Sports in Canadian culture

[logan5]

I don't have a problem with the CFL. I hope it thrives for the sake of culture in our cities. It's just my opinion about the future of the league.

As far as comparable stats go, you could say the same thing about the NHL vs Major Junior. Connor McDavid is not as good as the top NHL player right now, just because his ppg stat is sky high. My observation is that the NFL players are faster, smarter, play execution far exceeds the CFL. The hype and TV production doesn't hurt either. I guess the CFL just doesn't have the money to promote itself as well.

[logan5]

Isn't the CFL already a feeder league? The ultimate goal for most of these guys is to make an NFL roster.

[MonkeyRonin]

A rarely check this thread, but every time I do, it's invariably the CFL vs. NFL debate.


I don't think Canadians like football half as much as they do whining that people aren't paying enough attention to the CFL.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by Berklon

What I don't get is why people who follow the NFL are considered people who just "follow the herd" - as if the NFL is a bad product and the only reason they're watching is because they're brainwashed. Like any other product - if it's bad enough, people will stop buying it. It has a big following because it's a good product - it's as simple as that. There's no requirement to follow both leagues - regardless of what league you like.

I follow both because I like to watch football, what is so tough about that?
I love my Roughriders and live and die with every play. I also watch the NFL because I have no vested interest in any of the teams and can watch games with no angst involved.

They are both different styles of games requiring different skill sets. Both players in both leagues are at the top of their games. And there is no guarantee that a top NFL player would tear up the CFL.

But you are convinced that the CFL is a waste of your time. So be it. I am able to find room in my life for both leagues and I think I am richer for it.

[craneSpotter]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

The NFL already has a feeder league. The NCAA and it doesn't cost them a thing.
They tried NFL Europe and it failed.

If the CFL went the way of a feeder league (with the rule and field changes the NFL would demand) I would quite watching it. Like I quit watching the NHL when the Jets and Nordiques left for the US.

It would likely also kill CIS Football as well. Maybe some schools would join NCAA Div II or III but it would never be the same.

Would you be happy with that outcome?

A feeder league for the players that are no longer eligible for the NCAA. A pro feeder league...they are considered pros playing in the CFL, no? So they get a chance to develop further and make a little $$. What the hell ...if Winnipeg is offering them 120k a year plus a few extras...beats working at Popeyes!

The CFL, in reality, is already a holding/development league for good US college players that just didn't get noticed/picked up (or dropped) by NFL teams. Why not market that angle and do some collaboration with the NFL...maybe earn the CFL much needed $$

One of the reasons I rarely watch the CFL is due to only 3 downs! I prefer 4 The CFL is a decent product (I prefer it over NCAA), with some good players... and I played 3 down Canadian ball...hell even 9 man in Alberta. But, I do prefer the style/flow of the NFL game.

The Simon Fraser Clan is a NCAA Div II team already. Also, where you aware that in British Columbia high school football is played using 4 down National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) rules. Maybe that is part of the reason the NFL is so popular here??

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by craneSpotter

A feeder league for the players that are no longer eligible for the NCAA. A pro feeder league...they are considered pros playing in the CFL, no? So they get a chance to develop further and make a little $$. What the hell ...if Winnipeg is offering them 120k a year plus a few extras...beats working at Popeyes!

The CFL, in reality, is already a holding/development league for good US college players that just didn't get noticed/picked up (or dropped) by NFL teams. Why not market that angle and do some collaboration with the NFL...maybe earn the CFL much needed $$

One of the reasons I rarely watch the CFL is due to only 3 downs! I prefer 4 The CFL is a decent product (I prefer it over NCAA), with some good players... and I played 3 down Canadian ball...hell even 9 man in Alberta. But, I do prefer the style/flow of the NFL game.

The Simon Fraser Clan is a NCAA Div II team already. Also, where you aware that in British Columbia high school football is played using 4 down National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) rules. Maybe that is part of the reason the NFL is so popular here??

My feeling is that Canadians smell a fraud when they see it. Remember all the crappy TV Shows and Movies that we make to try an emulate America? (I wish we could be like Quebec and not have that 10,000 ton US Gorilla on our back) Same as with a "developmental CFL". Coupled with the american rules, I fear that attendance would fall through the floor and then we would end up with nothing.
As for the BC High Schools, some of me see why they do it, but I am totally against it. When I played High School football we were right along the US border with North Dakota. We often had exhibition games with the schools across the line. Our rules north of the 49th and their rules south. It was weird but alot of fun at the same time.

