Noeller

Really nice that the CFL is broadcasting this. I'm stoked to watch as much as I can...

UCP in turmoil and I'm all about it.... Burn baby burn.

And along with Naylor's tweet, here's an accompanying pissy article talking about how people that resist 4 downs are hurting the league: https://www.tsn.ca/don-t-expect-radical-changes-to-the-cfl-this-off-season-1.1774952 It’s never been easy to promote the idea of change in the Canadian Football League. Tradition, for better or for worse, has always been its guiding principle, which is what you might expect from a league that has the same number of teams as it did 70 years ago. Significant change or innovation is usually met with fierce opposition from loyalists, be it fans or members of the media. That’s exactly what’s happening with the debate raging over whether the league should consider adopting four downs instead of three. To be clear, the CFL is not engaged in a debate about switching its game to four downs and American rules, although you might think so, given the tone of the debate. It is, however, in the midst of a review process where nothing is off the table. That process is stoking fear some elements of the Canadian game could be endangered, including the number of downs. Time for a little history and context on how we got here. For most of the CFL’s existence, three downs versus four has never been a serious debate. Sure, you’d hear the odd coach or general manager from the U.S. bemoan some of the rules from time to time. But never did the league seriously consider adopting four downs. Not even when it expanded to the U.S. from 1993 to 1995. Three downs were considered by most an asset, not a problem. As a result, it was rarely discussed. That changed about a year ago when the CFL announced it was in talks with the new owners of the XFL about collaboration. While the league never officially confirmed the talks were about a merger, everyone understood they might ultimately go in that direction. That instantly put four downs into the discussion. Privately, there were people at senior levels of the CFL who were willing to make that sacrifice if the business case with the XFL made sense. Ultimately, it was the business case (or lack thereof) that killed the XFL merger. It was not a valiant stand for three downs. Then, during the 2021 season, something happened. The CFL had a subpar year entertainment-wise on the field. Scoring was down, big plays disappeared, and punting ruled. With quarterbacks getting mangled week after week, the game at times degenerated to what in some eyes was an unacceptable standard. Some of that was undoubtedly due to the players missing the 2020 season and being hampered in their preparation for the 2021 season by COVID-19 restrictions. But the league wasn’t willing to chalk it all up to the pandemic, especially since many of the defensive trends predate the lost season. So, the decision was made to look under the hood at the game and perhaps consider changes or innovations previously dismissed. A process called a “product review” was hatched. That process has included the league reaching out to its teams for ideas on how to improve the game, with the primary objectives being to create better game flow and more offence. It’s a process that continues this week as coaches, GMs and other officials meet in Toronto in advance of this weekend’s CFL Combine. But most of it is shrouded in secrecy, as per usual in the CFL. So, all it took to set the downs debate ablaze was a reporter suggesting last week that Genius Sports, the league’s new data and marketing partner, was pushing for a switch to four downs. That suggestion ignited on Twitter, with retired and current players debating fans on the subject. Even those as revered three-time Grey Cup champion head coach Marc Trestman entered the conversation in defence of three downs, to great fanfare. For the record, the league says Genius Sports has nothing to do with whether it looks at three downs versus four. But this horse has left the barn, so expect it to be the theme of a lot of CFL conversations until this matter is put to bed. Standing up for three downs seems to be as much about preserving Canadiana as it is about the preservation of a unique brand of football, which maybe shouldn’t surprise us, and does raise the emotional stakes. In general, radical changes in a sport rarely happen over the course of one off-season. They are usually debated and discussed and shelved for more research. Then they are either resurrected or die a slow death on a shelf under a blanket of dust. The destiny of four downs in Canadian football is probably going to depend on what the game looks like in 2022, 2023 and beyond, after the anticipated application of several smaller, less dramatic tweaks expected to try and tune-up the game. For in a league based upon and bound by tradition, it’s going to take a lot more to push such radical change across the finish line.

Bless you, Riley.....rock star.

I'll say this - I think it's really cool that they're turning it into an "event". Just one of many things I'd love to be home for...

Wanting to be in Winnipeg in the summer is a big difference from convincing someone to spend their winter in Winnipeg vs Tampa, Miami, Anaheim, etc.... but you are right that there are steps you can take to narrow the gap a bit. Getting star players to sign extensions, as they've done several times so far, proves it can be done!

Gotta shut my mouth... ******* Stars up 2-1 and dictating the game now. Faaaaaaack.

In the out of town scoreboard, the Oilers helping the Jets out so far... Up 1-0 on Dallas in the 2nd.

They truly believe they are the majority and the only reason they're not winning elections is shenanigans.... Cheating.... It wss rigged.... We actually won but conspiracies..... Etc.

also loved this:

It's always wild to me to see actual conservatives/Conservative takes around here....

this is interesting....players chiming in that the locker rooms have negative vibes because NI OL are being paid much more than others....

ehhhhhhhhhh........ cash grab. You can't improve on the kits they have.... hopefully just a one off and it's not as egregious as I'm imagining.

disappointed that it's not a true universal dental care program. Only for "low income" and not for everyone. Meh. Would have liked to have seen that made truly universal, but whatever. Cheaper this way, I suppose...not many households fall under the limits listed.

it's 100% true that things started steamrolling downhill after Buff left.....but there were other factors in there, as well. We had a really good d corps with Buff, Myers, Trouba, JMo.... and haven't really re-built it since then.

I personally love it. A true collaboration of the NDP and Libs is exactly what I'd like to see in a Canadian government.

Comrie is barely a serviceable NHL back up. There's a reason he's been a Samsonite player his whole career. He's not the guy. Berdin is a bag of cats... You can smell crazy on him. But I agree with Goalie about maybe you get one in return. What if Philly is crazy enough to "win now" and swaps Hart?? Not the craziest thing that's ever happened....

I'd be fine with Helle getting shipped out for a kings random IF the Jets had a legit starter anywhere in the system....

that seems like a really underwhelming return for Copp....

thinking there's a lot more equipment cost in football, which is where the extra expense comes from.....but still.....if you want kids to play, you have to find a way to be competitive with other stuff. That said, $245 doesn't seem like that much to me, and seems WAYYYYYYY cheaper than hockey, which I can't understand how parents pay for that every year...