Around The League: 2018 Offseason

[Noeller]

2 hours ago, 17to85 said:

The simple fact of the matter is that unless you are the cream of the crop as a football player there is always going to be someone younger and cheaper and just as good as you looking to take your job, and they're going to get it by being cheaper than you are. 

 

It's a numbers game, there are a metric assload of players coming out of the NCAA every year all looking for professional work and just not that many professional positions available. 

And that one good agent said that on Twitter this week... That he has a list of guys a mile long desperate to play CFL and will gladly play for minimum... 

[Mark H.]

1 hour ago, WBBFanWest said:

Seriously?    Common sense says that it is inherent in a contract that parties exchange something for something else .  Otherwise there would be no need for a contract.   That's not at all the same as "satisfactory to both parties" which is what you claimed earlier.

Each obligation assumed by one party must find a corresponding promise by the other party.  I just think that if they have the right to cut a player while he's under contract, he should also have the right to ask for his release.  Which is the way some other teams have been doing it. 

[Mark H.]

1 hour ago, Noeller said:

And that one good agent said that on Twitter this week... That he has a list of guys a mile long desperate to play CFL and will gladly play for minimum... 

Could they be the rookie of the year?

[WBBFanWest]

3 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

Each obligation assumed by one party must find a corresponding promise by the other party.  I just think that if they have the right to cut a player while he's under contract, he should also have the right to ask for his release.  Which is the way some other teams have been doing it. 

He does have the right to ask for his release.  They have the right to say no.  He has the right not to play.  They have the right not to pay him.   Everyone wins!

[Mark H.]

9 minutes ago, WBBFanWest said:

He does have the right to ask for his release.  They have the right to say no.  He has the right not to play.  They have the right not to pay him.   Everyone wins!

Totally agree.  But somehow the players get portrayed as the 'bad guy' in these situations.  We get the media saying things like 'imagine if this was Andrew Harris & Kyle Walters.'  I'm not saying he's making the right decision - time will tell.  But he doesn't deserve to be  called an ass for wanting to do better for himself and his family. 

[WBBFanWest]

1 minute ago, Mark H. said:

Totally agree.  But somehow the players get portrayed as the 'bad guy' in these situations.  We get the media saying things like 'imagine if this was Andrew Harris & Kyle Walters.'  I'm not saying he's making the right decision - time will tell.  But he doesn't deserve to be  called an ass for wanting to do better for himself and his family. 

I agree with you on that.  If he believes he's doing the right thing for himself and his family, more power to him.

[JCon]

15 hours ago, Jacquie said:

So Wilder claims he's "received expressions of interest from several NFL team". Butler is claiming NFL interest as well. If that's true then I hope Ambrosie is having a talk with the NFL reminding them to stop tampering.

I'm pretty sure no one can stop the an NFL team from contacting an agent and expressing interest. Wilder's contract is in another league and expires in less than 12 months. 

I'm sure the NFL teams are not suggesting he break the contract, just that if he were available, to call them. 

20 hours ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

Also bad press for the entire league. I think the P.A. should step in and explain to their members that slagging their employers publically is not a good strategy for growing the game or putting more money in their pockets.

The PA should do what exactly? Tell rookies to keep their mouths shut and enjoy the minimum wage? How are you going to keep Wilder quiet? I'm sure he loves the PA as much as the Argos today. 

PA is not there to protect all the players, they're there to protect the vets and their paycheques. 

[Jacquie]

5 hours ago, JCon said:

I'm pretty sure no one can stop the an NFL team from contacting an agent and expressing interest. Wilder's contract is in another league and expires in less than 12 months. 

I'm sure the NFL teams are not suggesting he break the contract, just that if he were available, to call them. 

The CFL and NFL agreed to respect each other’s contract which means doing just that is not allowed. 

[Mark H.]

7 hours ago, Jacquie said:

The CFL and NFL agreed to respect each other’s contract which means doing just that is not allowed. 