I guess what I am saying is that I see the slow killing of a league and sport that I love. Much of it self inflicted by the CFL itself, but also aided and abetted by a segment of the population who is unbelievably hostile to the concept of Canadian Football.
I have always wondered if the NFL/US College field was 110 by 65 yards and they only had 3 downs and there were 12 players aside (coupled with the current US hype machine) while the CFL played with 11 men, 4 downs on a 100 yard field. If guys like you would be saying the 3 down game was superior? Just asking.

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

I follow both because I like to watch football, what is so tough about that?
I love my Roughriders and live and die with every play. I also watch the NFL because I have no vested interest in any of the teams and can watch games with no angst involved.

They are both different styles of games requiring different skill sets. Both players in both leagues are at the top of their games. And there is no guarantee that a top NFL player would tear up the CFL.

But you are convinced that the CFL is a waste of your time. So be it. I am able to find room in my life for both leagues and I think I am richer for it.

I whole heartily agree with this and feel the same way. For me there is pride in cheering for your "home town" team. It is very affordable to go to CFL games too. I also liken this to people who bitch and complain about how expensive Canada is (and it is I know it) so they go to the US to shop, but then are quite happy to take advantage of all the social programs that we have available to us. My Dad lives in the US and every time he comes to visit he complains about how expensive it is here, but then proceeds to tell me his health insurance is $600 per month, he can't water his lawn because it would be $300-400 a month in water, doesn't recycle because the pick up for that is $500 per year, etc. etc. It does balance out to some extent....
I am not advocating supporting the CFL because you are Canadian and have to, but because it a good value, exciting game that is unique and where players are playing for the love of the game, not the money.
Personally, Marshawn Lynch is a beast and is very talented, but is also an arrogant a$$hole and I would rather support and cheer for a guy like Andrew Harris for BC who is talented, works his ass off, and is involved in the community locally.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

If you like football you can be a fan of both leagues.

Video: Saints corner didn't let broken neck break his dreams

Scouts knew his story.

"All the scouts was like, man, who are you, where are you from? I was like, 'I'm Delvin Breaux, I'm from New Orleans, Louisiana.' And they was like, 'Did you break your neck?' I was like, 'Yeah.' And they said, 'Are you doing this again?' I said, 'Yeah, I'm back at it.'

That's where scouts from the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger Cats noticed him and eventually offered him a contract.

"At that time, I called my fiancée, I said, 'Baby, we made it.'" I said, "We made it." I said, 'Hamilton wants to offer me, they want to bring me in and I'll start playing immediately, and she said, 'What? I don't believe it.'"

[Jay in Cowtown]

Originally Posted by artvandelay

Thank Allah the NFL is done for another season, I'm sick of hearing about this American nonsense.

Who's Allah? and why doesn't he know the NFL is the biggest deal in the world!?

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Jay in Cowtown

Who's Allah? and why doesn't he know the NFL is the biggest deal in the world!?

He knows it's the biggest deal in the U.S., but obviously it isn't the biggest in the world (that being the Premier League, obviously).

I'm glad the NFL season is over because I don't want to hear about it in the media or from idiots in the supermarket. It's a tedious irritant.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Jay in Cowtown

Who's Allah? and why doesn't he know the NFL is the biggest deal in the world!?

Allah is a real football fan who doesn't buy into wannabe hype and appreciates all types of football. His favourite team is BYU.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by rousseau

I'm glad the NFL season is over because I don't want to hear about it in the media or from idiots in the supermarket. It's a tedious irritant.

It's never over, now you get off season gossip (which entitled millionaire committed what crime) and the lead-in to the draft.

[Jay in Cowtown]

Originally Posted by rousseau

He knows it's the biggest deal in the U.S., but obviously it isn't the biggest in the world (that being the Premier League, obviously).

According to the latest TV ratings in Canada for Super Bowl, it's also a big deal here... and since when is there a world outside of Canada & 'Murica!?!

[Jay in Cowtown]

Originally Posted by elly63

Allah is a real football fan who doesn't buy into wannabe hype and appreciates all types of football. His favourite team is BYU.

