https://www.tsn.ca/naylor-many-questions-but-few-answers-on-a-2021-cfl-season-1.1543725

The Canadian Football League has been outrageously quiet since it pulled the plug on its season more than two months ago, leaving behind a wake of speculation about where things are headed next.

With the reality setting in that COVID-19 is likely to still be around in some form next summer, there is real concern about what the 2021 season might look like or if it will occur at all.

There are teams that believe it is vitally important to play in 2021 and that without a season the CFL is in danger of being mothballed. Whether every team believes that is another question. And there is a lot to sort out before anyone can accurately predict what a season might look like and how much pain the teams are collectively willing to stomach to make it happen.

The league and its franchises are currently running through various scenarios for next season, trying to get a handle on true costs of each and working at ways to trim budgets and save money. That’s likely to continue until the league can truly choose a course of action, which feels like next April at the earliest.

Why? Well, there’s not much point in fully committing to a scenario that’s seven months away if that scenario might be totally unrealistic by the time you get there.

There has been no 2021 business plan presented yet, only regular updates to the presidents and governors about what the league is doing to prepare for the unknown.

It should be noted that teams will need to make decisions about retaining assistant coaches with expiring contracts by December, which will be the first real economic commitments to a 2021 season. Restrictions on signing players will need to be lifted well before the opening of February free agency, where players are likely to meet a cautious market – one in which signing bonuses will probably be absent.

There’s a collective bargaining agreement to amend, if not renegotiate, with the players, which will require some kind of pressure point because it always does. But the league can’t sit down with the players until it gets a true handle on revenues and it can’t do that until it chooses a course of action.

Will CFL teams be allowed to have full stadiums next summer? It doesn't seem likely. But just what percentage of capacity will be allowed – if any at all – is impossible to guess. It seems as if the league is counting on the restrictions that currently prevent fans from being in stadiums being lifted. But to what degree?

When will we see a schedule? Good question. Or could we see multiple schedules for different scenarios? Never say never.

Could it be a 21-week, 18-game season played in home stadiums? Unlikely, given the losses teams are expected to take with reduced numbers of fans in the stands. Could we see a return to the 10-week bubble? Maybe. A nine-game schedule played in home stadiums before fans? Perhaps.

The point is no one knows, so demanding answers to questions that can’t possibly be answered right now is a waste of time.

All we know is that there’s going to be a lot less revenue for teams to operate with under any scenario, not just because of crowd restrictions but also due to older fans choosing to stay home for their safety. The CFL’s fan demographics do it no favours in this regard.

Getting consensus on a best course of action won’t be easy for the CFL’s nine teams. Back in the summer, there were teams that were willing to play without government support and teams that weren’t. And just like then, the biggest challenge commissioner Randy Ambrosie faces now is finding a scenario they can all live with.

Adopting a revenue-sharing model so that each team absorbs the same amount of red ink would certainly make consensus-building easier, which many believe should be the direction for the future, COVID-19 or not.

The other elephant in the room is federal government, which many in the CFL believe left it high and dry last summer after months of back-and-forth talks where the league believed it was making progress.

Is the CFL prepared to go down that road again, knowing it doesn’t control the timeline and larger forces can change things in an instant? Perhaps, although it’s not as though the feds don’t have a long list of people coming at them with their hands out.

There will be voices demanding the owners suck up the losses of playing a season under any circumstance, as owners have done in other sports. But the business calculation in sports such as MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA is different because of the percentage of revenues those leagues derive from television.

Losses sustained by playing in those leagues can also be viewed as investments towards protecting massive franchise values. That’s not the case in the CFL, where teams can’t just float money on the backs of their franchise values, and where one third of the teams are publicly owned.

It would be beneficial for the league to soon announce its formal commitment to play some kind of season in 2021.

But beyond that, get ready for months more of waiting with lots of questions and speculation but very few answers.

7 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Or hire Medlock to coach our new kicker for a couple of months.

I mean..I'm guessing if he was willing to come here to be a coach, he'd be willing to just kick.

Medlock has a new day job that he doesn't want to leave....can't blame the guy.

16 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

McGuire's thrown the ball 3 times, completed 2, for 17 yards. He also ran 3 times for 9 yards. No one has any idea if he's any good or not yet. If we are forced to start him, my guess is he'll lose way more than he'll win. As for Danny Mac knowing what's up, we've had 1 backup QB, Streveler, show something since he's Danny's been scouting for us. I think you have to go all the way back to Brock to find a starting QB that the Bombers found.

BTW: I'm still hoping that Medlock signs with us. If not, that's another potentially huge problem.

