2018 CFL Season

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

I'd find that stat hard to believe. Considering football playoffs are usually single-elimination you generally don't get more than one shot a year at losing a playoff game, so given Trevor Harris is only 32 (and probably didn't start playing football until he was maybe at least grade school age) I don't know how he'd rack up 38 playoff losses in the first place.

And also, if a team has a QB talented enough to make it to the pros, it's unimaginable that they wouldn't win a few games on the strength of that alone. I remember when I was a kid playing with a couple older guys who dominated games and seemed like invincible he-men and still, a few years later they barely made it onto a CIS roster, let alone into the CFL. Having a guy destined to become a starting pro QB would be an unbelievable weapon in a high school game.

Maybe I was hallucinating...

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Maybe I was hallucinating...

You must have fallen asleep with sports radio on in the background... who knows what fanciful dreams that could yield

"And elsewhere tonight in the world of sports, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are all set to fight to the death at Caesar's Palace this weekend, with Jonathan Drouin as the special guest referee and Thomas Rhett singing the national anthem..."

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

You must have fallen asleep with sports radio on in the background... who knows what fanciful dreams that could yield

"And elsewhere tonight in the world of sports, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are all set to fight to the death at Caesar's Palace this weekend, with Jonathan Drouin as the special guest referee and Thomas Rhett singing the national anthem..."

Bonus points if Thomas Rhett sings this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OzttYRJ-_Y

[esquire]

Maybe it's better if he doesn't... that level of excitement could endanger SaskScraper's health

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

Maybe it's better if he doesn't... that level of excitement could endanger SaskScraper's health

Yeah, living with heat stroke 12 months a year in SW SK takes a toll!

[elly63]

Originally Posted by esquire

Thanks, Mike.

So get off my back then, and Nichols

[blueandgoldguy]

The Bombers won't win a Grey Cup with Nichols at the helm. He was average to below average for most of the year despite having the best O-line and running back in the league for support.

-Weak arm and is pretty much incapable of throwing a deep ball from inside the pocket.
-panics and gives up on plays at the first sign of any pressure, even when the defensive linemen and linebackers have failed to breach the line.
-might be the most immobile and least evasive quarterback in the league...not his fault of course given his injury history but a strike against him nonetheless.
-doesn't appear to be much of a leader as he fails to hold himself accountable ex. thought he played a pretty solid game yesterday.

Throwing for 85 yards with less than 5 minutes left in the game is beyond pathetic. I don't care that Calgary has a great defense, that is inexcusable for a starting QB. Overthrow Darvin Adams in the endzone was brutal, short wobblers to Harris in the backfield and throws in the turf short of the receiver. Those efforts should be indicative of a rookie backup, not a seasoned starter. Too many "efforts" like that from Matt Nichols since the midway point of last season. Of note, The Bombers never made it to the red zone once.

Sadly, it is probably best to stay the course given the QBing situation in the CFL. Harris will probably re-sign in Ottawa. Masoli will remain in Hamilton, while the Als are likely to roll with Manziel and Pippen with hopes of seeing improvement from these relative youngsters. Reilly will either stay in Edmonton or sign in BC to be closer to home as has been rumoured, while Mitchell will stay in Calgary or be NFL-bound. The remaining QBs are either unappealing veterans who are clearly on the decline Ie Lulay, Collaros, Glenn or younger players who have yet to prove their worth as a starter ie Franklin or have had severe regression in their development ie. Jennings.

Strevellor has shown some good promise, but it seems clear that he is not ready to be a full-time starter yet given his propensity to not fully progress through his reads and run at the first opportunity. I can only hope Streve is given more opportunities/snaps in 2019 to further develop his game and Nichols can muster more than one 300 yard game next year and more than a handful of merely good games.

[esquire]

^ We need Nichols around for two more years to allow Streveler enough time to mature into a full fledged starter. Hopefully Streveler can start in 2020 with Nichols as the backup.

As for O'Shea... I like the guy, but come on man, enough is enough.

Walters gets a pass.

