2016 CFL Thread

[Blitz]

Hazelton I believe has been a healthy scratch this year and has been shopped around with no takers. Gurley was benched for a game last year with the reason being publicly stated by Milanovich as an attitude issue.
This year the best receivers for Toronto have been Shaw and Spencer; I also have been surprised and disappointed in the play of the "Big 3". The example of how not to deal with various bad attitudes has been shown by Montreal for all to see. I wouldn't be surprised if Barker and Milanovich thought we can't go down that same hole.

None of the "Big 3" have played a full slate of games.

Gurley - played 9 of 13. 36 for 509 and 5 TDs. Ranks #28 in the CFL in receiving yardage.
Hazleton - played 8 of 13. 27 for 361 and 3 TDs. Ranks #37 in the CFL in receiving yardage.
Elliott - played 8 of 13. 23 for 294 and 2 TDs. Ranks #43 in the CFL in receiving yardage.

Also all 3 are under 60% in terms of completions per targets.

Perhaps they needed to go. But Milanovich has dropped 4 players now that he went into this season with, stating high expectations for success.

Milanovich is feeling the heat. Its a good distraction and pins the blame on players. So where was the discipline. He had one of his receivers in his face when they played the Argos.

Milanovich has also not met expectations as a HC in Toronto. He managed to win a Grey Cup in 2012 and its been downhill since then.

[Blitz]

Milanovich was coming under the hot seat in Toronto three games ago. So I was not surprised that he would cut another another player, like he did Raymond.

The Toronto Star wrote an article about the 'crisis of confidence' that Milanovich was experiencing about 3 weeks ago. Excerpts are posted below.

But cutting three receivers was a surprise. Milanovich had worked with all three last year, so he should have known their character and their talent coming into this season.

Milanovich on Coaching Hot Seat

Scott Milanovich suddenly finds himself on the coaching hot seat, an offensive mind who has been too defensive, at times predictable and out of nowhere too indecisive.
 
Milanovich and GM Jim Barker are 10 games into the first year of a three-year deal and, while both are very savvy football people, engaging and accessible, it’s time both began to rethink how this team was put together and how this unit approaches each game from a philosophical angle.

Arm chair quarterbacks are up and arms in the wake of Monday’s debacle, Milanovich not throwing challenging flags on plays that looked like the Argos would have been rewarded from video review.

Things are looking bleak for the Argos and don’t be surprised, barring some major roster moves, if the team fails to qualify for the post-season, which will make it two non-playoff seasons in three years.

All of a sudden, coaching is officially under the microscope as Milovich faces a crisis of confidence.

[squishy35]

Gurley has officially signed in Winnipeg for the rest of this season and for next season if he doesn't make an NFL roster.

http://www.tsn.ca/blue-bombers-sign-for ... y-1.580615

[B.C.FAN]

According to Drew Edwards, Hamilton has agreed to terms with Elliott, so the big 3 have all quickly landed with other CFL teams.

Ticats have agreed to terms with former Argo receiver Kevin Elliott

[CardiacKid]

Hazelton I believe has been a healthy scratch this year and has been shopped around with no takers. Gurley was benched for a game last year with the reason being publicly stated by Milanovich as an attitude issue.
This year the best receivers for Toronto have been Shaw and Spencer; I also have been surprised and disappointed in the play of the "Big 3". The example of how not to deal with various bad attitudes has been shown by Montreal for all to see. I wouldn't be surprised if Barker and Milanovich thought we can't go down that same hole.

None of the "Big 3" have played a full slate of games.

Gurley - played 9 of 13. 36 for 509 and 5 TDs. Ranks #28 in the CFL in receiving yardage.
Hazleton - played 8 of 13. 27 for 361 and 3 TDs. Ranks #37 in the CFL in receiving yardage.
Elliott - played 8 of 13. 23 for 294 and 2 TDs. Ranks #43 in the CFL in receiving yardage.

Also all 3 are under 60% in terms of completions per targets.

Perhaps they needed to go. But Milanovich has dropped 4 players now that he went into this season with, stating high expectations for success.

Milanovich is feeling the heat. Its a good distraction and pins the blame on players. So where was the discipline. He had one of his receivers in his face when they played the Argos.

