Need to get rid of the NI rules

[b]dcmoses wrote: I don't think Wake and the rest left only for money, they left for the BIG show. Like or dislike the NFL that is where the talent is and any top athlete wants to compete against the best. Money is a part of it, but even if the CFL had the money to compete I don't see a flood of player north because the NFL and the Super Bowl is the top of the mountain for a pro player.[/b]
don't kid yourself. Money talks.

If CFL players made the same money as their NFL counterparts, there would most certainly be a much greater flood of players coming up north, especially NFL PR talent.

and if salaries in the CFL were markedly higher than the NFL, the influx to compete in Canada would likely exceed the interest to play in the U.S. regardless of the “BIG” show. (Superbowl)

Leave it alone.

Does that mean we can have “quality” players like the Jaquars, Browns and Raiders?

Canadian based players have grown up with Canadian football, which gives them a better understanding of the game.

What we need to occupy ourselves with is the development of minor and university football in Canada.

I agree with this, and will take it further…beyond Jr ball.

Most Canadians who get into playing football do not do so until high school. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule, but I am talking a significant majority. In the US people often start at 6. Compare it to hockey in Canada…same idea, which has for years given Canada a leg up in that sport. Now in the US there are a lot more players starting at younger ages in hockey, and just look how far they have come…they are perennial contenders now.

This equates to a decade of experience more for a lot of US players. By no means all, but a lot. Even if that is only ¼ of the guys going into high school ball, that 25% instantly elevates the newcomers, and that ratio is a lot higher in certain areas. In some regions, players are scouted for high schools, never mind the NCAA level.

Development of youth is where it all starts. Develop that and the CIS and Jrs will inevitably develop and create more high caliber players than it presently does…unfortunately, that might mean losing a higher number to the US.

Saying there are too few good enough Canadians is not the best argument when the reality is there are more CIS players getting NFL camp invites and there are more and more Canadians on NCAA squads. This would not be happening if there just weren’t enough good players. The coaching at the lower levels continues to improve and the talent pool has gotten better overall. You’ve got NIs becoming stars at positions that have typically been devoted to imports.

If anything, the CFL needs to allow teams to carry more NIs on the PR and give a few more players that extra time to develop. I think there are probably quite a few young guys out there that could be good CFL players but don’t get the opportunity because teams only have limited space to carry them and so opportunities become limited. Prior to this year, teams used to devote most of their PR spots to import players. A lot of veteran NIs then get recycled over and over into the backup spots because they’ve been around because teams know what they can get out of them in case of injury. There’s less time and ability to devote to developing a younger guy who needs some work.

True - and without Canadians in the CFL the motivation to sustain non-Pro football will diminish.

If people want to watch teams with perhaps one token Canadian the NFL already fills that space.

The fiscal realities will dictate that elimination of the non-import rule will increase the revolving-door of talent, lower player salaries due to unlimited import competition for jobs (import players via the CFLPA readily acknowledge this fact), and make the CFL into a pure farm-league for the NFL. The end result is NFL rules for the CFL and NFL teams in the biggest markets with the CFL a farm league in the rest of the current CFL cities.

I think the talent level is just fine in the CFL, thanks fer askin’.

If you think the talent level is inferior and this is your reason for being turned off of the CFL, then go back to your SEC and Big 10 and all that and watch Georgia or LSU or Ohio St or USC mismatch their best 2 or 3 guys on East Bum Hole Tech 68-0 and tell me how good the talent level is down there. :wink:

get back to me. We’ll do lunch.

those who want to get rid of the NI rules really don't understand the reason for it and how important it makes this game.

the best CFL teams have the best Canadian Talent.

if you eliminate the CFL ratio, you will destroy the CFL's heritage and tradition.

you can't just remove it because THOSE who aren't true CFL fans don't like it.

there's a good reason for it and IT WILL NEVER be removed.

Yes, lets remove a major component of what makes our league Canadian so we can get a couple extra US players so that everyone who wanted to see more US players in the league can then just complain that "Oh, well the rules should be just like the NFL and it only gets the crap players that don't make the NFL"

If you don't like the NI rule, and don't like supporting Canadian atheletes in the last truly Canadian league, then don't watch.

Those folks who don’t like the CFL because they don’t have the best players, aren’t going to watch the CFL if the ratio was removed anyways. They just make excuses. I have no problem with that. They can watch whatever they want to watch.

But if there were enough good Canadians out there we wouldn’t need the ratio. The idea behind the ratio was to get Canadians to play in the league, we guarantee them a spot because they aren’t good enough to win a spot based upon their talent.
Yes there are more Canadians on NCAA squads, these guys are good enough and probably could beat out an Import, but they don’t get a chance because of the ratio. The best Canadians are recruited out of high school and given scholarships to the NCAA, they are going to get better training, better coaching, more experience and will play with and against the best football players. The CIS players just don’t get that same experience.

I think it should be reduced not eliminated. Teams could still play the same amount of NIs they don’t have to reduce, what about an NI actually winning a job instead of being given the job because of a quota???

Is there a typo in this statement? Because it doesn’t make sense. If they’re Canadians (i.e. non-imports), and they’re good enough to beat out the imports, I’m thinking teams would be falling over each other trying to sign them. They would definitely not be at a disadvantage due to the import rule; teams would be paying them a premium.

Odds are, though, that those players will be drawn by the higher salaries in the NFL. Even PR salaries in the NFL are higher than rookie salaries up here.

Yeah it sounds backwards. A Canadian on an NCAA squad is still a non-import, and thus doesn’t have a problem. If he’s good, teams will be lining up to sign him.

Where you go to university doesn’t determine if you’re a non-import or not. The only thing it changes is that CIS players can be drafted earlier than NCAA players.