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

2 minutes ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

The P.A. has never had much bargaining power and they know it, they're just trying to make as much noise as they can.

Can't really blame them for that.  The problem is that it's not a wealthy league and the league just had to take over a team to save jobs and a franchise. We all want the players to make more money.  This is why I've been so supportive of the Global initiative which has the potential to significantly increase the salaries for all players in the CFL.  Yes some tactics are being used and there were some pretty bad tactics used on players in the past. Just ask anyone who played for Cal!  However, the league has never had a work stoppage and the league has survived and been able to pay players year after year after year.  Unlike the AFF, XFL 1.0, USFL, Arena League ect ect.   

18 hours ago, Colin Unger said:

Can't really blame them for that.  The problem is that it's not a wealthy league and the league just had to take over a team to save jobs and a franchise. We all want the players to make more money.  This is why I've been so supportive of the Global initiative which has the potential to significantly increase the salaries for all players in the CFL.  Yes some tactics are being used and there were some pretty bad tactics used on players in the past. Just ask anyone who played for Cal!  However, the league has never had a work stoppage and the league has survived and been able to pay players year after year after year.  Unlike the AFF, XFL 1.0, USFL, Arena League ect ect.   

FTR: 1974 - 12 day strike.

Edited April 14, 20196 yr by TBURGESS

 

this is amazing........ the Throwin' Samoan returns to the CFL...

https://t.co/Yq9qHxd8ru

8 hours ago, Noeller said:

this is amazing........ the Throwin' Samoan returns to the CFL...

https://t.co/Yq9qHxd8ru

My son's qb coach & OC at SFU. #muchrespect

 

Edited April 16, 20196 yr by SpeedFlex27

This is a guy that should never have been gone from our league... 

42 minutes ago, Noeller said:

This is a guy that should never have been gone from our league... 

Solid. 

Redblacks using ‘committee’ for offensive coordinator role in 2019 By 3Down Staff -  April 15, 2019

The Ottawa Redblacks are taking the committee approach for the offensive coordinator position during the upcoming season.

 

 

This is a glorious decision by the Redblacks and have full confidence that this will end well!! 🤣

 

1 hour ago, JCon said:

Redblacks using ‘committee’ for offensive coordinator role in 2019 By 3Down Staff -  April 15, 2019

The Ottawa Redblacks are taking the committee approach for the offensive coordinator position during the upcoming season.

 

 

This is a glorious decision by the Redblacks and have full confidence that this will end well!! 🤣

 

Yup. 'Cause a camel is a horse designed by a committee.

19 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

My son's qb coach & OC at SFU. #muchrespect

 

 

18 hours ago, Noeller said:

This is a guy that should never have been gone from our league... 

What he managed to do with soo little to work with in Ottawa was incredible. Return of the shovel pass! Also he is just the best kind of person in football. 

2 hours ago, JCon said:

Redblacks using ‘committee’ for offensive coordinator role in 2019 By 3Down Staff -  April 15, 2019

The Ottawa Redblacks are taking the committee approach for the offensive coordinator position during the upcoming season.

 

 

This is a glorious decision by the Redblacks and have full confidence that this will end well!! 🤣

 

I remember when we did this. I think it lasted half a year. What a mess. It smacks of indecision and lack of trust for your coaches. 

 If you give a young hungry ast coach more responsibility and invest the faith in them to run things you find gems.  Doing it by committee just tells the coaches involved management doest trust them to do the job. Not to mention none of those guys are going to take the full responsibility. Its not THEIR job. 

If we ended up in the same spot and lost plop late in the offseason, I have no doubt they would anoint buck the new OC and give him all the time and trust to learn the job. And Buck would run with it. Same with mos and plop etc. The management has shown more trust and dedication to dom davis then to their offensive coaches. 

This decision makes as much sense as having two starting qbs alternating every series. 

Didn't Montreal do the same thing recently?  With terrible results?

11 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Didn't Montreal do the same thing recently?  With terrible results?