Dane Evans says hello.

Booked my 2nd vaccine shot July 4 and just peeked at the 2021 schedule - only one Thursday night game (which the missus hates) but it coincidentally lands during our holidays. Looking forward to it... summer just got a lot more promising!

8 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Dane Evans says hello.

Thanks for pointing out the 1 in a million that worked out.

In the last 50 or so years, the Bombers brought in Brock who became a good starter, Danny Mac who became great starter for other teams and Streveler who became a part time starter. Anyone else I'm missing?

7 hours ago, Eternal optimist said:

Booked my 2nd vaccine shot July 4 and just peeked at the 2021 schedule - only one Thursday night game (which the missus hates) but it coincidentally lands during our holidays. Looking forward to it... summer just got a lot more promising!

I started just taking the Fridays off after Thursday home games.

32 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

Thanks for pointing out the 1 in a million that worked out.

In the last 50 or so years, the Bombers brought in Brock who became a good starter, Danny Mac who became great starter for other teams and Streveler who became a part time starter. Anyone else I'm missing?

I’m confused. You decry our lack of developing starting QB’s ourselves, yet you don’t like the idea of us developing our own rookie kicker and would rather bring in another team’s castoff vet. 

4 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

Thanks for pointing out the 1 in a million that worked out.

In the last 50 or so years, the Bombers brought in Brock who became a good starter, Danny Mac who became great starter for other teams and Streveler who became a part time starter. Anyone else I'm missing?

Well, with that doom & gloom attitude it's a wonder we won. Then again, you've never given the Bombers any credit at any time the past 18 months for their Grey Cup win. It was nothing but flukey circumstances & the other teams beating themselves. What fan waits 29 years to see their team win a championship & then dismisses it all as nothing but good luck??? You can't even enjoy the Bomber win by thinking if the ball had bounced the other way on every big play they'd have lost.

Edited June 19, 20214 yr by SpeedFlex27

4 hours ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

I’m confused. You decry our lack of developing starting QB’s ourselves, yet you don’t like the idea of us developing our own rookie kicker and would rather bring in another team’s castoff vet. 

You're confused because you're not understanding what I'm typing. We've developed 2 starters and a part time starter at QB in 50 years. Therefore, it's unlikely that our current backup will develop into a starter, especially considering he got like 6 plays of CFL experience in total. It's very likely that he will struggle like most inexperienced QB's if we need to use him. BTW: Unlikely, doesn't mean it can never happen.

I don't mind the idea of developing a rookie kicker. I mind the idea of giving our rookie kicker the job without having to earn it by beating out a vet kicker and that doesn't just apply to kickers. Every player should have to earn their place on the team.

44 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Well, with that doom & gloom attitude it's a wonder we won. Then again, you've never given the Bombers any credit at any time the past 18 months for their Grey Cup win. It was nothing but flukey circumstances & the other teams beating themselves. What fan waits 29 years to see their team win a championship & then dismisses it all as nothing but good luck??? You can't even enjoy the Bomber win by thinking if the ball had bounced the other way on every big play they'd have lost.

I guess you haven't been understanding what I've been saying, so I have to say it again (Sorry to everyone else who does understand): We were a 4th overall team, 3rd in the West. We made a great trade for a QB at the last minute of the trade deadline. We had a wonderful playoff run that got us the cup. Our GC win was more like Calgary's cup when they came from 3rd in the West to beat us all those years ago. We got some luck and some bounces, but every team gets those. That's not gloom, doom, fluky or dismissive. It's what happened. I don't have to tell myself that we were a dominant team that was destined to win the cup to enjoy the win, which I very much did.

Edited June 19, 20214 yr by TBURGESS

31 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

You're confused because you're not understanding what I'm typing. We've developed 2 starters and a part time starter at QB in 50 years. Therefore, it's unlikely that our current backup will develop into a starter, especially considering he got like 6 plays of CFL experience in total. It's very likely that he will struggle like most inexperienced QB's if we need to use him. BTW: Unlikely, doesn't mean it can never happen.

I don't mind the idea of developing a rookie kicker. I mind the idea of giving our rookie kicker the job without having to earn it by beating out a vet kicker and that doesn't just apply to kickers. Every player should have to earn their place on the team.

I guess you haven't been understanding what I've been saying, so I have to say it again (Sorry to everyone else who does understand): We were a 4th overall team, 3rd in the West. We made a great trade for a QB at the last minute of the trade deadline. We had a wonderful playoff run that got us the cup. Our GC win was more like Calgary's cup when they came from 3rd in the West to beat us all those years ago. We got some luck and some bounces, but every team gets those. That's not gloom, doom, fluky or dismissive. It's what happened. I don't have to tell myself that we were a dominant team that was destined to win the cup to enjoy the win, which I very much did.

