CFL announces changes to the game - merged topics

[Tecno]

Move the goal posts? We had a precision throw from Strevvie in the 2019 GC to Andrew Harris over the upright! Of course, we wouldn't have been in the GC if Cody hadn't doinked it off the cross bar in the WF.

Good post.  But I want to correct one thing that EVERYONE GETS WRONG EVERY TIME, on both forums...

If Cody makes that final TD instead of doink (or incomplete or INT or batdown as I predicted would have happened from computer PVR analysis), AND they make the PAT, the score is only TIED.

SSK would have still had to beat us in overtime.

The final score was 20-13.  We were playing well enough to win.  SSK had 4th Q comeback momo, but remember they were in desperation 3-down mode.  No rule says they carry that juice into OT.

So many people think that if Cody makes that pass, "if there was no crossbar", that SSK instantly wins the game.  It's false.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

That is cool. I had a board game also, but it was cards you flipped over. It also had a 55 yard line.

I had the Coleco hand held model, bought it from Consumers Distributing in 1978!

[blue_gold_84]

Good post.  But I want to correct one thing that EVERYONE GETS WRONG EVERY TIME, on both forums...

If Cody makes that final TD instead of doink (or incomplete or INT or batdown as I predicted would have happened from computer PVR analysis), AND they make the PAT, the score is only TIED.

SSK would have still had to beat us in overtime.

The final score was 20-13.  We were playing well enough to win.  SSK had 4th Q comeback momo, but remember they were in desperation 3-down mode.  No rule says they carry that juice into OT.

So many people think that if Cody makes that pass, "if there was no crossbar", that SSK instantly wins the game.  It's false.

Not to mention the insanely fortuitous catch by Kyran Moore on 3rd & long to keep the Riders alive beforehand.

The revisionist history is comical, particularly by greenies who still aren't over that loss.

[Blueforlife]

The cost is a concerning factor - these univerties and junior football organizations don't have a lot of extra money flating around, hopegfully there will be some assistance in place.

The good news is that there is time before the changes take place and impacts hit.

On the "crying" about not being consulted - pretty hard to consult with 1000's of entities and have meetings and focus groups etc etc.  You will be into paralysis by analysis, and nothing will get done - if you know what you are doing and have agreement from the major stakeholders (CFL owners) you roll it out ensuring there is time available for everyone to understand what is happening and work through the details.

IF they provide no opportunity to listen to these impacted organizations and assist with the rollout then I think its fair to "cry".

They consulted too little.  Yes a problem if consult too much.  Not hard to find the balance.  They fumbled this one.

[wpg#1]

I had the Coleco hand held model, bought it from Consumers Distributing in 1978!

Both of those take me back. That awesome !!

[tlf]

The feedback I'm seeing, anyone who is a fan of the NFL doesn't seem to mind some of them, anyone who doesn't like the NFL or doesn't watch it much..doesn't really like them.

I am not an NFL fan and hate them.

The players supporting them are American, no surprise.  BLM spoke out today about liking them.  Zach prob likes them a bit. Canadians don't really. 

[BlueInCgy]

I'm making an immediate change...

I subscribe to TSN+ for CFL. I watch almost every game all season. Maybe missed a couple this season.

Ratings will be down this week, Bombers only.

"Act fast" lol

I have emailed TSN a few times about problems with my service. I have yet to receive a response.

This guy seems to run  the league the way Tsn is run. The customers are probably the last thing they care about or take into consideration.

Yeah I'm doing the same.  Only Bomber games for the duration of the season and I'll be citing Luke Wilson as one of the reasons when I cancel TSN and Crave when the Bombers are done this season.  I have zero doubt TSN is complicit in the NFL push and they deserve to feel the pain

[theaardvark]

When ? When as the CFL field 100 yards ? Not in my lifetime .. and I've been around for many many years.
Of course, I don't expect an answer. 

Joe Pascucci@Pascucci015
·
Sep 22
Blue Bombers played on a 100 yard field with 15 yard end zones back in the day they played at Osborne Stadium. Seems everything old is new again.