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ We need Nichols around for two more years to allow Streveler enough time to mature into a full fledged starter. Hopefully Streveler can start in 2020 with Nichols as the backup.

As for O'Shea... I like the guy, but come on man, enough is enough.

Walters gets a pass.

O'Shea will be back for sure. Despite some setbacks during the regular season this year will be viewed as progress as the team won a playoff game for the first time with this regime in charge.

[elly63]

Halifax team name to be announced this Friday

[elly63]

Football on P.E.I. would benefit from Halifax CFL team: Hurricanes coach
Josh Lewis newsroom@theguardian.pe.ca November 19 2018

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – The head coach of the Holland College Hurricanes says a pro football team in Halifax would do wonders for the game’s development in P.E.I.

Ross Young was reacting to recent news of a season ticket drive to gauge interest in a Canadian Football League franchise in Halifax.

Efforts have been made in the past to secure a team for the Maritimes, but Young said he thinks there’s a real chance this time.

“It comes at a great time. I’d like to think there seems to be a lot more momentum right now and the CFL seems to be very serious about considering this.”

Some members of the Hurricanes went to Halifax last spring to support the bid during a meeting with the CFL commissioner, Young said.

Having a team in Halifax would boost interest in football at all levels and provide a better opportunity for local players to jump to the pros, the bench boss said.

“It inspires the college and university athletes to be better and it inspires the little ones because it’s a trickle-down effect. I think it (would be) awesome.”

The impact would especially be felt at the grassroots level, Young said, where kids get a big charge out of spending time with Holland College players.

“The minor (football) kids are so excited to be with the Hurricanes. So, if you take that to the next level with CFL players, that’s incredible.”

One advantage would be having scouting combines closer to home, he said. Local players have to go to Montreal or Toronto to showcase their game now.

“It’s about time we started hosting them on the East Coast.”

CFL teams also have outreach programs that would benefit local communities beyond the football field, Young said.

“They help kids that don’t have a lot, and these players identify with those type of kids.

“The more football we have in the region and at the highest level, it benefits everybody – and not just from a sport perspective, but a community perspective.”

Whether the CFL will expand to 10 teams will come down to money and politics, Young said.

“It’s all about financing and the long-term viability of it. … I know politicians tend to be a little concerned about having to use government funds to support something that should be corporate-driven, so there’s always that balance.”

[elly63]

Group aiming to bring the CFL to Halifax have serious financial backing
Prime Time Sports November 14 2018

The CFL playoffs continue this weekend with the Division Finals, but there is some off the field news to discuss also. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie joins Jeff Blair and Stephen Brunt on Prime Time Sports to talk about the possible expansion to the east coast of Canada, the group interested in owning the franchise, and the logistics of building a stadium.

[elly63]

Ottawa hoping they have one big win left in them
Prime Time Sports November 19 2018

The Ottawa Redblacks punched their ticket into the 106th Grey Cup with a 46-27 win over Hamilton in the CFL's East Division Final on Sunday. Redblacks Owner Jeff Hunt joined Bob McCown and Joey Vendetta on Prime Time Sports to talk about the team's third Grey Cup appearance in five season, the impact Henry Burris had on the franchise both on and of the field, their growing rivalry with Calgary, their attendance, and the allegations against some of their fans after an incident during Sunday's game.

Also, Hunt explains how they can have a sellout with empty stadium seats and how this will likely be the future of sports.

[elly63]

Bombers coach O’Shea is ‘a proud expletive Canadian’
3Downnation November 19, 2018

Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea isn’t seemingly bothered being the target of some controversial comments from Calgary Stampeders counterpart Dave Dickenson.

In Sunday’s CFL West final, television cameras caught an emotional Dickenson hollering at the officials about some calls, questioning why they were taking place in front of O’Shea and then saying “(expletive) Canadian.”

Speaking Monday as the Bombers cleaned out their lockers following the 22-14 loss in Calgary, O’Shea made light of the incident.