No, we understand your constant negative views, unfortunately. We read them all the time. The Bombers will never be good enough as far as you're concerned with always something to ***** about.

You know what? I don't care if they were the third place team in the West. It made the run to the Grey cup that much better. To beat the Stamps & Riders in their buildings in front of their disbelieving fans, especially in Regina was so satisfying. Avenging that Western Final loss at Winnipeg Stadium that cut a hole in my heart from 47 years before... for me was something I waited a long time to see. Then to watch them physically dominate the so called best team in the CFL so much so that their star rookie qb had a meltdown numerous times was incredible to watch. Hamilton acted like a bunch of punks all week long leading up to that game & I enjoyed every moment of their suffering as it SHUT. THEM. UP. They were beaten so badly that the Tiger Cats have never said they beat themselves. It was an old fashioned ass whupping. So, they finished third??? So what? I don't care where they started in the playoffs as the West's third seed, it's where they finished that counted. 

5 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

Thanks for pointing out the 1 in a million that worked out.

In the last 50 or so years, the Bombers brought in Brock who became a good starter, Danny Mac who became great starter for other teams and Streveler who became a part time starter. Anyone else I'm missing?

Well to be fair, Evans, Mitchell, Harris and collaros where all thrown into the spot light via injury to other starters....Masoli too maybe? I can't remember. It's not as uncommon as it used to be.

1 hour ago, TBURGESS said:

You're confused because you're not understanding what I'm typing. We've developed 2 starters and a part time starter at QB in 50 years. Therefore, it's unlikely that our current backup will develop into a starter, especially considering he got like 6 plays of CFL experience in total. It's very likely that he will struggle like most inexperienced QB's if we need to use him. BTW: Unlikely, doesn't mean it can never happen.

I don't mind the idea of developing a rookie kicker. I mind the idea of giving our rookie kicker the job without having to earn it by beating out a vet kicker and that doesn't just apply to kickers. Every player should have to earn their place on the team.

I guess you haven't been understanding what I've been saying, so I have to say it again (Sorry to everyone else who does understand): We were a 4th overall team, 3rd in the West. We made a great trade for a QB at the last minute of the trade deadline. We had a wonderful playoff run that got us the cup. Our GC win was more like Calgary's cup when they came from 3rd in the West to beat us all those years ago. We got some luck and some bounces, but every team gets those. That's not gloom, doom, fluky or dismissive. It's what happened. I don't have to tell myself that we were a dominant team that was destined to win the cup to enjoy the win, which I very much did.

We hadn't won a Grey Cup in 30 years either.  I have more confident in this current regime to know what they have in a quarterback than previous ones.   And with 2 qb's now per team there will be a decent collection of QB's floating around if Zack gets injured. 

5 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

 

In the last 50 or so years, the Bombers brought in Brock who became a good starter,

Wait, I missed this. Brock was just a"good starter" ??? WTF?

3 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

No, we understand your constant negative views, unfortunately. We read them all the time. The Bombers will never be good enough as far as you're concerned with always something to ***** about.

You know what? I don't care if they were the third place team in the West. It made the run to the Grey cup that much better. To beat the Stamps & Riders in their buildings in front of their disbelieving fans, especially in Regina was so satisfying. Avenging that Western Final loss at Winnipeg Stadium that cut a hole in my heart from 47 years before... for me was something I waited a long time to see. Then to watch them physically dominate the so called best team in the CFL so much so that their star rookie qb had a meltdown numerous times was incredible to watch. Hamilton acted like a bunch of punks all week long leading up to that game & I enjoyed every moment of their suffering as it SHUT. THEM. UP. They were beaten so badly that the Tiger Cats have never said they beat themselves. It was an old fashioned ass whupping. So, they finished third??? So what? I don't care where they started in the playoffs as the West's third seed, it's where they finished that counted. 

No you obviously don't. You know what? I don't care about your spin and I waited as long as you to see the Bombers win a GC again. Last time they won the GC, I was in the stands and on the field afterwards. I don't care how Hamilton acted in your mind or that we shut them up. I do care that we won and that it was a great performance. 

3 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Wait, I missed this. Brock was just a"good starter" ??? WTF?

He was a good starter. He ran up a bunch of passing records and had one of the best arms I've ever seen. He's in the hall of fame for a reason but, we never won a GC with him. We traded for Clements who took Brock's team to the promised land by beating Brock and the Ticats. The big game losses are the difference between good and great IMO. I'll take Clements over Brock every game day.

