CFL: The CFL thread - Part IV

[Blitzkrug]

I love how the CFL is trying to spin this into a PR victory.

They get no props from me. If the sources are to believed, everyone from Ambroise, Scott Mitchell and Bob Young knew this was happening and damn well knew who Art Briles was. They only realized how big of a **** up this was when the backlash hit them.

They should all be ashamed of themselves. Commissioner included. If he really was a strong figure like people seem to think, he would have crushed this before it ever got off the ground. I don't think i'll look at him, or the CFL the same again.

Even better is Hamilton's absolutely laughable attempt to deflect the heat from this; http://www.sportsnet.ca/590/jeff-bl...nderestimated-tsunami-negativity-briles-hire/

 

[Blitzkrug]

Williams didn't live up to expectations, but I wouldn't say he was a big distraction or actually detrimental to the team. At least by my recollection.

Manziel would bring his entourage, probably walk in assuming he was going to dominate the league, and a media circus would ensue. It would likely be a disaster on and off the field.

I'd also like to note Ricky Williams isn't a piece of crap like Johhny Eightball is. Williams just liked his grass (and his 30 for for shows he had fairly good reasons for using it) whereas Johnny is just a spoiled little twit.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

I love how the CFL is trying to spin this into a PR victory.

They get no props from me. If the sources are to believed, everyone from Ambroise, Scott Mitchell and Bob Young knew this was happening and damn well knew who Art Briles was. They only realized how big of a **** up this was when the backlash hit them.

They should all be ashamed of themselves. Commissioner included. If he really was a strong figure like people seem to think, he would have crushed this before it ever got off the ground. I don't think i'll look at him, or the CFL the same again.

Even better is Hamilton's absolutely laughable attempt to deflect the heat from this; http://www.sportsnet.ca/590/jeff-bl...nderestimated-tsunami-negativity-briles-hire/

In principle I agree with you. I think the sentence I bolded is a little of over the top though.

I think blame mostly lies on a desperate Hamilton with a smug know it all jackass with too much power (Kent Austin) hiring an out touch old school coach who thinks he is above petty things like human decency.

On the CFL side they made a mistake no doubt, and I commented on it. It looks really bad, particularly in light of the diversity campaign CFL is currently pushing. However I think it was more of a rookie mistake from commish that has been tossed into the fire after a few years of mismanagement on the CFL's side. I am hoping that he will learn from this. I have been skeptical of the hire from day one as I think CFL should be looking at better educated people rather than former players, but we'll see.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

While this is/was the right move, Briles is too good a coach to not get another job at some point. He just came back to soon.

 

[Jumptheshark]

While this is/was the right move, Briles is too good a coach to not get another job at some point. He just came back to soon.

Respectivly disagree


there was just too much cover up and obvious wrong doing by him and his staff. As long as the players played good--he did not care what they did off the field. Many lives were ruined.

Need to get personal here. I had a great girlfriend. But she had a dark side--this dark side was caused by the fact she got raped. As a male I did not understand the long term ramifications of what happens after a woman is raped until I found myself in a relationship with a woman 20 years after she was raped. Many woman while they may seemingly look and act like they get over the act--they never do.

This coach may not have encouraged players to do it--but he did nothing to prevent it and tried covering it up when it happened and that is where he is guiltly. He knew what was going on and cared more about winning then the lives of those permently harmed by the actions of his players.

Call me a snowflake or social justice worrier-- he needs to be held accountable not only for his actions but the actions of his players--he was in charged and it happened on his shift

rant over--hopefully this did not cross too many line of the rules here

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

Respectivly disagree


there was just too much cover up and obvious wrong doing by him and his staff. As long as the players played good--he did not care what they did off the field. Many lives were ruined.

Need to get personal here. I had a great girlfriend. But she had a dark side--this dark side was caused by the fact she got raped. As a male I did not understand the long term ramifications of what happens after a woman is raped until I found myself in a relationship with a woman 20 years after she was raped. Many woman while they may seemingly look and act like they get over the act--they never do.

This coach may not have encouraged players to do it--but he did nothing to prevent it and tried covering it up when it happened and that is where he is guiltly. He knew what was going on and cared more about winning then the lives of those permently harmed by the actions of his players.

Call me a snowflake or social justice worrier-- he needs to be held accountable not only for his actions but the actions of his players--he was in charged and it happened on his shift

rant over--hopefully this did not cross too many line of the rules here

I agree with 110% of this post, and it would not bother me in the slightest if he never did get another job. My point was just that in today's society, right or wrong, time does seem mend things.

