2019 CFL Season

[esquire]

I don't have a dog in this fight but the call on the final play was as close as it got. They could have gone either way and the call would be have been defensible.

IMO the refs did the right thing by letting the TD stand... unless it was clear that the receiver was out of bounds or there was some other reason the reception should have been waved off, give him the points.

What a barnburner of a game... I had the game on in the background at home and I wasn't expecting that kind of finish. I was riveted for most of the 4th quarter right through OT. I guess I was wrong, Montreal won't be the basketcase team I thought they were going to be this season.

[Acajack]

The Alouettes are for real and the Redblacks are not. I would not have expected this.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The Alouettes are for real and the Redblacks are not. I would not have expected this.

No surprise to me, I was saying it last year to all the people who kept calling them a "dumpster fire", without even paying attention, and they weren't just referring to the off field woes. They had a good core of players and two not quite ready for prime time QBs, well, those two QBs are getting a lot closer to prime time now. It's like the Clements/Holloway of yesteryear.

[elly63]

LeLacheur: Braley looking to sell Lions
TSN.ca Staff August 20 2019

BC Lions president Rick LeLacheur and owner David Braley are looking for a buyer for their CFL franchise.

LeLacheur was on TSN 1040 Tuesday afternoon and told Matthew Sekeres, host of Sekeres & Price, that Braley was ready to sell that team at the beginning of the year.

LeLacheur is searching for a buyer and says he wants to keep the process "under the radar."

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has been contracted regarding some of the potential ownership groups and the hope is the prospective buyers will own the Lions for a long time.

LeLacheur adds there is no timeline for a sale, but would like to get it done "the sooner the better."

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by elly63

LeLacheur: Braley looking to sell Lions
TSN.ca Staff August 20 2019

BC Lions president Rick LeLacheur and owner David Braley are looking for a buyer for their CFL franchise.

LeLacheur was on TSN 1040 Tuesday afternoon and told Matthew Sekeres, host of Sekeres & Price, that Braley was ready to sell that team at the beginning of the year.

LeLacheur is searching for a buyer and says he wants to keep the process "under the radar."

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has been contracted regarding some of the potential ownership groups and the hope is the prospective buyers will own the Lions for a long time.

LeLacheur adds there is no timeline for a sale, but would like to get it done "the sooner the better."

Braley has been saying this for over 5 years now time to poop or get off the pot. Lions desperately need new younger local owners who have local connections to rebuild the team.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by elly63

No surprise to me, I was saying it last year to all the people who kept calling them a "dumpster fire", without even paying attention, and they weren't just referring to the off field woes. They had a good core of players and two not quite ready for prime time QBs, well, those two QBs are getting a lot closer to prime time now. It's like the Clements/Holloway of yesteryear.

I thought the same ... the Alouettes never seemed all that far away from respectability. A bad offensive line can make a team look a lot worse than it is (cf. B.C. Lions 2019).

[elly63]

Rick LeLachleur talks BC Lions ownership and ties to BC Place.
Sportsnet 650 Vancouver August 22 2019

BC Lions President Rick LeLachleur joined James Cybulski and Perry Solkowski to talk about the rumours circulating around the BC Lions ownership situation. He talks about how most people looking into ownership do have local ties to the Lower Mainland and that there is much more work to do in Vancouver. They also talk about how BC Place isn't necessarily the best stadium to play out of if the team is struggling.

Spoke with "half a dozen" interested individuals and groups within the past year and tried to keep it out of the news.

Trying to keep it under the radar and won't talk about any interested parties including Francesco Aquilini (Canucks owner). Those interested have signed non-disclosure agreements.

The majority of those interested are local, the others have some sort of tie to Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

We want to ensure, and this means a lot to David Braley is that the buyer has the capability of continuing the Lions for many years to come.

Hasn't put a time frame to the sale and it is difficult to do during the season it's possibly going to be in the off season.

Community ownership is an option, any kind of ownership can work. The advantage of a broad based group is that they're all embers of the community that have businesses and you can leverage that. Compares to Oilers ownership group that are out in the community with different contacts and that is very helpful.

[MonctonRad]

Touchdown Atlantic in Moncton is tomorrow.





Sounds like the game will be a "technical" sellout (or near sellout), but only after slashing the cost of their vastly overpriced tickets, and downsizing the seating by replacing the planned temporary end zone bleachers with a Party Zone at one end, and a Family Zone at the other.

