CFL announces changes to the game - merged topics

[blue_or_die]

I fully expected all the players and coaches and league personnel to fall in line and keep their mouths shut. I'm so impressed that these people with a platform are speaking out.

[Waffler]

I get the sense that people who say the changes are good are the less informed, less enthusiastic fans to begin with. They will watch one game, form an opinion and not come back anyway. Just like they were doing before.

[Blue In BC]

I've heard from some people and no one is impressed. Regardless the people talking about it are already football fans. Those that aren't don't even know anything is happening.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

American non quarterbacks have long been under paid in the CFL compared to their Canadian friends. No wonder they like the changes and probably hope it will lead to a ratio breakthrough which puts them on equal footing.

[markf]

Considering the response from players and coaches since this announcement, I'm not sure you're paying enough attention here.

The league made arbitrary changes without consulting those most affected by them, which leads me to believe Johnston and co. don't care about them at all. This is a fine example of a slippery slope.

Yes it is a fine example of a slippery slope.


the fans, the league, the history, the game itself, probably means next to nothing to the new commissioner. And some of the owners. When was an owner of the stamps last seen at a game?

Probably been decades.

And If they actually think the league needs more excitement, they haven't been watching the games. Which is sad.

The league will probably survive this, it's been through it before. But who knows.

I will not be following the league if they continue down this road.

[blue_gold_84]

I'm so over this league's pitiful antics. On the one hand, it's struggling to attract fans and generate revenue. On the other, it continues to operate like some secret organization with no accountability to the public.

Good on key figures like Rourke and O'Shea for calling out the CFL's tiresome way of operating.

[Tecno]

Wow.  Has anyone heard this yet?  Johnston gives an exclusive to Rider Radio, with more info than he gave prior.

https://iono.fm/e/1599934

Click on "Green Zone Hour 2 - Stewart Johston" from 22 SEP 3PM.  Press play.  Skip to "-15:20"

Johnston is, calmly, soothingly, walking you through the emotional experience he wants YOU to have as a "die hard" fan.

This is typical media manipulation and a propaganda technique, and yes, also a marketing technique.  No, I'm not saying he's really a CIA plant, but I am saying the techniques he's using are SLIMEBALL city, disingenuous, and ALWAYS a sign of someone trying to manipulate the unwary.

EVERY fan he walked through this, yes all you die hard fans too!, came to the conclusion "these [changes] all make sense".  Then he gaslights you that it's HIM who's being logical and YOU that's being emotional.  Casting aside every logical objection you may have as emotional and invalid.

"Everyone got to the logic pretty quickly", you dim-witted fan who dares say boo about any of my changes!  You aren't happy, well you're too dumb to get to the logic.

He points out some issue he had with the HAM game where the "last 3 minutes took half an hour to play".  Did anyone have that thought in the HAM game?  I sure didn't.  It's the super long last 3 minutes that MAKE the game for me!  That's when, in good games, everything happens.  That's what makes you watch most every CFL game until the end.  So he wants that to take 5 or 10 mins instead of 30?  You want to talk about crowds clearing out with 6:00 left on the clock!  You know the only one who's looking at their watch in the last 3 mins itching for it to be over instead of watching the game?  My wife and 6yo daughter.  That's who.  Those aren't real fans (sorry wife! and daughter will grow out of it in 2-3 more years)!

When someone is trying to talk to me like Mr Rogers does -- you know that warm fuzzies voice -- be very wary.  If there's an agenda at play and they want to mouthpiece to soothe the masses into accepting it, they sure picked the right guy.  He doesn't look like much, but man is he smoooooooth.

[Tecno]

My 3 completely and utterly clueless (football-wise) friends found out.  So it must have been in their social feeds or on TV.  Or someone tipped them off (not me).

Word has gotten out to the public in general.  Of course, to know this quickly you have to be known in your circle of friends as "The CFL Guy".  And I assume that's most of us here.

