Time to consider replacement players and a shortened season?

I believe if the CFLPA sticks to its "revenue-sharing" mantra and is willing to disrupt the opening of the regular season, the league may have no option but to sign replacement players and start the season without the union.

We know the 9 CFL teams would have no trouble finding 36 new players who are willing to play football for money. There will also be some current CFLPA players who will cross the picket line and rejoin their teams. I'd suggest smaller rosters of perhaps 36 with a standard salary of $50,000, for example. Veteran players who crossed the picket line would be paid their full salary.

The NFL used replacement players in 1985 and a surprising number of veterans crossed the picket lines. As I remember the football was pretty good (although not up to XFL standards :wink: ).

The problem is there isn't the talent pool to stock each team with replacement non-import players, so the import quota would probably have to be moth-balled for this season. The best player willing to play should get the opportunity, regardless of nationality.

The pressure from CFLPA players wanting to cross the picket line and the opening up of rosters to All-American players, would put the tremendous squeeze on the union from both imports and non-imports. So much so, they'd likely be better off blowing it up and starting over.

For what? The right to link the player's salaries to a bunch of small businesses, the majority of which barely break-even or lose money...and survive mainly through the generosity and sense of duty by their owners?

Perhaps the players should be paid a variable percentage of revenues, ensuring the businesses returned a minimum 5% profit margin? When revenues go up, salaries could go up, as long as the owner made his 5% return on investment.

The CFLPA would be smarter to accept be best maximum and minimum Cap they can negotiate, along with increased training camp and post-season remuneration, increased minimum salaries, increased practice squad salaries, increased pension, etc, which have all been proposed by the owners.

In 5 or 10 years, the league might be strong and profitable enough to re-visit the revenue sharing idea. At this time, the players need to play and the season needs to start as scheduled. Anything less and the pie will only get smaller. :expressionless:

They're almost certainly better off having no football compared to watered down replacement player football, in the long term. If the product suffers, TSN will be furious and the fans will not want to pay full price.

If a couple of games get missed, it'll put the fear of god into everybody and a deal will get done. Now that the league is starting to make a serious offer (rather than the slap in the face they were offering before), I really can't see the CFLPA being willing to wipe out a season.

X2. Replacements would be a choice of 2nd tier crap CIS players or Americans who would have no idea about the rules. The product on the field would be unwatchable.

There won’t be any replacements. TSN is not interested, Fans aren’t paying 100.00 a ticket to see that and Quebec law makes it illegal. So I guess you guys can buy the DVD in the 5.00 bin.

There was some question about whether the Quebec law applied during that in the NHL lockout as the NLPA was not a Quebec based labour union, it just represents some players in Quebec.

But bringing ion “replacement players” to open training camps might be a tactic to pressure the union.

The Player's deserve a decent agreement, replace them with WHO? the CFL develops and finds the U.S. talent either missed by the NFL, or the Canadians the NFL assumes its to good for!

Fact is , this is all great publicity for the league! :rockin:

Cohon and Copeland both stated yesterday that it is illegal for a Quebec business to use scabs. They can’t do it.
They also said it is their legal right to lock players out , which I expect is what they will do when they see players arent’ showing up at camp.

OK, I'm hearing the replacement league may be problematic, but they could still field decent teams if that were an option. The important thing is for the player's union to come to their senses and not damage the league with games being cancelled.

Here are some potential starting QB's for the replacement league, retired and available players who might have some connection to their teams (assuming they would cross the picket line:)

Alouettes - Tim Tebow
Argos - Rex Grossman
Tiger-Cats - Quentin Porter
Redblacks - Kerry Joseph

Blue Bombers - Buck Pierce
Roughriders - Michael Bishop
Stampeders - Vince Young
Eskimos - Jarious Jackson
Lions - Joey Elliot

:wink:

That list would be pretty excellent for fans of the running game. :stuck_out_tongue:

In this theoretical scenario, they would be throwing against weaker defences, so who knows.

