The CFL changed its playoff format in the 1986 to allow four teams in from a single division, but it wasn't with a crossover: instead, the two-team division played a two-game total points series and the four-team division played a 1vs4 and 2vs3 semifinal round. This boned the first place finishers, who didn't get a bye.
I think I like the modern crossover rule better. Got to make the regular season meaningful; don't take the bye away from the 1st place team.
Another recent CFL upload by youtube hero Calgary Stampeders Classics. This one's interesting for historical reasons, it's the mid/late-dynasty Eskimos against an Als team that was stacked with big-money imports including QB Vince Ferragamo. That Als team went 3-13 and it was the start of the 1980s decline of the CFL in Montreal.
Had never seen Ferragamo play before. He threw 7 TD passes vs 25 picks that year.
According to a youtube comment, Chris Walby is in there somewhere playing on the DL for Montreal. Haven't spotted him yet.
And damn that stained and seemy turf is terrible, and the Big Owe is only five years old at this point. What a boondoggle.
Our OL was just outstanding in this game -- and Clements matadored everyone who leaked through.
I think we got a little lucky in this game, facing Tim Cowan instead of Roy Dewalt. Cowan couldn't hit the broad side of a barn -- he was playing with a bad elbow.
I have had lots of creative hobbies over the years but nowadays I mostly play drums and write songs with my hobby band. My band is all gen-x people so we're about rock but some country will creep in now and then. We don't gig for the most part, occasionally we'll play a backyard or a pub but we're mostly about "mom and dad get away from their kids and get loud."
This is my favorite of our recordings -- something my band and I threw together during pandemic lockdown. it's a weird electro jazz thing, totally not what we would usually play live.
should've been more clear.
I think if a safety leads the team in tackles, like Lysack did in 2005, that safety probably played on a pretty shitty defence.
Oh man, the field was so bad in some of those old playoff games. Snow-crusted mud.
The turf at CNE stadium must have had brutally bad drainage, some of the rainy games there, skidding players would throw up sheets of water.
speaking of Ottawa Redblack QBs, I'm curious to see how Tyree Adams does in 2024. He looked like he knew what he was doing in his one game against the Elks last year (although yeah the Elks made a lot of quarterbacks look good last year.)
No picks, moved around well, found the open man downfield. He's a beanpole, though. 6'2" and 185lbs.
yeah, the main changes I see are in the formations -- shotgun was very rare back then and most teams were lining up with two backs. Calgary started using five and six receiver sets in 1990 and it was Hufnagel who pioneered that, according to cfl.ca: https://www.cfl.ca/2007/12/02/offences_can_thank__huff__for_six_pack_air_attack/
It's kind of nice to watch the old game without replay reviews. Official makes the call and the game moves on, no delays.
Kicking was so bad back in the day. Kennard had a couple of seasons of <60% kicking and was always invited back. Bernie Ruoff had a 50% year and a 40% year (!) early in his career but his career survived.
I think it was around the turn of the millennium when the top kickers started regularly hitting 80%.