Training camp is over .... adjustments have been made  and its time for the opening kickoff

Anybody change their minds on how preseason changed their expectations for this year .... Montreal thrashing Ottawa changed mine .... cutting Willy raise my hopes for the Argos .... Edmonton looks stronger than I first thought and Regina even worse

For the first time in years I am forecasting Winnipeg finishes first in the league  .. just an optimistic hunch .... I forecast these final standings:

Winnipeg

Calgary

Vancouver

Edmonton

Ottawa

Montreal

Toronto

Hamilton

Regina

 

 

 

 

46 minutes ago, Atomic said:

True.  One man committed sexual assault, the other did not.

The other set the parameters for and covered up the assault of dozens of teenagers.  Bystanders are just as bad, and bystander is being generous when it is a person you are personally responsible for committing these acts, some of them repeatedly.

Tillman shouldn't be working in this league either in any kind of leadership position.

4 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

The other set the parameters for and covered up the assault of dozens of teenagers.  Bystanders are just as bad, and bystander is being generous when it is a person you are personally responsible for committing these acts, some of them repeatedly.

Tillman shouldn't be working in this league either in any kind of leadership position.

Yeah.  I'm not trying to excuse Briles, I'm just wondering why the standard is there for him and not Tillman, as you allude to.  It's almost like the league only reacted because of the negativity south of the border, which obviously isn't there in the case of a guy like Tillman who is relatively unknown in the States.

I'm a believer in second chances too -- but earned second chances. 

Dude is in a unique position to change football culture and start hard conversations and if he did that then I'd be rooting for him to get his career back on track.  But I don't get that sense from the reporting on him at all, his actions since have seemed more self-serving.

Edited August 29, 20178 yr by johnzo

13 minutes ago, Atomic said:

Yeah.  I'm not trying to excuse Briles, I'm just wondering why the standard is there for him and not Tillman, as you allude to.  It's almost like the league only reacted because of the negativity south of the border, which obviously isn't there in the case of a guy like Tillman who is relatively unknown in the States.

Ya they reacted to media pressure for sure.  I mean TSN had it on their front page 5 minutes after it was announced as they lead story and when is a CFL assistant coach ever the lead story?  To some extent the outrage was manufactured as even 99% of CFL fans had no idea who that guy was before yesterday or even any idea about Baylor.

It gets slippery as many coaches and players in this league have involvement in similar scenarios, just not so recent and public.  Most NCAA programs are pretty damn dirty and you could easily find a situation where a coaching staff found a way to help someone who did something not so nice.

18 minutes ago, Atomic said:

Yeah.  I'm not trying to excuse Briles, I'm just wondering why the standard is there for him and not Tillman, as you allude to.  It's almost like the league only reacted because of the negativity south of the border, which obviously isn't there in the case of a guy like Tillman who is relatively unknown in the States.

I guess Hedgehog head has paid his due. But I still dislike the guy. Maybe the standard for hiring is different. Tillman thinks it's ok to treat women in such a manner or turn a blind eye.

Ambrosie followed a more populist approach. Probably within his rights to do so.  Id say 7 (not 8) other gm's never would have hired Briles given his off field issues. 

26 minutes ago, johnzo said:

I'm a believer in second chances too -- but earned second chances. 

Dude is in a unique position to change football culture and start hard conversations and if he did that then I'd be rooting for him to get his career back on track.  But I don't get that sense from the reporting on him at all, his actions since have seemed more self-serving.

Yes.  If someone is actively campaigning to raise funds or awareness for something that they were an offender in, they deserve a second chance.  Or if they have served time in prison and paid their debt to society.  But Briles hasn't done those things, at least not to my knowledge (nor has Tillman).  And the case at Baylor is still so recent.

 

14 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

To some extent the outrage was manufactured as even 99% of CFL fans had no idea who that guy was before yesterday or even any idea about Baylor.

Totally agree.  However, even if they weren't aware, once they have read the facts and understand who this guy is and what he did, I believe the outrage is justified.

8 minutes ago, Atomic said:

Yes.  If someone is actively campaigning to raise funds or awareness for something that they were an offender in, they deserve a second chance.  Or if they have served time in prison and paid their debt to society.  But Briles hasn't done those things, at least not to my knowledge (nor has Tillman).  And the case at Baylor is still so recent.