Had he fallen off the map for a few years, and then Hamilton (or whoever for that matter) tried to sign him in August of 2022 or whatever, and not as soon after as they did, I do not think anyone would have cared.

One thing I will say though is that, even if he does get another job at some unforeseen point in the future, imo it has to be in the pros, either NFL or CFL. No way in hell he should ever be allowed to coach college kids again. Let him coach men, not teenagers. Rape is a super serious topic, that gets vastly under reported and talked about, and like I said, I agree with everything you wrote. As someone who has literally spent half my life on university campuses across this continent, it is unfortunately a thing that does come up, and without going into detail, I've had somewhat similar experiences as the one you described. Both times, made me feel dirty to be male.

That said, does Art deserve another chance? Probably not, but I'd bet my truck he gets one in a few years.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

I'm sure Briles will coach again at some point. Football in Canada is a sport that people enjoy and are reasonably passionate about, but the CFL doesn't dominate the sports pages in most cities. Whether or not Briles could help a team was immaterial. His presence was not wanted by the fans, media, or head office, full stop. The CFL had no legal grounds to tell Hamilton they couldn't hire Briles, and Hamilton could have told them to stuff it, but rightly decided it wasn't worth it.

In the US, football is a religion, especially in the southern part of the country. Somebody out there will trade the moral high ground for victories on the field. The public and media backlash will be weighed against the value of a win in the standings, and somebody will decide it's worth the momentary PR damage.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

I'm sure Briles will coach again at some point. Football in Canada is a sport that people enjoy and are reasonably passionate about, but the CFL doesn't dominate the sports pages in most cities. Whether or not Briles could help a team was immaterial. His presence was not wanted by the fans, media, or head office, full stop. The CFL had no legal grounds to tell Hamilton they couldn't hire Briles, and Hamilton could have told them to stuff it, but rightly decided it wasn't worth it.

In the US, football is a religion, especially in the southern part of the country. Somebody out there will trade the moral high ground for victories on the field. The public and media backlash will be weighed against the value of a win in the standings, and somebody will decide it's worth the momentary PR damage.

Case in point:

 

[Blitzkrug]

^

In other news, the Tiger-Cats are on a roll this week. On top of the earlier gongshow with Art Briles, several sources say they are now actively looking to trade QB Zach Collaros. Saskatchewan and Toronto have apparently already been in touch.

He hasn't been stellar (62.2 completion %/8 TD-7 INT/1700 yards) but he's hardly the main issue with this team. That would likely be a move the Cats would regret for a long time.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Laughable performance at home by the Als so far in a critical game in this horrifically bad CFL East.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Very disappointing showing here by the Als. I'm not sure how they manage to be so competitive against the West and then lay such an egg in this crucial game.

 

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

Laughable performance at home by the Als so far in a critical game in this horrifically bad CFL East.

They were awful. Any time they could muster up any sort of momentum, they'd shoot themselves in the foot

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Durant has not looked good recently. Not that he was lighting it up at any stage this year, mind you. But Montreal is sorely lacking playmakers on offense. Chapdelaine made his reputation as an offensive guy, and you've got to make do with what you've been given. Can't say all the blame for poor personnel is on Kavis Reed either, since it's murky as to who actually has the final say on signings.

 

[Baxterman]

^

In other news, the Tiger-Cats are on a roll this week. On top of the earlier gongshow with Art Briles, several sources say they are now actively looking to trade QB Zach Collaros. Saskatchewan and Toronto have apparently already been in touch.

He hasn't been stellar (62.2 completion %/8 TD-7 INT/1700 yards) but he's hardly the main issue with this team. That would likely be a move the Cats would regret for a long time.

If his reported salary is true ($500,000+) then I can 100% see why they would want to move him.

He may not be the biggest problem but he is a problem and there is no reason to pay him the most in the CFL when he is at best a bottom tier starter who looks to be playing himself out of a starting role altogether.

 

[theaub]

Its impressive that the advent of video review has somehow made CFL officiating worse

 

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

There were definitely some questionable calls that favored the Ti Cats last night. With that being said, Toronto shot themselves in the foot with the return fumble and missed field goal to give the Ti Cats their first win of the season.

As a Redblacks fan, I'm confident we take the division for the third year in a row. Finally closing out games now, and have the difficult games out of the way. The remaining schedule is: vs Hamilton, @ Montreal, @ Winnipeg, vs Saskatchewan, @ BC, @ Saskatchewan, @ Hamilton.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Disappointing weekend overall. 3 blowouts and the only close game was delayed for hours.

