CFL 2012 season
 

I am glad to begin this thread!
To start off how will Toronto fair hosting the 100th Grey Cup, are the Als and Calvaillo too old and have they lost too many assistant coaches now?
Can the Argos become respectable again and draw better crowds?
Will Wally coach again?
Can swaggerville climb the next step while in their beautiful new stadium?
How will the league wide new uniforms in 2012 look?

It's going to be an interesting season, to say the least. Toronto really needs to get their act together, but I'm not confident they'll pull it off. The last Grey Cup in Toronto got lost in the city; it didn't help matters that they had no presence downtown instead opting to concentrate everything next to the Skydome.

Maybe Burris heading to Toronto can turn things around, but what Toronto really needs besides a decent stadium is a likable star like Lulay. It wasn't hard to get behind Lulay and the Lions. Winning helps, but you need personalities that people like and can identify with.

Winnipeg really impressed last season, and I hope they get stronger next year. The Argonauts don't look likely to be competitive, but people said that about the Bombers last year.

League uniforms? I'm anxiously awaiting that too. They really need to do a better job with merchandising, logos, colours, branding, etc. I'd buy stuff if it looked better. Most of the stuff is just awful.

I hope one day they'll roll out CFL stores across Canada so I can stop having to buy online.

I actually don't expect Burris in T.O. now more in Hamilton rumor is Argos will go hard after Montreal's backup McPherson who is pretty good and has learned under the master Calvillo just like in 1999 when Calvillo learned under Tracy Ham to become who he is today. Another rumor is the league will revert to a more 80's style unis especially with the Argos going back to the old Boat logo from the 80's and the Bombers going back to the simple and classic capital W. The worse unis right now have to be Hamilton's and then Calgary's a close second with the stupid piping and nascar style numbers.

Until Winnipeg goes back to the brighter blue unis (which may be the best), their darks are about 3rd worst (still better than BC and Toronto home uniforms). BC's orange ones are my least favourite though; it's a look I'd expect to see picking up garbage along the highway, not on the field.

Calgary has worn a couple retro sets over the last two years that I really like. Last year it looked like the Crimson Tide with the numbers on the helmets, and this year the red with gold stripes on the pants. They were awesome. I hope they lose the black helmets next year though.

For the most part, the white uniforms are fine for all teams, but they'll never be as nice as the best home ones.

^ Really? I like those BC oranges

Though I agree, the Navy Blue Winnipeg jerseys are not as good as the Royal Blue's

I agree that the Stamps do a great job with jerseys. Riders do too.

Huge CFL news already good on the Argos for making waves and trying to recapture interest in the Argos. Ricky Ray is an Argo wow!

http://tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=382540

I guess Tillman is gunning for Burris.

Jesus, I hope not.

If the Eskimos end up with Burris and Kerry Joseph for quarterbacks next year, I am going to punch a kitten.

what other QB's are free agents? I don't think the esks make this move unless they think they can upgrade.

Jyles and Joseph.. 2 failed Argos quarterbacks.

Though to be honest I actually was surprisingly impressed with Jyles when he took over for Lemon this season, I found he was a great running quarterback. Passing on the other hand..

Ray is old but so was Allen when he joined the Argos in 2003.. Hopefully the results will be similar. :)

McPherson in Montreal asked for a trade according to sportsnet and Edmonton traded Ray to save money to sign Andy Fantuz who is looking for big money in the $300,000 range.

I'm really surprised the Eskimos made this trade. Having said that, Tillman has a precedent of dumping guys right before there best before date. I still think Ricky has lots of years in him, but Tillman did trade Kerry Joseph after winning the Grey Cup in 2007 to the argos and that proved to be a good trade for Saskatchewan. I have a feeling this won't be as bad of a trade for Edmonton as it appears at first glance. Tillman is just too smart for that.

In any event, the argos are making some good moves and finally appear to be having some sort of direction. If they can acquire some receivers in free agency, they could have a resurgence next year.

Will be funny to watch Burris go to Edmonton, that should make the BofA a little more interesting next year. Still surprised Edmonton let Ray go, he had a pretty good year this year.

Maybe Tilman did this to try to get Fantuz for the Esks?

Cap space is solid.

Jyles has always had flashes of brilliance, but I dunno.

Ray is only 32...he's still got some mileage. IMO, so far, not a good trade for the Esks. But you never know what Tilman might know, and he's a good GM. So I wouldn't doubt his moves.