Milanovich has also not met expectations as a HC in Toronto. He managed to win a Grey Cup in 2012 and its been downhill since then.

I think Milanovich has done surprising well when you consider all the hurdles the team faced out of the public eye the last couple of years. Problems with not having equitable access to home field, not even having a proper home field at all but instead playing home games in Fort McMurray, Hamilton and Ottawa for a significant chunk of time, not even having a decent practice facility and other really problematic issues I think would have spelt the end of other coaches either by attrition or capitulation. He even had to deal with a player revolt prior to the Braley sale. Those are all things that other CFL coaches have not needed to face, certainly nowhere near that degree.

Yes, this year has been disappointing to the club. I think a fair number of people had reasonable expectations for the Argos to be challenging for first in the East and playing above .500. But when you take into account how well the team has done under very trying circumstances during his leadership in previous years, IMO Milanovich is due some props.

[TheLionKing]

Riders win their third straight with a 32-30 victory over the RedBlacks. Smilin Hank came off the bench to rally the RedBlacks, tying the game with 20 seconds left on the clock sending it into overtime. Chris Milo missed a field goal that went for a single. Saskatchewan's Tyler Crapigna was successful on his field goal attempt giving them the win. Now if Montreal loses...........

[DanoT]

Riders win their third straight with a 32-30 victory over the RedBlacks. Smilin Hank came off the bench to rally the RedBlacks, tying the game with 20 seconds left on the clock sending it into overtime. Chris Milo missed a field goal that went for a single. Saskatchewan's Tyler Crapigna was successful on his field goal attempt giving them the win. Now if Montreal loses...........

We also have to worry about the Argos winning the race to last place.

If two teams end up tied for last place, how do they determine which team gets the first draft pick?

[CardiacKid]

Riders win their third straight with a 32-30 victory over the RedBlacks. Smilin Hank came off the bench to rally the RedBlacks, tying the game with 20 seconds left on the clock sending it into overtime. Chris Milo missed a field goal that went for a single. Saskatchewan's Tyler Crapigna was successful on his field goal attempt giving them the win. Now if Montreal loses...........

We also have to worry about the Argos winning the race to last place.

If two teams end up tied for last place, how do they determine which team gets the first draft pick?

Here's my criteria....give it to the team not called Roughriders. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy....

[Blitz]

Montreal lost to the Eskimos today. It was close at half time but the Esks walked away with it in the second half.

I watched Chap's scheme and it looked good. But there are so many head cases on the Montreal offence that something needs to be done. Duron Carter is a complete head case...sulking, even on the playing field, whining, complaining, arguing on the sidelines. Rakeem Cato is not much different. He doesn't listen (they were miked up), he is volatile and way too emotional to play the quarterback position. Kenny Stafford is almost as bad.

Popp should not have been the Head Coach but any coach would have major headaches with these players. Chap was calm when communicating with them but these players are so volatile that they are on the planet Pluto.

Montreal needs to get rid of some of them. I would trade or dump Carter, no matter how talented he is. Stafford would be gone. Cato would be on the bench and Adams starting if it was me coaching them the next game.

Carter is incredibly talented. His dad was an all-pro receiver. But this was a scouting report on Carter:

Four years, four colleges, nine games total, and no more than a season at each institution.
A failed tryout with his dad’s team in 2013.
Coaches and teammates testifying that Carter lacked a work ethic.
Four years, four colleges, nine games total, and no more than a season at each institution.

So, even though he is intellligent, he is incredibly immature. He skipped classes at Ohio State and turned in late assignments in junior college and failed drug tests at Alabama. He blew his NFL chances and was fortunate to get a chance in the CFL.

The star witness for the prosecution has to be former Coffeyville Community College quarterback Cayden Cochran, who according to USA Today’s Mike Garafolo tweeted the following statement about Carter in February 2013: “The team that drafts Duron Carter will get the most lazy, whiny & non-work ethic player the nfl has ever seen. I played w/him. Horrible person & will be a complete cancer to any team on the board.”

The star witness for the prosecution has to be former Coffeyville Community College quarterback Cayden Cochran, who according to USA Today’s Mike Garafolo tweeted the following statement about Carter in February 2013: “The team that drafts Duron Carter will get the most lazy, whiny & non-work ethic player the nfl has ever seen. I played w/him. Horrible person & will be a complete cancer to any team on the board.”

