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.

2 hours ago, Geebrr said:

Calling it a concussion and not a neck injury would be good for the player too.

not sure what you mean. we dont know what his injury was, and I dont care what they call it.

26 minutes ago, Mark F said:

not sure what you mean. we dont know what his injury was, and I dont care what they call it.

I care that they report it correctly. An Edmonton media guy said it was a concussion. Calling it a neck injury is much less of a buzz word. 

Hope they aren't rushing him back to save whatever chance they have at the playoffs. 

Coming off the six game after two weeks is certainly interesting… I thought Cornelius looked just fine considering his first game was against Winnipeg. They must not trust him, or Harris is genuinely fine, which just doesn’t seem likely to me.

I think it’s getting down to crunch time for Edmonton, not that Cornelius played badly but I think they feel (and know) Harris gives them the best chance at winning. Kind of why the Stamps took Bo Levi of of the 6 game as well. 

On 2021-09-25 at 8:52 PM, Geebrr said:

I care that they report it correctly. An Edmonton media guy said it was a concussion. Calling it a neck injury is much less of a buzz word. 

Hope they aren't rushing him back to save whatever chance they have at the playoffs. 

It's probably a matter of they knew he'd be out at least 3 or 4 weeks... so you throw him on the 6-game and if he's out for six then you save some cap hit... if not, no big deal, just pull him off...

11 minutes ago, bearpants said:

It's probably a matter of they knew he'd be out at least 3 or 4 weeks... so you throw him on the 6-game and if he's out for six then you save some cap hit... if not, no big deal, just pull him off...

You can add him to the 6 game retroactively as well so if he was out longer than expected, they still get that same cap relief.

The time line for the injury just makes no sense, even if they thought it was a 3-4 week thing. 

(per Hodge on twitter):

09/15 -- Harris cleared to practice

09/16 -- Harris removes himself from practice

09/17 -- Harris moved to six-game injured list w/ "no timetable" for return

09/18 -- Cornelius starts vs. Winnipeg

09/24 -- Elizondo says Cornelius will start vs. Ottawa

09/25 -- Harris is healthy

Guess Harris hasn't quite healed up after all.

 

1 hour ago, bearpants said:

It's probably a matter of they knew he'd be out at least 3 or 4 weeks... so you throw him on the 6-game and if he's out for six then you save some cap hit... if not, no big deal, just pull him off...

It doesn't really address why Morley Scott (I believe) was adamant that this was a concussion and they were calling it a neck injury. Clearly he heard something. Morley Scott is the Elks PxP guy.

You can 6 game someone for a hang nail and take him off if you want .

If the report isn't accurate it lacks credibility. 

Former Bombers. 

 

Just now, JCon said:

 

Itll be interesting to see if its 1 move or a flurry of moves. If another team falls out of the play off picture we might see a rash of vets on 1 year deals moved for future value. 

 

36 minutes ago, JCon said:

 

We need to trade for a kicker... unless Lirim would change his mind and go back to the CFL and signs with us.

38 minutes ago, M.O.A.B. said:

We need to trade for a kicker... unless Lirim would change his mind and go back to the CFL and signs with us.

Has he been cut again from the NFL pr? Even if he has, he's bounced between like 2 teams 4 times this year. Hes probably high on the FA list in the NFL for kickers. 

 Idk that any one is going to trade a kicker. Would love it if we got a great one, or lirim or medlock for the rest of the season but Im not holding my breath right now. 

1 minute ago, wbbfan said:

Has he been cut again from the NFL pr? Even if he has, he's bounced between like 2 teams 4 times this year. Hes probably high on the FA list in the NFL for kickers. 

 Idk that any one is going to trade a kicker. Would love it if we got a great one, or lirim or medlock for the rest of the season but Im not holding my breath right now. 

Yep, Dallas cut him again a few days ago so Lirim is a FA.

Just now, bigg jay said:

Yep, Dallas cut him again a few days ago so Lirim is a FA.

That guys been cut soo many times this year. Its like homer simpson has been his coach at every stop. 

12 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

That guys been cut soo many times this year. Its like homer simpson has been his coach at every stop. 

Because...

Just now, M.O.A.B. said:

Because...

Well tbh if I was a kicker I would rather kick in the NFL too. Its much easier kicks. But yeah, the 600k+ US is a pretty good incentive too. Even the 10k a week on the PR is pretty good money. 

In 2023 the NFL PR wage is gonna be 12k a week. I wonder if the min or avg CFL salary will have to go up too. 

I think it's better if we can move back to one person doing all the kicking/punting because that will free up one roster spot somewhere.
If it's a Canadian kicker (say Ward or Lirim) much better since it will free up a DI spot for an Amer DB or DL/LB Antigha or maybe WR Roosevelt. 

 

Edited September 28, 20214 yr by M.O.A.B.

2 minutes ago, M.O.A.B. said:

I think it's better if we can move back one person doing all the kicking/punting because that will free up one roster spot somewhere.
If it's a Canadian kicker (say Ward or Lirim) much better since it will free up a DI spot for an Amer DB or DL/LB Antigha or maybe WR Roosevelt. 

 

Of course thats ideal. But right now if we could just get above the westwood line thatd be great. Id settle for 80% fg from a DI right now. 

newest cfl coach buzzword:

 

"pictures"

 

 

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

Well tbh if I was a kicker I would rather kick in the NFL too. Its much easier kicks. But yeah, the 600k+ US is a pretty good incentive too. Even the 10k a week on the PR is pretty good money. 

In 2023 the NFL PR wage is gonna be 12k a week. I wonder if the min or avg CFL salary will have to go up too. 

Why do you say its much easier kicks in the NFL?

Just now, bryan35 said:

Why do you say its much easier kicks in the NFL?

The bigger field makes the ground level more susceptible to winds, it also creates some very tough angle kicks. Especially opposite leg side on a short field goal. In general the more dome teams and stadiums design makes it  easier for the most part too. 

The NFL also has far more professional holders. The cfl its generally the no2 qb by default. 

Agreed that that distance between hash marks is larger in the CFL. In the CFL kickers can use a platform but not in the NFL unless that changed.

26 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

The bigger field makes the ground level more susceptible to winds, it also creates some very tough angle kicks. Especially opposite leg side on a short field goal. In general the more dome teams and stadiums design makes it  easier for the most part too. 

The NFL also has far more professional holders. The cfl its generally the no2 qb by default. 

So the up coming dome game should tell us for sure IF we have a competent kicker on our roster...I know we aren't going to see any 55 yarders BUT both Mourtada and Leggs have the leg strength to put it through the uprights from inside the 50....It's the accuracy that seems to have eluded them...They better get it right (no pressure lol) or the hunt will be on for a kicker that can get it done...Like the coaches say ...'see the ball....kick the ball'....lose the yipps or you'll lose your seat on the flight home

30 minutes ago, Stickem said:

So the up coming dome game should tell us for sure IF we have a competent kicker on our roster...I know we aren't going to see any 55 yarders BUT both Mourtada and Leggs have the leg strength to put it through the uprights from inside the 50....It's the accuracy that seems to have eluded them...They better get it right (no pressure lol) or the hunt will be on for a kicker that can get it done...Like the coaches say ...'see the ball....kick the ball'....lose the yipps or you'll lose your seat on the flight home

I think itd aid legs a lot.  Mourtada couldnt hit any thing from the angle though and hit all his head on XPTs. So I think we will still be in the wind, so to speak.