Well .. the Combine list of participants is out. Pretty weak showing, to be honest. Lots of top prospects not attending.

NOT ATTENDING: Auclair, Senior, Gray, Herdman, Ankou, Ekakitie, Simonise ... that's all of the top 5 prospects, as well as a handful of other ones.

Notables that ARE attending ... Alex Singleton's brother is coming, I'm curious to see how he does. Bladek, Mulumba, Luke, Woods, Boateng

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/02/09/rosters-set-cfl-reveals-list-2017-combine-participants/

1 hour ago, kelownabomberfan said:

I shudder at spending the first overall pick on a receiver, especially one that seems to still be on the NFL's radar.  If he's still there at 6 take a flyer but the first overall has to go to our DL or OL where we need help now.

We need more help at receiver currently but it doesn't matter anyway.  Take the best players.  You need to play about 10-12 all over the place.

Consensus seems to be Ankou 1st overall... 

15 is going to be interesting to see if Bombers try for an NFL prospect

I think the Bombers are in a state where they can take a gamble on that 3rd pick. 

6 minutes ago, holoman said:

I think the Bombers are in a state where they can take a gamble on that 3rd pick. 

3 hours ago, holoman said:

I think the Bombers are in a state where they can take a gamble on that 3rd pick. 

That or look to snipe some one who falls in the draft nfl interest aside. 

That was more of what I was referring to

You know it's really time the CFL looks at reducing the required amount of Cdn who have to start...why do they have to start? Make so many that have to be on the roster instead,cause year after year CDN players are holding CFL teams to scrambling in the draft and having to pay big bucks for key positions in free agency...why should the CFL be required to start Cdn players when they have to now compete with the NFL who have no restrictions and make billions of bucks? Times are a changing, the CFL to survive needs to change too imo.

Why can't they just watch from the stands like the rest of us?

53 minutes ago, mbrg said:

Why can't they just watch from the stands like the rest of us?

No but they don't need to be coddled ethier..we have come a long way to competing with American players right from University it's time to rethink our game that was based in  another Era..

9 hours ago, bb1 said:

You know it's really time the CFL looks at reducing the required amount of Cdn who have to start...why do they have to start? Make so many that have to be on the roster instead,cause year after year CDN players are holding CFL teams to scrambling in the draft and having to pay big bucks for key positions in free agency...why should the CFL be required to start Cdn players when they have to now compete with the NFL who have no restrictions and make billions of bucks? Times are a changing, the CFL to survive needs to change too imo.

I don't see the ratio ever going away... I think if the CFL ever adds another team, a change to the ratio might be in consideration... but that's about it...

13 minutes ago, bearpants said:

I don't see the ratio ever going away... I think if the CFL ever adds another team, a change to the ratio might be in consideration... but that's about it...

No still need the ratio just referring to starting cdns....why not just have a certain number of cdns on the roster instead...

There is an easy solution.  The NFL is on 4 nights a week starting in September.

31 minutes ago, bb1 said:

No still need the ratio just referring to starting cdns....why not just have a certain number of cdns on the roster instead...

Ok fair enough... I just think on the list of things to "change" or "improve" in the CFL... "changes to the ratio" is probably not even on the list...

47 minutes ago, bearpants said:

I don't see the ratio ever going away... I think if the CFL ever adds another team, a change to the ratio might be in consideration... but that's about it...

yeah exactly it's not going away any time soon. Odd how "it needs to change in order for the CFL to survive" as the CFL has never been stronger but whatever.

I personally like the added complications of the ratio. Adds an unique element to the CFL that isn't seen anywhere else.

10 hours ago, bb1 said:

You know it's really time the CFL looks at reducing the required amount of Cdn who have to start...why do they have to start? Make so many that have to be on the roster instead,cause year after year CDN players are holding CFL teams to scrambling in the draft and having to pay big bucks for key positions in free agency...why should the CFL be required to start Cdn players when they have to now compete with the NFL who have no restrictions and make billions of bucks? Times are a changing, the CFL to survive needs to change too imo.

dropping the number of NIs starting/ on the roster just hurts long term development of NIs. Less starting spots/spots less in the league, less spots for college kids, less draw from young kids at the grass roots level. Just when we are finally getting a fertile NI draft too. 

Its the canadian football league, thats why. Why not just adopt all american rules, field, players etc. The cfl is a cultural institution. Its heritage. Its not money-centric like the nfl. Its not a league you tune into the championship game to watch the commercials and half time show for. 