There should be slightly over 10,000 fans in attendance, a far cry from the crowds of over 20,000 for TDA #1 & 2 and the crowd of about 15,000 for TDA #3.

This iteration of Touchdown Atlantic was extremely poorly promoted, and left an initial bad taste in the mouths of fans with the overinflated ticket costs. There is also very little hoopla surrounding the game, which is disappointing. It's almost as if the CFL teams are just a bunch of carpetbaggers dropping into town for the day and taking off with your money and not so much as a whoop-dee-doo.

Contrast this to TDA #1 & 2 where the players were in town for the better part of a week, held training camps with local high school teams, and interacted with the fans at events like public barbecues. They even organized a high school football tournament in the couple of days leading up to the game with teams from all six local high schools. There was a cheerleading competition too, pitting the high schools against one another and large pep rallies too. The CFL players were conspicuous in their attendance. Everyone had a good time.

There was none of that this time around (or before TDA #3).

These things matter............

I hope the Atlantic Schooners learn from this misstep.

[esquire]

^ Sounds familiar... but at least you guys will end up getting a legitimate game out of the deal.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

This iteration of Touchdown Atlantic was extremely poorly promoted, and left an initial bad taste in the mouths of fans with the overinflated ticket costs. There is also very little hoopla surrounding the game, which is disappointing. It's almost as if the CFL teams are just a bunch of carpetbaggers dropping into town for the day and taking off with your money and not so much as a whoop-dee-doo.

Contrast this to TDA #1 & 2 where the players were in town for the better part of a week, held training camps with local high school teams, and interacted with the fans at events like public barbecues. They even organized a high school football tournament in the couple of days leading up to the game with teams from all six local high schools. There was a cheerleading competition too, pitting the high schools against one another and large pep rallies too. The CFL players were conspicuous in their attendance. Everyone had a good time.

There was none of that this time around (or before TDA #3).

These things matter............

I hope the Atlantic Schooners learn from this misstep.

Those things DO matter. It's starting to feel like the CFL and teams participating in these games are just "throwin' a frickin bone" out east, when they feel like it.

The Schooners have to do their own thing. But I think Ambrosie and the league need to start taking care of business better in their home country. All this international promotion is good but don't forget about the under-served domestic markets (never mind the markets the league does serve...)

[thurmas]

Only 10,000? yikes this thing had what 6 months to promote and that's all they can draw? its not like Toronto there is not much competition wise for the entertainment dollar in Moncton this is pretty sad. I know the tickets were originally over priced but not nearly as bad as the NFL debacle here in Winnipeg. This makes me wonder if the CFL in Atlantic Canada will work as there seems to be zero news on the CFL expansion team progressing or a stadium deal actually happening for once in Halifax.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by thurmas

This makes me wonder if the CFL in Atlantic Canada will work as there seems to be zero news on the CFL expansion team progressing or a stadium deal actually happening for once in Halifax.

Halifax CFL group says Moncton contest success not critical to long-term goal
Canadian Press August 23, 2019

HALIFAX — Anthony LeBlanc isn’t placing too much emphasis on Sunday’s Touchdown Atlantic game in Moncton, N.B., saying its perceived success or failure will ultimately have little bearing on his group’s attempt to land a CFL franchise in Halifax.

The co-founder of Schooners Sports and Entertainment is downplaying any suggestions that a low turnout to watch the Montreal Alouettes battle the Toronto Argonauts will have a negative effect on the group’s ultimate goal.

"The long-term aspirations that we have are kind of irrelevant to this game," LeBlanc said in an interview.

"What we are looking at from this game is to have an opportunity for people who haven’t been to a CFL game yet … to go see what this exciting sport is all about."

Just how many people will take that opportunity was still an open question earlier this week, with reports of lagging ticket sales for the afternoon matchup at Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium on the campus of the University of Moncton.

However, LeBlanc expressed confidence in an interview Wednesday that the stadium, which holds a little over 10,000 in permanent seats, will be close to full by kickoff.

"I feel comfortable based on the numbers that I have seen to date that we’ll get there," he said, although he wasn’t able to provide a solid number for ticket sales.

"We have a few thousand tickets left," he said. "I think we are in the seven or eight thousand range that have been sold to date."

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage won’t be among those going to the game, and there will be no official delegation from Halifax city hall despite invitations from organizers.

For Savage, what happens in the immediate future is more of a concern. He said he and regional council need to see a formal business case.

