The cool thing about the CFL that you do'nt find in any other professional league is the input fans get to impact rules. The CFL last year asked fans to offer suggestions on various aspects like kick off returns, safeties, and more. This year they are going to do the same and request fans give their thoughts on the overtime format. Here are some questions to start the discussion:

1. Is the series-of-downs format superior to the old system of extra overtime periods or halves?
2. Should teams scrimmage from somewhere other than the 35 yard line?
3. Should teams be required to drive for a touchdown instead of settling for a field goal, or should teams be required to attempt a two-point convert following a touchdown?
4. Does the overtime format really need changes, or is it already as good as it can be?

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Stamps Ownership Add Seats Counting them For Blackout

Verdict? Unprofessional. This is a type of summer intern gaff that we expect under the Feterik regime, not today.

In a previous post game post you can read my thoughts on why the Stampeders may have made the call. Here were my options:

Turns out the answer to WHY is number four.

1) Sell outs aren't required to lift the black out, and I recall this year a low turnout for a frigid home game, maybe 25 000, that was still on TV? Reported attendance was 38, 600, the THIRD highest attended game of the season BUT the blackout wasn't immediately lifted.

2) Today the game was against the Roughriders, always a sell out. Albeit it was a 130 start, the fact it wasn't sold out suggests in the least it was close.

3) The Stampeders brass have ADDED 5000 seats. Are they now calculating black out figures based on an additional 5000 worth of seats they've put up for the Grey Cup? Without those seats the game is a SELL OUT. A monumental bad decision by ownership and Stamps fans can expect never to see another game on TV with the new seats.

The official statement by the Stamps: Read the rest of this entry »

Ticketmaster and Stampeders Ticket Racket?

We're starting to hear some more groaning over Grey Cup ticket events. Back in November fans and season ticket holders had the chance to reserve their right to purchase Grey Cup tickets when they went on sale at the start of this month. A deposit of $50 / ticket was required. Nobody knew what the prices were going to be but you could expect something comparable to Montreal (although, what fan goes searching for past Grey Cup ticket prices in order to decide what the price 'may or may not' be?)

Well a couple months later the prices are released and a Safeway ticket in family zone for 15 bucks last season is now FIFTEEN (15X) times higher for the Grey Cup. On one hand you should expect the price increase and cudos to the management for jacking up prices knowing the place will be full, it's business.

What's not cool is how fans placed a deposit through Ticketmaster in November, realised the cheapest ticket was $225 bucks, and decided not to get ticket. These people LOST their deposit--they received no refund and no ticket for their troubles. Between Ticketmaster and the Stamps someone pocketed $50 PER reserved ticket that was not purchased. Read the rest of this entry »

Some Suggested by Fans

Here are the highlights that were approve by CFL Board of Governors May 11th:

• Moving back the kickoff following a safety touch, to reduce the number of times a team chooses to take a knee in its own end zone;

• Giving coaches the green light to use so called "wildcat" formations that would move the quarterback around, instead of requiring him to stand behind or under centre;

• Requiring a team that kicks a successful field goal to then kick off to its' opponents, increasing the number of kick returns;

• Awarding a team a third instant replay challenge if its' first two challenges are successful.

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The 2009 Grey Cup ticket prices, to be held in Calgary next November, were released . Somewhat comparable to other Grey Cup events (Montreal had cheaper tickets but they also had 25000 more seats) the ticket prices in some cases have increased 300%.

The average fan has been cut off, no doubt, but the team will have no trouble filling the stadium especially if the home team favorites make it again.

The CFL has named the city of Calgary as host of the 97th Grey Cup championship, to be played November 29, 2009 at McMahon Stadium. The official announcement was made in Calgary where Stampeders President Scott Ackles and CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon unveiled the Grey Cup logo.

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Kerry Joseph is now an Argonaut. The reigning MVP and Grey Cup winner from 2007 will not be in the green and white this coming season. I'm all for the cap, but how can Calgary afford two QB's at half a mill and Saskatchewan can't even afford one at 250k? Something isn't right, and either Calgary will exceed cap, or Saskatchewan is just dismantling their team. Everyone knows that the CFL is a QB dependent league and you go nowhere with your second stringer. So who one earth will be Saskatchewan's QB? Nealon Greene? Marcus Crandell. I surmise trouble for the Rougheriders this year, trouble to the tune of 30 more years till the next Grey Cup.

You thought the NHL was bad? Heck, you haven't seen anything until you've seen how the CFL handles suspensions. Typically for major infractions one-game suspensions are handed out--if that. Grotesque plays are swept under the rug. In a league where players loose big money if they miss a paycheck, missing one game is a big deal, but there's no message sent with just one game suspension.

Take for instance Jimenez, an offensive lineman for the whiney BC Lions. He literally ends the career of stamps linebacker Gargiulo by cut blocking then rolling over his knees. (Cut block means you hit a player when they are looking elsewhere around the joint of the knee so it bends in the wrong way.)


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Does anybody remember Mark Lee a few years back doing play-by-play for the CFL Grey Cup game when Montreal won. He was CLEARLY bored out of his mind the entire game and in the final few minutes was monotone. I didn't even know the game was over cause the coverage was so second rater. Last night in Calgary's romping from BC I sat through three hours of on and on about how junky Calgary is/was and how great the offensive line of BC is. (See post-game blog post for more.)

After the entire CBC team cussed Calgary out by supporting the 'tough' BC lions offensive line condoning their rough play against Saskatchewan (repeated kneeing is 'clean'?), they went ahead to talk about the 'clean' hit Moreno put on Burris and half of the CBC crew praised Buono for his 'press conference' that low balled the entire Calgary organization.


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Football season has started in Canada with some interesting games and rule changes. Things got started in the East with BC visiting Toronto. T-dot dominated early but couldn't score, in fact it was the battle of the special teams that took over in the first half.

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