Severing those ties to a hundred years of tradition and becoming a poor mans nfl is a good way to kill off the league. Cus if you are just gonna be the nfl light, why not just watch the nfl. 

35 minutes ago, bb1 said:

No still need the ratio just referring to starting cdns....why not just have a certain number of cdns on the roster instead...

Then you have special teamers and back ups that the team hopes never has to play. 

Reducing the number of NI's by one or two a  team wouldn't do anything to hurt the development of NI's. The best NI's get an NFL shot anyway, Most college ball players, NI or not, will never make either the CFL or the NFL. That doesn't stop them from playing at university or college or juniors. 

Reducing the number of NI's doesn't mean changing the CFL rules to match the NFL or losing the Canadian identity of the league. It just means less guaranteed jobs for NI's. Teams could always choose to carry more NI's if the NI players are as good and as cheap as the imports they replace.

There's no such thing as a hundred years of the same number of NI's. The number of NI's has changed before and it will likely change again. The rules change almost yearly these days and it's the rules that make the CFL special.

Changing the ratio would make running a CFL team less expensive and would allow us to watch better players playing our game.

I would bet that fewer homegrown players would translate to fewer Canadian viewers of CFL games- it would diminish the appeal for me.

19 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

Changing the ratio would make running a CFL team less expensive and would allow us to watch better players playing our game.

Unless they change the cap (which is a very unlikely result of changing the ratio rules), changing the ratio would not make running a CFL team less expensive.  

The distribution of who gets what money would simply change on the team.

I want more Canadians if anything. That's why I watch this game. 

16 minutes ago, tracker said:

I would bet that fewer homegrown players would translate to fewer Canadian viewers of CFL games- it would diminish the appeal for me.

Unfortunately how many homegrown players stay with the same team anymore? We draft ,develop then they usually take off as a free agent for bigger bucks...it's almost like we guarantee a certain amont of Cdn players will get the big bucks (relatively speaking) plus the NFL is now competing in the draft for the best Cdn something is gotta give....

8 minutes ago, Rich said:

Unless they change the cap (which is a very unlikely result of changing the ratio rules), changing the ratio would not make running a CFL team less expensive.  

The distribution of who gets what money would simply change on the team.

You're right. The cap wouldn't likely change so the SMS would remain the same. What we would end up with is better players for the same money.

3 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

You're right. The cap wouldn't likely change so the SMS would remain the same. What we would end up with is better players for the same money.

I don't think we get better players.  The market will adjust and the proven free agents will get their contract bid up the next time free agency hits.

The money is most likely to get spread around to other established starters in free agency, and not go to a single high profile player from down south.   

It isn't like you going to take the 100k you save on a Canadian starter and give it to a high profile American to convince them to come up North.   It still won't give them NFL money.  

The reason they come here is to either get back / to the NFL or continue to get paid to play football.  

 

22 minutes ago, bb1 said:

Unfortunately how many homegrown players stay with the same team anymore? We draft ,develop then they usually take off as a free agent for bigger bucks...it's almost like we guarantee a certain amont of Cdn players will get the big bucks (relatively speaking) plus the NFL is now competing in the draft for the best Cdn something is gotta give....

I would rather watch a Canadian player from Sarnia, ON or Vegreville, AB than an American from Detroit or Houston.  Yup- I am a homer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 1, 20178 yr by tracker

10 minutes ago, Rich said:

I don't think we get better players.  The market will adjust and the proven free agents will get their contract bid up the next time free agency hits.

The money is most likely to get spread around to other established starters in free agency, and not go to a single high profile player from down south.   

It isn't like you going to take the 100k you save on a Canadian starter and give it to a high profile American to convince them to come up North.   It still won't give them NFL money.  

The reason they come here is to either get back / to the NFL or continue to get paid to play football.  

Because a certain number of NI's are mandated for every team and the number of NI's who can actually play at a starters level is less than the number who are mandated, those NI's are paid big bucks, well over the 100K mark. The going rate for a top draft pick, who hasn't showed that they can even play in the CFL is over $100K. Backup NI's are getting more than $100K simply as insurance. The savings for backup imports vs backup NI's would be pretty significant or the backup NI's would have to take a pay cut to compete. 

No, 100K isn't going to change a high profile athletes mind to come to Canada, but it's not about competing for players with the NFL. We all know that the CFL can't do that. It's about bringing in better players for less than their current NI counterparts are getting and that's what most top end US s college players are.

I think there are a lot of US players who'd love to continue their playing days.