The CFL seems to survive due to its fans, not despite them

The CFL has been trying to back out of the end of November with Grey Cup games because at least here in the west, you are rolling the dice on weather for such games. The CFL then decided to change the playoff structure so eight teams out of nine make the playoffs and then they copped the page playoff system from curling to justify at least two playoff games for the first and second place finishers in each division.

Increasing the number of teams eligible for playoffs makes sense if the CFL added extra teams. The CFL has not added extra teams although you get a sense there is something the CFL brain trust is not telling the public who buy tickets about extra teams.

The decision to reduce the size of the field is something that makes sense if the CFL is looking to pair up with soccer teams for multipurpose facilities since it is highly unlikely municipalities and taxpayers will go for single use facilities used maybe 12 times a year. Reducing the field size to NFL proportions also makes expansion into the US into cities like St. Louis who lost two franchises and has a high degree of hate for the NFL much more likely.

The CFL using the Canadian Draft Day to take attention away from Canadian players and instead talking about its weird playoff structure is one of the most tone-deaf moments in League history. The NFL has its free agency, combine and draft days and they invest money for exposure and to grow the game.

There are tons of amateur football GMs who feel they can evaluate talent and love putting together fantasy football teams and pretending they are actual teams. The increase in legal gambling in theory makes it easier for people to bet football if they have a degree of familiarity with the players.

TSN who is supposed to be televising the draft, lost it on TSN 2 or whatever they were showing it on. Players didn’t know where they were going, and the current fans were as usual left outside in the cold trying to figure who their teams drafted and who the players were.

The CFL having shot itself in the foot with its Combine coverage went for the other foot with the draft and also in its selling of the playoff changes. The CFL under its new Commissioner, Stewart Johnson, failed to update their website to make accessing stats easier for fans, presumably for gambling purposes.

They then followed that with their inability to televise the Combine and draft and fans are being asked to accept the league is moving forward to make the game even more exciting. What the page playoff system does is add another pair of post season games with presumably more playoff money coming in for owners and players alike.

Except, imagine you are a football fan in either Regina or Winnipeg and those two teams finished first and second and will play each other first and the loser players the winner of one of the play in games.

Since your teams gets two shots in the playoffs, why pay for the first game when no one gets eliminated and if your team loses, it comes back the next week? I would imagine the playoffs would start around Thanksgiving, but weather may be an issue but more importantly, why would I pay for a playoff game where no one loses?

Johnson had been talking about how it wasn’t fair a team could win one game to get into the Grey Cup. Well, if you finish first, that is one of the perks along with a week to rest up. Plus when you have only nine teams, you don’t have the numbers to do playoffs like the NFL does.

So maybe the league should add some teams before it decides to open up the playoff structure for everyone except one unlucky team. The owners of the Maple Leafs and Argonauts (Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment) were certainly interested into getting into bed with Dwayne Johnson and what remained of the USFL and XFL before that idea went nowhere.

With the UFL seemingly on its last legs, MLSE is probably looking at setting the stage for expanding the league with one team in Quebec, maybe one or two south of the border, and who knows, maybe Atlantic Canada. CFL fans of long standing like the Canadian rules and style and the changes brought in seem to suggest the league is trying to look more American to attract either an American television deal or American teams or investors.

I’ve invested 50 years in following this league live. If shortening the field makes it easier to get new stadiums up in Quebec City, Calgary, and Atlantic Canada then I can go with that if the result is more teams and interest. If we can attract interest from St. Louis, Portland, or San Antonio, CFL fans may find St. Louis fans are the new Baltimore Stallions fans in an expanded CFL and Portland would be a good counterpart to BC.

The debacle on Tuesday for draft day did have its moments in the draft. By virtue of being Grey Cup Champions, the Riders picked last in each round and despite things like cutting receiver Ajou Ajou or having Seth Hundeby retire before playing a down, but Riders went for players to fill specific holes in the roster in addition to taking a few chances on Canadians going south to try their NFL fortunes.

Malcolm Bell is a defensive back from Michigan State who was an undrafted free agent signing of the Cleveland Browns. Bell was drafted because the Riders remembered what happened when Montreal came to Riderville last year and Kerflalla Exume was put in the Riders defensive backfield where he was blown up by Quarterback McLeod Bethel Thomson and receiver Typson Philpot.

The Riders are looking to have someone better able to step in and Bell may be the guy who fill in for cornerback Tevaughn Campbell when needed. It may take awhile for Bell to make his way from Cleveland, but the Riders can afford to be patient.

The Riders went with Dylan Djete who is under-sized but has speed and it will be interesting to see how he fits in with our Canadian Air Force receiving corps. In the third round the Riders went with offensive lineman Darius Bell from Easter Carolina as the Riders look to stock up their Canadian offensive linemen as they look at a variety of ratio options.

The Riders probably knew ahead of time Hundeby was looking to retire before camp as they drafted linebacker Osasere Odemwingie of the University of Calgary who is a pretty good special teams’ player who can learn the position from the special teams perspective.

Jez Janvier, an offensive lineman from Southern Mississippi was drafted in the fifth-round draft and the Riders took a flyer on offensive lineman Albert Reese IV from Mississippi State who has drawn some NFL interest.

In the seventh round the Riders picked up receiver Shermar McBean from UBC and ended up with Ryan Speight from Wilfred Laurier who may be our long snapper in a year or so.

The Riders have offensive lineman Kyle Hergel still chasing NFL dreams while quarterback Kurtis Rourke is still with the San Fransisco 49ers as he recovers from a torn ACL from his college days. Either of those two come up and the Riders may not notice it this year, but next year.

With the draft done, the focus now goes to rookie training camps as CFL teams must start reducing rosters. Some will not make it through the medical checks while others may be suspended as they decide to stay south of the border in case there is any NFL interest.

The Riders will be spending their training camp in Saskatoon including one preseason game because the Riders bought the Argos home game and added it to their schedule since Toronto is being bounced out of its stadium due to the World Cup.

The Riders will be looking at who will be ready to move in at a moments notice. The Riders have experienced injury woes the last few years and the experience gained by younger players with competent position coaches leading them, has been a blessing for the Riders.

The Riders will be looking at strong offensive and defensive lines and the back ups capable of moving in an providing depth when needed. The offensive line has one mission, keep Trevor Harris in an upright position.

The defensive line will be looking at seeing who the best combinations for various situations are and making sure there are good rotations to allow for sufficient rest and provide opposing offenses with different looks.

In the meantime, Rider fans can debate amongst themselves about the value of the changes to the playoff system. I can’t see a good attendance for the first playoff game between the first and second place team because there is nothing at stake and if the weather isn’t good, why bother since you will see the teams back for more games.

I guess if the CFL can’t get the little things right, like broadcasting the Combine or getting the draft tracker working or even their stats page, how can you respect their credibility when it comes to things like field and playoff changes?

I am beginning to suspect that if anyone can save the CFL, it will be the CFL fans, not the management.

Riders Head Coach Cory Mace and GM Jeremy O’Day talk draft at Rider Draft night

Rider Jaxon Ford relates his draft experiences

by Greg Urbanoski

The CFL seems to survive due to its fans, not despite them

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