2019 CFL Season

[cjones2451]

I guess the first question here is will we get a new CBA signed before the season officially starts?

What impact will the AAF have when it begins

Who will be each teams starting QBs ? Does BLM sign in the NFL?

Can new coaches in BC, Hamilton and Toronto have an immediate impact

Will the Atlantic Schooners officially be granted a franchise and begin construction on a stadium, and where will TD Atlantic be held and how will it be received?

Will anything move forward with Mexican players and / or games to be played there going forward

Can BC, Toronto and Montreal gain back fans in seats and grow their attendance numbers?

Big season with lots of unanswered questions, some might say this is the most pivotal season for the long term future of CFL

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

I guess the first question here is will we get a new CBA signed before the season officially starts?

What impact will the AAF have when it begins

Who will be each teams starting QBs ? Does BLM sign in the NFL?

Can new coaches in BC, Hamilton and Toronto have an immediate impact

Will the Atlantic Schooners officially be granted a franchise and begin construction on a stadium, and where will TD Atlantic be held and how will it be received?

Will anything move forward with Mexican players and / or games to be played there going forward

Can BC, Toronto and Montreal gain back fans in seats and grow their attendance numbers?

Big season with lots of unanswered questions, some might say this is the most pivotal season for the long term future of CFL

To answer my own questions

Yes it does, I think both sides will realize that a work stoppage could lead the CFL into a death spiral

I think the AAF does effect the recruiting somewhat, but ultimately Spring football has never worked down south

I think BLM ends up in the NFL, think Mike Reilly ends up in BC and then the dominoes really start to fall.....

Yes, I think all 3 will have huge impacts with improved teams

My gut on the TD Atlantic game is they want it in Halifax and will find some way to get temp bleachers etc at St Marys stadium. As for the stadium getting done, I am really on the fence, really want it to get going but just see some many obstacles in the way

I think Mexico will slowly move forward with a couple of players being offered tryouts in training camp and I think they will look to play a game there next year (2020)

I think BC and Toronto grow a bit, but again it takes time. As for Montreal until they can consistently start winning, it is going to be tough for them to be as relevant in that market

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

I guess the first question here is will we get a new CBA signed before the season officially starts?yes, player's have little leverage. Hopefully we see an increase in the minimum salaries...I would personally love to see practive rosters expanded.

What impact will the AAF have when it begins [B]Lack of QB depth will be obvious next season. I think 2019 will be the most underwhelming year for qb performance in the CFL for as long as I can remember[B]

Who will be each teams starting QBs ? BC - Reilly, Calgary - backup will emerge as season progresses and Buckley struggles, Edmonton - Glenn/backup, Saskatchewan - Jennings, Winnipeg - Nichols, Toronto - Franklin, Ottawa - Harris, Hamilton - Masoli, Montreal - ManzielDoes BLM sign in the NFL?Yes, but he will end up on the practice roster to start the season, might get a few games on the 53-man roster when the starter/backup misses a few games. Overall, it costs him money as he would likely make 550,000 - 600,000 in the CFL

Can new coaches in BC, Hamilton and Toronto have an immediate impactYes, of course...but will it be positive or negative

Will the Atlantic Schooners officially be granted a franchise and begin construction on a stadium, and where will TD Atlantic be held and how will it be received?No, Leblanc has a history of failure. I doubt this ownership group has any significant investment in this $190 million stadium project.
Council will likely reject his proposal until they see an appropriate increase in their investment. This doesn't even factor in the province steadfastly refusing to bankroll the project, the city's inability or refusal to fund a substantial portion of the stadium and the questionable location which may be better suited for something like residential/retail.

Will anything move forward with Mexican players and / or games to be played there going forward[B]no, there will some talk of a game in Mexico in 2020, but nothing will come of it.[B]

Can BC, Toronto and Montreal gain back fans in seats and grow their attendance numbers? Assuming Reilly signs, I see BC emerging as a Grey Cup contender in 2019 so they should see modest increase in attendance.
Toronto will continue to play to crowds averaging 15,000 and Montreal will see crowds drop to dangerously low levels not seen since their return to Montreal in 1996 as the team misses the playoffs for the 5th year in a row. The murmurs of financial trouble will grow louder as the season progresses

Big season with lots of unanswered questions, some might say this is the most pivotal season for the long term future of CFL

This appears to be stated every single season.

[thurmas]

I think Montreal will be a tire fire once again this year as Kavis Reed and Mike Sherman and Joe Mack need to be fired. They have the worst o-line in football no receivers and no clear cut qb.

If Bo Levi goes to the NFL and Reiley is signed by the Lions I see the west as what is was like back in the mid 80's with the Lions and Bombers battling it out for top spot.

I see the east still as a 2 team division with the ti-cats and redblacks. The Argos have a lot of holes and no real superstar player of any sort.

[cjones2451]

Wow, you have to think that this group is closer than we think on a stadium if they are looking to hire Tillman already

https://www.tsn.ca/tillman-in-discus...tive-1.1234947

[TimB09]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

Can BC, Toronto and Montreal gain back fans in seats and grow their attendance numbers?

Sounds like Montreal has decided to close part of their stadium for the upcoming season and reduce the capacity.

As much as I love the Eskimos, I love the CFL more and I want to see teams do well. It's concerning that these major markets are suffering so much.

[Andy6]

So long, Chris Jones.

[SHOFEAR]

Good riddance. I can’t think of another long time cfl name that has such a history of looking out for himself above all else.

