What do you think of the state of CFL football?

[wbbfan]

This is some thing thats been floating around in my head for a while. In the last few years weve seen a heavy shift in the way the CFL game is played. 

Mainly it rotates around PI. The PI enforcement is soo strict these days most defenses are playing varying degrees of bend but dont break. (some thing that has been a hot button topic around here in Halls era)

Because of both of these facts, most offenses are run in the west coast / possession passing scheme. I also believe that Holding on the OL has gone down dramatically over a decade or so, which may be intentional to try to keep qbs safe. 

This all combines for a pretty intense short passing game bias. We see different wrinkles in the league, some teams mix a lot more deep passes in, some teams work catch and run plays, option etc. But I feel like the Default has become passive passing and passive coverage. 

Is this a good thing? Do you enjoy it? I wish the pendulum would swing back a bit in favor of defensive aggression. I hate hot much hand fighting and push offs WRs get away with (not to mention picks, and illegal blocks down field) while DBs dont even have the right to maintain their own position. 

[Fan Boy]

Sure the rules have swung too far to the offensive side of the ball but the casual fan prefers offense to defense so the customer is almost always right. 

[Noeller]

CFL football and curling are my #1/2 sports above everything, including hockey.....I've got no problems with the CFL game as it is. I'll watch any two teams play any night of the week above pretty much anything else...

[JuranBoldenRules]

The PI rules encourage yardage but don’t really see a ton of correlation to points.  Defenses getting stops and winning field position also can correlate to more points.

PI rules currently also are not with player safety in mind...encouraging schemes that favour pass rush and zones where DB’s/LB’s are sitting on top of routes to come downhill at the pass catcher are not helping injury lists.

[wbbfan]

25 minutes ago, Fan Boy said:

Sure the rules have swung too far to the offensive side of the ball but the casual fan prefers offense to defense so the customer is almost always right. 

This is true, though im not sure that they would enjoy this type of offensive game play vs more aggressive down field passing. I dont really see this being more entertaining then heavy run attacks tbh. If it is, and it means better revenue flow for the league thats good. Though I dont feel like casual fans contribute that much financially long term. I may be wrong on that though. 

Just now, JuranBoldenRules said:

The PI rules encourage yardage but don’t really see a ton of correlation to points.  Defenses getting stops and winning field position also can correlate to more points.

PI rules currently also are not with player safety in mind...encouraging schemes that favour pass rush and zones where DB’s/LB’s are sitting on top of routes to come downhill at the pass catcher are not helping injury lists.

100%. Its inflation to passing yards and %. Throwing for 5k yards on 60% completion percentage is not nearly same as when it was done in khari jones era. 

I firmly believe that 90% of player safety concern is about qbs. The way they have allowed pushing and shoving to carry on well after the play un punished, and lack of attention to late/out of bound hits etc is sad. 

[MC]

I love CFL football but I do agree with some of the points.  Pass interference had swung way too far a few years ago.  I had no idea what it even was anymore.  I would watch NFL games and enjoy them more because they allowed the receivers and DB's to compete more.  Since the commissioner stepped in a couple of years ago, it has become far better and the games are more enjoyable.  I prefer the one challenge per game rule, but it is working okay this year by allowing a second.

I often wonder if we would be better off to just ditch the challenge system.  There are automatic reviews now at the right time anyway.  Most instant replay shows that the officials make the right calls almost all the time.  Fans are selectively blind or hallucinogenic when it comes to officiating and they see things that aren't there regardless of whether there is a review or not.

Other than that, I think the game is doing very well.  They need to tighten up on the head injuries though.

[Floyd]

8 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

The PI rules encourage yardage but don’t really see a ton of correlation to points.  Defenses getting stops and winning field position also can correlate to more points.

PI rules currently also are not with player safety in mind...encouraging schemes that favour pass rush and zones where DB’s/LB’s are sitting on top of routes to come downhill at the pass catcher are not helping injury lists.

