because the CFL can't compete money wise with the NFL.

My guess is that BLM will stay in Calgary.

I don't much like the OT format in the CFL or NFL. I'd like 2 5 minute half's. Real football with kickoffs and punts. No sudden death. Repeat if it's still tied.

Why anyone cares what a 'big time throw' is and pouts cuz we didn't get enough of them is beyond stupid. None of us on this forum did anything other than watch our team win. This constant whining, puffing out our chests and saying how great we are, and taking shots at the Riders is juvenile.

If it comes down to Bighill or Harris, I'm taking Bighill.

Assuming the SMS stays the same, and I think that's a pretty good assumption, where do we get enough money to sign everyone, when a lot of them deserve a raise?

Cost is always a factor. Harris is the highest paid RB in the CFL. He's always been worth the money, until this year. We've got his replacements under contract for way less money and we may lose them if we don't play them. I could see us making a lower offer than Harris wants and him retiring instead of taking it.

SMS, not Financials are the limiting factor to signing players. Every team has the same SMS & have to spend at least to the bottom of it. Teams need to be competitive if they want fans in the stands. Under spending = less fans = bad financials.

40% increase in NFL money doesn't matter to 90+% of CFL'ers as they'll never get a chance to get it & for the 10%, the CFL can't/won't match it. XFL/USFL avg pay is $50K US and their QB's get a lot more. Players who want to take the chance, will, with or without a slightly bigger player SMS. The CFL can't afford to up the SMS much if at all. Guaranteed contracts are a huge risk. Player gets hurt, or doesn't do the work off season and he still gets paid? I don't think so. Pay bonuses even if the player gets cut? Why would teams agree to that? The players have almost everything their own way. They have 1 year contracts. They can go the the NFL. When they come back, they're free agents. They go where the best paycheck is or to teams who have the best chance at playoff dough. That's why I suggested less games for the same money. A raise with less wear and tear on the players bodies.

They've agreed to it in the past and they don't have any bargaining strength. Go on strike, the CFL dies, and 95% of them don't have football jobs. The XFL and the USFL may start up and may last a year or two and they will take CFL players no matter what the CFL SMS is. Less games played for the same salary isn't nothing.

They want to look at everything. My ideas: 3 downs. Same number of guaranteed Canadian starting spots. X Americans, Y Canadians, Z Globals. QB's don't have special rules. Canadian QB's are Canadians, roster as many or as few as you want. QB's can play any position and more than one can be on the field at the same time. Eliminate the 3 or 4 year Americans who become pseudo-Canadian backups. Minimum 2 year contracts, not guaranteed. NFL window from day after GC to January 15th. CFL retains players rights if they come back from the NFL for the contract length. SMS goes down to current low limit. No change to bonuses. 16 game season. Every team plays every other team twice. (Lower SMS = less games) Longer than 4 hour work days. More contact practices. Single division. No east/west. No cross-over. The top 4 teams get home playoff games. No waiting for both teams to make changes before starting the play clock, unless there is an injury, set the ball, whistle time in. Eliminate triple headers by playing on Thursday thru Sunday until NFL starts, then Thursday thru Saturday with a double header on Saturday. Grey Cup on the same week as Remembrance day every year. Saturday playoff games. Sunday Grey Cup.