Sure, but it's a case of pot meet kettle.

[Brandon]

One thought that goes through my head is that if an underpaid talent cries because he's making near the minimum and wants more money....  could we also at the end of the year take money back from players who under played and that we over paid?   

[Mark H.]

1 hour ago, Brandon said:

One thought that goes through my head is that if an underpaid talent cries because he's making near the minimum and wants more money....  could we also at the end of the year take money back from players who under played and that we over paid?   

Moot point - no can ask to be paid more on their 2017 contract 

The following year an under-performing player will be cut or paid less - you know it

[Noeller]

Couldn't they have negotiated some kinda bonus in the ELC that stipulates, if he hits certain milestones based on play, then a raised contract in the second year would kick in....? Would teams be averse to that? I mean, it seems like win win for everybody... 

[Jesse]

1 hour ago, Brandon said:

One thought that goes through my head is that if an underpaid talent cries because he's making near the minimum and wants more money....  could we also at the end of the year take money back from players who under played and that we over paid?   

As Mark points out, this is a ridiculous statement and underlined the double standard. He’s not asking to be paid more for 2017, he’s asking for a raise because he thoroughly outplayed his contract and wants his contract to now reflect that.

We routinely see teams do this when players have a bonus due or get injured or simply don’t play up to their contract. They renegotiate for less, eliminate bonuses, or simply cut ties.

[Tracker]

A bit off current topic, but has it been posted that former Stampeder QB Jerry Keeling departed this mortal plane last week?

[Mike]

Literally have no issue with what Wilder is doing. In the NHL, NBA or MLB, I would be entirely against it but pro football treats its players like commodities unlike any other sport so hey, if the players have an opportunity to get theirs while they can, I’m in full favour.

[Noeller]

Anybody following the Heath vs Carter twitter "feud" today? Pretty funny stuff because they might both be idiots, but the most interesting thing is that Heath is talking like he'll be a Bomber in 2018....

[MOBomberFan]

24 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Anybody following the Heath vs Carter twitter "feud" today? Pretty funny stuff because they might both be idiots, but the most interesting thing is that Heath is talking like he'll be a Bomber in 2018....

http://3downnation.com/2018/01/27/riders-duron-carter-puts-tj-heath-blast/

If you're into that sort of thing. Seems pretty silly to me. It would serve them both right to end up on the same team one day.

[17to85]

oh these egos that some of these chuckle heads have...

[wbbfan]

5 hours ago, Mike said:

Literally have no issue with what Wilder is doing. In the NHL, NBA or MLB, I would be entirely against it but pro football treats its players like commodities unlike any other sport so hey, if the players have an opportunity to get theirs while they can, I’m in full favour.

Dont agree with the sentiment to other sports. Im not a hockey guy, so i cant speak to that. In the NBA and MLB guys finish their contracts and STILL arent free agents. In baseball a TON of guys are straight up sold every single year. No doubt, in the nba the players have more power then in any other sport. At the same time the top tier probably make more from endorsements then contracts. Even more so with rookie - 2nd deal max stars. See lonzo ball. A high level basketball player seeking to become a NBA player is used more then any other sub pro imo. The junk that is the sponsored tournys HS kids get sent to all over the US is sickening. The amount of money made while the kids pay to travel, lodge etc. Years of service in  baseball create the most restrictive FA in all of sports. Not to mention compensatory picks for players who become a FA who are actually good. 

TLDR, valuing a commodity higher and restricting them in different ways doesnt make them any thing other then a commodity. 

[JCon]

19 hours ago, Jacquie said:

The CFL and NFL agreed to respect each other’s contract which means doing just that is not allowed. 

Talking to a player's agent who will be out of contract in less than 12 months, in another league, is a problem?

NFL isn't telling Wilder to get out of his contract, they're saying that they have an opportunity when he is. 

If a CFL team can end a contract at any point, why can't Wilder let the contract run out?