[buckzumhoff]

The bombers also wanted a 3 year commitment.  If you buy grey cup tickets 100 dollar s off a ticket. Funny how they did this the announcement shortly before playoffs with Grey cup in Winnipeg .they wouldn't have pulled this off in Saskatchewan or Toronto where they use excuses not to attend games...they'd never get any of them to sign for 3 years and if they did the count would be so low wouldn't be worth it.  So that's why they did it while Winnipeg had the grey cup.. I'll sell my tickets if Winnipeg isn't in.  I was going to go no matter what. But try to recoup the the money from this bull ... 3 year deal..might  go if BC is in. 

[Tecno]

Standardizing the depth of the end zone I can understand. Eliminating the risk of injury with the goal posts at the goal line I can understand but how often does that happen? I've actually run into a goal post in my youth.

Don't promote that as a talking point.  The CFL posts are wrapped in 1 foot of foam.  I touch them after every PAS game (ya, forbidden, come at me brah!).  Your youth post was a solid hunk of anodized steel.

I've seen 2 post hits in 10 years, only one "forceful" (blind hit) and every time it's absolutely nothing for the player other than an annoyance and a laugh.

There. Is. Zero. Player. Safety. Issue. With. The. Posts.  Don't give them that talking point.

Oh ya!  And players catching or diving at the back of the EZ can still hit said post!  You just moved the risk from where everyone is used to to where they are not!  We've never seen a DIVE into our current posts... just wait and see one in 2 years!

[Tecno]

American non quarterbacks have long been under paid in the CFL compared to their Canadian friends. No wonder they like the changes and probably hope it will lead to a ratio breakthrough which puts them on equal footing.

So then they can all be underpaid?      That seems like the more likely outcome.  With no ratio NAT/IMP would be on par for $, but the top of the top players would probably get even more money than they do now.  No need to pay Demski that much more than Schoen, but Zach & Kenny will still make bank.

(And I thought I was a poop disturber / unpopular questions guy!)

[Waffler]

Call me a Rourke fan for life now.

fatboi should have helped him up.   

I have become a fan too based on what he said and how he was not afraid to be first. But. We still have to remember he is a Canadian player and has a vested interest in keeping the ratio. I wonder if American players like the changes?

[theaardvark]

The one good thing about these changes is that they do not really change our game (still ratio'd, 3 downs, 12 men, wide field and a rouge, even if it is diminished), it does make our fields easily adapted to NFL format.

As we saw in the fiasco here for the preseason game, adapting the goal line posts and 110 yard field to NFL is not easy.

With the new layout, we can easily accommodate an NFL preseason game just by repainting some side and EZ lines. 

Toronto is dying to host Buffalo games.  Every team would love a single NFL preseason games, I do not doubt that one game could take red ink to black for many teams.  And NFL preseason games gets NFL eyeballs on our game.

Of all the changes, of all the concerns and kudos being tossed around, I think this was the most significant, and the main reason EVERY owner / President /governor said Yes to the changes.

Players might think otherwise, but they are wrong.

These changes (except the clock, still not happy with what that can do to the most exciting 3 minutes in sport, maybe start the game clock at 20?) will help the game.

This takes the CFL from being the weird Canadian version of football to being the odd Canadian version of football.

 

[Tecno]

This takes the CFL from being the weird Canadian version of football to being the odd Canadian version of football.

Yay, winning!  This might be the best summary of the debacle so far.

[Tecno]

As we saw in the fiasco here for the preseason game, adapting the goal line posts and 110 yard field to NFL is not easy.

With the new layout, we can easily accommodate an NFL preseason game just by repainting some side and EZ lines.

Not if SSK sews the lines in again.  I'll laugh when they spend $1.5M on the '27 turf and Johnston hits them with 10Y EZ's in '28 and it's another $1.5M!  Whoopee!  (Someone check if Johnston has 100% allocation to publicly traded turf companies...)

Toronto is dying to host Buffalo games.  Every team would love a single NFL preseason games, I do not doubt that one game could take red ink to black for many teams.  And NFL preseason games gets NFL eyeballs on our game.

Like the huge success that was the IGF NFL PS game?  Widely known as the biggest screwup in all of NFL and CFL history, and the laughing stock of everyone.

Unless the field is identical, AND they don't allow the Usports / old-CFL post-accommodating "haphazard turf patch", NFL will complain and the same thing will happen.  I've never seen a bigger bunch of kitty kats and wahmbulance-callers in my life as those clowns.