 

Totally agree.  However, even if they weren't aware, once they have read the facts and understand who this guy is and what he did, I believe the outrage is justified.

With respect to Tillman, he had his day in court and received (if memory serves) an absolute discharge.  I also recall that the victim's family seemed to have no issue with that at all.  That doesn't in any way excuse what he did, but he did plead guilty.  He was out of football for a while and now he's a GM that has virtually no interaction with the media or public, and public attention was something he craved.  So while I'm in no way shape or form a Tillman fan, I do think that there is magnitudes of difference between his one time actions (as reprehensible as they were) and Briles'

You get assaulted you go to the police first!

6 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

You get assaulted you go to the police first!

or... sometimes the hospital.

 

13 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

You get assaulted you go to the police first!

Well in these big time college towns sometimes the police are part of the college and other times they are in the college's pocket anyhow.

 

12 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

You get assaulted you go to the police first!

 

If you think the police are there to help/protect you and not the high profile athlete/coach you're accusing.

3 hours ago, Atomic said:

To be fair who hasn't done this?

not at Taco Bell. no way.

6 minutes ago, Mark F said:

not at Taco Bell. no way.

You're just jealous because you don't have one handy.

#Ticats coach June Jones says Jeremiah Masoli will start at QB vs. #Argos in Labour Day Classic. #CFL

 

?‍?No word on whether the CFL and Randy Ambrosie will step in and have a talk with the Ticats on this...

4 minutes ago, Mr Dee said:

#Ticats coach June Jones says Jeremiah Masoli will start at QB vs. #Argos in Labour Day Classic. #CFL

 

?‍?No word on whether the CFL and Randy Ambrosie will step in and have a talk with the Ticats on this...

What an absolute gong show in Hamilton

8 minutes ago, Mr Dee said:

#Ticats coach June Jones says Jeremiah Masoli will start at QB vs. #Argos in Labour Day 

RIP ticats

Does June Jones know that Collaros is on the brink of setting a record?

So anybody think Jones makes it to 2018? I sure don't.

27 minutes ago, Mr Dee said:

#Ticats coach June Jones says Jeremiah Masoli will start at QB vs. #Argos in Labour Day Classic. #CFL

 

?‍?No word on whether the CFL and Randy Ambrosie will step in and have a talk with the Ticats on this...

There will probably be a conversation, but we will never heard of it. 

45 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Well in these big time college towns sometimes the police are part of the college and other times they are in the college's pocket anyhow.

Yep, this stuff goes on all the time down there but it rarely gets reported by the media. 

Edited August 29, 20178 yr by Throw Long Bannatyne

14 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Hey if they want to be all about good morals then I am totally for that, but you gotta be consistent with it. 

Ti Cats wanting to hire Briles & thinking it was somehow okay certainly wasn't consistent with the message of the DIS campaign which is why I don't like it in the first place. They felt it was ethically & morally correct to hire him while the majority were horrified. Sadly, they don't get it as they still do today.

Judging by the interview Scott Mitchell did with the Hamilton media this morning he was still talking about how Briles deserved a second chance & was disappointed others didn't see it that way while accepting blame & taking the hit for the Ti Cats & CFL. He doesn't feel any different than he did yesterday. Just that he got his marching orders from Bob Young to go out there & eat crow. 

June Jones said in his media interview this morning on the practice field that he didn't like the decision as Briles was a friend & he wanted to help him out.  He didn't sound sorry, just disappointed that the fans & media reacted the way they did.

So to me, the attitude of the Ti Cats organization still doesn't reflect what the DIS marketing campaign was about. They're pissed & angry about it. When a company or organization like the CFL does a campaign like this it really can backfire just by the actions of 1 individual. Or as we saw, one team. 

The Baylor spectacle went right to the top, not just those involved in the football program. They wanted a winner at any cost.

5 minutes ago, pigseye said:

The Baylor spectacle went right to the top, not just those involved in the football program. They wanted a winner at any cost.

Sounds like the Chris Jones Roughriders.

1 hour ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

Yep, this stuff goes on all the time down there but it rarely gets reported by the media. 

They went nuts over Joe Paterno.

What's Bart Andrus up to...