Teams adjusted really quickly to PI and to roughing the passer...  I actually think the game is better now

And I like seeing catches and then big hits...!!  Think the games are great this year

Biggest challenge right now is the confusion with one year contracts, option years and how Williams-Lambert was allowed to go to NFL but come back to Riders while other teams don't seem to be able to do that...   the backend is what needs some tuning up

[JCon]

1 hour ago, Floyd said:

Teams adjusted really quickly to PI and to roughing the passer...  I actually think the game is better now

And I like seeing catches and then big hits...!!  Think the games are great this year

Biggest challenge right now is the confusion with one year contracts, option years and how Williams-Lambert was allowed to go to NFL but come back to Riders while other teams don't seem to be able to do that...   the backend is what needs some tuning up

Ye shall not question the authority of thee almighty green or ye shall be pursued to the depths of social media hell. 

[Fatty Liver]

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

This is true, though im not sure that they would enjoy this type of offensive game play vs more aggressive down field passing. I dont really see this being more entertaining then heavy run attacks tbh. If it is, and it means better revenue flow for the league thats good. Though I dont feel like casual fans contribute that much financially long term. I may be wrong on that though. 

100%. Its inflation to passing yards and %. Throwing for 5k yards on 60% completion percentage is not nearly same as when it was done in khari jones era. 

I firmly believe that 90% of player safety concern is about qbs. The way they have allowed pushing and shoving to carry on well after the play un punished, and lack of attention to late/out of bound hits etc is sad. 

I like a balanced attack, for a few years after they changed the P.I. rule the running game was almost forgotten about and everybody went pass-happy, the better teams now realize they can't win with out a strong running attack.  Credit the Bombers and A.H. for leading the way.

[johnzo]

On PI, has the standard changed away from zero tolerance for contact before the ball arrives?  On at least one of the recent Rose interceptions, there was clear contact between Rose and the receiver before the ball arrived and I was surprised it wasn't challenged.  It was incidental contact and would never have been called before PI got stricter, though.

It's weird how the emphasis on QB safety hasn't resulted in fewer QB-games lost due to injury.  But I gotta say I'm impressed at how CFL teams are coaching up and rolling out their new starters:.  Arbuckle, the Leveler, Adams Jr, Evans, even Fajardo and MBT.  Given the number of QB injuries across the league I was expecting the Grey Cup to be a Bridge vs. LeFevour type game, but the new guys have done all right.

My concerns about the state of CFL football are all existential.  How long can the league keep going in its present form, when so few want to go to games in Toronto or BC?  Even when those teams are competitive, attendance has been terrible in Toronto and soft in BC, worse than even the bottom times in the 90s.  And the Als sale is dragging on and on and on.  I kinda wonder (based on zero evidence) if TSN is advancing the CFL money on the recent TV deal extension to help keep the Als afloat.

[M.Silverback]

1 hour ago, johnzo said:

My concerns about the state of CFL football are all existential.  How long can the league keep going in its present form, when so few want to go to games in Toronto or BC?  Even when those teams are competitive, attendance has been terrible in Toronto and soft in BC, worse than even the bottom times in the 90s.  And the Als sale is dragging on and on and on.  I kinda wonder (based on zero evidence) if TSN is advancing the CFL money on the recent TV deal extension to help keep the Als afloat.

I agree. It's not just existential, it's financial. It's business. And I'm thrilled that TSN keeps renewing the broadcast rights, and optimistic about some type of revenue generation from CFL 2.0. But, as you said, how can a nine team league exist indefinitely when the three largest markets are not supporting their teams? And I'm not sure anyone has a good answer to this. It's not as simple as hoping attendance would pick up if those teams were more competitive. It's that CFL football has almost no fan base or appeal in those cities. I'm honestly worried. 

[Bigblue204]

Like the two posts above me. My biggest concern is the financial viability. I've been saying it for a few years now that ticket prices all over the country needed to drop or the fans would stop coming. Took a bit longer then I thought but it's starting to happen. There's less money and more options for entertainment. The league needs to desperately get away from being a gate driven league if it wants to survive.

[wbbfan]

17 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

Like the two posts above me. My biggest concern is the financial viability. I've been saying it for a few years now that ticket prices all over the country needed to drop or the fans would stop coming. Took a bit longer then I thought but it's starting to happen. There's less money and more options for entertainment. The league needs to desperately get away from being a gate driven league if it wants to survive.

