Happen to spend the last few days in Montreal and was a sports bar chatting with a few locals. I asked a few people if they attend any Als games. One guy said he did but he's been watchings Calvillo, Burris, Ray, Glenn, and Joseph for the last 10 years and that nothing has changed expect they are older and slower! Another guy jumped into the conversation and said the CFL has become stale to many people who 1st started watching the ALs when they came back into the league. He said same 8 teams which if your Mtl you play Hamilton 4 times a year and the same quarterbacks for the last 10 years. He said the CFL is so behind finding innovation ways to attract new fans, he said just walk around Montreal and see how many young kids wear ALs gear (0). I must agree that it would be refreshing to see some new young talent at quarterback in this league with a few more teams to make things at little more interesting
2-3 additional teams in the league will likely help stimulate interest, and decrease the mundane repetitiveness.
When that could happen, is anybody’s guess.
what are they gonna do? put in a young QB just to appease people but then suck in the meantime?
you cant do everything the fans want. some are just too hard to please.
One of the problems I find with the NFL/MLB/NHL that there are too many teams, making it really hard to keep track and follow the players. 30+ teams is too many. I think around 14-17 would be perfect!
So, the CFL is getting slammed for having too much player turnover, but also for not having enough player turnover?
Whatever. :lol:
Lulay. Durant. Tate. That's three good QBs who were not around five years ago. Almost 40 per cent of the starting QBs. Complaining that a bunch of old QBs are making it boring makes about as much sense as complaining that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are still kicking around the NFL.
There was a gap there around the turn of the Century where the Arena Football League became a better option not just for QBs but other players also. The US expansion put the CFL in financial distress at the same time the Kurt Warner syndrome was hitting. Early in tis century the AFL was paying out decent salaries especially at QB. So many good QBs were staying stateside and making 150K plus salaries. The AFL did begin starting there season in February instead of the spring and some QBs were attempting to juggle both.
When the AFL locked out its players in 2009 it came back essentailly as the AF2 and the 450 dollar a week came with it. Better QBs began looking to the CFL who ironically began to show financial stability as well as regular National coverage of games in the US on the NFL Network.
You can see the differnece in talent level of young QB who stated coming North around that 2009 season.
Lulay and Durant are both starters and have both led there teams to the Grey cup. Drew Tate also has stepped up into a quility starter but injury has delayed his season.
The next level of QBs newer to the CFL will begin taking over some starting jobs. Elliot in Winnipeg is beginning to take over although his team is in dismay he has looked good since his rookie year 2010 had some injuries last year but appears to be ready in his third season.
Joe Reilly and Drew Willy also are quality QBs as young #2 QBs as well as true rookie Bo Levi Mitchel in Calgary.
Willy in his 4th pro season was the #3 qb last season in san diego and a back up in 2010 in the UFL when the league was strong with players has cosen to come to the CFL even though he still had NFL options.
Bo Levi Mitchell a true rookie right out of 1AA after transferring down from the 1A level to play. After the NFL draft he used the same philosphy did not wait for NFL Rookie free agent offers he went right to the CFL.
Then there is McPherson in Montreal who is ready but Calvillo just keeps on going. He may find his way to Edmonton if Calvillo continues.
The next level of QBs that are a few years away still are Canadian Brad Sinopoli who lost his spot to Mitchell but was the first call back when tate went down so he just needs seasoning. Trevor Harris a NCAA DII player has used the Arena Leagur to hone his skills and took the Argos camp by storm in his 3rd season of pro football and 1st in the CFL is on that next level with Sinoplpli that will be loking to take the step up to a #2 spot. Jerimiah Mosoli was shunned by the NFL due to discipline probelms in college started for Oregon and then Old Miss in his JR and SR seasons. He chose to play his rookie season in 2011 in the UFL but Edmonton has been in contact with him since graduation and they got him now. He is basically sitting this season out on the IR but look for him to be on the Esks roster next season as they are going a different route at QB for this season experienced QBs over possibly young talented QBs.
Nichols in Edmonton a 1AA player and Goltz in Winnipeg a DIII player have been working there way onto rosters as #3' hoping to get that break to #2 spot.
