You be the commish! - CFL changes

[bryan35]

Mandate dog races at halftime!

 

 

[Rod Black]

1 hour ago, Eternal optimist said:

If I am commissioner my first order of business is setting forth a motion to triple my own salary

Good point. Most would. 

[JuranBoldenRules]

3 hours ago, Mark H. said:

Isn't the 'excuse' for having playoffs in November - to aboid the MLB playoffs? I have never agreed with that stance. Today would've been perfect Grey Cup weather. 

Football is a fall sport based largely on the university calendar.

[Mark H.]

2 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Football is a fall sport based largely on the university calendar.

October falls...in fall. 

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

6 hours ago, Nolby said:

Getting rid of th rouge would make sense,give the missing field goal kicker a point for participation?C'mon.

[Rod Black]

. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by Rod Black

[CodyT]

12 hours ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Since we have another week before game related Bomber action, thought I’d throw out a random topic for discussion. 

You are the commissioner and can change something about the CFL, what would you do? Don’t go for low hanging fruit like “kick the Roughriders out”, “fire Ambrosie”, or “Bombers get the Cup every year”, what rule changes, scheduling, roster moves, or marketing would you implement?

I will throw out a few to start:

Despite people’s love of the cottage in summer, game attendance actually is highest in those months and drops after Labour Day. So move up the season schedule so the league starts in May, and can be done before November. 

Get a 10th team in now, or cut back to 16 games, one home and one road game against each team. Two bye weeks per team a year. 

Bring back the third QB, but mandate that they must be Canadian

Open up the NFL option window, but eliminate the one year comtract. Of a player leaves for the NFL, their CFL team retains first refusal of rights unless player is gone for the entire following CFL season. 

Playoff games on Saturday, especially the Grey Cup. How many fans don’t travel to the big game because they need to be back at work Monday and can’t make the flights out with an evening Sunday game? Saturday late afternoon game allows a lot of Saturday night post-game partying and Sunday is travel day for the fans. 

Anything else?

I think you bring up awesome and achievable suggestions. You can take over for ambroise anyday now.

 

To the guy wanting to implent the fair catch. The **** wrong with u my man??

[SpeedFlex27]

If I was Commish:

Get rid of one year deals.

Try to put an end to unrestricted free agency. The only ones eligible are players with 6 years or more experience or about to sign their third contract. Otherwise any other free agent signing with another team must give up appropriate draft picks & receive compensation from the team signing that player.

Get rid of the NFL window. Only CFL free agents can work out. Players still under CFL contracts cannot. 

Get rid of the salary cap on asst coaches & scouting. Bring back at least one more position assistant coach.

Bring back a 3rd qb. It shouldn't just be Canadian as there aren't that many good U Sport qbs. around It should be a rookie position only. The #2 qb could then be a veteran. 

Get rid of the 18 game schedule. Go back to a 16 game schedule with 2 exhibition games. Only have one bye week & then only after the 8th game. Start training camps May long weekend. Have a controlled scrimmage with ahnother CFL team. Season starts last week of June /July long weekend & GC second or third week of November.

Put a cap on CFL Presidents & GMs salaries. No more half million dollar salaries for Club Presidents while some lowly assistant get $45,000 with no benefits.

Give a pension plan to coaching & scouting staff along with dental, life & health insurance.

Lower single game day ticket prices by 35-50%. Lower concessions & parking.

Survey fans on what kind of pre & halftime entertainment they want to see.

Tell TSN that Canadian Country has to go. To use a more variety of music during broadcasts including country.

Try to get Global, CBC, CTV or City TV network interested in bidding on broadcast rights. 

Finally, make the CFL respect the fans once again. Don't put the needs of players ahead the needs of fans, Make them feel egaged again. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by SpeedFlex27

[TrueBlue4ever]

Great post with some interesting ideas Speed. I’d love to hear you expand on a couple of things. On the 3rd QB issue, how would you deal with the constant turnover of players if it always had to be a rookie spot? And on your last point about putting the needs of players ahead of the needs of the fans, could you go a little deeper into what issues you are seeing there? Thanks. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by TrueBlue4ever

[TrueBlue4ever]

18 hours ago, Rod Black said:

I did post as per the title “you be the commish”. Maybe a little too creative. 
the hot dog eating contest has been tried and worked too! 

