2017 CFL Season - Page 9

25grapes · #**161** Posted **Feb 28, 2017, 2:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimB09

Trestman coming back to the CFL is amazing. I love this move for Toronto.

Hopefully this turns things around for that franchise.

If nothing else it should generate a little excitement and buzz for the Argo's in Toronto at a very crucial time. Guys like Lawlass and Naylor keep saying that the Argo's aren't off the map completely in the Toronto Sports scene yet, but this off season they were well on their way. This adds a lot of legitimacy to the team.

TimB09 · #**162** Posted **Feb 28, 2017, 3:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 25grapes

If nothing else it should generate a little excitement and buzz for the Argo's in Toronto at a very crucial time. Guys like Lawlass and Naylor keep saying that the Argo's aren't off the map completely in the Toronto Sports scene yet, but this off season they were well on their way. This adds a lot of legitimacy to the team.

Big time.

My fiancé from Ontario keeps telling me that the CFL isn't big at all out there and not on a lot of people's radar. Hopefully this helps, somewhat.

esquire · #**163** Posted **Feb 28, 2017, 3:30 PM**

Let's face it, the mainstream Toronto fans barely noticed Flutie in his prime, they aren't going to get excited about Popp and Trestman. This is a move aimed at bringing back the small contingent of diehards who have held season tickets in the past five or so years but walked away for whatever reason. They need the diehards to fill the place before they can hope to attract the joe average sports fan in large numbers.

25grapes · #**164** Posted **Feb 28, 2017, 3:35 PM**

^They just need to generate enough excitement to get 20,000 butts in the seats and everything is fine.

HomeInMyShoes · #**165** Posted **Feb 28, 2017, 7:33 PM**

I think they just need a bit of stability with respect to location, schedule and ownership and marketing. At some point they need to define who they are and go with that.

UrbanClimate · #**166** Posted **Feb 28, 2017, 8:51 PM**

Trestman's connection to the NFL will certainly prompt a few sports fans in Toronto to sit up and take notice -- the CFL otherwise seems too "Canadian" for Hogtown. The Argos haven't been able to draw 30,000 fans (consistently) since the days of Doug Flutie, Rocket Ismail, Ricky Williams, John Candy, Wayne Gretzky, etc., all of whom had NFL successes or were household names in the U.S.

Any speculation on Trestman's salary with the Argos? It must be pretty substantial to lure him back from the NFL. However I know he has a soft spot for Canada and Canadian football, so I wonder if he is coming back partly on good will, or partly to escape the political climate of the States?

Over the next few years, might we see some NFLers come north for political reasons?

HomeInMyShoes · #**167** Posted **Feb 28, 2017, 9:04 PM**

^I don't know. John and Wayne were the good old Canadians doing crazy things. It was great. Probably the most fun time ever in the CFL. If it is entertainment that Toronto needs in order to be out for games then it is what the current ownership is going to have to do. That might just be the marketing that Toronto needs. It's not tailgating, its not winning all the time, it is being crazier than everyone else.

That's an interesting point in that CFL franchises and the Toronto Raptors are probably standing to gain from America's loss there.

cjones2451 · #**168** Posted **Mar 1, 2017, 6:32 PM**

Soooo CFL fans in Toronto, did the announcement of Popp and Trestman move the needle as far as media coverage and fan enthusiasm?

Acajack · #**169** Posted **Mar 1, 2017, 7:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Let's face it, the mainstream Toronto fans barely noticed Flutie in his prime, they aren't going to get excited about Popp and Trestman. This is a move aimed at bringing back the small contingent of diehards who have held season tickets in the past five or so years but walked away for whatever reason. They need the diehards to fill the place before they can hope to attract the joe average sports fan in large numbers.

This is the post I agree with the most.

There is a certain type of sports fan for whom even if you brought Ben Roethlisberger or Aaron Rodgers to the CFL, the fact that they're in the CFL would be the kiss of death. It would mean they're not good enough for the NFL, washed out or flameouts.

Flutie wasn't washed up when he came to the CFL and yet attendance didn't skyrocket even though it was better.

Raghib Ismail I believe was a Heisman winner straight out of college, you had all the entertainment at SkyDome (Blues Brothers band, etc.?) and while attendance increased, they weren't even close to selling out.

esquire · #**170** Posted **Mar 1, 2017, 7:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Raghib Ismail I believe was a Heisman winner straight out of college, you had all the entertainment at SkyDome (Blues Brothers band, etc.?) and while attendance increased, they weren't even close to selling out.

