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.

Have you seen the projected Riders starting OL? Cripes. Vaughn who is still in a knee brace, rookie Logan Ferland, Dan Clark, Evan Johnson and Brett Boyko at the other tackle. So a guy who should not be playing RT, a C whose lousy, a rookie Canadian guard, a beat up LT and a solid guard.

1 hour ago, rebusrankin said:

Have you seen the projected Riders starting OL? Cripes. Vaughn who is still in a knee brace, rookie Logan Ferland, Dan Clark, Evan Johnson and Brett Boyko at the other tackle. So a guy who should not be playing RT, a C whose lousy, a rookie Canadian guard, a beat up LT and a solid guard.

I can’t wait until Labour Day

9 hours ago, rebusrankin said:

Have you seen the projected Riders starting OL? Cripes. Vaughn who is still in a knee brace, rookie Logan Ferland, Dan Clark, Evan Johnson and Brett Boyko at the other tackle. So a guy who should not be playing RT, a C whose lousy, a rookie Canadian guard, a beat up LT and a solid guard.

I can see them bringing in some of the linemen bring cut. Im surprised Thaddeus Coleman hasnt been signed already.

6 hours ago, Bubba Zanetti said:

I can see them bringing in some of the linemen bring cut. Im surprised Thaddeus Coleman hasnt been signed already.

He sucks as much as the others...that online and depth..or lack there of is embarrassing..management there should be on thin ice for sure..pathetic but looks good on those assbags

1 hour ago, Booch said:

He sucks as much as the others...that online and depth..or lack there of is embarrassing..management there should be on thin ice for sure..pathetic but looks good on those assbags

I dont know about that. Hard to prepare for 4 retirements at the same position in the weeks before the season. 

2 hours ago, stevethe3rd said:

I dont know about that. Hard to prepare for 4 retirements at the same position in the weeks before the season. 

Riders OL was dog **** in 2019 and somehow got much worse. Embarrassment to the league. 

16 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Riders...Embarrassment to the league. 

Ftfy

2 hours ago, stevethe3rd said:

I dont know about that. Hard to prepare for 4 retirements at the same position in the weeks before the season. 

That ol was among the worst before the retirements. 

18 hours ago, Noeller said:

Riders OL was dog **** in 2019 and somehow got much worse. Embarrassment to the league. 

 

 

18 hours ago, wbbfan said:

That ol was among the worst before the retirements. 

Dog **** but gave up the second lowest sack total only behind Winnipeg which passed at a lot lower rate. Had a CFL hall of famer at LG, and all star centre, and Right guard that stuck in the NFL for the last year. Add in the fact that their 6th and 7th olineman are now projected starters on another team and the reality is a little different then the narrative here. 

Just now, stevethe3rd said:

 

 

Dog **** but gave up the second lowest sack total only behind Winnipeg which passed at a lot lower rate. Had a CFL hall of famer at LG, and all star centre, and Right guard that stuck in the NFL for the last year. Add in the fact that their 6th and 7th olineman are now projected starters on another team and the reality is a little different then the narrative here. 

What's incredible is that you truly believe it..... 

34 minutes ago, Noeller said:

What's incredible is that you truly believe it..... 

I presented facts, these are things that can be measured and are all true. I would like to see you dispute these facts with some actual arguments not just your feelings and parroting narratives and talking points without much substance. 

Same line that gave up 3 sacks in the West Final and failed to get it into the end zone on eight different attempts from inside the Winnipeg 10 in the 4th quarter. Those are facts too.

48 minutes ago, stevethe3rd said:

 

 

Dog **** but gave up the second lowest sack total only behind Winnipeg which passed at a lot lower rate. Had a CFL hall of famer at LG, and all star centre, and Right guard that stuck in the NFL for the last year. Add in the fact that their 6th and 7th olineman are now projected starters on another team and the reality is a little different then the narrative here. 

Sacks aren't the be all and end all stat for an ol. Fajardo ran for his life and avoided a bunch of sacks. The number of pressures given up by the ssk ol was among the worst. 

A hofer past his prime is not an asset. In Winnipeg we've had a few of those guys over the years. 

Allstar status in the cfl is junk. We've seen Allstars one year un signed by any team the next year. It's a popularity contest among good teams. Not an indicator of success. 

