TBURGESS

Reffing is a big problem that can be solved with more money and more training. Better protection for the QB's isn't a reffing problem. It's an O line vs D line problem. As 3 or 4 NI's are 'hidden' on the O line, it's also a NI talent problem. Removing the ratio or greatly reducing it doesn't equal no NI's in the league. Kids are dreaming of playing for the big bucks of the NFL or their home town team if they can't make the CFL. Removing or reducing the ratio wouldn't change the dream. For most, it's just a dream anyway.

If you want to keep a player you put them on an IR, you don't cut them and take a chance that no one else will pick them up. I didn't think you could cut an injured player anyway. Does it have something to do with the cap? Marve retires mid-season. Cole is cut. (6 game doesn't help as you don't get to take the salary off of the cap until they've finished their first 6 game stint and we don't have 7 games left.)

It wouldn't cost any less. All teams spend to the same cap. The way the money is distributed may change, but teams would spend the exact same on salaries. By costing less I mean getting better players for less money. The number of US players who want to extend their playing days after college is huge. The number of Canadian players who can extend their playing days after college is very small. That's why NI's, especially starting grade or better, get huge paychecks (In CFL Terms).

I didn't imply that the league and the refs weren't at fault. I did say that Adams shouldn't have asked for confirmation before he was set and that the LJ shouldn't have given confirmation before Adams was set. After watching the replay again courtesy of a poster here I realized that Adams was indeed onside even after he moved and I said so. SPUDS then goes back and quotes a post prior to seeing the replay again and accuses me of saying the refs weren't at fault.

The CFL is already a B league for the NFL. Our best players, NI or not, go there as soon as they can because they money's hugely better and they're playing the best competition in the world. The skill level would rise considerably, not slightly, especially with 1 year contracts as NFL quality players would take the chance to show what they've got in the CFL for another chance at the NFL. There aren't enough good NI's to go around now. Reducing or eliminating the ratio would get rid of that problem and would end up costing teams less too because NI's suck up more than their share of the SMS. I'm sure the CFL would lose some fans if they eliminated the NI rule, but I doubt they would if we simply reduced it.

He was special teams coach in 2012. In 2013 he became Asst GM for 6 games. Interim GM for the rest of the 2013 season. Full GM 2014.

I'm not giving other HC's excuses. 17 said that the only coaches available who matched my top criteria were too old like Matthews and Richie. I just gave 2 examples where that's not true. If you want to give a new HC a chance, at least take someone else's Asst HC with years of experience instead of someone else's special teams coach with only 4 years of coaching experience, none of it at either OC or DC. I'm not giving Walters a pass either. When you promote a below average special teams coach directly to GM you've got to expect some growing pains. Stealing another team's Asst GM like John Murphy would have been a much better idea. You could still promote Walters to Asst GM if you thought he might have the right stuff to be a GM.

Experience matters a lot. Toronto got it right when they hired the "inexperienced" (Pro coach since 2003 and asst HC in Montreal) Milanovich and Edmonton got it right when they hired "inexperienced" (Pro coach since 1998 including Asst HC/GM in Toronto) Jones. We got it wrong when we hired "inexperienced" (STC since 2010) O'Shea.Rookies are a higher risk whether it's as a player, HC, GM or CEO or any other job for that matter. Take the higher risk and you may get rewarded, but it's more likely that you'll be replacing them more often than an experienced person with a quality track record. You know we could also look at Pinball Clemons who had basically no experience and made a pretty good head coach. Just get off the experience thing and say what you really mean, stop hiring duds and hire someone good. I mean really you want a proven experienced hire so what are we doing? Dragging Don Matthews or Dave Ritchie out of the old age homes to run the teams for us? Cause other than that the list of guys with experience have been tried and failed.For every Clemons, there are several Burke's, O'Shea's, PLAP's and Kelly's. You seem to be ignoring the term more likely.Tom Higgins has an above .500 record. Yah, he was fired by Montreal, but O'Shea wouldn't have lasted a year and half there either. Mike Benevides has an above .500 record. Yah, he was fired by BC, but that's because they don't take losing lying down. Now I'm confused. So Benevides had enough experience but Lapolice didn't? Not too hard to understand... Benevides has 3 years of HC experience.