"It’s been a long time coming, and we need to see the business case before we know what happens," said Savage. "I wouldn’t say it (the game) has no bearing, but I don’t think that you would want to overstate the importance of one game on the overall business case of a potential franchise."

David Hendsbee, a member of Halifax council, also thinks the game isn’t overly important in terms of the bigger picture, but he believes LeBlanc’s group has lost momentum with potential fans in the city since its first publicity blitz last November.

"There was a buzz and great anticipation when it was first announced, but now it’s become a wait-and-see game," Hendsbee said.

LeBlanc said the business case, which he initially promised last December, will finally be given to Halifax’s chief administrative officer, Jacques Dube, by the end of August.

The delay has only been one bump in the road for Schooners Sports and Entertainment, which includes former Arizona Coyotes co-owners LeBlanc and Gary Drummond along with Bruce Bowser, president of AMJ Campbell Van Lines.

Another has been the stadium proposal, which initially called for a facility to be built on federal lands at Shannon Park in the north end of Dartmouth at a cost of between $170 and $190 million.

Although a letter of intent has been signed with federal Crown corporation Canada Lands Company, the Schooners group announced in April that it was scaling back in favour of a $130-million facility that could be expanded in the future.

LeBlanc also announced earlier this summer that a plan that would see a potential CFL franchise play in Moncton next year while a stadium was built in Halifax would be pushed back to 2021.

Given that, he doesn’t dispute that the project needs a reset. LeBlanc points out that it took the CFL ownership group in Ottawa seven years before it was able to field the Redblacks in 2014.

"I’ve been my worst enemy in putting out unnecessary timelines, he said. "These things never work at a pace that you want them to. But I am very confident that once we deliver the package to Halifax regional municipal staff, people will see that this is real."

Regardless, Savage said any final decision is far from imminent.

"There is an appetite for sports in this city, but this would be a big play, and we haven’t really got to the first step yet, which is to look at the (business) case," he said.

Sunday’s game will be the fourth CFL regular-season contest in Moncton, but the first since 2013.

[Coldrsx]

Stupid Eskimos giving that one away.

[MonctonRad]

Team jets have arrived in Moncton.


photo by Budyser

[someone123]

It does seem like the CFL promoters in Halifax tried to build up support too early, before having a business case or getting the city on board. Anything involving the city, province, and CMHC is going to take years. Their slowness isn't surprising but there's no way they can keep people excited for years on end.

There also seems to be some confusion about what it means to have a "regional" team. It's fine that there is a game in Moncton but imagine if the NFL decided to play some games in Ottawa and people interpreted that as a proof of concept for Toronto. Or if the NHL decided to play some games in Regina as a trial run before coming back to Winnipeg. The notion of a Moncton game being a trial run for Halifax is similar.

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Stupid Eskimos giving that one away.

Your coach sucks. Esks are always one of the most undisciplined teams in the CFL since Maas became the head coach. Discipline starts at the top.

Harris is also notorious for putting up lots of yardage but falling short on TDs generated. Still a pretty good qb but flawed.

Esks should fire Maas at season's end barring at minimum a west/east finals appearance.

Andrew Harris is the first half Most Oustanding Player and Canadian in the CFL this year. He is also a darkhorse candidate for Canadian Athlete of the Year. Right now, I think he is the favourite for Male Athlete of the Year or second favorite after Soroka for the Braves.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by someone123

It does seem like the CFL promoters in Halifax tried to build up support too early, before having a business case or getting the city on board. Anything involving the city, province, and CMHC is going to take years. Their slowness isn't surprising but there's no way they can keep people excited for years on end.

There also seems to be some confusion about what it means to have a "regional" team. It's fine that there is a game in Moncton but imagine if the NFL decided to play some games in Ottawa and people interpreted that as a proof of concept for Toronto. Or if the NHL decided to play some games in Regina as a trial run before coming back to Winnipeg. The notion of a Moncton game being a trial run for Halifax is similar.

I like to compare this franchise bid with Ottawa's.

LeBlanc was way too ambitious and early with his pronouncements which is somewhat understandable because they wanted to draw attention and gain support from the public. The Halifax project doesn't have near the same amount of naysayers and hostile environment as did Ottawa and Ottawa was delayed far longer than it should have been. This could be a good thing to allow for a promotional reset and also to get all one ducks in a row as we know how Ottawa turned out, they hit the ground running.

The Moncton game today (which seemed to have a good atmosphere) involved two non local teams. You could use this as a gauge to somewhat assess support.