Crikey, the CFL allows teams to keep players on "neg" lists. Manziel, out of contract with the NFL can't sign in the CFL unless it's with the TiCats. Tell me more about the poor, poor Argos?

[Bigblue204]

On 1/28/2018 at 2:15 AM, Jacquie said:

The CFL and NFL agreed to respect each other’s contract which means doing just that is not allowed. 

lololololol...oh you're serious. like the NFL gives two ***** about CFL contracts!

[Brandon Blue&Gold]

On 1/25/2018 at 4:10 PM, bigg jay said:

 

Actual footage of  BB&G at work... I can confirm it's not as dangerous as playing football.

 

Hey! No cameras allowed in my office!

[Brandon Blue&Gold]

On 1/26/2018 at 12:08 AM, wbbfan said:

Idk, have you only worked in machine shops in the city? Cus ive seen utterly horrific maimings out side the city in accidents. I saw one guy run over by a fork lift in the city (at a very large company no less) Out side the city ive worked at a place some one died in (less then a year before my employ at that location) Ive seen multiple awful finger crushings, (again one of them in the city at said large shop) ive seen a guy crushed under a grain bin (he lived but it was beyond life altering, and nearly fatal)  and lots of other various injuries. 

Football is dangerous, no doubt. All contact sports have danger to em. Idk if say combined games and practices a year of 55 ish is worse then 340 ish of a dangerous job. Little on more dangerous jobs. 

On one hand football players should get paid very well and im all for them getting what they deserve.  On the other hand, guys holding out pisses me off to no end. You signed the contract, you did your job. Now you want to reneg mid stream. Its allways bugged me and maybe allways will. 

I don't work in Winnipeg.  I've worked in three industrial plants so far and my position requires me to work and have access to the entire plant in every case.  I also drive a forklift, work on manlifts and operate larger dangerous equipment and tools on a daily basis.  So my daily routine carries certain risks if I'm not careful. And yeah I've seen injuries happen too.  A young man even died not too long ago at an adjoining shop to us when a tank fell on him.  Stuff always happens but if your workplace is serious about safety and actually enforces it, and the employees buy into it and work safely the risk is greatly reduced. 

For Football players the risk happens every play of the game.  They can't really mitigate it.  And they do it wearing inadequate safety equipment which is often used as a weapon during play (tackling at speed helmet first, for instance).  It's the nature of the game and I'd say all players are fully aware of the risks. But it doesn't make it any less damaging for their short term and long term health.  If I get hurt, it means either I or someone/something at my work screwed up.  If a football player gets hurt, it's part of the game and can't be avoided. 

It would annoy me more with these holdouts if teams didn't have the power to just cut a player and not pay the contract they agreed to.  But since teams can do that why shouldn't a player complain about his contract?  And what if the GM did verbally say he'd let the player go try the NFL and then reneged on that promise?  If I was the player I'd be pretty pissed off too.  Maybe give rookies the option of signing one year deals instead of these one plus options, or have an "NFL" out clause where the player can go try the NFL but the CFL team retains his rights when or if he comes back for one season.

[Jacquie]

19 hours ago, JCon said:

Talking to a player's agent who will be out of contract in less than 12 months, in another league, is a problem?

NFL isn't telling Wilder to get out of his contract, they're saying that they have an opportunity when he is. 

If a CFL team can end a contract at any point, why can't Wilder let the contract run out?

Crikey, the CFL allows teams to keep players on "neg" lists. Manziel, out of contract with the NFL can't sign in the CFL unless it's with the TiCats. Tell me more about the poor, poor Argos?

If an NFL team has an interest in a player and want to to know how long he is signed for then they should be contacting the CFL team, not the player's agent.

[Atomic]

23 minutes ago, Jacquie said:

If an NFL team has an interest in a player and want to to know how long he is signed for then they should be contacting the CFL team, not the player's agent.

It doesn't work that way.  The NFL won't sign players under contract in the CFL but that's as far as it goes.  There is no rule or law against NFL teams talking to players under contract in the CFL.