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.

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

No such thing as relatively good in pro sports. Either you're a strength of the team and an asset or you're awaiting replacement. 

Yes, there is such a thing.  There are plenty of starters in CFL who would not be a starter for the Bombers. How good you are and whether or not you keep your position, often depends on where you're playing. 

12 hours ago, Geebrr said:

Who got a starting QB?

Rider fans said the same thing about Collaros when we traded for him. 

12 hours ago, Bomber_fanaddict said:

Harris was probably happy to be done playing the Bombers D this year and now might have to face them again twice lol. Poor Harris might not make it the rest of the year

Als OL is much better than Edmonton's. 

I refuse to believe Harris plays unless Shiltz gets hurt. They'll run with "their" guy until further notice....

13 hours ago, Mark H. said:

Yes, there is such a thing.  There are plenty of starters in CFL who would not be a starter for the Bombers. How good you are and whether or not you keep your position, often depends on where you're playing. 

Youre mostly talking about elite tier players, vs players who could be just below them. Also, we know Mos will stick to his guys despite superior players. The difference between an elite player and replacement level is often razor thin. If you cant be elite, you arent in the pros. Fairly good guys, are walking the street with out an agent. Every time a pop up league happens (like the xfl) We get guys who wouldve been out of football (nichols) with a 2nd chance, who become great. We dont see a well spring of replacement level players. 

Football also has the deepest FA talent pool of any sport. Every single year you see former great who arent that old replaced with new young players. You would be stunned by how many former football players are walking around the southern states well out of football who could be cfl and nfl HOFers. Issues with the law, grades and addiction having ended their window early. (amongst many problems, starting a family really young does it a lot too.) You dont have that really at all in baseball or hockey. 

 

11 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Rider fans said the same thing about Collaros when we traded for him. 

Als OL is much better than Edmonton's. 

Als Oline might be better but they also haven’t played the Bombers D. Let’s wait and see how they can handle our front 7 😀

2 hours ago, Noeller said:

I refuse to believe Harris plays unless Shiltz gets hurt. They'll run with "their" guy until further notice....

you think if shiltz plays really poorly they will stick with him over harris? I dont buy that at all. I think shiltz gets this week to really impress. If he doesnt, its harris time. 

https://3downnation.com/2021/10/18/the-cfls-ten-highest-paid-offensive-linemen/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=the-cfls-ten-highest-paid-offensive-linemen

T-1. C David Beard, Edmonton Elks (N) — $180,000 ($151,000)
T-1. T Stanley Bryant, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A) — $180,000 ($158,000)
T-1. C Sean McEwen, Calgary Stampeders (N) — $180,000 ($147,000)
4. G Nolan MacMillan, Ottawa Redblacks (N) — $171,000 ($139,000)
5. T SirVincent Rogers, Edmonton Elks (A) — $170,000 ($132,000)
6. T Joel Figueroa, B.C. Lions (A) — $167,500 ($139,000)
7. G Sukh Chungh, B.C. Lions (N) — $165,000 ($139,000)
8. T Chris Van Zeyl, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N) — $160,000 ($124,000)
9. T Jamal Campbell, Toronto Argonauts (N) — $155,000 ($126,000)
T-10. T Ryker Mathews, B.C. Lions (A) — $150,000 (126,000)
T-10. G Kristian Matte, Montreal Alouettes (N) — $150,000 ($120,000)

 

3 of the top 10 are from the Lions but obviously not getting what they paid for. 

Edited October 18, 20214 yr by M.O.A.B.