Ohhhhh... He's friends with Joseph Smith, I see now!

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by rousseau

He knows it's the biggest deal in the U.S., but obviously it isn't the biggest in the world (that being the Premier League, obviously).

But the winners of American sports leagues are World champions, didn't you know?

[elly63]

Seattle Seahawks receiver Chris Matthews shows why NFL looks to CFL
Kirk Penton, Winnipeg Sun February 05, 2015

As NBC play-by-play man Al Michaels started to sing the praises of surprise Super Bowl hero Chris Matthews on Sunday night, Roughriders general manager Brendan Taman had no problem with his anecdote about how the Seattle Seahawks found the receiver working in a Foot Locker store.

“I wanted him to stick with the Foot Locker story,” Taman said Thursday.

Taman is only half joking, because Matthews actually spent the previous two seasons in the CFL. Michaels was eventually alerted to that fact and let the more than 100 million viewers know that he spent his first two years as a pro playing north of the border.

The NFL had already been paying attention to the CFL, but in the past few years they’ve really been analyzing the talent even more. After Matthews broke loose for four catches, 109 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl, Taman expects the attention will increase even more.

“I just think it’s important for our league to keep our good guys as long as we can,” Taman said. “I mean, if they’re a free agent, they’re a free agent and they can go to the NFL or the CFL or wherever. But the trend is that the NFL is coming to get our good players. That’s the trend. That’s where this is going.”

The Roughriders lived that earlier this week when the Indianapolis Colts signed their right tackle, Ben Heenan, to a contract that includes guaranteed money. Heenan was the first overall pick in the 2012 CFL draft, while the first overall selection in 2011, linebacker Henoc Muamba, also signed with the Colts last February.

Taman mentioned several times during the interview that he doesn’t want to come across as someone with sour grapes since he lost Heenan only a few days ago. He doesn’t have to worry about that because he’s right. NFL teams are now taking a look at Canadian talent even at the CIS level, especially after the University of Regina’s Akiem Hicks became a starter with the New Orleans Saints, and now they’re waiting for them to finish their first contracts before plucking them.

It used to be that Canadian players would give the NFL a shot right out of school and go to the CFL if it didn’t work out. Now that they’re leaving after a few seasons, teams have to think twice about drafting that ratio-breaking middle linebacker.

It’s enough to keep general managers up at night before the draft.

“It’s an element now that you have to add into play,” Taman said. “The first one is: Do you get him? The second one is: How long do you have him if you do get him?

“The league is definitely staring at a reality of not having player continuity like it used to. Compounding that are the one-year contracts. That’s going to lead to (a lack of continuity) in itself. And when you add the NFL’s angst to grab our good guys, we’re just asking for trouble.”

[esquire]

Originally Posted by elly63

“It’s an element now that you have to add into play,” Taman said. “The first one is: Do you get him? The second one is: How long do you have him if you do get him?

“The league is definitely staring at a reality of not having player continuity like it used to. Compounding that are the one-year contracts. That’s going to lead to (a lack of continuity) in itself. And when you add the NFL’s angst to grab our good guys, we’re just asking for trouble.”

Geez Taman. The CFL can now sell itself to players as a viable point of entry into the NFL. There are ex-CFLers becoming NFL starters every season now. You have something that these guys coming out of the NCAA want. Combined with increasing salaries, how can you not leverage that into a 2 year deal?!?

[elly63]

Colts Dip Back Into CFL Pipeline, Agree To Terms With OG-Ben Heenan
Kevin Bowen Colts.com Feb 3, 2015

Intro: The Canadian Football League has produced another Colts player. Offensive guard Ben Heenan agreed to terms with the team on Tuesday.

INDIANAPOLIS – From his early days as Colts General Manager, Ryan Grigson made it clear that different avenues would be taken to complete a 90-man roster.

The Canadian Football League, where Grigson began his scouting days in 1998, was a frequent pipeline dating back to his first weeks on the job.

That area has been drilled again here early, and often, in 2015.

After CFL wide receiver Duron Carter joined the Colts on Monday, former CFL No. 1 pick Ben Heenan agreed to terms with the Colts on Tuesday.

