any merit to this idea, re canadian QBs

[Rammer]

Seems to me that the only Star calibre Canadian QB there has been is Russ Jackson?? It really is too bad there have not been any since as every other position has had many Canadian stars??

Well Palmer may have been an interesting NI QB to see in the CFL, but that never materialized early on to take advantage of.

[Blue In BC]

maybe they should allow for each team to add a 4th QB if Canadian, allowing for only 3 to be dressed per game. Also, perhaps, that 1 canadian qb should be exempt from the cap, but only if he is a 4th QB and paid under a certain amount

In other words, be allowed to add an extra player to the roster, without him counting against the cap, if he is a canadian QB, not paid too much, and there are 3 other QBs on the roster, regardless of which 3 QBs dress for each game.

This comes up every year.

Most teams have trouble getting the # 2 and # 3 QB's playing time. A number # 4 would get no time in practice or games aside from TC or exhibition games regardless of his nationality.

Most teams don't make money. Any player added is added to payroll whether you make him exempt or not.

Again I will ask you to name 8 NI QB's that could be added 1 to each team across the CFL.

Overall it's a bad business suggestion.

[KnowItAll]

maybe they should allow for each team to add a 4th QB if Canadian, allowing for only 3 to be dressed per game. Also, perhaps, that 1 canadian qb should be exempt from the cap, but only if he is a 4th QB and paid under a certain amount

In other words, be allowed to add an extra player to the roster, without him counting against the cap, if he is a canadian QB, not paid too much, and there are 3 other QBs on the roster, regardless of which 3 QBs dress for each game.

This comes up every year.

Most teams have trouble getting the # 2 and # 3 QB's playing time. A number # 4 would get no time in practice or games aside from TC or exhibition games regardless of his nationality.

Most teams don't make money. Any player added is added to payroll whether you make him exempt or not.

Again I will ask you to name 8 NI QB's that could be added 1 to each team across the CFL.

Overall it's a bad business suggestion.

you make good points. I have just 2 thoughts.

1. maybe a few canadian qbs who are not ready to challenge for number 2 or 3, might be content to spend a couple of yrs in the background, making minimum wage type money, attending practices and talk sessions, to learn and be in position to finally compete and earn number 2 or 3.

2. maybe a few teams would be interested enough and financially able to invest small amount of time and money to give it a shot, if it would not take away from any other aspect of the team

Just a thought in response to the comments from such as lancaster and dunigan regarding canadian QBs and where some are posting on some sites such things as possible mandatory canadian QB (which I am not in favor of), etc.

[No Ka Oi]

If a Canadian is good enough, he will play. Unfortunately, the way the league rosters are constructed if a team dresses a Canadian QB, he doesn't count towards the import/non-import ratio. I don't think there should be any special dispensation for teams signing Canadian QB's, other than they should count as a non-import on the roster, somehow.

[Blue In BC]

Another very import issue is the resources of the coaching staff. They are already stretched thin trying to coach the other QB's on the roster.

If the CFL had bigger rosters and more coaches it would be easier to get reps and practice time. You don't learn much on the sideline, otherwise NI QB's may as well watch games on TV.

The CFLPA wouldn't allow players to work for minimum wages and what makes anybody think a NI prospect is going to be willing to do that rather than go out and find a real job.

It's a complicated question but if a player is good enough, he's going to make a roster. Others have done it to varying degrees of success.

[KnowItAll]

I can only speak for myself.

As a soccer player in my youth, I was pretty good when I got together with the guys for a make up game. Also, when on a coached team and we did some "scrimmage" or free play, I would get compliments from the coach, but when it came to official play, I always seemed to end up on the bench cause I just hadnt got used to being coached like the other guys. I always beleived that with some extra good coaching, I could have been good.

As a football player, I would gladly have played for minimum wage, and if I wasnt deemed good enough already, I would have been convinced that I just needed some more coaching to get there. I would have done anything for anything to be even the smallest part of a team, for even the smallest chance to eventually play.

[Tighthead]

maybe they should allow for each team to add a 4th QB if Canadian, allowing for only 3 to be dressed per game. Also, perhaps, that 1 canadian qb should be exempt from the cap, but only if he is a 4th QB and paid under a certain amount

In other words, be allowed to add an extra player to the roster, without him counting against the cap, if he is a canadian QB, not paid too much, and there are 3 other QBs on the roster, regardless of which 3 QBs dress for each game.

This comes up every year.

Most teams have trouble getting the # 2 and # 3 QB's playing time. A number # 4 would get no time in practice or games aside from TC or exhibition games regardless of his nationality.

Most teams don't make money. Any player added is added to payroll whether you make him exempt or not.

Again I will ask you to name 8 NI QB's that could be added 1 to each team across the CFL.

Overall it's a bad business suggestion.

you make good points. I have just 2 thoughts.

1. maybe a few canadian qbs who are not ready to challenge for number 2 or 3, might be content to spend a couple of yrs in the background, making minimum wage type money, attending practices and talk sessions, to learn and be in position to finally compete and earn number 2 or 3.

/quote]

That is lots of rigamarole to develop a third stringer when you have a large pool of NCAA talent available.