[elly63]

BTW Argos vs Als was a helluva game from what I saw (after the half).

East coast thriller: Alouettes survive late Argos drive; Vernon Adams Jr. leads second straight comeback
Grant Deme 3downnation August 25, 2019

It was a perfect day for football in New Brunswick.

The 2019 edition of Touchdown Atlantic was played at Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium in front of a sellout crowd (10,125). As the league tries to inch closer and closer to the proposed 10th team in the Atlantic Schooners.

And those fans were treated to a thriller.

The Argonauts got the ball to three-yard line, down six with 0.3 seconds to go. But Armanti Edwards couldn’t hang onto the pass and Montreal escaped Moncton with a 28-22 win.

The game’s postage stamp was on a trick play in the third quarter for the Alouettes. Vernon Adams Jr. ended up finding Quan Bray in the end zone for a 35-yard play of the year contender. At the time it gave Montreal a 20-16 lead.

But McLeod Bethel-Thompson struck back, as he connected with Derel Walker on a more routine deep play this one for 38 yards. However, the lead was short lived.

Montreal followed it up with a 13-play drive of their own, extended by a roughing the kicker flag, culminating in a Jeremiah Johnson 25-yard run. A two-point convert put the Als up by six.

The Alouettes had stayed away from risky big-yardage play attempts this year, save for when they’re trailing with little time left in a game, but that wasn’t the case here. They solved their red zone woes by essentially avoiding it all-together, by way of two big time Bray catches and another by DeVier Posey. The ladder set up an Adams touchdown plunge just before halftime, which cut their deficit at the time to 16-6.

Adams finished 19-of-25 for 335 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a rushing touchdown.

Their defence stepped up towards the end of the game. Aside from the Greg Reid Jr. stuff as the clock struck zero, a sack and a would-be Ryan Carter interception were prominent on the drive just before.

The league overturned the pick ruling a roughing the passer call on Chad Geter. Corey Chamblin lost his challenge earlier so it was up to the command centre to step in. The head coach opted to go for a fresh set of downs on third and nine with 1:40 to go but Bethel-Thompson’s pass fell to the ground and the Als took over on their 24. Toronto’s defence got the two-and-out they needed and MBT marched out with 55 ticks left on the clock, taking it from their own 10 and getting it to the Als three, but not any further.

Bethel-Thompson did all he could, tossing for 464 yards on 36-of-47 throwing and two touchdowns.

The offence was slow going as the first touchdown didn’t come until the second quarter, on a Jimmy Ralph score on a gutsy third and goal call by Chamblin. Most of Toronto’s offence up to that point was by way of Rodney Smith, as the receiver had nine receptions and almost 100 yards receiving at the break. He ended up with 12 catches for 136 yards, the biggest of which set up the final play of the game.

The Atlantic air appeared to breathe new life in this Toronto defence before reality struck, as they surrendered just 135 offensive yards before things opened up in the second half. They gave up 412 yards at the end of this one while their offence posted 569 in the losing effort.

Montreal has a bye next week while Toronto faces Hamilton in the Labour Day Monday matinee.

[MonctonRad]

Here's a photo I took from my seat at Touchdown Atlantic:



The attendance was announced at 10,125, which for a stadium of 10,000 seats is a "technical" sellout, but I'm sure there were at least 1,500 empty seats in the grandstands. The surplus fans were located in the Family Zone and Fan Zones at either end of the stadium. The capacity of the venue for this game was probably 12,000.

Regardless, Anthony Leblanc pulled off his gamble in Moncton, thanks to lowered ticket prices and lots of last minute walk up ticket sales, probably due to the fact the weather was glorious in the Hub City today.

The fans were treated to a great game. The first half was slow, but the second half, especially the fourth quarter was very entertaining, especially the last minute run by the Argos to win the game which fell just short with the ball on the Alouettes three yard line with 0.3 seconds left on the clock.

Aside from disgracefully long lineups to get through ticketing and security onto the site at the beginning of the game, the rest of the event was well organized. Most fans seemed happy at the end.

Anthony LeBlanc is still talking about holding the first 1-2 seasons for the Schooners in Moncton while the stadium in Halifax gets built. If this does indeed turn out to be the case, I will certainly purchase season's tickets while the team is located in Moncton.

[elly63]

^What would you say was the makeup of the crowd: young, old, mix? Local folk, people from away, fans of the league or there for the event? Were they loud, support one team over the other, and do you think they would get behind and be passionate about a regional team. I'd appreciate your impressions.