Okay, so the off season officially begins now that the Grey Cup is over. Lots of topics for discussion in the months to come with the Bombers & the League. A new CBA needs to be negotiated sooner rather than later.  Will there be an eventual agreement or a lockout? How much will the salary cap go up? Randy Ambrosie is on record that wants the cap to significantly go up so that is a positive.  Will Bo Levi Mitchell sign with an NFL or perhaps another CFL team? What about Mike Reilly & Trevor Harris who are also free agents? There's a new start up league called the  AAFL & there are legit concerns that it'll draw star CFL players away or hamper free agent signings with CFL teams. Coaching changes in BC & Toronto. The continuing evolving story of the expansion Halifax Schooners & possible exhibition games in Mexico. 

Edited November 27, 20187 yr by SpeedFlex27

1 minute ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

It wasn't a bad idea but running a developmental league is expensive. It was much better run than the AAF.

I think doing it in the EU with out any actual market and soo far away from the teams and league was a poor idea. Id a done in in smaller cities around existing teams, the san antonios etc. You push away developmental guys who dont want to go to the EU, or cant. just magnifies soo many of the difficulties of being a football person/family. 

2 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

I think doing it in the EU with out any actual market and soo far away from the teams and league was a poor idea. Id a done in in smaller cities around existing teams, the san antonios etc. You push away developmental guys who dont want to go to the EU, or cant. just magnifies soo many of the difficulties of being a football person/family. 

I remember the WLAF as it was called then. All teams were in the States. The attendance was...  guess what??  Abysmal. (Some things never change). Moving to Europe extended the life of that league.

3 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I remember the WLAF as it was called then. All teams were in the States. The attendance was...  guess what??  Abysmal. (Some things never change). Moving to Europe extended the life of that league.

Oh yeah lots of leagues have attempted the US. I just dont think any have chosen markets well. 

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

Oh yeah lots of leagues have attempted the US. I just dont think any have chosen markets well. 

The only league other than the old AFL that could have given the NFL a run for its money would have been the USFL. Some cities were drawing fairly well. But then Donald Trump decided he wanted the USFL to become a fall league & compete directly with the NFL which probably would have been suicide anyway. When the USFL was awarded $1 in damages by a federal judge in the USFL's anti trust trial the league folded & Trumps hate was on for the NFL. I'm sure some owners like Trump wanted a merger of some kind but didn't get it.

12 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Would Clint not be representing the USA (NFL) in a picture joke like this ?....... cause we all know how this movie turns out

Edited March 10, 20196 yr by NorthernSkunk
Spelling mistake

10 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

The only league other than the old AFL that could have given the NFL a run for its money would have been the USFL. Some cities were drawing fairly well. But then Donald Trump decided he wanted the USFL to become a fall league & compete directly with the NFL which probably would have been suicide anyway. When the USFL was awarded $1 in damages by a federal judge in the USFL's anti trust trial the league folded & Trumps hate was on for the NFL. I'm sure some owners like Trump wanted a merger of some kind but didn't get it.

The ironic part was that the jury accepted that the NFL had colluded to prevent the USFL from accessing TV contract, stadia and so forth and were prepared to award a massive amount to the USFL, according to jurors who were interviewed after the trial. However, Trump insisted on testifying despite his lawyers' advice and came across as so arrogant and unlikable that the jurors changed their minds and awarded one dollar.

Based on combine roster sizes these players will be in addition to the normal #CFL Combine setup and be there for exposure/experience. Not draft eligible but should add a fun feel to the national showcase.

 

Edited March 10, 20196 yr by Mr Dee

1 hour ago, Tracker said:

The ironic part was that the jury accepted that the NFL had colluded to prevent the USFL from accessing TV contract, stadia and so forth and were prepared to award a massive amount to the USFL, according to jurors who were interviewed after the trial. However, Trump insisted on testifying despite his lawyers' advice and came across as so arrogant and unlikable that the jurors changed their minds and awarded one dollar.

Do you have a source for this? I'd enjoy reading (or watching) more about this

6 minutes ago, WildPath said:

Do you have a source for this? I'd enjoy reading (or watching) more about this

There is a ESPN 30 for 30 on the USFL but the best one might be a book by Jeff Pearlman called Football for a Buck

Negotiations begin Monday between the CFL and the CFLPA. Give and get. The players should get more, be it compensation and/or remuneration.

But - they can’t get silly.

The CFL is unique. Professional - Canadian home town unique. An Organization that has been around, in one form or another, for over 100 years.

But - the CFL can’t only afford all the asks. And the League can’t ignore all the asks.

Some of the demands from the CFLPA don’t take in the quandaries that the League has faced over the years, and will continue to face going forward. 

Hence CFL 2.0

Comparing the CFL with other professional leagues, for negotiations, simply cannot be done. 

All us CFL fans want is a fair negotiation process and understanding.

From both sides.

The season must not be jeopardized in any shape or form. 

Fan support and TV broadcasting are hinging on a fair resolution.

Make it happen..

One of the hot topics that will be interesting to follow, is demand by PA for more coverage while recovering from long term injuries. Right now they get financial coverage for one year from the time of injury. They're looking a lot more than that and I feel it'll play a fairly large role in negotiations... 

Couldn’t extra coverage be an option?

Extra insurance and both the employer and player contribute. This would be the option for the player to chose.

How many would?

so the RedBlacks PBP guy had this to say on Twitter (which I stole via CFL News)......thoughts?