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

https://3downnation.com/2021/10/18/the-cfls-ten-highest-paid-offensive-linemen/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=the-cfls-ten-highest-paid-offensive-linemen

T-1. C David Beard, Edmonton Elks (N) — $180,000 ($151,000)
T-1. T Stanley Bryant, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A) — $180,000 ($158,000)
T-1. C Sean McEwen, Calgary Stampeders (N) — $180,000 ($147,000)
4. G Nolan MacMillan, Ottawa Redblacks (N) — $171,000 ($139,000)
5. T SirVincent Rogers, Edmonton Elks (A) — $170,000 ($132,000)
6. T Joel Figueroa, B.C. Lions (A) — $167,500 ($139,000)
7. G Sukh Chungh, B.C. Lions (N) — $165,000 ($139,000)
8. T Chris Van Zeyl, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N) — $160,000 ($124,000)
9. T Jamal Campbell, Toronto Argonauts (N) — $155,000 ($126,000)
T-10. T Ryker Mathews, B.C. Lions (A) — $150,000 (126,000)
T-10. G Kristian Matte, Montreal Alouettes (N) — $150,000 ($120,000)

 

3 of the top 10 are from the Lions but obviously not getting what they paid for. 

Desperate bad teams will over pay for mediocre OLs, and under achieve with the OL talent they have. 

Funny that we only have 1 in the top 10, I bet our top 7 combined make as much as most any team in the league.

Id love to see a 10 imps and 10 ni in this category. I feel like this is where a lot of NI are making their money. 

And I think this article is a great addition to 3dn, the wr one was good too. Thanks for sharing it. 

3 hours ago, M.O.A.B. said:

https://3downnation.com/2021/10/18/the-cfls-ten-highest-paid-offensive-linemen/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=the-cfls-ten-highest-paid-offensive-linemen

T-1. C David Beard, Edmonton Elks (N) — $180,000 ($151,000)
T-1. T Stanley Bryant, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A) — $180,000 ($158,000)
T-1. C Sean McEwen, Calgary Stampeders (N) — $180,000 ($147,000)
4. G Nolan MacMillan, Ottawa Redblacks (N) — $171,000 ($139,000)
5. T SirVincent Rogers, Edmonton Elks (A) — $170,000 ($132,000)
6. T Joel Figueroa, B.C. Lions (A) — $167,500 ($139,000)
7. G Sukh Chungh, B.C. Lions (N) — $165,000 ($139,000)
8. T Chris Van Zeyl, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N) — $160,000 ($124,000)
9. T Jamal Campbell, Toronto Argonauts (N) — $155,000 ($126,000)
T-10. T Ryker Mathews, B.C. Lions (A) — $150,000 (126,000)
T-10. G Kristian Matte, Montreal Alouettes (N) — $150,000 ($120,000)

 

3 of the top 10 are from the Lions but obviously not getting what they paid for. 

Wow, $160k to Chris Van Turnstyle....

BC just waiting to go after our guys in FA

35 minutes ago, kelownabomberfan said:

Wow, $160k to Chris Van Turnstyle....

Hey, now that's 2019 Most Outstanding OL Chris Van Zyel to you or as Willie Jefferson calls him, Speed Bump.

We only have one of the top paid OL? Walters you beauty.

53 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

We only have one of the top paid OL? Walters you beauty.

And he just happens to be the best of the bunch. 

12 hours ago, Geebrr said:

BC just waiting to go after our guys in FA

Soo true. But the whole league is. We've lost a young starting NI each of the last like 3 years. 

10 hours ago, 17to85 said:

We only have one of the top paid OL? Walters you beauty.

Right? Again I bet our top 7 guys are expensive compared to other teams, but we are crazy deep at ol. 

9 hours ago, Mark H. said:

And he just happens to be the best of the bunch. 

Id take hardrick over the rest of that list. Desjarlais too. 

16 hours ago, M.O.A.B. said:

https://3downnation.com/2021/10/18/the-cfls-ten-highest-paid-offensive-linemen/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=the-cfls-ten-highest-paid-offensive-linemen

T-1. C David Beard, Edmonton Elks (N) — $180,000 ($151,000)
T-1. T Stanley Bryant, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A) — $180,000 ($158,000)
T-1. C Sean McEwen, Calgary Stampeders (N) — $180,000 ($147,000)
4. G Nolan MacMillan, Ottawa Redblacks (N) — $171,000 ($139,000)
5. T SirVincent Rogers, Edmonton Elks (A) — $170,000 ($132,000)
6. T Joel Figueroa, B.C. Lions (A) — $167,500 ($139,000)
7. G Sukh Chungh, B.C. Lions (N) — $165,000 ($139,000)
8. T Chris Van Zeyl, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N) — $160,000 ($124,000)
9. T Jamal Campbell, Toronto Argonauts (N) — $155,000 ($126,000)
T-10. T Ryker Mathews, B.C. Lions (A) — $150,000 (126,000)
T-10. G Kristian Matte, Montreal Alouettes (N) — $150,000 ($120,000)

 

3 of the top 10 are from the Lions but obviously not getting what they paid for. 