Experience matters a lot. Toronto got it right when they hired the "inexperienced" (Pro coach since 2003 and asst HC in Montreal) Milanovich and Edmonton got it right when they hired "inexperienced" (Pro coach since 1998 including Asst HC/GM in Toronto) Jones. We got it wrong when we hired "inexperienced" (STC since 2010) O'Shea. Rookies are a higher risk whether it's as a player, HC, GM or CEO or any other job for that matter. Take the higher risk and you may get rewarded, but it's more likely that you'll be replacing them more often than an experienced person with a quality track record. You know we could also look at Pinball Clemons who had basically no experience and made a pretty good head coach. Just get off the experience thing and say what you really mean, stop hiring duds and hire someone good. I mean really you want a proven experienced hire so what are we doing? Dragging Don Matthews or Dave Ritchie out of the old age homes to run the teams for us? Cause other than that the list of guys with experience have been tried and failed. For every Clemons, there are several Burke's, O'Shea's, PLAP's and Kelly's. You seem to be ignoring the term more likely. Tom Higgins has an above .500 record. Yah, he was fired by Montreal, but O'Shea wouldn't have lasted a year and half there either. Mike Benevides has an above .500 record. Yah, he was fired by BC, but that's because they don't take losing lying down.

But Adams is allowed the yard from the line of scrimmage. He CAN move. Unless you're insinuating the rule should be changed? No I'm insinuating that he moved off the LOS. He's more than a yard away from the line judge when the ball comes up and the LJ should be on the LOS to get the right angle. He moved off with the 1/2 step he took back, but with the LOS being the 37 1/2 yard line, his right foot was on on the 38 when the ball was snapped. He was only about 1/2 yard off the LOS (which is allowed) regardless of where the side judge was standing. I'm going from the loop I saw on twitter after the game showing the LJ pointing while Adams was moving then Adams settling down and taking a half step back. CFL and TSN game logs say 37 yard line. Of course that could be 37 1/2. I can't find the loop anymore, do you have a link? https://twitter.com/DTonSC/status/647854707764031488 Thanks. Looks like Adams is indeed still within a yard after the step back. That means the explanation from Johnson is wrong and the LJ must of messed up where the LOS was. Can't fix that.

Experience matters a lot. Toronto got it right when they hired the "inexperienced" (Pro coach since 2003 and asst HC in Montreal) Milanovich and Edmonton got it right when they hired "inexperienced" (Pro coach since 1998 including Asst HC/GM in Toronto) Jones. We got it wrong when we hired "inexperienced" (STC since 2010) O'Shea. Rookies are a higher risk whether it's as a player, HC, GM or CEO or any other job for that matter. Take the higher risk and you may get rewarded, but it's more likely that you'll be replacing them more often than an experienced person with a quality track record.

That's right. Glad to see you finally 'get it'. Hire the right people... create a winner. Hire the wrong people... replace them every year or two.You keep saying that..hire the right people..in retrospect, but you never say that at the beginning, and you never answer how you know you have the right people, you know, to create that winning atmosphere. I've said over and over again that we should hire experienced folks who have a winning record over experienced folks with a losing record over rookies trying the job out for the first time. It should come as no surprise that most rookies don't work out so you have to replace them. I said that when we hired Miller/Walters/O'Shea, but no want wanted to listen back then. You really limit your pool of candidates. A small group of good candidates is better than a large group of inexperienced contenders IMO. I'd also add coaches who've had a lot of successful experience as OC's or DC's at a high level like NFL, CFL or big US Colleges before rookie HC's with very little experience. (Yes I know that Burke falls in this category and he was a failure. Everyone's not going to work out)

But Adams is allowed the yard from the line of scrimmage. He CAN move. Unless you're insinuating the rule should be changed? No I'm insinuating that he moved off the LOS. He's more than a yard away from the line judge when the ball comes up and the LJ should be on the LOS to get the right angle. He moved off with the 1/2 step he took back, but with the LOS being the 37 1/2 yard line, his right foot was on on the 38 when the ball was snapped. He was only about 1/2 yard off the LOS (which is allowed) regardless of where the side judge was standing. I'm going from the loop I saw on twitter after the game showing the LJ pointing while Adams was moving then Adams settling down and taking a half step back. CFL and TSN game logs say 37 yard line. Of course that could be 37 1/2. I can't find the loop anymore, do you have a link?