The fish taco eating contest with Joey Chestnut was a low point as a halftime show. I think one other guy on his (Bombers vs Riders fans) team did OK with something like 17, Joey has 32 or some absurd number, but then one lady had 2 in the same time limit. 
The all-time worst was the Guitar hero face-off. Two guys at centre field hitting plastic key-tars with the video board showing the computer screen. Need a lot better than something I could watch my kids do in the basement. 
The club used to bring up a high school marching band from North Dakota and they always killed it. They also got the River East Collegiate jazz band to do a halftime concert and they were outstanding (personal bias kicking in - my brother-in-law is the band teacher there, but that program has won some international competitions). 
But I wonder if the club prefers getting people to the concessions at the half to spend money instead of keeping them in their seats to be entertained?

[bearpants]

21 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

No divisions. Top 2 teams get a bye. 2 & 3 get home games. 2 plays 6. 3 plays 4.

 

All good points…. The only slight change to the one I highlighted is that seeds 1 and 2 should go to the top team in each division, regardless if the 2nd place team on one side has a better record than the other first place team… that keeps some significance to the divisional split and increases the chances of an east/west Grey Cup…

[Captain Blue]

Absolutely move the start of the season up. More games in warmer weather.

Less triple headers, play more games on Thurs-Fri-Sat instead. You'll get way more people watching (even briefly) with games split up. Most people aren't spending 9 hours on a Saturday watching a triple header. 

Starting game times need to make sense for both the host city and national viewing. Sorry BC, we need to find a way to start games earlier if you want anyone outside BC to see it (maybe they need more Saturday games for earlier starts). 

Simplify the Canadian, American and Global rules. Don't see the point of an experienced American being able to fill in for a Canadian. 

Minimize one year contract usage. Allow for NFL opt outs. Buying jerseys with player names has become an exceedingly difficult task, and limits casual fans from forming bonds with players. 

[Eternal optimist]

Personally I always thought kids playing football on the field at halftime was family friendly and entertaining. Fans have a blast and so do the kids.

[Eternal optimist]

I think people trying to oust the 1 year contract rule are failing to realize most players dream of playing in the NFL... Not the CFL. If players were required to be locked in to a CFL contract at a cheaper rate, it just reduces our talent pool of Americans further.

[TrueBlue4ever]

1 hour ago, Eternal optimist said:

I think people trying to oust the 1 year contract rule are failing to realize most players dream of playing in the NFL... Not the CFL. If players were required to be locked in to a CFL contract at a cheaper rate, it just reduces our talent pool of Americans further.

True, but the lack of continuity on rosters makes it harder for fans to engage with their favourite players. That’s why an option window seems like a nice trade off. Players may stay in the CFL and play rather than floating around not playing anywhere waiting to get picked up by an NFL team. CFL gets more stability with its players, NFL has players who are keeping active, players can get more long term security but also not have an NFL opportunity pass them by. Lots of moving parts for sure, and maybe CFL contracts need to be guaranteed as well. No cutting players prior to training camp to get out of bonuses to be paid. 

[JCon]

Off the field changes I would make...

Change neg-list from 45 players to 15 and everyone on the list gets fully disclosed. 

Multi-broadcaster arrangement. When this deal expires, any further deal should involve more than one broadcaster. I think this could still be led by TSN but ensure that some games (one per week?) get shown on CTV. Or, an arrangement like Sportsnet has with hockey, where some games get shown on CBC. Have to be creative but I want to see games on more than just TSN and on the main broadcasters. 

Can't do anything about the one-year deals but you can incentivize teams to allow players to try out for NFL. Those players should go automatically onto a reserve list, like the neg-list, with five or so option players. If they come back, that team gets first chance to sign them. 

Let's get kids in stands. Every team should offer a lower price point for under 18 year olds and not just in the end zone. Let's invest in the future. There must be a way to incentivize teams to offer family friendly pricing. 

Move the season up, they've begun doing. I would love for the GC to be played the first or second weekend in November. 

 

[Jpan85]

I probably be the only one but I don't want to watch football in May. I like games in October November. Its amazing the NFL has no problem having games in December, January, February in places like Green Bay, Chicago, Buffalo etc.

 

[Noeller]

6 minutes ago, Jpan85 said:

I probably be the only one but I don't want to watch football in May. I like games in October November. Its amazing the NFL has no problem having games in December, January, February in places like Green Bay, Chicago, Buffalo etc.

 

Next to TC (because it's right after a long layoff), this is my absolute favourite time of the CFL season. November football is what it's all about! 

