CFL discussion thread

[Doc Holliday]

There are few sports fans on earth who are as insecure in their preferences as the Canadian NFL fan. It is rarely enough for him to enjoy his sport of choice; he usually also feels the need to denigrate the CFL and those who enjoy it........

What can i say? It's not being insecure. The thread starter asked a question & some of us simply gave an answer (with facts) to his question. I'm not going to say that i like the CFL when i don't, and i'm not shy in pointing out exactly why i can't stand that crappy league. However, i do understand that local fans have their heads stuck in the sand when it comes to the CFL because it's their local team & they wish that their CFL team would be considered 'big league' by fellow football fans looking from the outside.

I get that. I'd probably also feel the same way if i lived in Montreal or Winnipeg. I'd want to believe that the CFL is the best football league around and i'd find all kinds of excuses to prove my point. But it doesn't wash with knowledgeable sports fans. CFL is not & will never be 'big league'. It's a joke of a league if you ask me & i don't need to state all the facts i've already stated. It's a 2nd-rate professional football league with 2nd-rate players who were rejected by the top professional football league on the planet, the NFL. I don't mean to put the league and the players down, but i'm simply stating the facts.

So as long as the NFL exists, there is not a chance in hell that i'll ever take the CFL seriously. I will or will not watch the CFL only if the NFL ever goes on strike again. Heck, i'll probably watch the ESPN Classic channel or the NFL channel and watch reruns of old games before i'll watch the CFL. Or watch US College Football, which i occasionally watch when Notre-Dame is playing. You want a great football atmosphere with nearly 100 000 fans in attendance??? Watch US College Football. Don't waste your time watching the ridiculously boring CFL.

 

[Doc Holliday]

There will be 2 good games today, Calgary - Edmonton and Sask - Winn.....

Good rivalries. The CFL seems to be better suited for the west. I'd probably be a CFL fan if i lived out west in the prairies with nothing else to watch. But i don't, so i'll watch some baseball and tennis this afternoon.

 

[EagerBeaver]

What I like about the CFL is that it extends the careers of guys who can't make it in NFL. Larry Taylor was the greatest kick returner in UConn history, famous across the nation for his "unfair catch". Could not make it with the Jets but was an all star KR for Montreal in the CFL. My favorite all time UConn player. He deserved a shot, got it in Montreal and made the most of it. In the CFL there are no fair catches so KRs like Larry are brave men who do not last long. They are propelled by their love of the game until their bodies get broken which, when you are 5'6" and 170 pounds, happens pretty quickly.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Larry Taylor's unfair catch:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OMf5DZOy3Mg

 

[Doc Holliday]

What I like about the CFL is that it extends the careers of guys who can't make it in NFL. Larry Taylor was the greatest kick returner in UConn history, famous across the nation for his "unfair catch". Could not make it with the Jets but was an all star KR for Montreal in the CFL.

I never heard of him. In which decade did he play?

 

[Doc Holliday]

CFL is pure and simple a bush league.....I saw one game earlier this year between Winnipeg and Montreal and there were 8 penalties on 8 consecutive plays...it must have taken 20 minutes to go through those 8 plays...the games for the most part are long and boring...add to that incompetent refs...the running game is not used...limited strategy....CFL is a total disaster!!!!!

I totally agree with what you said, but be careful. Some people may not feel like you're entitled to an honest, unbiased opinion here.

p.s. This crappy league seems like it changes commissioners every two years or so. The current guy was doing a decent job, but he also had enough of this joke-of-a-league and he's leaving after this season. Can't blame the poor guy!

 

[Doc Holliday]

.I saw one game earlier this year between Winnipeg and Montreal and there were 8 penalties on 8 consecutive plays...it must have taken 20 minutes to go through those 8 plays...the games for the most part are long and boring...add to that incompetent refs...the running game is not used...limited strategy....CFL is a total disaster!!!!!

Should i conclude that you're not one of those guys who went to the game strictly to check out the cheerleaders??

 

[EagerBeaver]

I never heard of him. In which decade did he play?

In the last 5-6 years Larry Taylor was an all star player for the Alouettes. As I already mentioned there is no fair catch rule in the CFL so a guy 5'6" and 170 ain't going to last at that level very long.

