Jesse Palmer's comments about the CFL

lol i dont think many americans know that we canadians are the ones that actually invented football

the only reason your boring sport has better players is this.... your a much more populated country having more poeple to choose from, and much more money to throw at players

another is america doesnt have winter throughout its entire country as canada does... we are much more of a winter sporting country, which is why we always kick your arses at hockey day in and day out in any national league/age group.

Kenton Keith who now plays in the NFL was asked on his website how much difference the talent level was between the CfL and NFL and he said not much of a difference.

He also said he didn't notice the NFL game being any faster then the CFL game, as ge was told it was.

Overall the NFL does have the better average talent. Like overall the average NHL player is better then an average Euopean league player.

But to say like some that a cFL player has no talent? Just look at who's making the comment.

Agreed

And I think that the people who won't go to CFL games, especially in the southern Ontario market and Vancouver but really anywhere, saying it isn't the NFL, actually realize the CFL talent is excellent. But all they want is the "NFL product", if you will, more than the talent, they want the league and can only relate to the league and to the teams and how it is portrayed on TV. It's a shame but I really think that this is what it boils down to in a lot of cases where people won't give the CFL the time of day even though they know the talent deserves so. Unfortunately I'm not sure there is much you can do about that.

Yes we can do something, we are hundreds of thousands! It is very powerful if we use it the right way!

Actually, The Americans learned the game of rugby from the Canadians, which was invented in Europe. They only had room for a 100 yard field and thus used 11 players instead of 15. The history is quite interesting how both leagues/rules evolved on their own, seperately. However, before you get too proud, the Americans invented the forward pass, thus the game you call football today is known worldwide as American Football. :slight_smile:

Word. Like I said the only reason why the NFL is “better” is because of the $$$. The CFL is not a minor league, nor a farm system for the NFL. People fail to realize that financially speaking the NFL is the best league in the world, because of that they assume the CFL is a bush league.

Unfortunately, it is to some degree. Two years ago, the NFL pumped several million bucks ($4M, I believe)into some sort of “player development” arrangement with the CFL. I cannot substantiate this by providing a link since it’s been awhile since I read about it, but I’d bet that some of the posters here are familiar with what I’m referring to.

That said, you can’t compare apples and oranges and the CFL kicks @ss, in my humble American opinion, anyway.

Glad this came up I was talkig about this to a friend on the weekend When you watch a CFL game you watch a football game when you watch a NFL game your watching a tv show. Its all marketing you watch a NFL game its all the hype 30 cameras its all the biggest and the best of everything the money those networks throw around is huge. How good would sportsnet look going up against NBC ? Everything as far as media in this country compared to the US looks bush league and I would hope that they look at themselves and realise that. They always put the CFL down but if the CFL is bush so are they and there pathetic little anchorman jobs at the score or sportsnet. A small league cant compete with that.A small country cant compete with that and I for one am glad IAM A CANADIAN

Well, I for one am glad I’m an American, but who cares? Why “compete” with anyone? Why worry about money and hype and exposure, because along with it comes the eventual denigration of the game into a TV circus, just like you pointed out. Part of what appeals to me about the CFL is its comparatively small-time, hometown atmosphere. You’ve got players actually going into the stands to support cancer patients. The players themselves are way more accessable. Your ticket prices are still low. The parity between the eight teams is a huge plus. ETC, ETC…Why worry about how it stacks up against the NFL?

Love your football with pride, and let it go, and stop worrying about the dumb a$$holes who don’t “get it”.

I agree Hondo!

Saskabush??? That is what we from regina call Saskatoon.

edit

Your 100% right in this instance guy. So when an American team wins the cup(thats Stanley Cup for you Ohio retards) dont EVER forget what you just said, minus the affirmative action crap, but flip the nations!!!

Kel

Ummm…no, its not.

Its Saskatush!

Kel

Statik, you have some points I grant you that. But basically it boils down to me as:

Is the talent in the CFL of sufficient calibre to warrant what I pay for tickets to go the games? Answer = yes

Is the talent in the CFL of sufficient calibre to warrant I watch games on TV? Answer = yes

Will the NFL come in to all CFL cities and set up shop for teams? Answer = no (just maybe one in Toronto where there seems to me the money and will according to the media)

Talent can be argued this way or that way all the time but the main point to me is that the talent in the CFL, whether it is anywhere near the NFL or not, is good enough for me to get excited to watch it and follow it.

I agree Earl.

But I also think the money being offered south of the border isn’t the only determinent for keeping talent in the NFL.

Sometimes, the player just isn’t the right size (e.g., Charles Roberts, NCAA Div 1 all-time leading rusher with the Sacremento State Hornets), sometimes he just never got a chance to play (e.g., Michael Bishop,1998 Heisman Trophy runner-up for his 22-3 record with Kansas State, who was a back-up to Brett Favre (who has never missed a game in his career!) in 2001, or Jesse Lumsden, CIS record holder and 2005 East-West Shrine All-Star game standout, who probably would be with the Seahawks right now if they hadn’t of re-signed Shaun Alexander.

The fact is, there is a huge glut of US college players available for the NFL, but only a limited number of opportunities. Great players get missed or passed over all the time and end up here in Canada. That is why I think the talent level is comparable. And guys like Doug Flutie, Kenton Keith and Jesse Palmer think so too!!! :cowboy:

Yup high, I like the word comparable as you say, another way of saying while there could be and probably are differences in talent between the two leagues, is it a significant difference? I watch a lot of CFL and NFL games and I say the difference is not significant. But the Paul Godfrey's of this world, who also may agree with this, look at it as a marketing thing, where they feel they can fill a stadium easier with an NFL team and in the long run make more money, hence why he wants an NFL team for Toronto. Heck, I like the CFL better than the NFL but if I had a choice, give me an NFL team anyday in the NFL as I know I will make loads more money or should anyways given the current NFL model and TV contracts. It's more than talent why some people like Godfrey in this country want the NFL here. If you're in it for the money, like a marketeer like Godfrey is, it's a simple choice even with a huge up-front payout for an NFL team.

And I forgot to mention Robert Edwards, 1998 rookie all-star, rushing for 1,115 with the Patriots. He recieved the Pro Football Writers Association Halas Award for his comeback from his serious injury in 2002 after he restarted his career with the Dolphins...

I think there are a lot of ignorant people out there that don't have all the facts and only go by what a small percentage of ignorant and uneducated NFL fans or ANTI-CFL fans think. Instead of going and finding out for themselves, they'll believe what someone else says first.

GO SEE A GOD DAMN GAME FIRST!! BEFORE MAKING A JUDGEMENT BASED ON WHAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS SAID!!!!!!