I dont think the league is gate driven any more. Id love to see a break down of league revenues, And I wouldnt be surprised to see ticket sales in 3rd spot over all. Team gear is a huge cash cow for the teams with fans. heck, the rum hut could well turn more profit for the bombers then the ticket sales. 😛 

[Bigblue204]

13 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

I dont think the league is gate driven any more. Id love to see a break down of league revenues, And I wouldnt be surprised to see ticket sales in 3rd spot over all. Team gear is a huge cash cow for the teams with fans. heck, the rum hut could well turn more profit for the bombers then the ticket sales. 😛 

Its 100% a gate driven league. Also, no tickets....no rum hut.

 

[wbbfan]

2 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

Its 100% a gate driven league. Also, no tickets....no rum hut.

 

Have you seen attendance the last few years league wide? Tickets are down and revenue is steady. True, but do people spend more money at the rum hut or on tickets? A tooon of people buy cheap seats and never sit down. 

[JCon]

From the 2018 Blue Bomber Annual Report

Revenue                                                                2018           2017
Game revenue                                              $ 11,880,243 $ 13,267,198
CFL distributions (Note 9)                                  4,385,748      4,201,047
Winnipeg Football Club revenue                      15,768,877    11,868,222
Stadium management revenue (Note 6)                714,465     2,512,884
Community support and special events                 683,998        618,839
                                                                          33,433,331   32,468,190

 

Revenue recognition
Game revenue from the sale of tickets is recognized as revenue on a game by game basis. CFL distributions are recognized as received or when receipt is reasonably assured.

Winnipeg Football Club revenue is recognized as follows: Revenue from the sale of partnerships, stadium naming rights and radio rights is recognized over the term of the related agreement; revenue from the sale of products or services, including food and  leverage is recognized when the products are shipped, delivered or served to the customer, and services are rendered; suite revenue from the license of suites is recognized as revenue on a game by game basis; parking and park and ride revenue is recognized as revenue on a game by game basis.

Stadium management revenue is recorded as revenue on an event by event basis. Revenue from community support and special events is recognized as revenue in the period when the community support is received or when the special event is held.

Deferred revenue consists of corporate partnerships, premium seating and season ticket sales which relate to the subsequent year.

The Club follows the deferral method of accounting for contributions received. Deferred contributions are recognized as stadium management revenue in the year in which the related expenses are incurred or as amortization is recorded on the related asset.

Edited September 20, 2019 by JCon

[JCon]

28 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

I dont think the league is gate driven any more. Id love to see a break down of league revenues, And I wouldnt be surprised to see ticket sales in 3rd spot over all. Team gear is a huge cash cow for the teams with fans. heck, the rum hut could well turn more profit for the bombers then the ticket sales. 😛 

You're wrong. We need ticket sales and all the associated revenue. 

[HardCoreBlue]

21 hours ago, wbbfan said:

This is some thing thats been floating around in my head for a while. In the last few years weve seen a heavy shift in the way the CFL game is played. 

Mainly it rotates around PI. The PI enforcement is soo strict these days most defenses are playing varying degrees of bend but dont break. (some thing that has been a hot button topic around here in Halls era)

Because of both of these facts, most offenses are run in the west coast / possession passing scheme. I also believe that Holding on the OL has gone down dramatically over a decade or so, which may be intentional to try to keep qbs safe. 

This all combines for a pretty intense short passing game bias. We see different wrinkles in the league, some teams mix a lot more deep passes in, some teams work catch and run plays, option etc. But I feel like the Default has become passive passing and passive coverage. 

Is this a good thing? Do you enjoy it? I wish the pendulum would swing back a bit in favor of defensive aggression. I hate hot much hand fighting and push offs WRs get away with (not to mention picks, and illegal blocks down field) while DBs dont even have the right to maintain their own position. 

I've never thought about it that way. If that's the case chalk it up to another: Advantage Offense

[wbbfan]

21 minutes ago, JCon said:

You're wrong. We need ticket sales and all the associated revenue. 

The league needs all revenue from all sources. Teams spend in the mid 20 million dollar range and hope to make 10% of that in profit.