[bunker]

The CFL's broadcasting deal with TSN, which currently pays them about $50 million dollars per year, is set to expire in 2026. Interesting to speculate whether these changes are being driven, in part, by TSN wanting a more "entertaining" and "American " product before being willing to commit to a new media deal, especially with Johnston having just come over from TSN/Bell Media.

[Waffler]

So many people think that if Cody makes that pass, "if there was no crossbar", that SSK instantly wins the game.  It's false.

I'll go to my grave saying it was an over throw cross bar or no.

[Jesse]

The cost is a concerning factor - these univerties and junior football organizations don't have a lot of extra money flating around, hopegfully there will be some assistance in place.

The good news is that there is time before the changes take place and impacts hit.

On the "crying" about not being consulted - pretty hard to consult with 1000's of entities and have meetings and focus groups etc etc.  You will be into paralysis by analysis, and nothing will get done - if you know what you are doing and have agreement from the major stakeholders (CFL owners) you roll it out ensuring there is time available for everyone to understand what is happening and work through the details.

IF they provide no opportunity to listen to these impacted organizations and assist with the rollout then I think its fair to "cry".

But the CFL is a national entity and receives tons of federal, provincial, and municipal support. Our very stadium would not have been built if not for public funds that were dependent on making the field available for those other organizations you mention.

None of the rich guys who are behind these changes paid for their buildings. Public funds. The exemption of taxes. Free land. Yet none of the concerned parties who use these buildings have any say? Or the right to be consulted?

The CFL is the steward of the Canadian game I heard somewhere recently. That's not charity. It's a responsibility that's given for all of the public dollars they have been rewarded.

[Waffler]

"the CFL had 25Y EZs in the past".  I don't know if that's true (and not from the Rugby era...), but it's another fallacious talking point because if the Commish had just said 2 days ago he was moving benches and shortening the EZ to 17 or 15 so all fields are the same AND THAT'S IT,

Yes, the first field with 20 yard end zones was BC Place in 1983. It didn't fit in the building. Anyway all this fuss about standard end zones makes me think of baseball where they take pride in unique ball park shapes.  No Major League ballparks are exactly alike. Anyone who has seen pics of the green monster in Fenway or the cavernous Polo Grounds know what I mean. Those places are legend.

[theaardvark]

Yes, the first field with 20 yard end zones was BC Place in 1983. It didn't fit in the building. Anyway all this fuss about standard end zones makes me think of baseball where they take pride in unique ball park shapes.  No Major League ballparks are exactly alike. Anyone who has seen pics of the green monster in Fenway or the cavernous Polo Grounds know what I mean. Those places are legend.

But every soccer field is identical, every NHL ice surface is the same, every NBA court is the same size, every NFL field is the same size, every NCAA is the same size, every Tennis court is the same size.

Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium, Memorial in Buffalo were different sizes, but were modernized to match the NFL standard when they moved.

Every golf course is different, every baseball field is different.  But those games are different, and the variety is actually an accent to the game, not a detriment.

The different fields in MTL and TOR weren't "cute" or "kitchy", they were odd and ungainly.

MTL and TOR are not getting new stadia, so this fixes that.

[ModAdmin]

Joe Pascucci@Pascucci015
·
Sep 22
Blue Bombers played on a 100 yard field with 15 yard end zones back in the day they played at Osborne Stadium. Seems everything old is new again.

I have the same recollection of Osborne Stadium - 100 yard field and 15 yard EZs.

[Jesse]

The CFL's broadcasting deal with TSN, which currently pays them about $50 million dollars per year, is set to expire in 2026. Interesting to speculate whether these changes are being driven, in part, by TSN wanting a more "entertaining" and "American " product before being willing to commit to a new media deal, especially with Johnston having just come over from TSN/Bell Media.

This has been lost in the shuffle and I feel this is 99% of the impetus behind the changes.

When the deal comes up, TSN is either saying make these changes in order to raise the value of the deal or they're holding it over our heads saying there is no deal without changes that make our product on TV look and feel similar to the other product.

All these changes are reflected in how the game looks when you're watching it on TV. The new rules need to be in place before the new TV deal is signed. It all seems so clear.

We can call these new rules  "necessary evils" in order to maintain our very dependent relationship with TSN, but I am absolutely sick of people saying it's to "improve" or "modernize" the game. That's not what is happening. It's pandering to potential new viewers.