 

[Doc Holliday]

In the last 5-6 years Larry Taylor was an all star player for the Alouettes. As I already mentioned there is no fair catch rule in the CFL so a guy 5'6" and 170 ain't going to last at that level very long.

But there is a 'no yards' rule.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Not sure how the no yards rule is enforced, but a guy can still get creamed returning punts and kicks even if he is given a buffer zone, because with a running start, 10-15 feet gets closed in a second or two and the returner is at a standstill. I have been told CFL kick returners get hammered like crash test dummies, and generally have a very short life span on their careers.

Here is Larry Taylor's bio. He was named outstanding special teams player of the entire CFL in 2009 and a CFL all star in 2009, 2011, and 2013:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Taylor_(gridiron_football)

The no fair catch rule in the CFL means that when you are a KR, you get bone crushing, blind tackles every game. Guys who do this cannot last at an all star level very long especially when they are 5-6, 170. Taylor also returned kicks for 4 years at UConn and although he had many TDs, he also suffered many bonecrushing hits, even with the fair catch rule. I believe Taylor is UConn's career leader in kick return yardage and TDs.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

A running back that amazes me is Jon Cornish from Calgary, even after getting hit by 2 or more players he still gets 2 - 4 more yards. He will get the most yards this year even after missing 6 games.

 

[EagerBeaver]

By the way, it used to be the case that we would only get CFL playoff games in the USA. Now however, the CFL is going head to head with the NFL. Right at this moment, the Hamilton-Montreal game is on ESPN, the Miami -New England game is on CBS, and the Washington - Houston game is on Fox. I will probably flip to the Montreal game to see if they still have Larry Taylor returning kicks.

 

[4Beliveau4]

It is almost unbearable to watch football professional football at any level this year but what I think sunk the CFL was that 7-5 BC/Ottawa game a few weeks ago. This year it would seem that scoring 20 points in the CFL is a monumental feat, as is going 3 consecutive without seeing a flag of any kind. Poor talent + over officiating = poor product.

 

[gaby]

Cfl....???

Hum.....don't know if there interest or fans for the CFL here BUT the ALS have fired head coach Jacques Chapdelaine...was previsible....will certainly look again for Maciocia...not sure he will b very excited about it...he has good and stable job with les Carabins. Als are going nowhere...quelle saison de misère....AND YOU KNOW WHAT.....in this league---.East being so week--- they could still do the playoffs......incroyable.

 

[Doc Holliday]

*crickets*

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

The CFL east is weak, there always is a west to east crossover in the playoffs. I can see an all west playoff this year, Calgary VS Edmonton playing in Ottawa.

 

[gaby]

Well johnherygalt that would b so great for my kid...he lives in Ottawa and a big fan of the REDBLACKS......but still long way to go.......

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

I was perhaps the most thrilled person when Ottawa beat Calgary last year. I still enjoy the CFL, we do not have the talent pool of the NFL but still a good game.

 

[EagerBeaver]

I had the chance to meet Montreal Alouettes QB Darian Durant on my last trip to Montreal. Super nice guy. Bought him a drink. I didn't actually know the guy, he randomly came to a Montreal bar I was already drinking at (alone) and sat near me. I started a conversation with him which was mainly about the food and beverages on the menu. After he told me he was in Montreal until November and in view of the fact that he was a very athletic looking dude, I put two and two together and asked him if he played for the Alouettes. He said yeah, I am the QB. It didn't even come up until 15 minutes into conversation. Anyway struck me as a good guy and I bought him a drink. He told me he pays 53% of his salary in taxes or something like that. Otherwise likes Montreal. He is from South Carolina played college ball at UNC. I wished him well. He said the team has a lot of new parts/coaches.

 

[gaby]

I was perhaps the most thrilled person when Ottawa beat Calgary last year. I still enjoy the CFL, we do not have the talent pool of the NFL but still a good game.

Sure and agree that we don't have same talent et la même profondeur.....BUT true that we could watch good games with spectacular plays.....i don't watch it as i used to BUT if the Als become competitive again.....sure i will.