 

3 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

Well to be fair, Evans, Mitchell, Harris and collaros where all thrown into the spot light via injury to other starters....Masoli too maybe? I can't remember. It's not as uncommon as it used to be.

To be fair, I looked up the stats:

Evans, Signed 2017, Started 3 games in 2018, took over in week 7 2019, lost the GC.

Harris, Signed with Jacksonville, Arizona, Hartford, Buffalo, Orlando in 2011 and Toronto in 2012, Played in 2 games in 2012, played in 1 game in 2013, Started 1 game in 2014, Started the 2015 season due to Ricky Ray's injury, replaced by Ray for the end of the season and the playoffs, 2016 became Ottawa's starting QB.

BLM, signed in 2012, first start and break out year in 2013. He played in 5 games and got 3 starts. He's the best example of a young QB becoming a good starter in his 2nd pro season and he got it because both Drew Tate and Kevin Glenn were injured, not because he was the #2 guy.

McGuire, Signed with the Bomber in 2019, got 6 plays in one game after the Bombers lost both Nichols and Streveler. Bomber fans expect him to be the next BLM.

 

17 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

McGuire, Signed with the Bomber in 2019, got 6 plays in one game after the Bombers lost both Nichols and Streveler. Bomber fans expect him to be the next BLM.

Jesus tap dancing christ..... there is a vast vast difference between thinking a guy has potential enough to be a decent backup and expecting the kid to be one of the next BLM. 

Personally I really like his skillset and he showed very well in preseason so I am hopeful he can become a guy who can play. Streveler was nothing before he got his shot, why can't Mcguire do that too?

I will say this: There's a sadistic part of me that's happy we're all arguing with TBurg about the roster again... Must mean CFL football is in the air!

4 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Jesus tap dancing christ..... there is a vast vast difference between thinking a guy has potential enough to be a decent backup and expecting the kid to be one of the next BLM. 

Personally I really like his skillset and he showed very well in preseason so I am hopeful he can become a guy who can play. Streveler was nothing before he got his shot, why can't Mcguire do that too?

It's not about 'can't do'. It's about what's most probable and that's not to be a good starting QB if he has to take over from Collaros.

1 hour ago, TBURGESS said:

It's not about 'can't do'. It's about what's most probable and that's not to be a good starting QB if he has to take over from Collaros.

If we win 12 games you'll insist we only really earned 4 of them & therefore don't deserve to be in the playoffs.

1 hour ago, TBURGESS said:

No you obviously don't. You know what? I don't care about your spin and I waited as long as you to see the Bombers win a GC again. Last time they won the GC, I was in the stands and on the field afterwards. I don't care how Hamilton acted in your mind or that we shut them up. I do care that we won and that it was a great performance. 

He was a good starter. He ran up a bunch of passing records and had one of the best arms I've ever seen. He's in the hall of fame for a reason but, we never won a GC with him. We traded for Clements who took Brock's team to the promised land by beating Brock and the Ticats. The big game losses are the difference between good and great IMO. I'll take Clements over Brock every game day.

Yeah, I like Clements as well but they were the 2 of the Top 3 qbs in the CFL at the time of the trade. The other was in Edmonton but went to Houston next season. The rest of your logic is ...

 

 

 

2 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

No you obviously don't. You know what? I don't care about your spin and I waited as long as you to see the Bombers win a GC again. Last time they won the GC, I was in the stands and on the field afterwards. I don't care how Hamilton acted in your mind or that we shut them up. I do care that we won and that it was a great performance. 

He was a good starter. He ran up a bunch of passing records and had one of the best arms I've ever seen. He's in the hall of fame for a reason but, we never won a GC with him. We traded for Clements who took Brock's team to the promised land by beating Brock and the Ticats. The big game losses are the difference between good and great IMO. I'll take Clements over Brock every game day.

 

 

 

Thye only thing I'll agree with you on is that yes, Brock didn't win a championship here. Whose to say it wouldn't have happened under Murphy in 1984 but it didn't as he was in Hamilton. We'll never know if he would have.

Clements was a great fit but he also lost 4 out of the 5 years he was the Bombers qb in the playoffs. Whose to say Brock wouldn't have won a couple of Grey Cups he had stayed. Clements & Brock were 2 of the Top 3 qbs in the CFL when the trade was made in 1983. The other qb played in Edmonton & he left for Houston the next season along with his Head Coach. So, to me it's a wash...

