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

5 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

The players didn't demand the Lions & the Stamps pay the amounts of $$$ they did for Reilly & BLM? That was the decision of both clubs which was totally irresponsible. if they didn't have the money then they both teams never should have done that.  Now they've set new heights for paying qbs while other players see a fraction of that & of course want more.  I don't begrudge the players wanting more as they put their bodies & long term health at risk. I wouldn't be so quick to blame the players. The Stamps because of that contract have lost a lot of players including Chris Matthews. Stamps loss is our gain. 

I don’t see it as being irresponsible. Each team budgets differently and paying a an that amount of money just means less money for other positions. 

Just now, Colin Unger said:

I don’t see it as being irresponsible. Each team budgets differently and paying a an that amount of money just means less money for other positions. 

To me, that is irresponsible.  You overpay & then have to cut. 

1 minute ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

No one is saying it's a plan to screw the players but it doesn't make a lot of sense. I expected the CFL to substantially raise the salary cap to account for the new qb salaries as well as more $$$ for everyone else & yet it doesn't seem like that will happen. Instead we get a cap on coaches, scouting & management. We get teams only using one helmet this season instead of two. 

I don’t see how they can substantially raise the cap with revenues not having increased.  The negotiations probably had more to do with the players locking in a desirable percentage of future new profits. 

Just now, Colin Unger said:

I don’t see how they can substantially raise the cap with revenues not having increased.  The negotiations probably had more to do with the players locking in a desirable percentage of future new profits. 

Yeah, makes no sense. 

1 minute ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

To me, that is irresponsible.  You overpay & then have to cut. 

From that perspective it is somewhat irresponsible.  I would like to see some form of guarenteed contracts implemented to keep this from happening.       In the competitive world of pro sports teams and players will make decisions that they feel will benefit themselves so long as these decisions are within the confines of the rules. 

Frankly aside from the community owned teams we have no idea how much money the others are making. It's easy to look at struggling attendance in BC and Toronto and assume they are losing money but we don't know the numbers.

11 hours ago, Mr Dee said:

There is no justification for paying that kind of money for a few players. 

BUT, 

I cannot see it being a carefully crafted plan to screw the CFLPA in these negotiations. To what end? Where’s the logic in screwing your own team and possibly making it weaker?

Its probably just a penis-measuring contest. All will be well.

 

 

When the topic of raising the salary cap came up, Walters pointed out that this would mainly benefit the higher end players.  Such is the system.  It is neither fair, nor unfair, it simply is.  Also, to suggest that one side or the other is "for the fans" is silly.  The players are for the players, management is for the organization.  Both have an interest but the focus is different and neither involves "the fans".  Players, generally, want as much as they can get in the least amount of time as possible.  After all, they have a very limited time frame, career wise, so that's understandable.  Management, on the other had, wants to limit salary expenses as much as possible.  They, by nature, have to take a longer view because their focus is sustainability.

Now factor in that to attract the higher end talent, the people that "the fans" actually come to see, they have to pay higher end salaries.  This means that the journeymen and rookies will  have a smaller pool to share from, cap wise.  And then add in the premium that Canadians can fetch means that there are yet fewer dollars for the American rookies.  So to suggest that it's wrong to pay the qb's and other skill positions more at the expense of others is to say that the entire system is wrong.  Maybe it is, but is the system that both sides are operating in, so trying to determine right or wrong is a fool's errand.  

Long and the short is that there are no "white knights" who care more for the fans than the other side does.   Anyone who believes that has likely bought a lot of bridges over many many years.

The hill that PA is going to die on is not salary. They will not sign any deal that does not include health coverage.

And health coverage could be a very tricky issue.

38 minutes ago, Jpan85 said:

The hill that PA is going to die on is not salary. They will not sign any deal that does not include health coverage.

Eddie Steele would disagree and depending on how one defines "health coverage", that could be an expense that could be more unsustainable that higher salaries.

15 hours ago, bb1 said:

Maybe but he has a point that Irving missed...why are these teams throwing that much at QBs when they are not making money? Its like the NHL when they have to basically shut down the league to keep the nutty owners in line. They overpay then blame the players....

You are taking the extreme and extrapolating it over the majority of the guys that will play in this league.

 

They will pay elite QBs because it is (typically) the difference between a fringe playoff team making or missing the playoffs. At least in the West. 

2 hours ago, Mr Dee said:

 

 

Yeah the reason for that is that even with the revenue from the TV deal with what players are currently being paid most teams are still barely breaking even or losing money. I guess what players want is that teams tighten up in other areas in order to pay the players more money. Not sure what those areas would be though.

15 hours ago, bb1 said:

Maybe but he has a point that Irving missed...why are these teams throwing that much at QBs when they are not making money? Its like the NHL when they have to basically shut down the league to keep the nutty owners in line. They overpay then blame the players....

What you're talking about here is how the cap is distributed on two specific teams. We are not talking about teams going over the cap to sign these qbs. Not sure how this is relevant to do debate of what the salary cap should be set at. There isn't a huge amount of unspent money available right now.  I would like to see the option of having guaranteed contracts for players who have a number of years of experience in the league and are playing for the team that brought them into the league.   Something that would encourage players to stay with the team that brought them into the league and also force GM's to honor more contracts.  It would really cut down on the lack of continuity and teams blowing up their rosters each offseason. 

Pretty funny to see Eddie Steele talkin about $$..,  he wouldn’t have lates in the league without ratio

if it’s about dollars, the union will cave - if it’s about health insurance, could be a shutdown...

In one of the best off seasons for the Bombers, we have to languish under the cloud of these stewpid labor talks that should have been settled way before this year’s draft. That would have given everybody a chance to weigh in and solve some issues instead of these school yards tactics. 

Grown men. 

Sheesh.

#lastminutegate

5 hours ago, Floyd said:

Pretty funny to see Eddie Steele talkin about $$..,  he wouldn’t have lates in the league without ratio

if it’s about dollars, the union will cave - if it’s about health insurance, could be a shutdown...

Any idea how much health insurance would cost each cfl team for the American players?

A lot

3 hours ago, Mr Dee said:

In one of the best off seasons for the Bombers, we have to languish under the cloud of these stewpid labor talks that should have been settled way before this year’s draft. That would have given everybody a chance to weigh in and solve some issues instead of these school yards tactics. 

Grown men. 

Sheesh.

#lastminutegate

I was complaining about this in January. I was told to chill. 

The issue with health coverage is universal. If you can’t control or calculate projected costs how to you negotiate and budget those costs....look at government funded universal health expenditures. Rampid another reason Workman’s Comp wants no part of professional sports.

1 hour ago, Colin Unger said:

Any idea how much health insurance would cost each cfl team for the American players?

Injured players coverage is limited to the start of training camp the next year. This in part limits the teams costs and liability. Fair or not reality. An example an Americian’s wife giving birth in Canada might cost $ 3,ooo , in the US the cost would exceed $10,000.  Most plans have a maximum benefit amount, multiply the potential of that and you calculate risk and potential liability. If that extends beyond the year after the costs are uncontrollable and premiums are not fixed.

David William Naylor‏Verified account @TSNDaveNaylor 5m5 minutes ago

The @HoustonChron is reporting that @CoachJuneJones is leaving his post as OC with the @Ticats to become head coach of Houston’s XFL franchise. #Ticats #CFL

Wow, even though it’s not June yet..it’s a bit late for this.

 

That's a straight up **** move by Jones....even more so then the other Jones.