BigBlue

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl-rules-committee-voting-on-changes-today-1.703119 Rules Committee:: "The committee, made up of coaches, general managers, referees, players’ association representatives and league officials, spent a large proportion of its time this week discussing alterations to the coach’s challenge process in an effort to reduce game interruptions. Last summer’s mid-season change to put a timeout at risk with every challenge is expected to stay. Under the proposed change, coaches would only be allowed to challenge 30 seconds into a commercial break. Last season, coaches could wait until the end of a two-minute break before challenging a play. Illegal contact pass interference away from the play/ball remains a challengeable offence, but the command centre will be given a strict mandate to only uphold challenges on clear and evident fouls. Once this standard is upheld, the rules committee believes fewer challenges will be made. TV broadcasts will also go to commercial break for most challenges, which should result in better flow and help keep the length of games in check. The standard for roughing the passer is also expected to be tightened up. The committee will vote on only upholding roughing the passer challenges when the quarterback is in a vulnerable position or in the act of passing. Low blindside blocks on interceptions and kicks will also be outlawed."

coaching just might be more important than the players in terms of how you spend your money

http://www.thesnap.ca/on-chris-jones/ The Waggle audio on Chris Jones: "Chris likes motorcycles and has a cool garage where he rebuilds, repairs and tinkers with them. He’s a pretty good cook, he was smoking BBQ on our first night in Tennessee and it was the best barbecue I’ve ever had. He’s a ‘more the merrier’ type of guy and loves having his staff, players and family around. He’s grateful for football and for this league. Chris talks on The Waggle about the government housing he grew up in down the street from his home. He drove Max and I by during our visit and it was a raw experience I could hardly believe we were sharing. He makes it clear he never forgets where he came from and is proud of what he’s accomplished. But Chris is humble, truly."

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/03/21/saying-goodbye-durant-packing-moving-riderville/ “I STILL FEEL THE SAME WAY. I’VE DONE A LOT FOR THIS COMMUNITY, A LOT FOR THIS LEAGUE, A LOT FOR THIS ORGANIZATION AND I GUESS MY TAKE ON IT IS FOR IT TO GET PERSONAL AND SHOTS TAKEN, ABILITY SHOTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, (THINGS) COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED (BETTER).” – DARIAN DURANT “You envision spending your whole career in one place,” he says. “To go home and pack up and know that you’re probably never going to come back is tough.” ... “The only guy that can understand what I’m going through is maybe Ricky Ray. He’d been somewhere for so long and had to leave,” Durant says of Ray’s 2011 trade from Edmonton to Toronto. Maybe this week Durant and Ray will talk.

I am curious from this how many highly rated Cdn's were not drafted because they appeared to be NFL bound

We need to increase roster size with more Canadians, say 5 or 6 more, the next time there is more money available for the cap .... it will solve lots of problems in a deep structural way

AND there is no need to sign our Cdn draft picks until camp is over and they have made the club .... you can sign them before or after camp

We can reduce the crapshoot by moving our draft even further back of the NFL camp .... to say 2 weeks before training camp/ rookie camp opens .... whoever signs by then has signed .... AND THEN ... hold an additional draft of players who have been drafted or signed to a tryout, thus fairly distributing those rights ... a lot of the agonizing decisions will disappear

Ok so what is your solution?

RULES COMMITTEE: THE MEMBERS * Representative from each of the nine teams * Representative from officials association * Representative from the CFLPA * Representative from the league head office "Recommendations will be presented on Wednesday to the competition committee for further discussion and implementation."

Coaches Challenges: "The league was forced to make a rule change in mid-season last year because too many coaches’ challenge flags were being thrown. They made the decision to throw a challenge flag more punitive for coaches by putting a timeout at risk for every challenge, whereas, in the past, they only put a timeout at risk with their second challenge. Until the change was made, coaches' challenges had risen to 2.2 per game from 1.26 and the new timeout rule helped bring that number back down to 1.6 per game. Of course, last year at this time the rules committee added seven new penalties that coaches could challenge, which certainly contributed to the rise in flags. “We feel we’re still not in a spot that’s good enough,” Johnson said. “We’re looking at, ‘Should we challenge less things? Some of those penalties, should we take them out?’ We’re also looking at changing the process itself, so potentially, how many challenges coaches get or the actual process we use to do it. If we can make it faster does that make more sense? Have the number be the same but have the whole thing just take a shorter period of time.”

