mbrg

Goodness no.  Their "sacrafice" was conceding on moving from a revenue sharing model to a cap model for player salaries during the last CBA negotiations.  Moving back?  Go right ahead, as long as the numbers keep the CFL healthy and sustainable.
 
Is the CFL strong right now?  Absolutely.  Strong isn't an objective word; it's a word that can only be used relatively.  In the PA's minds, they are trying to act like the CFL is now a roided up Russian weightlifter.  Nope.  The CFL is strong now, in the sense that life support is no longer needed and the CFL can now resume life as a carefully monitored outpatient.  That might be a minor miracle considering the amount of time it spent in paliative care in the 90s.
 
Did the PA buy Bomber Booster certificates in the 90's to help prop this team up when it couldn't afford to pay it's bills?  No, that was us, outright giving donations to a football team and not even getting a tax deductable receipt for it.  The players need to choose their words carefully at this point.  The fans are the CFL, plain and simple.  For 100+ years this league has been a gate-driven league.  If the players keep making careless comments that sound like they have no perspective of where this league has been and how amazing it is to have survived at all then I have no choice to stand by the owners, who at least understand that we are not that far removed from a finanacial tipping point.  I'm guessing almost every CFL fan wants to see the players get more money.  I sure do.  But it does not sound like the players give much of a hoot about the long term health of this league or what it took from the fans to get to this point.

Goodness no.  Their "sacrafice" was conceding on moving from a revenue sharing model to a cap model for player salaries during the last CBA negotiations.  Moving back?  Go right ahead, as long as the numbers keep the CFL healthy and sustainable.
 
Is the CFL strong right now?  Absolutely.  Strong isn't an objective word; it's a word that can only be used relatively.  In the PA's minds, they are trying to act like the CFL is now a roided up Russian weightlifter.  Nope.  The CFL is strong now, in the sense that life support is no longer needed and the CFL can now resume life as a carefully monitored outpatient.  That might be a minor miracle considering the amount of time it spent in paliative care in the 90s.
 
Did the PA buy Bomber Booster certificates in the 90's to help prop this team up when it couldn't afford to pay it's bills?  No, that was us, outright giving donations to a football team and not even getting a tax deductable receipt for it.  The players need to choose their words carefully at this point.  The fans are the CFL, plain and simple.  For 100+ years this league has been a gate-driven league.  If the players keep making careless comments that sound like they have no perspective of where this league has been and how amazing it is to have survived at all then I have no choice to stand by the owners, who at least understand that we are not that far removed from a finanacial tipping point.  I'm guessing almost every CFL fan wants to see the players get more money.  I sure do.  But it does not sound like the players give much of a hoot about the long term health of this league or what it took from the fans to get to this point.

Goodness no.  Their "sacrafice" was conceding on moving from a revenue sharing model to a cap model for player salaries during the last CBA negotiations.  Moving back?  Go right ahead, as long as the numbers keep the CFL healthy and sustainable.
 
Is the CFL strong right now?  Absolutely.  Strong isn't an objective word; it's a word that can only be used relatively.  In the PA's minds, they are trying to act like the CFL is now a roided up Russian weightlifter.  Nope.  The CFL is strong now, in the sense that life support is no longer needed and the CFL can now resume life as a carefully monitored outpatient.  That might be a minor miracle considering the amount of time it spent in paliative care in the 90s.
 
Did the PA buy Bomber Booster certificates in the 90's to help prop this team up when it couldn't afford to pay it's bills?  No, that was us, outright giving donations to a football team and not even getting a tax deductable receipt for it.  The players need to choose their words carefully at this point.  The fans are the CFL, plain and simple.  For 100+ years this league has been a gate-driven league.  If the players keep making careless comments that sound like they have no perspective of where this league has been and how amazing it is to have survived at all then I have no choice to stand by the owners, who at least understand that we are not that far removed from a finanacial tipping point.  I'm guessing almost every CFL fan wants to see the players get more money.  I sure do.  But it does not sound like the players give much of a hoot about the long term health of this league or what it took from the fans to get to this point.

That's all this is.  Football ends for every player.  Some after 12 years, some after 3, some after their first and only week of training camp.  Real life is waiting for all these guys.  They didn't make the NFL.  They didn't even land a regular roster spot in the CFL.  What is their football dream worth?  Is spending 14 weeks practising football while getting $750 per an insult when an injury gives you your big break in week 15?  I don't think so.
 
That's what this $750 is.  It's not compensation for playing football, it's compensation for putting their post-football life on hold for a chance to chase their football dream a little longer.
 
Guys will leave the game when the opportunity passes them by and go home to jobs where they earn less.  Just like Goalie, the summer job I had during college paid about $750 (after deductions) every 2 weeks.  47-1/2 hours per week or more lifting heavy steel, and my employer wasn't pitching in room and board.
 
I'd like to see the players receive a little more compensation for the physical price they pay to entertain us.  I'd like the owners to finally reap some profits after decades of losses.  I'm under the impression that Toronto and Hamilton still lose money on a regular basis.  I suspect Ottawa will not be immediately profitable.  I know Winnipeg has a massive debt to pay off.  Does Montreal make money?
 