[Blueandgold]

4 hours ago, Eternal optimist said:

I think people trying to oust the 1 year contract rule are failing to realize most players dream of playing in the NFL... Not the CFL. If players were required to be locked in to a CFL contract at a cheaper rate, it just reduces our talent pool of Americans further.

So why not bring back the option year? 

[SpeedFlex27]

8 hours ago, Captain Blue said:

Absolutely move the start of the season up. More games in warmer weather.

Less triple headers, play more games on Thurs-Fri-Sat instead. You'll get way more people watching (even briefly) with games split up. Most people aren't spending 9 hours on a Saturday watching a triple header. 

Starting game times need to make sense for both the host city and national viewing. Sorry BC, we need to find a way to start games earlier if you want anyone outside BC to see it (maybe they need more Saturday games for earlier starts). 

Simplify the Canadian, American and Global rules. Don't see the point of an experienced American being able to fill in for a Canadian. 

Minimize one year contract usage. Allow for NFL opt outs. Buying jerseys with player names has become an exceedingly difficult task, and limits casual fans from forming bonds with players. 

NFL plays Thursday nights so once September rolls around the CFL can't schedule any games that night. Why would ypou allow for NFL opt outs? Players need to stay with their CFL teams while under contract. It's assinine to let a player try out when he has a year left on his deal. 

[SpeedFlex27]

11 hours ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Great post with some interesting ideas Speed. I’d love to hear you expand on a couple of things. On the 3rd QB issue, how would you deal with the constant turnover of players if it always had to be a rookie spot? And on your last point about putting the needs of players ahead of the needs of the fans, could you go a little deeper into what issues you are seeing there? Thanks. 

I think part of development is competition. So, if two players are vying for a third string qb position the best one should make the roster. Making it a Canadian position only would be a mistake. If a Canadian can play #3 qb then sure but it shouldn't be de facto Canadian. 

When I say putting the needs of the fans ahead. That should be Job Number One by the CFL in a gate driven league. High ticket prices need to come down. . So, make it more affordable. Fans are refusing to pay these high prices so they don't buy tickets. They don't feel they're getting good value for their money. In calgary, if you want to buy game day single tickets on the 55 yard line, they are somewhere close to $120 each which to me, is madness. Those tickets should be half that price. All ticket prices should be slashed so that when the CFL televises locally shouldn't keep thousands of fans at home. 

Evening start times late in the season have to stop in Western Canada when it gets to be mid October. The teams not TSN have to call the shots here as they know what times & days of the week work best in their markets. Let then have more of a say with start times. 

The biggest insult to fans in my mind is UFA. There has to be a mechanism in place where fans know that good players just can't leave their former teams high & dry with no form of compensation. Especially if they were drafted as rookies or signed as 1st year free agents.

Time & money went into developing these players & teams need to be paid accordingly with draft picks & money. The better the player, the more it should cost to sign them to help stem the tide of free agent frenzy we see every February. Restricted free agency has to be negotiated into the new CBA. I think any player who has been in the league 6 seasons or is signing his third contract can be UFA's. Younger players, no. Teams need to recoup the money spent on development. 

One year deals & NFL opt outs while under contract are another insult. Players come & go. As fans, we barely get to know these players & then they're gone. I think it's much more difficult for fans to know & relate to players than it was a generation ago when I was half my age or when I started out as a Bomber fan as a 10 year old. We knew who the players were on the Bombers. We also knew many players from other teams.

There was more of a connection with fans to players back then than today. A deeper connection means a fan has more invested in their team. They're interested. They care about their team & the players. Now, as a lot of fans say, they spend a couple hundred dollars on a nice Bomber jersey with a certain player's number & name on the back. Then that player leaves the next season. Which is an expensive slap in the face especially if that player signs with the Riders. It's a sign of disrespect as the rules let players leave. 

TSN, the CFL & the CFLPA seem to have no interest in the fans. We pay the freight. We go to the games. We buy expensive merch. We go to the regular season, playoffs & Grey Cup. We buy season tickets. We watch the games on TSN so the broadcaster & the league can sell advertising. Without US, there'd be no CFL. It's time they started respecting what we want instead of what they always want... in a gate driven league. The day television covers all of football operations so the 9 teams all make money then they can do what they want. Until then, quit taking US, the fans for granted. 

Edited November 2, 2021 by SpeedFlex27

[Tracker]

On 2021-10-31 at 5:27 PM, bryan35 said:

Mandate dog races at halftime!

 

 

Would Rider fans allow their girlfriends to do that?