Is Beard even good? I honestly have no idea

1 minute ago, Dr Zaius said:

Is Beard even good? I honestly have no idea

The top 5 are top tier.

The bottom 5 are over paid. Including the top lineman from 2019.

All of our OL are pending FA after this season: 

Bryant - signed a 1-year extension on Jan 5, 2021
Desjarlais - in the last year of his rookie-contract (I could be wrong though)
Couture - signed 2-year extension on Feb 10, 2020 
Neufeld - signed 1-year extension on Jan 19 2021  
Hardrick  - signed 1-year extension on Dec 30 2020
Eli - in the last year of his rookie-contract  (I could be wrong though)
Gray - signed a one-year contract extension on Jan 8, 2021.

3 hours ago, M.O.A.B. said:

All of our OL are pending FA after this season: 

Bryant - signed a 1-year extension on Jan 5, 2021
Desjarlais - in the last year of his rookie-contract (I could be wrong though)
Couture - signed 2-year extension on Feb 10, 2020 
Neufeld - signed 1-year extension on Jan 19 2021  
Hardrick  - signed 1-year extension on Dec 30 2020
Eli - in the last year of his rookie-contract  (I could be wrong though)
Gray - signed a one-year contract extension on Jan 8, 2021.

if we win again, that'll go a long way to keeping the band together....

3 minutes ago, Noeller said:

if we win again, that'll go a long way to keeping the band together....

Bryant isn't playing anywhere but here. I doubt Hardrick has any interest in leaving. We aren't letting Desjarlais leave. I doubt Eli goes anywhere but to the NFL. 

Neufeld may leave but he loves it here. 

Gray and Couture may leave. One to play and the other to play closer to home. 

Its kind of just the nature of the CFL now, and in the post covid year. A lot of players re worked deals to take less money and will be FAs this off season. I expect this to be the biggest projected free agency ever. 

That said, I think especially our core lines will stay together for the most part. Maybe jeffcoat gets an nfl deal, maybe an ol retires, but I dont expect wholesale change.  I think they will do what it takes to keep bryant and hardrick of one doesnt retire, and to keep desjarlais. Id be stunned if eli isnt starting here next year. 

We've gotten our biggest want from a roster stand point. But I think that if taylor is going to miss any significant amount of time a much bigger run at bringing winston rose back would happen too. 

Dave Naylor

@TSNDaveNaylor

 

“I had a medical exception that I was waiting to hear back from, that I never heard from … So during the bye week I got vaccinated.” — Trevor Harris

 

12:59 PM · Oct 19, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

 

I don't know what a medical exception is, but I assume medical exemptions don't just disappear as they are incredibly rare.

******* liar.

Can't wait to play him 2 more times.

19 minutes ago, Geebrr said:

Dave Naylor

 

@TSNDaveNaylor

 

“I had a medical exception that I was waiting to hear back from, that I never heard from … So during the bye week I got vaccinated.” — Trevor Harris

 

12:59 PM · Oct 19, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

 

I don't know what a medical exception is, but I assume medical exemptions don't just disappear as they are incredibly rare.

******* liar.

Can't wait to play him 2 more times.

Is procrastination a medical condition? 

Is there a Procrastologist in the house?

Medical exemption? 🤣 Stupidity isn't a medical exemption.

9 minutes ago, Wideleft said:

Is procrastination a medical condition? 

Is there a Procrastologist in the house?

Is that the kind of doctor who helps remove your head from your own ass?