No, that wouldn't be funny at all.


:stern:

Burris is awesome when he's on his game, and trying to prove himself in Edmonton, he will probably play very well (assuming that's where he ends up).

Calgary locked up Cornish today, I wonder where that leaves Reynolds...

While Toronto still has some work to do (keeping an OL intact to ensure Ricky is one his feet and not his ass), it appears as though the East will be mighty competitive next year.

I imagine Edmonton trading Ray, is just Tillman gearing up for a run at Fantuz. Last time Tillman dumped a well-regarded QB, he ended up looking good (Joseph to T.O.)...

As far as the Bombers go, really hoping nobody steals DC Tim Burke, and that we manage to retain the services of WR Greg Carr.

Glad to hear about the uniform overhaul next season - the retros are consistantly better than the current ones.
The Stamps went from one of the leagues best uni's (IMO) to one of the worst when rebok did thier roll out. Really hope Winnipeg returns to the classic blues they wore a few times this year as they open the new stadium.

Good on the Argos getting Ricky Ray - I think he has some very good years left. I'm worried that Tillman has something else up his sleeve that he is just clearing cap space for ?

I am not a huge Carr fan too many drops and receivers are pretty easy to replace with the thousands of u.s. college programs. I hope Fantuz goes to Toronto since he is a good guy to market around in T.O. with Fantuz flakes and all. 100TH Grey Cup should be awesome though they sold 10,000 tickets in the first 21 hours and the system crashed. There will be a CFL film festival like the Toronto International film fest which is awesome and they combined the Santa Claus parade with the Grey Cup parade which will provide more recognition to the league in T.O.

^ Sounds like some smart moves regarding GC 100 in TO, and some encouraging ticket sales.:)

I don't recall Greg Carr putting a ton of footballs on the turf. He's the biggest threat we have right now. Terrence Edwards is a great player, but he can't carry the load. He's an excellent second banana, but Carr produces matchup problems the likes of which nobody else on our team can create. 6'6 receivers with legitimately soft hands and skill don't grow on trees. You do not let arguably your most dynamic offensive piece walk away without putting in a competitive bid. He's one of the best short-side wideouts north of the border.

Every rookie you bring in has no experience. Rookies are for rebuilding teams, not for a team looking to win a ring. Greg Carr is young, and if we are lucky isn't going anywhere. He's only going to get better, and already is our best redzone threat through the air (big, reliable target, who creates separation and wins 50/50 balls). To write him off as easily replaceable is nuts.

:previous:If you guys don't offer him anything, we'll be glad to take him.:P

Calvillo having Richardson, Green and Carr(instead of Watkins) as targets... I like.:D

+Carr is probably the only receiver in the CFL that is bigger than our receivers so we have to have him on OUR side.:haha:

Ticats deal Glenn, Dewit for veteran QB Burris

http://www.thespec.com/sports/ticats...eran-qb-burris

Out with the old, in with the older.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats started their New Year with a blockbuster of a deal, acquiring 36-year-old quarterback Henry Burris from the Calgary Stampeders in exchange for 32-year-old Kevin Glenn. The Stamps also get offensive lineman Mark Dewit, a Calgary native who started 11 games at centre for Hamilton last season, and a conditional draft pick.

The deal is expected to be officially announced Tuesday morning, according to several sources.

So Henry Burris and Ricky Ray go from the battle of Alberta to the battle of Ontario
Im not sure what to say about his offseason so far .

I am not sure this helps Hamilton Burris might be done just like Kerry Joseph when he went to Toronto in 2008. Quinton Porter has had 5 years now to learn the league and he has not improved let him go, scout the u.s. colleges for someone better.

Surprised the Ticats are making all these decisions without a coach yet.

Whatever happened to Eric Glavic if anyone knows ??
Im pretty sure he was signed by Hamilton .

It would also be pretty cool if they could get Kyle Quinlan
might be Canadian but he played a fantastic Vanier .

Do you have any idea how far behind in development CIS qb's are compared to American qb's it's like ECHL players vs NHL players.

With Burris gone from Calgary, does this mean that Brad Sinopoli might end up as their back up quarterback in 2012?

Sinopoli's not bad, but I would think he'll be 3rd string for at least one more season.

