With Rookie Camps getting underway Wednesday, it's time to talk about the 2026 CFL season!

2 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Everything needs to be a reel on "the socials" these days. It's not my style but I get it.

I don't. These award winners deserve to be recognized. Great example of how NOT to promote your league to Canadians. It looks bush league & it is. Why can't they have an awards dinner like they've had since 1953 when the first Schenley Award for MOP was given to Billy Vessels? Then go on social media as well. Market the league & the players. What the CFL did this year is pitiful. Is the Commissioner even going to show up Grey Cup Week??

1 hour ago, WinnipegGordo said:

Yeah, the CFL just get their marketing ideas from other leagues.

as an old guy who loves the league and reflexively rejects change ... I have to admit that the Luke Willson watch party for the ESF was a welcome breathe of fresh air ... like watching a game with a pal who really really knows football. The burying-the-hatchet segment with Knuckles was a great conclusion to Knuckles vs. Willson storyline.

I would love to see a game with both Lapo and Willson doing color. Lapo is great at explaining passing concepts and Willson is great at talking about the player techniques that make or break a play, especially in blocking. During the ESF he crawled up someone's ass for blocking against the flow on a zone run, which is apparently a no-no. TIL!

13 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

The most hotly contested award surely is most curmudgeonly poster....

Our rookie poster of the year award will have a weird vibe to it, given that everyone here is like 75 years old.

The Hurl Award for MBB Lightning Rod of the Year is gonna be hotly contested. Concoran, Kelly, Ellsbury?

Also I pronounce Jamieson Sheahan as the first annual winner of the Sheahan Award For Ex-Lightning Rods because people don't seem to ***** about him anymore.

50 minutes ago, johnzo said:

as an old guy who loves the league and reflexively rejects change ... I have to admit that the Luke Willson watch party for the ESF was a welcome breathe of fresh air ... like watching a game with a pal who really really knows football. The burying-the-hatchet segment with Knuckles was a great conclusion to Knuckles vs. Willson storyline.

I would love to see a game with both Lapo and Willson doing color. Lapo is great at explaining passing concepts and Willson is great at talking about the player techniques that make or break a play, especially in blocking. During the ESF he crawled up someone's ass for blocking against the flow on a zone run, which is apparently a no-no. TIL!

Our rookie poster of the year award will have a weird vibe to it, given that everyone here is like 75 years old.

I'm 71. Lol.

2 hours ago, johnzo said:

The Hurl Award for MBB Lightning Rod of the Year is gonna be hotly contested. Concoran, Kelly, Ellsbury?

Also I pronounce Jamieson Sheahan as the first annual winner of the Sheahan Award For Ex-Lightning Rods because people don't seem to ***** about him anymore.

Here’s my list.

No3, every canadian wr not named demski.

no2 elsbury

dis-Honourable mention, nichols and moxey.

No1, is kelly.

Sheahan cleaned up the shanks and we got less conservative with depth vs hang time and it’s worked well

How is the number 1 Lightning Rod not automatically Osh, around these parts at least....??

Who is going to be Vice President of standing around? (a Nasty Nate classic)

6 hours ago, WinnipegGordo said:

Who is going to be Vice President of standing around? (a Nasty Nate classic)

And argue for years that Doug Brown isn't actually doing anything.

10 hours ago, Noeller said:

How is the number 1 Lightning Rod not automatically Osh, around these parts at least....??

He's the guy holding the rod up in the storm.

17 hours ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Being the football X and O expert guy that I am, assuming we quadtriple cover Philpot?

They'd just watch him make the catches.

Run a real imp dime DB inside, not Kelly at S, and do much of the same drop-9 stuff, but stay closer to the first-down marker. Then hope the DBs decide to play physical.

The only other viable option as I see it is to let hall have full control of the front and pressure, and play to knock Alexander out of the game.

14 hours ago, 17to85 said:

The most hotly contested award surely is most curmudgeonly poster....

Which poster? Yes, lol. I think we all know who is the old man yelling at clouds this year.

15 hours ago, WinnipegGordo said:

Who is going to be Vice President of standing around? (a Nasty Nate classic)

Yes, I think Lyle Bauer was his favorite in that category.

Pass defense was first in the league this season, and they proved themselves last week. The offense is by far the greater concern. They need to keep 2 and outs to a minimum. If they don't, the dam will break on D.

Apologies if this has already been discussed but Stanley Bryant got a 2nd place (Herb Zurkowsky) and 3rd place (Dan Ralph) vote for MOOL award.

5 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

Apologies if this has already been discussed but Stanley Bryant got a 2nd place (Herb Zurkowsky) and 3rd place (Dan Ralph) vote for MOOL award.

Seriously? Didn't know that but it shows they're not watching closely.

This is why media should never be allowed to vote for this stuff. The only people who really know about OL are the coaches and possibly players. Stan is The GOAT but this year was not a good one.

Actually... Thinking more about it... I wonder if some guys go "I'll vote for the LT on the team with the best rushing attack..." and therefore went with Stan.

24 minutes ago, Noeller said:

This is why media should never be allowed to vote for this stuff. The only people who really know about OL are the coaches and possibly players. Stan is The GOAT but this year was not a good one.

Actually... Thinking more about it... I wonder if some guys go "I'll vote for the LT on the team with the best rushing attack..." and therefore went with Stan.

but hey may also went with "i'll vote for LT on team with fewest sacks given up" and we were worst

I will say Stan was not great this yr....but also not nearly as bad as a lot here have claimed

5 hours ago, kelownabomberfan said:

Yes, I think Lyle Bauer was his favorite in that category.

100%. Mos wins the Lyle Bauer Award for sure.

4 hours ago, Mark H. said:

Pass defense was first in the league this season, and they proved themselves last week. The offense is by far the greater concern. They need to keep 2 and outs to a minimum. If they don't, the dam will break on D.

Lowest in passing yards allowed. Middle of the pack in passing TDs, completion %, fewest INTs, middle of the pack in 2nd-down conversion rate against, middle of the pack in 30+ against, middle of the pack in 2nd downs given up; every single stat other than total yards against, we were mid-pack, fringe playoff range.

Which I think is our pass D in a nutshell. Kind of good at one thing (that has many extenuating factors attached to it) and mediocre at everything else. Oh, but 2nd highest average target depth on passes.

I'm not holding my breath on this game either. While we sat very much in the average range in all the other passing stats, we had the biggest swings between good and bad. We gave up some of the biggest passing games of the year, and mtl took it to us through the air.

1 hour ago, Noeller said:

This is why media should never be allowed to vote for this stuff. The only people who really know about OL are the coaches and possibly players. Stan is The GOAT but this year was not a good one.

Actually... Thinking more about it... I wonder if some guys go "I'll vote for the LT on the team with the best rushing attack..." and therefore went with Stan.

They always vote stupid. They are reliably terrible year after year.

It should be a vote of front offices, coaching staffs, and opposing position players (no voting for own team)