[TrueBlue4ever]

3 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I think part of development is competition. So, if two players are vying for a third string qb position the best one should make the roster. Making it a Canadian position only would be a mistake. If a Canadian can play #3 qb then sure but it shouldn't be de facto Canadian. 

When I say putting the needs of the fans ahead. That should be Job Number One by the CFL in a gate driven league. High ticket prices need to come down. . So, make it more affordable. Fans are refusing to pay these high prices so they don't buy tickets. They don't feel they're getting good value for their money. In calgary, if you want to buy game day single tickets on the 55 yard line, they are somewhere close to $120 each which to me, is madness. Those tickets should be half that price. All ticket prices should be slashed so that when the CFL televises locally shouldn't keep thousands of fans at home. 

Evening start times late in the season have to stop in Western Canada when it gets to be mid October. The teams not TSN have to call the shots here as they know what times & days of the week work best in their markets. Let then have more of a say with start times. 

The biggest insult to fans in my mind is UFA. There has to be a mechanism in place where fans know that good players just can't leave their former teams high & dry with no form of compensation. Especially if they were drafted as rookies or signed as 1st year free agents.

Time & money went into developing these players & teams need to be paid accordingly with draft picks & money. The better the player, the more it should cost to sign them to help stem the tide of free agent frenzy we see every February. Restricted free agency has to be negotiated into the new CBA. I think any player who has been in the league 6 seasons or is signing his third contract can be UFA's. Younger players, no. Teams need to recoup the money spent on development. 

One year deals & NFL opt outs while under contract are another insult. Players come & go. As fans, we barely get to know these players & then they're gone. I think it's much more difficult for fans to know & relate to players than it was a generation ago when I was half my age or when I started out as a Bomber fan as a 10 year old. We knew who the players were on the Bombers. We also knew many players from other teams.

There was more of a connection with fans to players back then than today. A deeper connection means a fan has more invested in their team. They're interested. They care about their team & the players. Now, as a lot of fans say, they spend a couple hundred dollars on a nice Bomber jersey with a certain player's number & name on the back. Then that player leaves the next season. Which is an expensive slap in the face especially if that player signs with the Riders. It's a sign of disrespect as the rules let players leave. 

TSN, the CFL & the CFLPA seem to have no interest in the fans. We pay the freight. We go to the games. We buy expensive merch. We go to the regular season, playoffs & Grey Cup. We buy season tickets. We watch the games on TSN so the broadcaster & the league can sell advertising. Without US, there'd be no CFL. It's time they started respecting what we want instead of what they always want... in a gate driven league. The day television covers all of football operations so the 9 teams all make money then they can do what they want. Until then, quit taking US, the fans for granted. 

I think a big reason that today’s player is less engaged and loyal to a team long term than back in the 1970’s is how big the NFL has gotten. Remember that the Argos outbid the NFL for Rocket Ismael when he signed with them, no way that will ever happen again. And the teams don’t have guaranteed contracts, so where is the incentive to sign for more than one year? So players who are looking out for their bottom line are not going to lock themselves in to a long contract if no one else is going to commit to them. 
As for ticket prices, I certainly agree that Grey Cup prices especially are out of hand now. I wonder if the league would go back to considering local blackouts for games not sold out 48 hours in advance as a way to lure fans back to the park. It used to be if you wanted to see a home game, the only way was buying a ticket. Could that work again?

[SpeedFlex27]

1 hour ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

I think a big reason that today’s player is less engaged and loyal to a team long term than back in the 1970’s is how big the NFL has gotten. Remember that the Argos outbid the NFL for Rocket Ismael when he signed with them, no way that will ever happen again. And the teams don’t have guaranteed contracts, so where is the incentive to sign for more than one year? So players who are looking out for their bottom line are not going to lock themselves in to a long contract if no one else is going to commit to them. 
As for ticket prices, I certainly agree that Grey Cup prices especially are out of hand now. I wonder if the league would go back to considering local blackouts for games not sold out 48 hours in advance as a way to lure fans back to the park. It used to be if you wanted to see a home game, the only way was buying a ticket. Could that work again?

It should but they won't. 

[johnzo]

if I were the commish I'd hire Mike O'Shea to run football ops and devote myself fully to rejuvenating the game in Toronto (without screwing over the rest of the league, of course) or getting the Argos into a market that will support them. 

I don't know if that's a problem that can be solved.  Certainly I have no fast ideas how to do it.  But I really worry the CFL is on the brink of oblivion and TO will be the first domino to fall.