Time to start thinking crossover for the Eskimos.

I really have no idea what Maas and Benevides do all week. No imagination whatsoever, no ability to scheme on defense, no evidence of any adjustments on a week to week basis, much less during games. It is now clear that an East-heavy schedule was making these idiots look good in July. At this point I'm not sure this team exceeds 10 wins, which might not even be good enough to make the playoffs.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Ottawa's the only team in that division worth a **** (strange how they have a point differential that's +60 yet they're 4-6-1)

Unsurprising they'll likely take the division, but still poopoo on the system for letting a brutal team like Montreal or Toronto host a playoff game.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Ottawa's the only team in that division worth a **** (strange how they have a point differential that's +60 yet they're 4-6-1)

Unsurprising they'll likely take the division, but still poopoo on the system for letting a brutal team like Montreal or Toronto host a playoff game.

Or Hamilton. Not even joking. I'd bet on the 1-8 Cats to finish second in the East before I bet on the 5-5 Lions to finish second in the West right now. Something just doesn't seem quite right about that.

 

[hoglund]

Disappointing weekend overall. 3 blowouts and the only close game was delayed for hours.

Time to start thinking crossover for the Eskimos.

I really have no idea what Maas and Benevides do all week. No imagination whatsoever, no ability to scheme on defense, no evidence of any adjustments on a week to week basis, much less during games. It is now clear that an East-heavy schedule was making these idiots look good in July. At this point I'm not sure this team exceeds 10 wins, which might not even be good enough to make the playoffs.

The Eskimos have been hurt most of the season and their 7-3 record is not indicative of their play and a bit fortunate. The Eskimos are -16 in point differential, which means their record should more likely be 4-6 or worse and a crossover would be their only way to make the playoffs. It's a good thing the East is extra weak this year.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

The Eskimos have been hurt most of the season and their 7-3 record is not indicative of their play and a bit fortunate. The Eskimos are -16 in point differential, which means their record should more likely be 4-6 or worse and a crossover would be their only way to make the playoffs. It's a good thing the East is extra weak this year.

I don't think they were that lucky in getting to 7-0, per se. The win in Hamilton is the only game I felt they really pulled out of their *****. The other six wins were pretty close as well, but they dug in and outlasted their opponents. I think it's just clear now that they had about as easy an opening 7 games schedule-wise as was possible and took full advantage. Now that they're playing Western teams in mid-season form, they're getting beat and the coaching staff doesn't know how to adjust for it.

 

[hoglund]

I don't think they were that lucky in getting to 7-0, per se. The win in Hamilton is the only game I felt they really pulled out of their *****. The other six wins were pretty close as well, but they dug in and outlasted their opponents. I think it's just clear now that they had about as easy an opening 7 games schedule-wise as was possible and took full advantage. Now that they're playing Western teams in mid-season form, they're getting beat and the coaching staff doesn't know how to adjust for it.

Hamilton is the worst team in the league by far and both games the Eskimos barely won and the last game they were losing the whole game until the last minute. If you can only barely beat the worst team and scored 16 fewer points than you've allowed, do you think your record should be 7-3? ps, that's a rhetorical question.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Hamilton is the worst team in the league by far and both games the Eskimos barely won and the last game they were losing the whole game until the last minute. If you can only barely beat the worst team and scored 16 fewer points than you've allowed, do you think your record should be 7-3? ps, that's a rhetorical question.

The Eskimos were in control against Hamilton for 57 minutes the last time they played. It took a late fumble inside their own red zone and a hare-brained gamble that backfired with a minute left for the Ti Cats to make it close. The first game, yes they did trail and as stated that is the one win out of the seven I consider rather fortuitous.

As Bill Parcells was fond of saying, you are what your record says you are. I maintain Edmonton is better than BC and any Eastern team. They just might not be better than Calgary, Winnipeg, or Sask. 7-3 record and how it came about is a function of the schedule. Why shouldn't it be 7-3? Winning a bunch of close games doesn't mean you didn't deserve to win them. And it's a good thing they did pull them out, as a 10-8 finish would not shock me at this point.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

So what are we going to get from the Lions and Als tonight? These two have both been unpredictable this far. I'm guessing Wally is finally going to stick with Lulay? This is a must-win game for BC. If they drop to 5-6 they'll really have an uphill climb as far as a playoff spot goes. Montreal has played the West much better than anyone else from the East has so far, something to keep in mind. I think I'll take those +8.5 points...

 

[GKJ]

Sounds like Lulay tore his ACL, and then BC crushed Montreal 41-18. No more decisions.