“His size and athleticism intrigued us on the film and it was then verified in his workout here at our facility,” Grigson said of the 6-4, 316-pound Heenan.

“What impressed me personally at the workout was his endurance and the ability to move his feet in pass pro and maintain a good football position for the duration. He’s a big guy with excellent intangibles, which is usually a good recipe for an interior offensive lineman. We look forward to gauging his development throughout the offseason program.”

It sounds as if Heenan’s first shot at this level will come at guard, but his position flexibility will be tested.

Heenan has played some tackle with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Grigson said the Colts could try the 24-year old Canadian (turns 25 on Thursday) at center during the team’s offseason program.

Roughriders GM Brendan Taman knew that losing Heenan to the NFL was a real possibility.

Had Heenan stayed in the CFL, there’s little doubt he would have garnered a significant pay day after being a professional starter for three years despite being just 24 years old.

“Benny is a great kid and he’s a great player,” Taman said on Tuesday morning.

“For the most part, I conceded that he was probably going to get a chance (in the NFL) when I heard all the offers he was going to get.”

The Colts offensive line saw a bunch of shuffling at the center, right guard and right tackle spots in 2014. Joe Reitz is the lone unrestricted free agent heading into the offseason.

Heenan joins the likes of Jerrell Freeman, Muamba and Carter as former Canadian Football League players currently on the Colts roster.

[esquire]

Jeez, at the rate the Colts are going they'll be the first team to be capable of playing in both leagues

[elly63]

New Offensive Lineman Ben Heenan Drawn Towards Colts Hands-On Approach
Kevin Bowen Colts.com Feb 4, 2015

Intro: As a former No. 1 pick in the Canadian Football League, Ben Heenan was a highly sought after free agent who chose the Colts for some specific reasons.

INDIANAPOLIS – Financially, Ben Heenan potentially left more lucrative deals on the table.

Ask Heenan though, and the package the Colts offered proved to be the richest.

“The Colts went above and beyond in order to try and get me down there,” Heenan said on Tuesday night. “Now that it’s all said and done, I obviously owe a lot to them.

“Once everything was laid out in front of me, it was not a very hard choice to come down here and have the opportunity to play with the Colts.”

The process of where Heenan’s next football move was going to be proved to be more difficult than the decision itself.

Heenan, the No. 1 pick in the 2012 Canadian Football League Draft, grew up in Canada and played his collegiate football in Saskatchewan.

Besides the CFL attention Heenan got after his third straight professional season, a handful of NFL teams pursued the 6-4, 316-pound guard.

“I think it’s natural in any athlete to compete at the highest level possible and it’s no secret that if you want to do that, that’s where you go, to be in the NFL,” Heenan said.

“It was an opportunity that wasn’t presented to me after college. I always kind of figured if there was an opportunity here during a contact year in the CFL that it was something that would be worth pursing if given the chance. I’m just very thankful for the opportunity the Colts have given me.”

When Heenan broke down his choice of the Colts, the factors in the “pros” category varied in degree.

Heenan quickly realized the hands-on approach Ryan Grigson was taking during his workout, realizing how important the Colts GM viewed addressing offensive line needs.

The CFL history of Grigson and Colts players intrigued Heenan (Jerrell Freeman, Henoc Muamba and Duron Carter).

Lastly, Heenan was impressed by the type of people he came across during his visit to the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.

The first look Heenan will get with the Colts will be at a guard spot, with some center reps also likely.

“On the field, I take it personally,” Heenan said asking to describe his play.

“Anything we do whether it’s a run played called, you want to get a running back his yards or in the pass game, you want to keep that quarterback upright and want to keep a clean pocket. It’s just all about establishing a line of scrimmage.”

After getting a first-hand look at Heenan during his workout, Grigson went in-depth into how the Colts see their newest offensive lineman fitting in initially.

“Versatility is an important component to any position group, but I feel it’s extra important for the offensive line,” Grigson said.

“Ben has played a lot of snaps out there at tackle in Canada, but he has also played guard which we feel is his most natural fit for our league. Due to his intelligence and overall skill set he could also get some developmental work this offseason at center to see if that is a viable spot for him. Ideally, we prefer all our offensive linemen to play at least two spots minimum, so the more you can do obviously the better chance you have to stick on this roster or practice squad for that matter.”