Sitting on a pr in the NFL as an ol also does not mean you can play it means you have potential and size.

 The worst teams and units make poor use of good talent. And even at that who is projecting this plus bad olines cycle through other teams former guys like crazy trying to find replacements. Good teams do this and succeed like we did with bond Hardrick and Neufeld. Bad teams do this and fail to utilize players well and cut good players. Like the riders cutting bond dennis etc. 

 We've seen in the past every team get rid of or not retain a depth guy for a vet only for the depth guy to grow into a star. Bad teams cling to old Bad players and let good players go all the time. 

12 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

A hofer past his prime is not an asset. 

I dunno I think @Mark H.

Has some life left in him.... 

12 minutes ago, Noeller said:

I dunno I think @Mark H.

Has some life left in him.... 

Well...more or less...

Seriously though, I would say there's nothing wrong with getting another season or two out of an effective player who's older, especially a shut down OL. Stanley Bryant is an example. Back in the day, we got another good year out of Andrew Greene. 

16 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Sacks aren't the be all and end all stat for an ol. Fajardo ran for his life and avoided a bunch of sacks. The number of pressures given up by the ssk ol was among the worst. 

A hofer past his prime is not an asset. In Winnipeg we've had a few of those guys over the years. 

Allstar status in the cfl is junk. We've seen Allstars one year un signed by any team the next year. It's a popularity contest among good teams. Not an indicator of success. 

Sitting on a pr in the NFL as an ol also does not mean you can play it means you have potential and size.

 The worst teams and units make poor use of good talent. And even at that who is projecting this plus bad olines cycle through other teams former guys like crazy trying to find replacements. Good teams do this and succeed like we did with bond Hardrick and Neufeld. Bad teams do this and fail to utilize players well and cut good players. Like the riders cutting bond dennis etc. 

 We've seen in the past every team get rid of or not retain a depth guy for a vet only for the depth guy to grow into a star. Bad teams cling to old Bad players and let good players go all the time. 

Labbatte is still good. He is not in the 2015 level but he is still one of the best guards in the CFL when healthy. He is not a liability. Saying he is not an asset is pure ignorance or trolling.  Clark is a solid center. He is not the best in the league, Sean Macewan is very good and Ucambre Williams is up there when he plays centre but he is still very solid and is easily in the next tier. 

You have to be a good football player to get 2 chances at the NFL like Dakota Shepley, he had one stint after his UBC days and he was on 49ers pr for most of last year and even dressed for a couple games. If Shepley shakes free from the 49ers and come back to CFL he will be an automatic upgrade on most teams oline. Even the bombers. 

As far as the Dennis/Bond that is the last regime, Bond was brought in to see if he could play tackle and he couldnt so he was released. Dennis was brought in and was a little out of shape. He also struggled to transition to the Riders protection differences from Calgary and how they asked him to play (im not going to get into this because it is actually pretty complicated) but essentially the Riders have  their tackles to set shallow in work alot with the guard. Where the stamps guards had freedom to set vertical. 

Just now, Mark H. said:

Well...more or less...

Seriously though, I would say there's nothing wrong with getting another season or two out of an effective player who's older, especially a shut down OL. Stanley Bryant is an example. Back in the day, we got another good year out of Andrew Greene. 

Stanley bryant has yet to taper off. Knock on wood. 

1 minute ago, wbbfan said:

Stanley bryant has yet to taper off. Knock on wood. 

And I would take a tapered off Stanley Bryant, over a LONG LIST of other OL. 

Stanley Bryant is going to be in the conversation for the best OL to ever play 3 down football. Right now Walby is the best ever but Bryant is in that conversation... 

Just now, stevethe3rd said:

Labbatte is still good. He is not in the 2015 level but he is still one of the best guards in the CFL when healthy. He is not a liability. Saying he is not an asset is pure ignorance or trolling.  Clark is a solid center. He is not the best in the league, Sean Macewan is very good and Ucambre Williams is up there when he plays centre but he is still very solid and is easily in the next tier. 

You have to be a good football player to get 2 chances at the NFL like Dakota Shepley, he had one stint after his UBC days and he was on 49ers pr for most of last year and even dressed for a couple games. If Shepley shakes free from the 49ers and come back to CFL he will be an automatic upgrade on most teams oline. Even the bombers. 

