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.

Faj can only be accurate with long throws if he's trying to hit crossbars.....The Duke will lose his title if he hangs around there long enough

 

 

 

I'll admit it's a good pick up for the Riders. Big receiver with good hands on those short passes will definitely help them out. 

 

Williams biggest impact was going up and getting the long balls.... not sure he's the guy to go and chase down balls waaayyyy over thrown, and honestly what will he be able to do on those underthrown ones where the db is in position to make a pick? Take an offensive PI? Maybe, he got away with a lot last time, but that was more in the jump ball situations. 

 

Evans will make more of a difference for faj.

Never going to complain about adding a 1,500 yard receiver. Our receiving core sans Evans has been… not great. Adding Evans and Williams adds two big threats through the air, as opposed to Picton who could still be blanketed by Davis Sanchez. 

Williams getting a huge bunch of money could well cause dissent within the Rider receiving corps, particularly when one of their buddies gets sat down or cut. If he cannot walk on water when he gets to Regina, that would only exacerbate the problem. All this puts a LOT of pressure on Fajardo. 

18 minutes ago, greenrider55 said:

Never going to complain about adding a 1,500 yard receiver. Our receiving core sans Evans has been… not great. Adding Evans and Williams adds two big threats through the air, as opposed to Picton who could still be blanketed by Davis Sanchez. 

If you are replacing Picton then you'll have to start a Canadian elsewhere. 

Edit: Nevermind it looks like Riders start more than the required amount. 

Edited October 4, 20214 yr by BBlink

32 minutes ago, greenrider55 said:

Never going to complain about adding a 1,500 yard receiver. Our receiving core sans Evans has been… not great. Adding Evans and Williams adds two big threats through the air, as opposed to Picton who could still be blanketed by Davis Sanchez. 

but how are you going to get the ball to these receivers? You still don't have a QB who can throw accurately, with any velocity, for more than 5-10yds....

Duke is a great add for the Riders. Makes them more dangerous when we play them again in the western final.

23 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

Duke is a great add for the Riders. Makes them more dangerous when we play them again in the western final.

I would rather play SK than Calgary in the west final personally. We match up better against their weak o-line.

16 minutes ago, Dr Zaius said:

I would rather play SK than Calgary in the west final personally. We match up better against their weak o-line.

Sask has to add double TE or an extra lineman to have a remote chance to make any sort of run.

Cam Jefferson leads the league in pressures given up, would like to see him fired to the moon ideally.

@greenrider55what's your take on your OL overall? Agree on Jefferson but Boyko isn't great either. None of them impress me to be honest.

12 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

@greenrider55what's your take on your OL overall? Agree on Jefferson but Boyko isn't great either. None of them impress me to be honest.

The inside boys in Ferland, Clark, and Evan Johnson have worked well together thus far, interior pressure hasn’t been a big issue… but the edges have been rough. I’m going to hope they go with Lauderdale at LT who has been stout, but move Boyko to RT and get Jefferson out. Jefferson just doesn’t look like an athlete. Willie Jefferson would be a better RT right now (actually now that I say that Willie probably could jump on the OL and play fine)

Wish Cody and Duke the best of luck on those deep passes while Jefferson and Jeffcoat cave in their offensive tackles in the west final....

6 minutes ago, Mr. Perfect said:

Wish Cody and Duke the best of luck on those deep passes while Jefferson and Jeffcoat cave in their offensive tackles in the west final....

Speaking of Jeffcoat, he’s my MODP right now. I think on that DLine he causes the majority of the issues at present. Dude is *fast*

I coild make a case for either Jef, Biggie, or BA

My vote for Biggie is because MACK is the QB of the D. That job is so tough... Knowing everyone's assignment, calling out the plays etc... Not that DE isn't tough, but the MACK I feel is tougher... 

Edited October 5, 20214 yr by Noeller

Hard to pick a modp when so many guys are having such good seasons. 

6 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

Duke is a great add for the Riders. Makes them more dangerous when we play them again in the western final.

Why can't you ever be this positive and succinct with anything Blue Bomber?

Duke is a good pick up like I said... it isn't the missing piece that will put them over the top though.  They need two solid O-linemen and some help in the secondary.     Duke will bail out Fajardo on the short passes that is for sure. 

Play off time I way rather play Saskatchewan... I'm going to assume Maier takes over for BLM and that guy is far more dangerous this seasons  then Faj. 

3 hours ago, Brandon said:

Duke is a good pick up like I said... it isn't the missing piece that will put them over the top though.  They need two solid O-linemen and some help in the secondary.     Duke will bail out Fajardo on the short passes that is for sure. 

Play off time I way rather play Saskatchewan... I'm going to assume Maier takes over for BLM and that guy is far more dangerous this seasons  then Faj. 

I don't agree about the Riders secondary. They are great. Legends in their own minds. 

What gets me is that people actually consider Marshall good... like not only does the guy get beaten badly regularly he is is also very likely to give up 15 yards in a penalty at any moment. 

Williams needs a certain type of QB to be successful. In Edmonton he had Reilly, who probably throws the most accurate deep ball in the league, or did at the time anyway. He was able to pinpoint back shoulder throws and comeback routes that allowed Duke to use his size to gain a big advantage. Duke is not a burner, or a receiver who even necessarily gets open on the long ball. Ball placement is paramount to his success on deep routes and that is not Cody Vaj's strong suit. 

One of the huge differences I see between Cody Faj 2019 and this year is that defences are keeping him in the pocket more and not letting him extend plays with his legs. Maas seems to be happy with turning him into a pocket passer and he loses everything that was dangerous about him because he is at best an average pocket passer.

20 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

What gets me is that people actually consider Marshall good... like not only does the guy get beaten badly regularly he is is also very likely to give up 15 yards in a penalty at any moment. 

he's riding on the couple early success plays he had when he first came up, and his short yardage work on offence...guy is way over rated....same with Gainey...One good season there where he got 6 int's in a 3 game span and they were more of a case of poor throws thrown right at him

15 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

Williams needs a certain type of QB to be successful. In Edmonton he had Reilly, who probably throws the most accurate deep ball in the league, or did at the time anyway. He was able to pinpoint back shoulder throws and comeback routes that allowed Duke to use his size to gain a big advantage. Duke is not a burner, or a receiver who even necessarily gets open on the long ball. Ball placement is paramount to his success on deep routes and that is not Cody Vaj's strong suit. 

One of the huge differences I see between Cody Faj 2019 and this year is that defences are keeping him in the pocket more and not letting him extend plays with his legs. Maas seems to be happy with turning him into a pocket passer and he loses everything that was dangerous about him because he is at best an average pocket passer.

Yep. And faj is the exact opposite of what duke needs to succeed. After this 7 game stretch he may tell maas to lose his number lol. 

3 minutes ago, Booch said:

he's riding on the couple early success plays he had when he first came up, and his short yardage work on offence...guy is way over rated....same with Gainey...One good season there where he got 6 int's in a 3 game span and they were more of a case of poor throws thrown right at him

Its like kevin fogg. He was constatly johnny on the spot for fumbles, and loved to gamble for picks. But despite his speed got burned soo frequently. Getting rid of fogg and heath is when our secondary started to get good. The riders instead got married to those type of guys and are worse off for it.