“Well, I’m a proud expletive Canadian,” O’Shea quipped. “Him and I have already spoken.

“Things get (said) in the heat of the battle. It really is a heat-of-the-moment type of thing and I’ve got a good relationship with Dave.”

Asked what was said in their conversation, O’Shea said “That’s between him and I. I’ve got a lot of respect for Dave.”

O’Shea doesn’t sound as if he’ll be holding any grudges.

“I congratulate him and the Stamps,” he said. “They won the game. They played extremely well and they beat us and they’re a good football team and I think we’re a good football team so, you know, they’re moving on and we’re not.

“But in terms of that, you know, I’m sure things get said.

Dickenson, who hails from Great Falls, Mont., apologized for the comment and said it had noting to do with Canadians in general.

“Lesson learned, I apologize to anyone,” Dickenson said Monday in Calgary. “I texted Mike afterwards, I texted him. It had nothing to do with him personally, by the way, I just felt the calls were coming out on their sideline as some calls come out on my sideline.”

[Coldrsx]

Ok, that is pretty cool...and perhaps a delivery test run?


https://twitter.com/CFL/status/1064974996756488193
@cfl

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I think I heard or read this quickly, but can't recall where, but did I dream or had Trevor Harris before yesterday lost something like 38 playoff games in a row, going back to college and high school?

Did anyone else hear this?

Ok, I think I stumbled upon the quote you were thinking of, from an article about the Redblacks in the playoffs:

In 2017, his first year replacing the legendary Burris, Harris was inconsistent and lost in the East semifinal to Saskatchewan. He tried to stem his detractors in Ottawa by saying, “the perception is I’m 0-for-36 in the playoffs. I’ve played one game.”

I think that solves the mystery

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

Ok, I think I stumbled upon the quote you were thinking of, from an article about the Redblacks in the playoffs:



I think that solves the mystery

Aha! Thanks!

[lrt's friend]

I think Trevor Harris also made a comment in jest that he is now 1 and 38 in playoff games. I like that he is showing his own personality now that he is no longer playing in the shadow of Henry Burris. This is his team and his message is that they win as a team. Different from Smiling Hank but he is growing on me fast. Win or lose on Sunday, Trevor needs to be re-signed. When on his game, he is an amazing talent. He can be stopped by pressuring him but the coaches have been working on game plans that help him evade pressure. Hamilton tried to pressure him early in the game, but the game plan counteracted it and it was not successful.

What I noticed from last Sunday's game, is that RedBlacks were absolutely jacked as a team. You could see it all game. I don't know how much of this translated to the tv audience. But for those at the stadium, it was quite a display of ongoing enthusiasm. Trevor Harris demonstrated his excitement as the touchdowns mounted, and Diontae Spencer was just so wound up at the end of the game. All this energy can be counterproductive in many cases, but there was no question that the RedBlacks were not going to be denied.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I think Trevor Harris also made a comment in jest that he is now 1 and 38 in playoff games. I like that he is showing his own personality now that he is no longer playing in the shadow of Henry Burris. This is his team and his message is that they win as a team. Different from Smiling Hank but he is growing on me fast. Win or lose on Sunday, Trevor needs to be re-signed. When on his game, he is an amazing talent. He can be stopped by pressuring him but the coaches have been working on game plans that help him evade pressure.

What I noticed from last Sunday's game, is that RedBlacks were absolutely jacked as a team. You could see it all game. I don't know how much of this translated to the tv audience. But for those at the stadium, it was quite a display of ongoing enthusiasm. Trevor Harris demonstrated his excitement as the touchdowns mounted, and Diontae Spencer was just so wound up at the end of the game. All this energy can be counterproductive in many cases, but there was no question that the RedBlacks were not going to be denied.

Yeah, even the bumping of the ref that led to Rose (9) getting kicked out was a sign of that.

[lrt's friend]

It is interesting the dynamics of handling the Jonathan Rose incident. The league needed to send a message (suspension) but knew that Rose was going to play anyways because of union intervention. The best players still need to play in the championship game.