I love this from the site above outlining the meetings: "Another idea is changing the standard by which certain calls — like illegal blocks on kick returns — are made. Possibly we’re going to make a certain type of play more lenient on the standard,” Johnson said. “We don’t want fans saying, every time there’s a big play, ‘Oh my goodness is there going to be a penalty.’ We want to get to a spot where you are enjoying that excitement and only on those rare occasions will there be a penalty."

I am wondering if Commish is exercizing leadership because I don't see something or someone I want to follow .... is he just another Gary Bettman who does the owner's bidding?

The cirrent commissioner has been on the job for a while now ... has he helped or hurt the Bombers? Do you think he is increasing TSN ratings?

West Calgary just keeps doing everything right ... no signs of a crack anywhere .... best management in the league .... their QB decisions is where some type of fault may show up Edmonton hasn't been plagued by a player Exodus to Jones ... a lot of shuffling but nothing I can see that will change life much for them .... in a 2 or 3 way fight for 2nd, again .... anybody see differently? Huge loss of US personnel is Wally's challenge but he is a recruiting machine ... may be some early season weakness but am guessing will pick up momentum as the season progresses ... will surprise on resiliency Regina will likely improve on D but the offence looks like it will be a sorting out disaster all year .... Jones's ego is not enough to fuel the boat and the water won't rise put of the basement Is MOS short for Moses and our quest for the promised land? I think we are better than last year but no where near the dynasty building stage ... a cup in 2018 more likely than 2017 ... should be more fun than last year .... maybe MOS just needs to grow his beard longer

Based on the transactions to date who rises, who falls in the standings: East - Durant will make the Alouettes a contender again .... will see what Calvillo can do to keep hin uporight .... don't know how much the management coaching team is going to help or hurt but I suspect the latter Hamilton lost a lot in free agency and does not seem to have a plan to change their status quo ... still Austin must have something up his sleeve ..... If Collaros is healthy all year maybe the Cats take a run at first Ottawa has been on wheels the last two years and maybe one is about to fall off .... salary capp you know .... pass and catch game is on a definite down tick ... best legacy so first or second still likely but third is a real possibility In Toronto we will see QB management that will make a huge difference on the Trestman team .... will have a much better record but no cigar this year

So do we trade down our first draft pick and take two players who are generic top tens in this years sweepsatkes ..... if so what would we actually want back in return: an extra draft pick or a specific veteran?

"encapsulate" sounds very Star Trek-ish

really ... something sane?

Is this 12 signed QB's? " Riders - Quarterbacks...Recruits - Jacob Huesman, BJ Coleman, Vad Lee, and Phillip Sims,QBs that came from other teams -Bryant Moniz and GJ Kinne. Mitch Gale came from a trade with Toronto. Brandon Bridge, salvaged after Montreal cut him Waters came in a trade from Hamilton.former Bomber QB Bryan Bennett. Kevin Glenn Free Agent Vince Young, very Free Agent - the Rider Prophet " how do you run a camp like that?

I guess the big question is when do the Sask natives start to become restless .... if Young makes the team disappointment is sure to follow .... if not disrespect is going to show up in the biggest way possible .... even if the Riders had accumulated great talent in this off season, the so very many changes means its going to take time & patience for the club to gel .... what's going to happen 4 or 5 games in when there is almost nothing in the victory column? Will we see panic?

Having watched the news conference and followed the threads I have seen nothing to change my mind that Jones is desperate meaning going off book for his QB isn't helping .... might even be retarding progress .... Jones is putting a lot of stock in Brandon Bridge as his QB of the future and who knows if GJ Kinne can do anything ... I guess Jake Waters and Bryan Bennett may not even make it to main camp with Young & Glenn nudging each other for the season's initial starting role Trying to live up to former glories can make you do strange things and going with long shots isn't the step by step matter of fact way to build your ball club Strike one for pressure Strike two for a horrific offensive line to suppport QB development & confidence building Strike three for ego & narcissism Where is the next strike coming from?

Joners listed two other starting QB candidates not including Glenn or Bennett

Vince Young or any other QB savior, Kevin Glen included , is going to look incompetent behind the fairy tale offensive line they have .... bad O-lines destroy confidence & QB careers .... we have proved that here in Bombersville

What is it ... if you have to make an issue out of eveything ... we are just talking