As far as the Dennis/Bond that is the last regime, Bond was brought in to see if he could play tackle and he couldnt so he was released. Dennis was brought in and was a little out of shape. He also struggled to transition to the Riders protection differences from Calgary and how they asked him to play (im not going to get into this because it is actually pretty complicated) but essentially the Riders have  their tackles to set shallow in work alot with the guard. Where the stamps guards had freedom to set vertical. 

Labbatte is replacement level around the league at best. He wouldnt crack our top 7. Hes not a top guard and hasnt been in a good while. 

 You dont have to be a good player, the biggest busts in nfl history got multiple chances. If you are big and athletic but cant play a lick you can get multiple looks. Even more so if you are an outlier in size or speed for your nfl position.  The NFL has a massive number of players invited to camp, not all of them are good players and many of them have been in other camps or will be. Pat barnes was not a good player. 

 Bond was a huge dollar pick up, he was brought in and then moved to T. We saw previously here he couldnt excel at tackle. You dont sign a huge dollar vet all star ol only hoping he could play another position then cut him. Thats revisionist history. 

 With both bond and dennis the riders though they could plug new pieces into a bad OL and cure the bad OL. But thats not how it works. OL more than any other position is not the sum of its parts. Its the strength of the group as a unit. Pinching the tackles for gap elimination is not harder on the tackle its the other way around. Playing tackle on an island is harder. Its also some thing every team does situationally. Especially if you primarily run man blocking schemes instead of zone. 

6 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Labbatte is replacement level around the league at best. He wouldnt crack our top 7. Hes not a top guard and hasnt been in a good while. 

 You dont have to be a good player, the biggest busts in nfl history got multiple chances. If you are big and athletic but cant play a lick you can get multiple looks. Even more so if you are an outlier in size or speed for your nfl position.  The NFL has a massive number of players invited to camp, not all of them are good players and many of them have been in other camps or will be. Pat barnes was not a good player. 

 Bond was a huge dollar pick up, he was brought in and then moved to T. We saw previously here he couldnt excel at tackle. You dont sign a huge dollar vet all star ol only hoping he could play another position then cut him. Thats revisionist history. 

 With both bond and dennis the riders though they could plug new pieces into a bad OL and cure the bad OL. But thats not how it works. OL more than any other position is not the sum of its parts. Its the strength of the group as a unit. Pinching the tackles for gap elimination is not harder on the tackle its the other way around. Playing tackle on an island is harder. Its also some thing every team does situationally. Especially if you primarily run man blocking schemes instead of zone. 

First statement is false. If you actually believe that I challenge you to watch the games again. 

Biggest busts=High draft picks. Shepley was not drafted and signed two different times. So that comparison is off. Shepley has been invited to 3 camps and has been invited back to the same team that had him the year before. He is also not an outlier for size or athleticism in the NFL so you can't say he is just there because of his size. 

I'm agreeing with you on Bond, I pretty much said that didnt I? 

As far as the short set it can be harder on the tackle. If you are reading inside out on a shallow set then you have to react to a speed rusher on the outside that puts alot of pressure on the tackles athletic ability. Being able to just kick deep and get there against a guy like Willy Jefferson puts you in a better postion. The shallow set almost puts you in a chase mode off the bat. 

So honest question as a Rider fan, are you not worried about that OL, DL and linebacking core?

Here's a fact: Riders suck.

5 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

So honest question as a Rider fan, are you not worried about that OL, DL and linebacking core?

Oh I'm 100% worried about the Oline this discussion was about 2019 Oline not this years. The Riders season could look alot like BC's in 2019 if the line struggles.

Not super worried about  Dline, it won't be as good but I think will be league average playing two American DTs should help and AC is a good DE but the other side if for sure a question mark.

Linebackers I don't personally value as important as the line, with Lacey being there they should be okay. I am more worried about SAM in the linebacker core as that is an important position and it looks like they have a raw rookie starting there. Derrick Moncreif will be the biggest loss I think. 

The riders OL last season was not good. If it was good fajardo wouldn't have been running for his life like he was. Riders are going to miss their OC the most. He knew his teams weaknesses and played around them, ie move the pocket and throw quick short passes, don't let your qb be murdered. Jason Maas I don't think has that mentality. Jesus Sprinkles is gonna get crippled at some point this year.