There needs to be a major chemistry change with this team and its only offensive players who are creating the problems. I felt sorry for Chap today. When your quarterback and key receivers don't even come close to being professional on the field, and appear that they need intense psychotherapy, rather than playing football, there are big challenges that are difficult to overcome.

Get some new players in there on offence and finish the season at least with some positive, professionals.

[TheLionKing]

http://www.tsn.ca/ticats-acquire-capicc ... r-1.582557

[TheLionKing]

http://www.tsn.ca/esks-maas-fined-for-r ... s-1.583982

[B.C.FAN]

http://www.tsn.ca/esks-maas-fined-for-r ... s-1.583982

I love this move by Orridge to slap the arrogant Eskimos down and remind them that TSN money drives this league, like it or not.

"The failure of Edmonton Eskimos Head Coach Jason Maas to wear a live microphone during his club’s game last Monday, October 10 was a direct contravention of a directive from this league’s Board of Governors, a motion that was supported by all nine clubs,
It was unfair to our fans, who had been promised a live mic game, to our broadcast partner, who had advertised a live mic game, and to the other clubs in the league who had abided by the Board’s directive to participate in live mic games. It was totally unacceptable. The Eskimos organization acknowledges this and has apologized. Still, it has a responsibility to ensure its employees do not see themselves as above the league and what its Governors deem to be in the best long term interests of the league. For this reason, I am fining the Eskimos organization $20,000.

It is also important that Coach Maas be held personally accountable. I am fining him $15,000. The fact that Coach Maas has expressed no remorse whatsoever for what appears to be a unilateral and planned act of defiance is particularly disappointing. I want to send a clear signal that this cannot happen again.

I was hoping the league would levy a significant fine against the Eskimos and Maas, and these fines live up to my hopes. They should be enough to serve as a deterrent to Maas or anyone else who defies a league directive. If the league wanted to go further, it could order Maas and Eskimo players to wear lives mics at another game this year.

[Alputt]

http://www.tsn.ca/esks-maas-fined-for-r ... s-1.583982

I love this move by Orridge to slap the arrogant Eskimos down and remind them that TSN money drives this league, like it or not.

"The failure of Edmonton Eskimos Head Coach Jason Maas to wear a live microphone during his club’s game last Monday, October 10 was a direct contravention of a directive from this league’s Board of Governors, a motion that was supported by all nine clubs,
It was unfair to our fans, who had been promised a live mic game, to our broadcast partner, who had advertised a live mic game, and to the other clubs in the league who had abided by the Board’s directive to participate in live mic games. It was totally unacceptable. The Eskimos organization acknowledges this and has apologized. Still, it has a responsibility to ensure its employees do not see themselves as above the league and what its Governors deem to be in the best long term interests of the league. For this reason, I am fining the Eskimos organization $20,000.

It is also important that Coach Maas be held personally accountable. I am fining him $15,000. The fact that Coach Maas has expressed no remorse whatsoever for what appears to be a unilateral and planned act of defiance is particularly disappointing. I want to send a clear signal that this cannot happen again.

I was hoping the league would levy a significant fine against the Eskimos and Maas, and these fines live up to my hopes. They should be enough to serve as a deterrent to Maas or anyone else who defies a league directive. If the league wanted to go further, it could order Maas and Eskimo players to wear lives mics at another game this year.

I was really disappointed to see the interview prior to the game where Reilly and Maas "explained" why they declined the mics... You think other players and coaches don't deal with heightened emotions during games, or see it as a minor distraction? Pleased to see there is some discipline it was a head shaker to me at the time.

[Alputt]

Quite the battle going on back east between Ottawa and Hamilton. Entertaining game, but time to head down to BC Place!

Seems like the storm has cleared or at least we are in the eye of it... See you at the game! Roar!

[maxlion]

Quite the battle going on back east between Ottawa and Hamilton. Entertaining game, but time to he ad down to BC Place!

Seems like the storm has cleared or at least we are in the eye of it... See you at the game! Roar!

More controversy on a fumble, very similar to last week. Took an easy way out and ruled an incomplete pass on what appeared to be a clear reception and fumble. Wonder how they'll spin this.