Brock got some bad advice from his agent Gil Scott who soured him on playing here. Scott has always been about the money & never about the fit. If you read his book you'll know Brock regrets his actions & wishes he wouldn't have left. Even playing in the NFL for more money after he left Hamilton didn't change the way he felt. That it was a huge mistake & he has regrets today. But such is life. We all have different paths to wander. Some good & some not so good. It's up to us to make the best of it....

 

As far as your other takes here about the Bombers on this thread, well...

 

Edited June 20, 20214 yr by SpeedFlex27

2 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

It's not about 'can't do'. It's about what's most probable and that's not to be a good starting QB if he has to take over from Collaros.

Yeah well the most probable outcome is rarely the best possible outcome. WHy worry about that? I like the guys skill set, he showed some good awareness in the pocket in preseason, I choose to be excited about a young player rather than worry about the odds of him making it big. Be positive, we've been able to celebrate a championship team for 2 years now. Let's not get bogged down in negativity. Streveler and McGuire are not like a lot of the backups this team has brought in in the past. Sooner or later they're going to fall backasswards into somebody. why not now?

1 minute ago, 17to85 said:

Yeah well the most probable outcome is rarely the best possible outcome. WHy worry about that? I like the guys skill set, he showed some good awareness in the pocket in preseason, I choose to be excited about a young player rather than worry about the odds of him making it big. Be positive, we've been able to celebrate a championship team for 2 years now. Let's not get bogged down in negativity. Streveler and McGuire are not like a lot of the backups this team has brought in in the past. Sooner or later they're going to fall backasswards into somebody. why not now?

I've been savouring this win now for 19 months. I don't give a damn about our so called record developing qbs. Most if not all teams in the CFL struggle doing the same. We won. That's all I care about. And I agree McGuire shows a helluva lot of promise as a backup. Who knows, maybe Streveler gets cut in Arizona & is back here by September. We just don't know.

10 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Yeah well the most probable outcome is rarely the best possible outcome. WHy worry about that? I like the guys skill set, he showed some good awareness in the pocket in preseason, I choose to be excited about a young player rather than worry about the odds of him making it big. Be positive, we've been able to celebrate a championship team for 2 years now. Let's not get bogged down in negativity. Streveler and McGuire are not like a lot of the backups this team has brought in in the past. Sooner or later they're going to fall backasswards into somebody. why not now?

Of course the best possible outcome is rarely the probable outcome. In other news the sky is blue. Why worry that our backup QB has little to no CFL experience? Because we are likely going to need him to win games for us this year. It's very telling that you look at the probable outcome and call it negative. It means you know I'm right, but you don't want to admit it.

Speedy... Tell you what. I'll give you that Brock was a great QB who never found a way to win the big game so we can stop arguing about things that happened 40 years ago and don't have any meaning anymore. Better? How 'bout we talk about the rookie kicker being given the job, the DB situation, the backup QB and the loss of PLAP. At least that's relevant.

14 hours ago, Noeller said:

I will say this: There's a sadistic part of me that's happy we're all arguing with TBurg about the roster again... Must mean CFL football is in the air!

Tburg gonna Tburg.  It is what it is - looking forward to August 5th. Go Blue! 

15 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

No you obviously don't. You know what? I don't care about your spin and I waited as long as you to see the Bombers win a GC again. Last time they won the GC, I was in the stands and on the field afterwards. I don't care how Hamilton acted in your mind or that we shut them up. I do care that we won and that it was a great performance. 

He was a good starter. He ran up a bunch of passing records and had one of the best arms I've ever seen. He's in the hall of fame for a reason but, we never won a GC with him. We traded for Clements who took Brock's team to the promised land by beating Brock and the Ticats. The big game losses are the difference between good and great IMO. I'll take Clements over Brock every game day.

 

To be fair, I looked up the stats:

Evans, Signed 2017, Started 3 games in 2018, took over in week 7 2019, lost the GC.

Harris, Signed with Jacksonville, Arizona, Hartford, Buffalo, Orlando in 2011 and Toronto in 2012, Played in 2 games in 2012, played in 1 game in 2013, Started 1 game in 2014, Started the 2015 season due to Ricky Ray's injury, replaced by Ray for the end of the season and the playoffs, 2016 became Ottawa's starting QB.

BLM, signed in 2012, first start and break out year in 2013. He played in 5 games and got 3 starts. He's the best example of a young QB becoming a good starter in his 2nd pro season and he got it because both Drew Tate and Kevin Glenn were injured, not because he was the #2 guy.

McGuire, Signed with the Bomber in 2019, got 6 plays in one game after the Bombers lost both Nichols and Streveler. Bomber fans expect him to be the next BLM.

 

Quote one example of someone saying anything remotely close to this.