whoever's idea it was to show,not preview the u.s college bowl games on the cfl site needs to re-evaluate their ideas. they are pointless and i'm not sure anyone cares that marwan hage played college ball at colorado. i mean, if you were actually previewing the game maybe, but if i want a marwan hage bio, i could just click on the ticats site or google the guy.i'm sure you're probably just trying to fill space until the new year but this is not a creative way at all. next idea please.
That's one way to look at it. I like to remind college zealots that a number of the players they cheer for, especially around this time of year, are future CFL stars.
I just wish the league would publish all the teams neg lists. Heck each team knows who is on which list. When Tillman released the Riders list to the Riderville forum he got chastized by the league, yet it seems ok that somehow a sports writer got a list of QB's on the neg list of all the teams.
If we had the neg list, then at lease watching US college ball might be more relevant for fans.
I agree. Wally Bouno tried to explain why they keep the neg list secret...if I understood him correctly, he said if a player on their list demands a contract offer, the CFL team has to put forth a contract offer in 48 hours (?) or said player becomes a free agent. Doesn't make sense to me. If that player isn't needed at that particular time , a minimum salary offer would in most cases have the player reject it. So IMO he could still be kept on the neg list.
I still think its an unfair system. Keeping import players from knowing who holds their rights and loading up on players in a few position which does not help any parity in the league.
One team might have 12 QB's or Rush Ends on their list, and there is no way they could use all of them. But it keeps these players out of the hands of other teams (unless they give up a #1 draft choice) which penalizes the player and the league.
I think the B of G should wake up to this fact and put a limit of 5 players per position.
And, oh yes, publish the neg list monthly on CFL.ca.
Considering half the CFL players are Americans, the league should have a draft of U.S. players just like the NFL does. Then this mysterious "neg list" would be replaced by this formal draft like most other professional leagues.
It could be done via a conference call and wouldn't cost that much. This would generate much publicity for the league. Perhaps at first U.S. players might laugh at being drafted by the CFL. But in time it could elevate the stature of the CFL in the U.S. from "nowhere" with current the neg lists, to becoming a true professional alternative for mid-round NFL prospects.
I still think the neg list is best for the CFL teams as they can drop players off their list that won't be available.
Most teams with their NFL contacts have a pretty good idea which players will be cut loose each August and September. These are the players the CFL teams zero in on, or at least the ones that are the CFL type.
Sometimes they have to keep a player on their list for 3 or 4 years until that player gets the NFL dream out of his system.
But I still think the teams should publish their list on their official sites along with their rosters. If Eric Tillman can do it, and the sky didn't fall, all the teams can.