Montreal has been terrible no matter what they did though.

CFL‏Verified account @CFL 15m15 minutes ago

More

#GreyCup champion Akeem Foster (@Ak_Mr88) has signed with Finland's Kotka Eagles, showcasing another side of CFL 2.0.

https://3downnation.com/2019/04/17/cflpa-informs-cfl-that-players-will-not-report-to-training-camp-without-new-cba-in-place/

8 minutes ago, Noeller said:

https://3downnation.com/2019/04/17/cflpa-informs-cfl-that-players-will-not-report-to-training-camp-without-new-cba-in-place/

Don’t report? You think the CFL cares? That just saves them the trouble of locking the players out. The CFL has the leverage...the players have none.

50 minutes ago, DR. CFL said:

Don’t report? You think the CFL cares? That just saves them the trouble of locking the players out. The CFL has the leverage...the players have none.

Yes, I think the CFL cares. The players are the product. Without them, no games.

YEAH....But the CFL as the league can sit and have nothing going on..revenue in or out much longer than the  majority of the CFLPA can...thats what he getting at...I doubt it comes to that anyway and just the standard media posturing, tho that being said the players have made concessions for years, and took a lot of things on the chin, and this time around they want a little fair compensation and treatment and have the best interest of their members now, and moving forward taken into consideration

man I hope they don't strike what am I going to do to bide my time in between Jets seasons? I wonder if any games in Canada's new soccer league will be televised on TSN

18 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

Yes, I think the CFL cares. The players are the product. Without them, no games.

This is about pressure and leverage....does a camp or season delay really cost the CFL or teams revenue....not significantly. But your employees , who yes are the product have gone without a pay cheque for about 6 months given when camp would start. How do you think their bank balance is looking? Do you know any teachers who were struggling and anxiously waiting for their first cheque the end of Sept.? 

Historically this is how the CFL has negotiated in the past.....they know they ultimately have the upper hand in this process. Like it of not agree or not this is how it is done.

Further to territorial exemptions...

From the Taiter:

Ed Tait‏ @EdTaitWFC 31m31 minutes ago

More

Ed Tait Retweeted CFL Communications

This affects the #Bombers drafting positions after the second round. Still pick 4th, 5th and 14th, but now 25th, 34th, 43rd, 52nd, 61st and 70th overall -- each pick dropped down two spots due to the Toronto and Montreal territorial selections

3 minutes ago, DR. CFL said:

This is about pressure and leverage....does a camp or season delay really cost the CFL or teams revenue....not significantly. But your employees , who yes are the product have gone without a pay cheque for about 6 months given when camp would start. How do you think their bank balance is looking? Do you know any teachers who were struggling and anxiously waiting for their first cheque the end of Sept.? 

Historically this is how the CFL has negotiated in the past.....they know they ultimately have the upper hand in this process. Like it of not agree or not this is how it is done.

As in all work stoppages, both sides have something to lose. Usually management has the upper hand because they can last longer. I'm not sure that's the case in the CFL.

A camp and a season delay would cost the CFL and teams revenue. TSN isn't going to pay them. No one in the stands. Teams have had no revenue at all for as long as the players and they still have to pay their staff. Some teams are just barely hanging on as it is. Losing a game or two's revenue could put them under and  the league would have to take them over. That could literally kill the league. They also run the risk of losing fans, not just short term, but long term (Ex: I used to be a big baseball fan. I lost interest back in 1994 and now only watch a game or two a year). Fans in the stands are the lifeblood of the league and numbers have been dropping even before a strike.

 

50 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Further to territorial exemptions...

I'm not going to complain... since this appears to benefit the Boatmen. I would guess this would add us in at #19? (so we'd be 1st, 9th, 18th & 19th...?) And if our "territory" is anything like the GTA then that gives us plenty of kids to look at...

 

But I just see this becoming unbalanced. Not all territories have the population to produce talent equally nor are they equally desirable to live in.