CFL a Snoozefest (The Sun)

[u]CFL has Become a Snoozefest[/u] PAUL FRIESEN, WINNIPEG SUN
  • [b]Anyone else notice the CFL has become difficult to watch many nights, downright boring on others?
    I thought it was just me, jaded by too many years spent scribbling about it.
    But I’m hearing the same complaint more and more often, and for good reason.

What’s made the three-down game so great over the years — the wide-open play, the last-team-with-the-ball-wins finishes — has disappeared, and the stats prove it.

As our dear old game stumbles to the midpoint of the season, scoring is at a 29-year-low.
On average, teams have combined for 45.8 points per game, down nearly a full touchdown per game from last year.
If this keeps up it’ll be the first time since 1985 scoring has dropped below 46 points per game.

Where it used to be commonplace to see one team hit 40 points, this year it’s become common to see teams struggle to reach 10 — it’s happened 10 times already this season.

The CFL commish just happened to be in town, Monday, so I asked him about the problem just before he went out to whack some balls around in the Bombers annual golf tournament.
“It’s an interesting year,? the outgoing Mark Cohon began. “It’s a challenging year, everyone knows, for the East.?
As always, the discussion turned to quarterbacks, and the commish made a good point: we’ve lost some good ones, both permanently (Anthony Calvillo, retired from Montreal) and short-term (Travis Lulay, hurt in B.C.).

But that doesn’t explain passing output (484.5 yards per game) and net offence (648.1 yards) being on pace for 34-year lows.
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[url=http://www.torontosun.com/2014/08/25/with-scoring-and-offence-way-down-cfl-has-become-a-snoozefest]http://www.torontosun.com/2014/08/25/wi ... snoozefest[/url]

I can't help but want to apologize on behalf of Ottawa, but because of the new entry, I think at least some of that could be expected. I know he's referring to the other taems as well, but still.

I'm also not a believer that a game is only good when it's high scoring. I've been plenty entertained by the last couple of home games, final results notwithstanding. :thup:

Paul Friesen has always been a hack.

First few weeks I might agree. Slow games full of dumb penalties, sloppy play, dropped passes, poor tackling, big blowouts. But the last few weeks the intensity level has gone sky high, even if the scoring is on the low side, we have lots of tense close finishes and we've seen some awesome defense and special teams.

If Friesen's only criteria for excitement is scoring he can go watch the NBA. Otherwise he's just talking out his rear end again.

If he said a Snoozefest compared to other years he might have a point. You only have to look at the offensive numbers to see that it's a defensive struggle this year.

He did:

As our dear old game stumbles to the midpoint of the season, scoring is at a 29-year-low.

On average, teams have combined for 45.8 points per game, down nearly a full touchdown per game from last year.


He’s just saying what people here were already saying: the number of awful games is sky high this year.

Pointing out that we’re on track to set the lowest scoring season since 1985 is not ‘talking out your rear’. Two and outs and pathetic offenses that can’t complete a pass do not an exciting product make.

What’s this ?

As our dear old game stumbles to the midpoint of the season, scoring is at a 29-year-low.
I

Should have said “defensive” slug fest?

I don't why anyone trusts a SUN newspaper to TV station... Canada's version of Faux News... and for the CFL its a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't... because the games are low scoring, its a "snoozefest", but if the scoring was high, then some would say that there is a lack of defence, and the athletes are second or third rate compared to the No Fun League... no matter what happens the league can't win in some people's eyes...

Its a transition period IMO.

Mithchell: First year Starter
Crompton: First year Starter
Willy: First year Starter
Burris: Expansion Team
Lefevour/Collaros/Massoli: First year starters
Reilly: Second year starter

Leaves Durant and Glenn, there isn't much experience at the position and it shows on the scoreboard.

This is NOT a hack job by the Sun. It is the truth. I love the CFL but even I have turned to Dateline and Blue Jay games more times than not. This season has been awful from an entertainment point of view. Too many penalties. Too many 2 and outs. Too many field goals. I just pray it is an off year.

What Edmonton did to Toronto was a “defensive slug fest”.

What most of the games have been is inept offense. There’s a difference.

But hey, at least he didn’t mention the massive increase in penalties?

Not sure why every article that isn't written with rose colored glasses is ridiculed and called anti CFL .Pretending otherwise is foolish. I don't agree with this particular article, I don't mind low scoring defensive games. Better then seeing a receiver 10 yards clear of any defender and scoring at will. That makes the CFL , look a lot worse than a 13 10 slugfest .