Ugh, I don't like the Cats picking up Burris. Hopefully he has a good year still left in him, but this reminds me of Jason Maass.

. . . or Keri Joseph?
The thing with Burris is he can look great for stretches and then suddenly look like a raw rookie without warning. Your just never sure what Hank is going to appear at each game or even series.

Ticats hire George Cortez as new head coach

http://www.thespec.com/sports/articl...new-head-coach

The Ticats have finally found their man.

Owner Bob Young took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to announce the club has hired George Cortez to be head coach and director of football operations.

“Hey @Ticats, we’ve hired George Cortez as new HC of #Ticats. Check out www.Ticats.ca. So excited had to tell someone!” Young wrote using his handle, @CaretakerBob.

Cortez, 60, joins the Ticats after two seasons as the quarterbacks coach with the NFL's Buffalo Bills, though he has extensive CFL experience, most recently as offensive coordinator and associate head coach of the Calgary Stampeders from 2007 to 2009. He has worked extensively with new Ticat quarterback Henry Burris, acquired by the Ticats in a trade last month, and has been a part of four Grey Cup-winning organizations.

“George’s track record of success speaks for itself, including more than 30 years of coaching experience in the CFL, NFL and NCAA,” Young said in a follow-up release. “He’s been a part of four Grey Cup championship teams, has engineered some of the CFL’s most prolific offences and has coached some of the best quarterbacks in professional football.

“We’re extremely confident that he will build us a championship-calibre program here in Hamilton.”

The Ticats will introduce Cortez, along with Burris, at a media conference on Tuesday.

THANK YOU HAMILTON

we can keep Burke now :)

Not nearly enough Rider talk on this thread :haha:

I forgot the Riders suck. Great 2 for 1 sale for napkins at Superstore this week.

We may suck, but we have a hell of a time doing it.

I like the Cortez hire in Hamilton. I've always held him in high regard. We'll see how he fills out his staff. In the end of the day, the success in Hamilton will rest squarely on the shoulders of one, Mr. Hank Burris.

TIGER-CATS HIRE CREEHAN AS DEFENSIVE CO-ORDINATOR

HAMILTON, Ont. -- The Hamilton Tiger-Cats hired Casey Creehan as their defensive co-ordinator Friday.

Creehan joins the Ticats after serving the last two years as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebackers coach. He is the son of former Hamilton defensive co-ordinator Denny Creehan.

"I'm very excited to add Casey to our staff as defensive co-ordinator," Ticats head coach George Cortez said in a statement. "He's been involved with an exciting style of defence in Winnipeg over the last couple of years and after working together in Calgary, I know Casey is capable of leading an energetic, aggressive defence here in Hamilton."

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=385595

Ticats have signed Andy Fantuz.

The Eskimos will look completely different this year:

Ray - gone
Messam - gone
Barnes - gone
Stubler - gone

I sincerely hope Tillman knows what the hell he is doing.

CFL Schedule is out

http://www.cfl.ca/schedule/year/2012/time_zone/0

Wow. So much change this offseason with many teams.


Good. Gonna be an exciting year.

So depending on playoffs Ivor Wynne's last game will be Oct 27, 2012. End of an era.

Argos damn well better be decent this year..

The Bombers have to play the first MONTH on the road WTF! I know the new ballpark is going up but Canadinns is still usable.

I have a feeling that the Riders won't be too competitive this year. Of course you can't predict much in this league, but I'm not getting good vibes from this team. Looking forward to seeing a southern Ontario team in the big game in November though ;)

I wouldn't bet against Calvillo and his friends (Whitaker, Richardson, Green and others). The defense had to stay healthy though. Last year was ridiculous with maybe about 60% of the defensive squad missing.

We stay healthy we're back in the big game. Book it.

Sad news:FORMER BOMBERS COACH AND GM CAL MURPHY PASSES AWAY AT 79 TSN
Coach we love you and miss you thank you for getting me interested in CFL football and giving us 3 Grey Cups legendary players like Tommy Clements, Tyrone Jones, James West, Rod Hill, Matt Dunigan, Gerald Wilcox the list goes on and on. Cal Murphy is all Blue Bombers and epitomized the city of Winnipeg itself. He like Winnipeg is like that old worn out couch that looks like it has seen better days but is the most comfortable thing in the house.Thank you coach Cal and they better make a statue of you at the new stadium or re-name the street after you Murphy's Way!