[OV - 54:40]

Canadian/CIS QBs just aren't "good enough" - what with their inferior training and zero quality coaching & competition up here. If they were "good enough" they would get a chance to play - but, pretty obvious from all the evidence from CFL TCs and the CFL field of play from the past couple of decades or so that they ain't "good enough". CFL GM, scouts and coaches "just want to win" and will go with the "best players" as determined by competition in TC. You can't expect a Canadian QB to be able to compete with American talent at QB or any other position for that matter. CFL teams don't have the resources to be spending time "developing" obvious weak talents at the important QB position.

The Lions have only 3 QBs at this point heading to TC I believe (the Bombers & Ticats are in the same boat I think) - they don't have the luxury of drafting a no talent like Orban as the Riders did and hoping he will "develop" several years down the road, nor the need to sign some local yokel to satisfy a few fans who want to see homegrown talent get a shot - there's better uses for real homegrown The teams in need of more competition at the QB position will find some good prospects in the States - Roy will be working on that now. Josh Sacobie (GGS) and John Makie (Bisons) - 2 other top notch CIS QBs - were on the CFL draft list this year but ignored in the draft; not worth a look at all in the CFL - no "arm strength" and little QB "tools" (haven't seem them play, but. c'mon - get real)- if they were "good enough" they would have got the call to play US college ball, which prepares you for playing the Canadian game so much better, especially at QB.

If only a few top Canadian "athletes" took up football at a younger age, we might get the odd one who could show some QB skills enough to rate a shot at some US college ball training; but - that just doesn't happen - there are no decent football programs up here for young Canadian players and most of the best "athletes" are directed to hockey or other more fitting Canadian sports - football really isn't a Canadian sport. Just the way it is - live with it / deal with and don't expect to see a Canadian get to play QB in the "radical" CFL.

[TheLionKing]

Seems to me that the only Star calibre Canadian QB there has been is Russ Jackson?? It really is too bad there have not been any since as every other position has had many Canadian stars??

Frank Consentino had a pretty decent career with the Ti-Cats.

[DanoT]

If you are a high school QB in Canada with aspirations to play professional football after collage, then you had better switch to another position. With that in mind, the best athletes in CIS football are not the QBs.

What the CFL should do is completely exempt NI QBs from the salary cap even if they become the starter. Thus the next Russ Jackson could have a huge impact on the teams cap and extra $ would be available for other star players etc. Then teams would have a large incentive to take on a "project player " and try to develop him into a starting NI QB.

[Rammer]

If you are a high school QB in Canada with aspirations to play professional football after collage, then you had better switch to another position. With that in mind, the best athletes in CIS football are not the QBs.

What the CFL should do is completely exempt NI QBs from the salary cap even if they become the starter. Thus the next Russ Jackson could have a huge impact on the teams cap and extra $ would be available for other star players etc. Then teams would have a large incentive to take on a "project player " and try to develop him into a starting NI QB.

I could accept that as long as there was a limit to the salary exemption, thus forcing a team to move him into the number one position or risk losing him to another team that would. I still think that it is a one in a million shot right now, however if this route produced one NI QB, others would be inspired.

[Blue In BC]

QB is the complex position to learn in the CFL. It's a bit of a pipe dream to come up with a solution to have junior football develop kids at that position.

You're more likely to fill most other positions with less problems.

It would be more practical to add more NI's to the roster and not restrict them from being active.

IIRC the 4 extra guys on the 46 man roster could all be NI's but can't dress unless somebody is deactived. Since these guys are paid full salary, wouldn't you think teams would have an incentive to actually play them if they were NI's? The only good a non play 4 man reserve is to protect the ratio.

Make a provision that if the players are NI's, they can dress if you want them.

It's never just as easy as that, because the costs of road trips would go up if they took more players.


But it does seem an incentive to develop NI's to become starters don't you think?

[Scorp1074]

A: Name 8 Canadian QB's who could come in and compete at the pro level???
B: the 3rd QB is no longer exempt from the Salary Cap … all 46 players count

[B.C.FAN]

If the league wants to give teams a reasonable incentive to develop non-import quarterbacks, it could allow teams that dress an NI quarterback to also dress an extra designated import. It wouldn't change the ratio of 7 non-import starters, 16 import starters and a QB (likely also an import) but it would allow teams to employ an extra import as a backup for injury depth or situational substitutions. Considering that the third QB rarely plays anyway, that would be a big incentive.

[Blue In BC]

If the league wants to give teams a reasonable incentive to develop non-import quarterbacks, it could allow teams that dress an NI quarterback to also dress an extra designated import. It wouldn't change the ratio of 7 non-import starters, 16 import starters and a QB (likely also an import) but it would allow teams to employ an extra import as a backup for injury depth or situational substitutions. Considering that the third QB rarely plays anyway, that would be a big incentive.

The # 3 QB basically never gets into a game unless it's out of reach one way or the other. Even then, it's seldom you see the # 3 QB get into a game. Smart coaches would make some NI player ( at any position ) a # 3 QB in order to get another DI.

The odds of losing a starting import DB,receiver, DL, LB is alot more probable than losing 2 QB's in a game.

Having an extra DI reduces the possibility of developing a NI at another position. The more DI's you have the more it reduces the need for developing NI back ups into starters. If a NI becomes a starter he probably will make more the the import

So overall, I'd say your idea won't work.