Yeah... Ismail was the Manziel of his day (before Manziel flamed out) and McNall snagged him and made him the single highest paid football player on earth at the time. Combine that with a roster of big CFL names at the time (Dunigan and Clemons for starters) and the 1991 Argonauts were loaded for bear. But they still didn't even sell out one single home game. And that was a time when they were barely over a decade out from the days of regular crowds of 45,000+ at Exhibition Stadium.

I think the days of the Argos being a mass appeal team in Toronto are over... the best they can do is follow the TFC model of building up a small core of supporters and hope that their passion and excitement bubbles over into the mainstream and gets them noticed a bit by the broader public. TFC has done very well with that approach.

25grapes · #**171** Posted **Mar 2, 2017, 2:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

... the best they can do is follow the TFC model of building up a small core of supporters and hope that their passion and excitement bubbles over into the mainstream and gets them noticed a bit by the broader public. TFC has done very well with that approach.

Absolutely agree. The starting point is a good competitive team that makes the playoffs.

Acajack · #**172** Posted **Mar 3, 2017, 4:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Yeah... Ismail was the Manziel of his day (before Manziel flamed out) and McNall snagged him and made him the single highest paid football player on earth at the time. Combine that with a roster of big CFL names at the time (Dunigan and Clemons for starters) and the 1991 Argonauts were loaded for bear. But they still didn't even sell out one single home game. And that was a time when they were barely over a decade out from the days of regular crowds of 45,000+ at Exhibition Stadium.

I think the days of the Argos being a mass appeal team in Toronto are over... the best they can do is follow the TFC model of building up a small core of supporters and hope that their passion and excitement bubbles over into the mainstream and gets them noticed a bit by the broader public. TFC has done very well with that approach.

I believe in some years Pinball Clemons may have won polls as the most popular and recognizable athlete in Toronto. It still did not help Argos attendance that much.

HomeInMyShoes · #**173** Posted **Mar 3, 2017, 3:49 PM**

Maybe they just don't want to watch football at the park. It's entirely possible they don't. That they'd rather attend something else and pick up the highlights and stories off the Web. In which case the Argos need to find a way to make money off people who aren't in the stands and come to terms with the chronic average of 15,000 attendance they will have.

esquire · #**174** Posted **Mar 3, 2017, 4:56 PM**

^ Moving to BMO was one way of doing that... a crowd of 15-20K at least looks decent in there and can yield some atmosphere, unlike in Skydome where the joint looks mostly empty if there is anything under 40K in the house.

tomthumb2 · #**175** Posted **Mar 3, 2017, 10:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Moving to BMO was one way of doing that... a crowd of 15-20K at least looks decent in there and can yield some atmosphere, unlike in Skydome where the joint looks mostly empty if there is anything under 40K in the house.

Pretty sad when 15-20k is the new gold standard for the Argos. I really, really hope they see an improvement this year but not going to hold my breath. I think you'd have to qualify their first year at BMO somewhere between extremely mediocre and total disaster.

25grapes · #**176** Posted **Mar 4, 2017, 7:57 PM**

^ You may see attendance creep closer to 20K due to 7 of 9 being on a weekend with another game on a Thursday night. But its going to take a winning team to gain any real traction and by looking at their current roster, I don't think that's going to happen this year.

cjones2451 · #**177** Posted **Mar 9, 2017, 5:01 PM**

Rider press conference at 9:30 PST - 12:30 EST

Guess we will see what Vince Young has.....

Not a bad risk for the Riders, I heard there is no up front money, not a ton in base salary and bonus incentives if he does play.....

esquire · #**178** Posted **Mar 9, 2017, 5:07 PM**

^ I guess you should never say never, but I think Young is going to flame out hard. The guy hasn't played in the better part of a decade, and suddenly he's going to regain pro intensity for a relatively low salary? I just don't see it happening. It'll make for a fun diversion for a few weeks but that's about it.

I'd give a nickel for Kevin Glenn's thoughts on the matter

cjones2451 · #**179** Posted **Mar 9, 2017, 6:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I guess you should never say never, but I think Young is going to flame out hard. The guy hasn't played in the better part of a decade, and suddenly he's going to regain pro intensity for a relatively low salary? I just don't see it happening. It'll make for a fun diversion for a few weeks but that's about it.

I'd give a nickel for Kevin Glenn's thoughts on the matter

See his twitter feed...

https://twitter.com/qterback5/with_replies

esquire · #**180** Posted **Mar 9, 2017, 7:09 PM**

^ Haha

Here's a presser pic

Nothing like a frosty prairie day to announce your signing... the Mrs. and the kid are like "get me out of heeeeere"