That was the best day of CFL football in a long time. Here’s why:
Yes there was still Rod Black, and maybe your team got screwed by the reffing. But that was a great afternoon of football.
I did think that TSN noticeably took it up a notch in production values; I wonder if it was due to additional camera angles.
The games looked great.
Having the skycam is always nice.
Not sure if they used them, but on a radio interview a month ago, Suitor said they are looking at using drones to add angles in future.
Hamilton vs Winnipeg, should be another great Grey Cup.
Should the League not demand that level of production for every game? You would think TSN would see returns from investing in better quality production, but maybe the production cost is too high.
Which is pretty much Canadian sports TV in general. Buy cheap US content with no production cost. Little to no Canadian sports content on TV past NHL, CFL and Toronto teams.
Commissioners “State of the League” address is due Friday. We are all interested in this new agreement/partnership with TSN. Hopefully it gets addressed.
The future is bright in the CFL. There was a bit of a lull there as CFL greats like Burris, Ray, Calvillo, Durant, Lulay and others either retired or faced nagging injuries. We’ve got a fresh crop of QBs who are playing exciting football out there on most teams in this league. Hope Ottawa and Toronto can find their next starters.
If you attend games a lot, you may have noticed test drones this season.
It really was entertaining.
Players and coaches decided the games, not officials, which is always a bonus. And the level of play and production looked good.
Overall a positive day, Rotten Roddy Black aside.
Night and day from east to west final.
East final was amateur hour. Any broadcast that willingly uses Rod Black instantly gets amateur status. He even dumbs down Duane Forde. The game was dull, the CC was on crack and the broadcast camera work was incredibly average and dull (although maybe the Rod Black factor played a role in my opinion of the camera work). A very forgettable game.
West final was excellent. Game was highly entertaining, the officials (on and off field) did a good job, camera work added something new but stayed with the play, the split screen replay was removed from the screen as soon as the next play was scrimmaged and Cuthbert NEEDS to be TSNs #1 play by play man.
The fact they did the West final so well begs the question, why did they blow it on the east final so badly.
You’re right any game that has Rod announcing is amateur but TSN seems to like him and he’s always good for a lot of laughs at his idiot remarks. I thought the camera coverage was as good as in the WF and the officiating including the CC was probably better than for most of the season. As for the game itself what you got was what you would expect when the team with the best record in the league plays a team that you have to wonder how they ever got there.
Cuthbert IS the number 1 play-by-play man.
Has been for many years.
Why don’t you think that he is?
ROD BLACK! He calls at least a game a week and often the game to watch that week. In this instance they had Cuthbert calling the right game, but likely by accident. They put Black in the east where they expected the audience to be because it is the east.
I’d like to know how many games Black called this season because I would lay odds he called more than any other announcer.
The games were what they were and I don’t blame TSN for that obviously, but it didn’t help the poor broadcast of the East final that it was not a great game.
Some of us Ticat fans may not exactly agree with your definition of ‘not great’. It looked pretty darn good to us ?
Just wondering. I don’t think a western team has ever crossed over and got to the Grey Cup. Has anybody ever addressed this on air? 
On air? Oh probably. It’s been repeatedly addressed everywhere else.
How are people so salty about Rod Black.
I dont care for his commentary, or steve tasker, but hes enthusiastic and adds to the atmosphere more than he takes away.
A drone is basically a one off purchase. Sky cams require installation and removal. This is great for the league.
I recall all Argos games having skycams in "17, " 18, but have since only been used for playoffs. At every stadium except mtl if im not mistaken…
Only downside to a drone i can think of is possibly related to battery life, and stability in the wind. Hopefully neither of those are an issue with a professional one
…there’s the noise a drone makes too, that cannot be ignored…could be a nuisance to the players having a drone buzzing over their heads…
that will probably only affect the home team on drives. there are some surprisingly quiet drones on the market presently.