I don't know what inspired TSN to pay that much for the TV rights but it sure seems to me like they overpaid.  By a lot.  Was the CBC trying to buy back into the CFL?  What brought this massive $ increase about?  It's a nice lottery win for the league but it sure seems like it will be temporary.  If this was the revenue stream for the last 20 years and looked to be the revenue stream for the next 20, doing economic modelling around it would make sense for everyone.  Right now I'd be really reluctant to link compensation to revenues if I was an owner, and that has nothing to do with greed.  People throw out meaningless statements like "the CFL is as strong as it's ever been".  Well, yeah, but so what?  That's not the same thing as saying the CFL is strong, that's pointing out how weak it previously was.
 
The CFL is a long ways from death's door.  That's good news for everyone.  I'm not of the impression that it's consistently profitable yet.  I hope everyone gets a fair piece of the pie.  I don't expect every player will get a $20,000 raise this year and every year that follows just because of the new TV contract.  $750 per week for the practise roster guys?  I'm fine with that.  That isn't an injustice.  That is the stipend they receive to keep their football dream alive one more year.  It's not $750 for a job in football, it's $750 for a chance to someday have a job in football.  It was the foothold that got Stevie Baggs to the NFL for a couple of seasons.  It likely got Wallace Miles a starting job in Ottawa.  The job at the lumbermart will be there next year.  Chase the football dream while you can.

So...to get this straight...worst signing ever...but you like the signing...but you find everyone liking the signing boring.
 
....ok...so... your not Mike so what you say is really irrelevant.  Good day to you sir...
 

That's all this is.  Football ends for every player.  Some after 12 years, some after 3, some after their first and only week of training camp.  Real life is waiting for all these guys.  They didn't make the NFL.  They didn't even land a regular roster spot in the CFL.  What is their football dream worth?  Is spending 14 weeks practising football while getting $750 per an insult when an injury gives you your big break in week 15?  I don't think so.
 
That's what this $750 is.  It's not compensation for playing football, it's compensation for putting their post-football life on hold for a chance to chase their football dream a little longer.
 
Guys will leave the game when the opportunity passes them by and go home to jobs where they earn less.  Just like Goalie, the summer job I had during college paid about $750 (after deductions) every 2 weeks.  47-1/2 hours per week or more lifting heavy steel, and my employer wasn't pitching in room and board.
 
I'd like to see the players receive a little more compensation for the physical price they pay to entertain us.  I'd like the owners to finally reap some profits after decades of losses.  I'm under the impression that Toronto and Hamilton still lose money on a regular basis.  I suspect Ottawa will not be immediately profitable.  I know Winnipeg has a massive debt to pay off.  Does Montreal make money?
 
I don't know what inspired TSN to pay that much for the TV rights but it sure seems to me like they overpaid.  By a lot.  Was the CBC trying to buy back into the CFL?  What brought this massive $ increase about?  It's a nice lottery win for the league but it sure seems like it will be temporary.  If this was the revenue stream for the last 20 years and looked to be the revenue stream for the next 20, doing economic modelling around it would make sense for everyone.  Right now I'd be really reluctant to link compensation to revenues if I was an owner, and that has nothing to do with greed.  People throw out meaningless statements like "the CFL is as strong as it's ever been".  Well, yeah, but so what?  That's not the same thing as saying the CFL is strong, that's pointing out how weak it previously was.
 
The CFL is a long ways from death's door.  That's good news for everyone.  I'm not of the impression that it's consistently profitable yet.  I hope everyone gets a fair piece of the pie.  I don't expect every player will get a $20,000 raise this year and every year that follows just because of the new TV contract.  $750 per week for the practise roster guys?  I'm fine with that.  That isn't an injustice.  That is the stipend they receive to keep their football dream alive one more year.  It's not $750 for a job in football, it's $750 for a chance to someday have a job in football.  It was the foothold that got Stevie Baggs to the NFL for a couple of seasons.  It likely got Wallace Miles a starting job in Ottawa.  The job at the lumbermart will be there next year.  Chase the football dream while you can.

We got a starting cornerback/linebacker and our defacto starting QB out of those trades.  That's some pretty heavy value for two NI's who have never been able to make a significant impact after 3 years.
 
You are correct in that our lack of depth at NI receiver is likely to be exposed in the course of 18 games.

Too often in previous drafts the Bombers had to settle for players available rather than getting players they wanted.  They clearly wanted Briggs and Jones and they got them, so I'm happy.  The knock on Goossen seems to be that he's not ready to start in the CFL immediately, not that he can't be a decent starter.  Don't blame the player when the real problem is this team is so devoid of NI talent that Goossen has to be the team's life preserver.  Give him a year under Wylie's tutelage and we might have a starter for the next decade emerge.
 
My draft disappointment doesn't come from the Bombers, rather that two project players I thought we should kick the tires on almost fell to us in round 6 - Paterson and Fox.  Obviously these guys might amount to a whole lot of nothing, but based on the scouting reports I read I was intrigued and thought there was a chance we could get one or both late.  Guess we'll see how Everett stacks up against our current NI DL.  I know nothing, absolutely nothing about Eisho.  If he makes it out of camp I'll try to spell his name correctly more often then not; until that happens I'm not committing to making that effort.