I think the more frightening scenario is that the owners might make us watch soccer.

[url=http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/3412498-ticats-involved-in-early-days-of-new-vision-for-canadian-soccer/]http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/341 ... an-soccer/[/url]

Although seriously, I wouldn't mind seeing Canada get it's own soccer league and would give it an honest shot to watch if the Cats owned the team. If CFL owners want to help build a leauge (even if it's their own version of Lacrosse for their stadiums) good on them.

Yeah let’s give them another excuse why they can’t give a fair raise their football players. :lol:

never in my life did I earn the equivalent of 40,000 today. I worked my butt off usually for less that twice minimum wage, all the time wishing I could play in the CFL for room and board. These guys should considered themselves fortunate to have the CFL to play in and to get the wages and benefits they get. Lets see these guys try to get the same money to play anywhere else. If I was young enough and tough enough, I would be thrilled at the idea of being a replacement player, and damn proud of it.

All I've got to say is Good Luck trying to find 200+ pro calibre replacement Canadians who would be willing to cross a picket line,200+ import players maybe but quality Cdn players forget about it.The American players are a dime a dozen and easy to find as the talent pool is vast and deep and plentiful,not so much with the Canadian player who still has to live here after the strike is over. IMO Huge,Huge mistake on the league's credibility to ever let it come down to this scenario.Nope!!! Scab ball is definetly not the answer and hopefully won't ever be considered in this dispute :thdn: :oops:

No worries Bobo. TSN is not paying teams close to 5 million each a year to field a bunch of amateurs who don’t know the rules, fumble around. Costs 75k to buy a box in Montreal for 10 games, that’s 7500.00 a game. You can’t charge for Steak and serve dog food and get away with it. Was looking at the team’s front ends most have 50 to 75 full time employees that they’ve just paid for the last six months with borrowed money (season ticket sales)… Players haven’t got paid in six months. I’m not overly worried. Likely will have a shortened season but they will come together at some point.

But if they played with replacement players then the union rules wouldn’t apply and the league could play with all import players? Wouldn’t it be funny with the non-import, less talented players out of the way, that we would see superior football. It would be ironic to see the Argos with better attendance when the less talented non-imports out of the way.

Wouldn't it be funny with the non-import, less talented players out of the way, that we would see superior football.
What a stupid thing to say and I can guarantee you that attendance will not be up using just imports. The Canadian Football League has a proactive mandate to hire Canadians which helps develop the sport and allows our own to have a chance to earn money in their country after college. Many countries in the world have similar import rules for this very reason. Anyone who doesn't understand this is dumb.

That being said, I do blame the players if it’s a strike and the ones running the CFLPA are mainly Canadians and I won’t forget that.

University football in Canada is much better than it was and the Canadians playing in the CFL whether from Canadian or American universities are all all-stars or close to that. Very talented. Not worth it to get rid of the import rule even if it mean’t that the talent level in the league would go up a little bit and that’s all it would go up, a very little bit. Then no meaningful Canadian draft, I’m outta here at that point, call it the Fly In From the US Football League, no thanks.

Yeah OK :roll: get back to me,when you come down off of your buzz from smoking the “crack”. You obviously missed my entire point in this post if you think that the league would be able to exclusively employ Americans over Canadians and that this would improve the Argos attendance.I’m just guessing here,but you’re a blonde right ??? :roll: and maybe perhaps a big Bon Jovi fan as well :stuck_out_tongue: Nice try Troll !!! “CFLGAL” ??? more like “NFLWANTABEGAL” :twisted: :stuck_out_tongue: :thdn:

Should change your handle to Americanhoe

All import players, none of whom have CFL experience and thus don’t know the rules.

I can’t wait for there to be 50 penalties for procedure and lining up offside per game. Must see TV!

This thing won’t go past a couple of games, no scabs needed. The owners have to pay for those stadiums, and the players have to pay the rent. Once everyone’s had a good scare, a deal will get done.