When you talk to people around the #CFL. The one thing that the #Redblacks still have are, and maybe the best group of any team in the league, and this matters, is Canadians. They kept all of their key Canadians. They've even added more depth." - @AJonSports #CFL via @TSN1200

 

 

2 minutes ago, Noeller said:

so the RedBlacks PBP guy had this to say on Twitter (which I stole via CFL News)......thoughts?

When you talk to people around the #CFL. The one thing that the #Redblacks still have are, and maybe the best group of any team in the league, and this matters, is Canadians. They kept all of their key Canadians. They've even added more depth." - @AJonSports #CFL via @TSN1200

 

 

following up: 

'I would rather have a real good defence than an avg. offence than the other way around. Finally #RNation is bringing back the defence & they're going to be scary good on that side of the ball. They're going to win games & be Top 2 in the East.." - @AJonSports #CFL via @TSN1200

Top 2 in east! what lofty goals!

3 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Top 2 in east! what lofty goals!

I mean, they could be top 3 without doing much else than showing up. 

I don't know about top 2....definitely top 4 though.

Wait'll the RedBlacks fans get a look at the craptastic qbs they have. 

"Who needs a QB?"

Mike Kelly, January 2009.

1 hour ago, Bigblue204 said:

I don't know about top 2....definitely top 4 though.

top ten in all the CFL, bar none!

https://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/cfl-cflpa-meet-first-collective-bargaining-session/

TORONTO — For Jeff Keeping and the CFL Players’ Association, it was a good opening day.

The players and CFL held their first collective bargaining session Monday. The two sides are scheduled to meet again Tuesday.

 

"It was a good day, it was productive," said Keeping, the CFLPA president. "We had a very thorough discussion.

"This was more about introducing the two groups and laying the groundwork for how we’re going to move forward."

The present agreement is scheduled to expire in May before the start of training camp. That leaves the two sides with roughly two months to reach a deal.

"Yeah, we have enough time," Keeping said. "We just need to get the groups together and keep working."

Senior advisor Ken Georgetti and executive director Brian Ramsay led the union into Monday’s talks as chair and vice-chair, respectively. Keeping, second vice-president Solomon Elimimian, third vice-president Rolly Lumbala, treasurer Peter Dyakowski and player reps John Bowman (Montreal Alouettes), Bear Woods (Toronto Argonauts) and Chad Rempel (Winnipeg Blue Bombers) rounded out the CFLPA’s unit.

Ramsay said it’s important active players be involved in bargaining.

"This is an agreement that’s a player’s agreement," he said. "The more players are a part of that, I think that’s a better thing for everybody involved and we’re going to continue to approach it that way."

The CFL’s bargaining team is again led by Stephen Shamie, the league’s general counsel. Shamie was an integral figure in the 2014 talks with then commissioner Mark Cohon. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie is expected to participate in the opening bargaining sessions.

Rounding out the league’s player-relations committee are: Scott Mitchell (CEO, Hamilton Tiger-Cats); Roger Greenberg (co-owner, Ottawa Redblacks); Rick LeLacheur (B.C. Lions president); and Wade Miller (Winnipeg Blue Bombers president/CEO).

League representatives didn’t speak after Monday’s session.

Neither Keeping nor Ramsay would divulge specific details regarding Monday’s discussion. All Ramsay said was the two sides spent time face-to-face as well as in their respective groups.

"We won’t be going into any details," Ramsay said. "But the points we’ve talked about before (still) remain important to the players.

"This was a productive start and we’re looking forward to coming back and talking (Tuesday). That’s a positive thing."

The two sides will also determine Tuesday when and where talks will resume. The expectation is the next round of bargaining will shift to Vancouver.

This marks Georgetti’s first collective bargaining experience with the CFLPA, which he joined in 2016. But Georgetti is a former president of the Canadian Labour Congress and has over 35 years of labour relations experience.

Georgetti was elected vice-president of the British Columbia Federation of Labour in 1984 and two years later became the organization’s youngest-ever president. He’s an Order of Canada recipient and was the longest serving president in CLC history.

Keeping is in his second CBA negotiation, participating in 2014 as a CFLPA executive member. Be it in football or labour talks, Keeping said past experience is always beneficial.

"It was a good experience and I’ve learned from it and take some of that into this," he said. "You can learn from wins and losses."

Keeping said Monday was also about the two sides trying to establish lines of communication.

"We’ve got two groups that are extremely passionate about our game and who both feel a shared responsibility to get a fair agreement," he said. "That (communication) is something we’ve been working on as an Association with Randy since he’s come into his position, just improving and keeping lines of communication.

"I think that will help as we go through bargaining."

According to Matthew Scianetti of TSN, who covered the last CFL-CBA negotiations, the negotiations today appear to have gone very professionally and well.

Well, they talk nice so far.

Update on Halifax franchise: https://3downnation.com/2019/03/12/halifax-group-has-committed-60-million-to-project-ambrosie/

Quote

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie says the group behind the bid to bring a CFL team to Halifax has committed $60 million to the project.

Ambrosie says Schooners Sports and Entertainment (formerly Maritime Football Limited), has significant capital to invest in the project.

“This group has committed somewhere in the neighbourhood of $60 million dollars… so they are very committed,” Ambrosie said during a recent stop on his cross-Canada road trip.

 

18 hours ago, Tracker said:

According to Matthew Scianetti of TSN, who covered the last CFL-CBA negotiations, the negotiations today appear to have gone very professionally and well.

Impossible!  Randy Ambrosie is terrible!   /sarcasm

 

 

Edited March 12, 20196 yr by Mark F