That's right. Glad to see you finally 'get it'. Hire the right people... create a winner. Hire the wrong people... replace them every year or two.You keep saying that..hire the right people..in retrospect, but you never say that at the beginning, and you never answer how you know you have the right people, you know, to create that winning atmosphere. I've said over and over again that we should hire experienced folks who have a winning record over experienced folks with a losing record over rookies trying the job out for the first time. It should come as no surprise that most rookies don't work out so you have to replace them. I said that when we hired Miller/Walters/O'Shea, but no want wanted to listen back then.

All Adams has to do is set in the right place then ask for confirmation then there's no call to make. He's as much at fault as the LJ who made the call. Both were lazy about what they were doing. I wonder if we'd made the FG after this play if the reaction to the call would be as bad as it is?

But Adams is allowed the yard from the line of scrimmage. He CAN move. Unless you're insinuating the rule should be changed? No I'm insinuating that he moved off the LOS. He's more than a yard away from the line judge when the ball comes up and the LJ should be on the LOS to get the right angle. In that case, why did the league say the incorrect call was made? Because the LJ pointed, which means Adams is onside. According to Glen Johnson, once that happens the LJ can't take it back.

Sorry. Not acceptable to me. Sorry, you're not being realistic. Everyone makes mistakes. No way around that. Since we all make mistakes and for that reason don't you think if a call is made that could potentially affect the outcome of a game the ref who is responsible would want that call confirmed? Why would he make that call when the issue was a matter of perception and most importantly had absolutely so effect to the end result of the play? I know it's the rule but so are all the holding, illegal blocks and even roughing the passer that are never called. All calls could potentially affect the outcome of the game. You'd have to confirm every call that was made and every call that wasn't made to see if A) it was the right call and if it affected the play. That's simply unworkable. You have to trust the folks you hire, check their work after every game and correct the mistakes that are correctable.

But Adams is allowed the yard from the line of scrimmage. He CAN move. Unless you're insinuating the rule should be changed? No I'm insinuating that he moved off the LOS. He's more than a yard away from the line judge when the ball comes up and the LJ should be on the LOS to get the right angle.

We're at the same point, but with one less game to play.

That's right. Glad to see you finally 'get it'. Hire the right people... create a winner. Hire the wrong people... replace them every year or two.

We won 6 games in the first half of last season. We've won 5 games since. If O'Shea doesn't get us into the playoffs, then it's time to replace him with someone who can.

The refs need to get better for sure. To do that, we need to fund them better, get them better training and have a better path to being a CFL ref. Basically take it from a part time job to a full time one. On the No End call, the line judge shouldn't have pointed while Adams was still in motion. He should have waited until Adams was set before giving his OK. Once the ref indicates Adams is on the line, Adams shouldn't be allowed to move. Simple to do. Simple to fix. Unfortunate that it had to happen in the first place. More challenges isn't the answer. Allowing the coaches to challenge this call wouldn't have resulted in a reversal IMO. The replay would have shown that Adams was off the line and would have said the ruling on the field was upheld. They needed the footage of the ref pointing while Adams was in motion and talking with the refs involved to decide that it wasn't the right call. There are more than enough stoppages of play already. The idea that 'penalties that don't affect the play should not be called' is fatally flawed. It's not OK to cheat if it doesn't effect the play. It's not OK to grab a receiver if he's away from the play or to go offside if you don't get to the QB or if you don't get the ball thrown your way. It's not OK hold or clip or block below the belt just because it's away from the play. Most of the penalties are the players fault and are totally controllable by the players.

Sorry. Not acceptable to me. Sorry, you're not being realistic. Everyone makes mistakes. No way around that.

The alternative is to realize that mistakes will be made and to live with the outcomes like we've always done in the past. The bad call cost us 5.5 yards and a first down. Other bad calls in the past have cost way more than that.

Then switch up the receivers and go after him with Moore, Adams and/or Denmark. It's not rocket surgery.