It was only a matter of time until he left. He will probably fuck over Cleveland in a few years. I hope he hits some loose gravel on his way down south.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Andy6

So long, Chris Jones.

Part of me wants to laugh at the Riders getting what they had coming to them, but then I am reminded that the Bombers could very easily lose LaPolice as a result of all this.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by esquire

Part of me wants to laugh at the Riders getting what they had coming to them, but then I am reminded that the Bombers could very easily lose LaPolice as a result of all this.

I'll laugh. I never liked Jones.

That said, it is looking like an ugly season here.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by TimB09

Sounds like Montreal has decided to close part of their stadium for the upcoming season and reduce the capacity.

As much as I love the Eskimos, I love the CFL more and I want to see teams do well. It's concerning that these major markets are suffering so much.

Yes, I'm starting to feel more pessimistic about the league's future.

[BlaineN]

Originally Posted by Andy6

Yes, I'm starting to feel more pessimistic about the league's future.

We'll see how it goes with Halifax entering the fray. Maybe there's still hope for Quebec or another Ontario city like London?
Having lived in Toronto and now in Calgary one of the issues facing the CFL in cities like these (Calgary/Toronto/Van/MTL) are the high proportion of migrants from other cities or other countries. The international immigrants aren't taking to the CFL and the inter-city migrants tend not to either. If they didn't come from a city with a CFL team they usually don't support the Argos or Stamps, etc...
Calgary seems to have a decently solid fan base, but considering how good the team has been, it should be bigger IMO.

[SKYSTHELIMIT]

Adam Bighill signed a 3yr extension with the Bombers. I thought he was leaning towards the Lions but glad he’s with my Blue.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by SKYSTHELIMIT

Adam Bighill signed a 3yr extension with the Bombers. I thought he was leaning towards the Lions but glad he’s with my Blue.

This news made my day yesterday... resigning your most important defensive player is always a good thing!

[25grapes]

Originally Posted by BlaineN

The international immigrants aren't taking to the CFL and the inter-city migrants tend not to either. If they didn't come from a city with a CFL team they usually don't support the Argos or Stamps, etc...

Well it's up to the CFL and the individual teams to get those different backgrounds interested in the teams. Go to a game in Ottawa and Montreal it's full of diversity. Montreal would be fine with attendance if it hadn't been a basket case for last 5 seasons.

[25grapes]

There seems to be a lot of high profile personnel heading down south this off season, more than usual. I'm hoping this will demonstrate to potential players in the US that your best chance at securing a professional career is through the CFL (if you don't make the NFL right away) and not one of these US start up leagues.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by 25grapes

Well it's up to the CFL and the individual teams to get those different backgrounds interested in the teams. Go to a game in Ottawa and Montreal it's full of diversity. Montreal would be fine with attendance if it hadn't been a basket case for last 5 seasons.

I agree, Montreal's declining attendance is probably strongly correlated with the fact that the team is a dumpster fire. And Montreal's tickets are not that cheap, especially to sit on a wooden bench. Not surprisingly, it's a tough sales proposition... "hey! why don't you spend a hundred bucks to come watch Johnny Manziel and a bunch of other guys you've never heard of try and break their 8 game losing streak!"

FWIW I find crowds at Bomber games to be generally pretty diverse. More so than Jets games, which tend to have very white crowds. I think being in the south end of the city, on a university campus has probably contributed to that.

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by BlaineN

We'll see how it goes with Halifax entering the fray. Maybe there's still hope for Quebec or another Ontario city like London?
Having lived in Toronto and now in Calgary one of the issues facing the CFL in cities like these (Calgary/Toronto/Van/MTL) are the high proportion of migrants from other cities or other countries. The international immigrants aren't taking to the CFL and the inter-city migrants tend not to either. If they didn't come from a city with a CFL team they usually don't support the Argos or Stamps, etc...
Calgary seems to have a decently solid fan base, but considering how good the team has been, it should be bigger IMO.

Doesn't that make Ambrosie's idea of CFL 2.0 more relevant to help those markets ? If there are players from those countries eventually playing in the CFL, that will help attract the new fans and if they sign TV deals it can lead to more money for the league and allow those fans to follow the league in the native language if they so choose.......it will be slow to get traction but it is a low risk, potentially high reward idea

[BlaineN]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

Doesn't that make Ambrosie's idea of CFL 2.0 more relevant to help those markets ? If there are players from those countries eventually playing in the CFL, that will help attract the new fans and if they sign TV deals it can lead to more money for the league and allow those fans to follow the league in the native language if they so choose.......it will be slow to get traction but it is a low risk, potentially high reward idea

Probably, but it's a tough job to tackle. One of the other factors is that you can watch pretty much any sport from anywhere on TV or internet channels these days. Immigrants from other countries are easily able to follow Cricket and soccer, etc.. Fooftball fans in Canada also get to watch pretty much as much NFL football as they'd like - and that's an issue. Regardless of whether you prefer the American or Canadian game, the best players are in the NFL. A segment of people will always gravitate to the NFL for that reason.

I'm not trying to knock the CFL, as I am a fan myself, but I think it's a tough road ahead. I'm also not trying to blame immigrants for any struggles in the league, but realistically, it is part of the equation.

[Jaws]

JC Sherritt has announced his retirement. I've always had an appreciation for undersized pitbull LBs. The first being Dan Kepley.

Interesting year ahead for the Esks.