mbrg

It's for the best, and there's no reason why this should be a secret. Just because you aren't protected doesn't mean the team doesn't want you.

Looks brutal cause of the editing - he's on his knees because he was sliding across with the pass that isn't shown. Gets to the post (that's where the gif starts) and tries to push back the other way to move with the deke but it's too late. He should have come over with a tighter door on the five hole because it wasn't much of a deke at all and should have been stopped, but that gif making him look like he was having a seizure on the ice doesn't come close to showing what actually happened on that goal.

Yes, it's all too loud, and for the last time get off my lawn.

You were going on about how difficult this NFL factor makes it for GM's, and yet, 16 of the first 18 picks are playing for the team that drafted them in year 1. That's 89% with zero wait time. So it seems like GM's have a pretty good handle on it. Those "head in the sand stats" were not stats at all. They were 18 separate facts supporting an opinion. Which fact do you feel is incorrect? NFL interest is a consideration, no different that a player's injury history and their score on the bench press. And probably much less meaningful than a player's injury history considering how incredibly few of these players stick in the NFL. The NFL draft happens 10 days before the CFL draft, so GMs have pretty complete information on the level of interest the NFL has in a particular player. If a player is taken in the first 3 or 4 rounds of the NFL draft, don't touch him. If he's taken after that, you might want to take a late round flyer on him**. Several will be signed as FA's in the week after the draft. Very few of those will make their teams. These are the only players where there is even the slightest mystery at all. That is the situation where we lost Mulamba. I doubt he makes the Packers if they don't have a rash of injuries at LB during his audition, not because he's not good enough, just because as an undrafted player he isn't considered as valuable an asset in the NFL. That's just the way it is. But fortune favoured him and enough guys ended up in sick bay that he got a real shot rather than just being fodder, and he made the most of it. Not very many. Most teams have a pretty good idea on the level of interest. Some choose to use their late round picks to take a flyer on these guys rather than just get another camp body who might play some special teams for three year. It's spending very little on a lottery ticket. We did it with Bilukidi. 4th rounder(?) for him I think. Other guys like this include David Onyemata, Christian Covington and Vaughn Martin. No one used a high draft pick on these guys, because the NFL interest was obvious and predictable. ** Martin was drafted in the 5th round by Montreal after being drafted in the 4th round by San Diego (different years), a pretty good example of the idea mentioned above. Israel Idonije was drafted in the 2nd round by the Renegades. That would have been a hard one to predict as the scouting was much less than it is today. He just sent tapes out to NFL teams until he finally got a shot. Orlando Franklin wasn't drafted at all. He was simply an NFL bound player who happened to have NI eligibility because of the ever-changing NI rules. No one used a draft pick at all on him, because the NFL interest was obvious and predictable. There are examples of players that teams have gotten burned (pun possibilities upcoming) on, but there are usually factors beyond just NFL interest. The BC Lions oddly chose to draft Danny Watkins in the first round even though the Eagles had used their first round pick on him. I guess they figured he wouldn't make it, and in a way it turns out they were right. He quit football entirely and focused on his true love, firefighting. Absolutely, and yet for whatever reason, the sky falleth for some.

It's not a comeback, just something interesting to note. Since that last win in 1990, both Toronto and Winnipeg have been to the Grey Cup 5 times. Toronto is 5-0. Winnipeg is 0-5. Toronto isn't a significantly better football program over that time period but they have hit a grand slam off the crossbar every time they're at the free throw line from the hack.

Don't be mad if the Jets get shut out tonight - it's only because they care about my fantasy hockey team.

Also, if you are the kind of defenceman who makes quick reads and quick passes, playing with lesser skilled teammates means you often don't have the play you want to make available to you. Your teammate didn't make the same read, and even if they did they might not be fast enough to get to that spot, and you're left fighting your instincts and looking for plan B a lot of the time. So Morrissey may have been forced to dumb down his game just to be on the same page as the rest of the Moosekiteers, but I watched one Moose game last year, so I couldn't say if that holds any water.

So, once again, the entire first two rounds* of the 2016 CFL draft... ...this problem is not real. *there is an argument that Garrett Waggoner could be included in that list, which would add yet another player playing for the team that drafted him

Darling is 18-5-2 this year with a 2.12 gaa and .931 sv%. He's played over 1500 minutes this season and over 1500 minutes last season. He's 3-1 in playoff starts and has the 4th best playoff sv% of any goalie who has seen more than 10 shots. I doubt the Jets would give him cash and term, but I won't be surprised if someone does.

Those are the same 3 names that popped into my head. That said, the best shutdown lines usually pound and grind the other teams' top line. Ehlers, Little and Perreault average 5'11" and 184 lbs. Lowry, Matthias and Armia average 6'4" and 215 lbs. Food for thought.

The more awesome a player gets, the bigger the contract he'll demand and the more icetime he'll want. If your #6 defenceman is putting up 30 points a season he's probably going to arbitration and he's probably going to win, and then he's probably wrecking your cap plan and you probably have to move him. Competence, reliability, keeping an even plus/minus and the ability to eat up 12-15 minutes of icetime per night is the butter zone for a 3rd pairing. Chiarot is pretty close to this.

People have all sorts of new years resolutions. Lose weight. See more of the world. Read a book a month. Start 3 new topics every week regardless of coherence.

So here's the question I have - is the NFL combine a destination event for fans? Are there twenty guys coming up from Tampa to hang out in Indianapolis every year? What are the reasonable expectations long-term for an event like this?

I'd better go put on my fancy pyjamas.

100%. 7 years from now CFL week might be a really big deal. Or it might not, but this seems like the best launch the CFL could manage given, well, it's the CFL. A solid first step.

Hellebuyck had the puck on his forehand and looked like he'd be moving it to Chairot. Helle absolutely biffed that one first. Stuart half-biffed it second, as his reaction to that play was no better than mine (I don't play in the NHL). That said, Stuart has been oddly unable to stay on his feet lately. His legs keep doing this weird Bambi-on-ice buckling when he tries to change direction. That is not something that was previously on his list of issues.

So now Chris Jones has to rip two more pages out of "Rocks" section of the master plan book.

And of course 10 years from now the Browns will have 4 Superbowl rings and sportswriters will trace it all back to the day Brent Maher was signed.

Jason Maas just threw a flag to challenge that statement.

Since when do the Browns count as a real football team?

Not a checking line, but often a shut-down line to match up against the best of other teams. It doesn't specifically have to be the third line, but one of your top three lines needs to be capable of doing it. You don't want to leave that to your 4th line and have them playing 18 minutes a game. Looking over the potential roster for next year it shouldn't be too difficult to pull the 3 best 2-way players out of the top nine and task them with that role. Then again, outside of the playoffs (oh the memories), the Jets have never put any noticeable attention into matching lines.

I don't mind reading it - honestly at this point I probably only know half those names - but that really had no useful content. Telling me that some DB is Anthony Woodson's brother? Okay. That will definitely help me on CFL trivia night, but otherwise, not too much. Could be that list is a completely accurate ranking, but nothing he writes after the names gives me any reason to believe that it is. (not much point in ranking these guys a few days before the combine anyways)

ps - If you bump into Ripper somewhere, tell him we really miss him.

Probably, but it would still be a lot easier to read than posts you're attempting to pass off as coherent statements about CFL football.

Seeing as he led his team in scoring, it seems reasonable to set the expectations dial to Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson levels.