Completely agree. I’ve seen people complain about high scoring games looking too much like Arenaball. :roll:

I wonder about how closely the people who make those complaints actually watch (if at all). And just because a game is high-scoring doesn’t mean it isn’t sloppy. It can be the result of multiple turnovers, blown coverages, etc.

I stand by my comments.

1 - Paul Friesen has always been a hack. All he does is bash with very little basis in facts. He's one of those ego douchebags who thinks he can write someone fired (just like Rob Vanstone and Tony Gallagher have tried to do in the past). Several Winnipeg fans that I have talked to will back me up on this.

2 - Like I said before, he has ONE criteria for excitement: scoring. Several of you cite more than one which gives you more credibility than Paul (that's not saying much). But Paul only cites ONE. That is hack journalism.

3 - The irony is that he's from Winnipeg and the Bombers have been the most exciting team in the league. I guess he doesn't even watch his own team.

4 - Like I also said above, there was some excessively poor play in the first month of the season, I admitted that. But we've had some real cliff hangers and big plays the past few weeks. This week alone the entertainment value was awesome. Edmonton with a ton of big plays runs up a huge lead only for the Argos to claw back in the second half (and if points are you thing 68 of them for ya). Als/Bombers was super intense, back and forth, turnovers, big hits, an amazing crowd and atmosphere, no one snoozing there. Sask/BC was total war with wild special teams play and some top notch defense, a trick play for the winning score. Only Stamps/Ottawa didn't bring much hype but at least it was close until the last 10 minutes. What more do you want? This isn't the movies or WWE, it's unscripted sports. Get real.

I agree that whenever there's a negative news story people scream 'hack', this time it just happens to be true. Friesen has to moan and roll his eyes to try to look cool because that's all he's got.

Boring? Maybe it's because I'm a Ticats fan, and my team has played in a lot of close games this year, but I haven't watched many games this year that I would call boring. I would much rather watch a 10-7 slugfest with the defences playing their best, preventing either offence from getting much traction, than a 53-6 rout where one team is totally dominant, scoring at will and preventing the other team from even getting a first down. (Unless, perhaps, the dominant team happened to be my Ticats. Even then, I don't know.) Maybe a few too many flags, but all in all, I've been entertained - even when watching games not involving my team.

I guess it depends on what you want from a sport. If all you want to see is a lot of scoring, I suggest watching basketball. Or darts. Maybe bowling.

Go watch the NBA.

I realize that many don’t like to acknowledge Toronto generally, but you did leave out one QB, and he’s not a first year starter/second year starter/expansion team member.

And he leads the CFL in passing yards btw.

Don’t shoot the messenger.

What Friesen wrote:

“But I’m hearing the same complaint more and more often, and for good reason”

Fact. We’ve seen many folks in this forum making that very complaint.

“scoring is at a 29-year-low.”

Fact.

“On average, teams have combined for 45.8 points per game, down nearly a full touchdown per game from last year.
If this keeps up it’ll be the first time since 1985 scoring has dropped below 46 points per game.”

Fact.

“Where it used to be commonplace to see one team hit 40 points, this year it’s become common to see teams struggle to reach 10 — it’s happened 10 times already this season.”

Fact.

“The expansion RedBlacks have sputtered to single-digit point totals the last two weeks. . . Five other teams have taken turns crapping the bed offensively, the woeful Montreal Alouettes doing it three times.”

Fact.

“passing output (484.5 yards per game) and net offence (648.1 yards) being on pace for 34-year lows.”

Fact.

So; to you, does pointing out facts make a sportswriter a “hack” ??

Friesen can’t write and you can’t read. I said: scoring is NOT the only factor in excitement. If he does not understand this, he does not understand football. If you don;t understand football why are you paid to write it? It’s garbage journalism.

Scoring is HARDLY the only factor in good football. Let’s go back to the early 90s, the WORST era of the CFL ever. Several QBs over 6000 yards. Sacramento threw for nearly 6000 yards in 1993 and we’re 5-13. Scoring was WAY up. It was ridiculous. Toronto won back to back games scoring 168 points in 1990. It was horrible football.

Friesen has nothing but quoting scoring stats, he makes a living penning a negative know-it-all ego attitude with almost no research behind it. Wow, he dug up scoring numbers for the past 40 years, 20 minutes on google and calls it a story. It’s shit journalism. He wants points he can watch the NBA. I’m dead serious. We had 3 nailbiter games full of big plays this week. If those 3 games bored you, then you better get your as to emergency and get resuscitated.