The difference between these QBs and some of the other busts seen early in the 2000's is that they want to be in the CFL and are not here because they failed in the NFL. They came to the CFL already with knowledge of the CFL and familiar as they saw it as an option when they were still in college.
The names to look out for very soon possibly
Elliot WIN is stepping in now with teamate Alex Brink behind him
MCPherson is a head above all other back ups
Reilly BC and Willy RR are probably the best two prospects to take over sooner than later and even Mitchell is right behin them although only a true rookie he has the talent.
Masoli lots of talent will be involved somewhere next season
Sinopoli and Trvor Harris getting up to speed to the pro game coming from CIS and DII
Goltz and Nichols seem solid but may not ever become a top tier starter.
I think the future of CFL QBs is looking very good at several different levels for the first time in awhile. There will be more success stories from this group than the Duds that have pre ceeded them in the first decade of the century
Ottawa situation seems to be finally resolved. It is amazing what a few people can do to hold up something so big it would have really been a grande season if Ottawa were able to come back this year as originally planned but 2014 seems pretty solid. That will open the door for a young new QB and also take care of some of the mundane as there will be no more 4 game series between teams that is kind ridiculous.
The ALs will again have a rival for labor day at least but with only 9 teams that would leave BC with an annual bye week every labor day. The expansion draft is set up to make Ottawa competative right away and it also will be able to draft two of the leagues top young back ups. As many Canadian players do they tend to come home and play for the team in the Area in which they are from when they get a chance. For the first time in a long long time a QB, Brad Sinopoli, would have a chance to arrive on the Ottawa roster which will be big news for Ottawa and he would bring with him a alumni and fan base from the Ottawa gee gees who also will be calling the new Landsdowne park home.
Team #10 will ultimetely be the key and Halifax will ultimetely be the place. The CFL has been hand cuffed in waiting for the Ottawa situation and can now move full force forward doing everything it can to get a team and stadium in place. There are still those who do not see it happening but expansion to 10 teams will be financially good for the entire league and TSN so the backing will be there. The stadium project finally made it to the table in Halifax and although it has been shelved for now there is still 20 million dollars that has been offered by Halifax to get things going. The other big factor is Scotia Bank. Being one of the CFL's largest sponsors will be interested in getting naming rights to the new venue since they are based out of Nova Scotia having a team where your biggest sponsor is from would make sense.
TSN will relish having an East vs West Labor Day rival between Halifax and BC.
Will be super Headlines as the AUS does not start its college football weekend until after Labor Day weekend so a Saturday night game in Halifax would fit nicely into the labor day weekend rivalries. Montreal and Ottawa friday night, BC at Halifax Sat night followed by the long traditional rivalries sun in Regina followed by the monday double header in Hamilton and Calgary. This will be a great story for TSN and the CFL as they follow the teams all week for the cross country rematch scheduled for that next saturday night would fit perfect.
Durant, Tate and the MOP Lulay.
Saint Mary’s Huskies also still have an outside shot at getting involved and Huskie stadium is falling to pieces. It is doubtful that the Stadium would be on Saint Mary’s campus do to access and parking but they are alotting money for refurbishing Old Huskies stadium but their is a possibility that playing off campus as U of Regina and the Calgary Dinos do. Ottawa Gee Gees will again be using the stadium in Landsdowne Park as their home field only now they will have a new stadium with all the perks of Luxury suites for Alumni. Perhaps Saint Mary’s would be interested in doing the same and instead of sinking money into an out dated Huskie Stadium may contribute with a fee each season to play their games at the new Stadium with all the Amenities whiles also making it an attractive site to host the Loney bowl each season as well as one of the CIS semi final games in which they would have a home field advantage.
Scotia Bank and the CFL have the resources to pull all this together.
We got a good look today at the next generation of CFL QBs. Willy and Elliot both played poised, made good decisions, and have the talent and ability to play pro football in Canada. Even yesterday the BC Lions were able to get Reilly in a little bit earlier than mop up time to run the offense and if you put #14 on his back it would have been hard to tell the difference between him and Lalay.