TBURGESS

Looks like Aardvark's taken over BigBlue's account for the last couple of days. Face it BB, most folks around here don't like the rule changes and we are the rabid fans. I think you'll find the same thing on most of the fan forums around the league because they are also rabid fans.

Amazing the number of times the word STUPID is used ... total unreasoned emotion .... no logic ... no examination ... no justification ... "fraidy-cat of change" thinking .... the convert changes add real excitement and an outcome difference maker .... adding more pass completion to 2 down football means more drives and scoring ... who wants two bucks and a kick type offence, yawn? .... kick returns even off converts for more big plays .... less driving through the 5 yard zone .... I love CFL over NFL because of the higher levels of excitement To those who cry STUPID I can only say KILLJOY in its most literal sense Stupid is the right word in this case. I'm not afraid of change. I just don't like change for change sake and that's what most of these rule changes are about. No form of football that I've ever seen have any of the PAT rules for good reason. They don't make any sense. The current rules allow for 1 and 2 point conversions. If you can't score from the 5, then you should go for 1 point. Most of the PAT's will still go through the uprights from the 32. Those that don't will almost certainly go through the end zone without any chance for a run back. The extra chance to score would be from a block or partial block, which is an extremely low chance or a huge wind in which case, you'd take it on the 3 and try for 2 which won't result in a run back anyway. The 'Down lineman can't leave until the punt happens' rule will create more flags which is bad by definition. It will reduce the number of down field players by 5 big guys, which will mean that the the Special Teams coaches will have to change the way they cover punts. I expect it will produce additional big run backs in the short term, but I think it will be short lived as the coaches figure it out. The PI changes will create more flags and is closer to 'flag' football rules than 'real' football rules. A rule change that's black and white would be a step forward, but this one isn't that. The refs still have to figure out who initiated the contact and if it affected the play before they throw the flag. More flags with more interpretation by the Refs, who've already proved over and over that they cant handle interpretation is a bad thing for the CFL. Offensive PI being subject to video review is the right thing to do if you have to have video reviews of calls/non calls, but the CFL refs have proven time and time again that they can't get video replays right so the better route is to just get rid of coach initiated video review completely. BigBlue... You seem to be the only one who likes these changes.

My take: • a kick for a single point, which now comes from the 12-yard line, would come instead from the 32-yard line. No need to change the current PAT rules. They're fine. • two point converts would be scrimmaged from the three-yard line, instead of the current five-yard line. Silly idea • during the pre-season, a convert worth three points when a team chooses to run or pass the ball over the goal line from the ten-yard-line. Outright stupid. • defensive player would be allowed to contact a receiver within five yards of the line of scrimmage, but would not allow either a defender or a receiver to create or initiate contact that impedes or redirects an opponent beyond five yards. Really stupid and not well thought out. • on a punt play, when the ball bounces on the ground and a five yard no yards penalty is called, the penalty will automatically be added to the end of the return, or from the point the ball was first touched by the return team, whichever is better. Currently, the receiving team has to choose between the five-yard penalty or the yards gained on the return. The only change that I like. • any time in the game the offence be allowed to signal to the referee that it doesn't want to substitute and it wants to use a tempo offence. The officials would then blow the play in immediately upon the ball and yardsticks being set for play. Signal needs to be immediate and easily seen by both teams coaches. Will likely lead to complaints from the defensive coaches. • on punts, prohibiting the five interior linemen on the kicking team from leaving the line of scrimmage until the ball is kicked. Change for change sake IMHO. Will create more penalties, not less. • remove the ability of a coach to request a measurement, leaving it to the referee to measure when he is unsure if a first down has been made or not. Blatantly stupid. Coaches should be able to continue to ask for measurements. • offensive pass interference subject to video review. If defensive pass interference is, offensive pass interference should be too. Personally, I was hoping that PI reviews would be removed this year. They add nothing to the game, they slow things down, and they can't get them right even with the reviews. • no longer giving the receiving team the option of demanding that a team kick again after one of its kick offs goes out of bounds. The receiving team will either take the ball where it went out of bounds, or at a point 30 yards in advance of where the ball was kicked off, whichever is better. This isn't a problem as is.

Reilly's money came in the contract extension after his first season as a starter, not when they got him from BC. He got big bucks and is 'overpaid' IMHO compared to the other young up and coming QB's. Willy would love to get what Reilly got, but he's more likely going to have to settle for a Collaros/BLM/Crompton type of deal.

Not really. First the Ref has to decide who initiated the contact. If it's the receiver that's offensive PI. If it's the defender it's defensive. Then the Ref decides if the contact matters and if it creates an advantage. Still not black and white.

I've got no idea if he's a good hire or not, but good luck to him.

The draft isn't about playing this year. It's about getting the best players for the future, 2 or 3 years down the road. I'd like to see us get the best O lineman we can and that means using our top pick, not waiting until the second round when the top O lineman have already been picked by other teams. If Ottawa doesn't pick Waud then I'd be OK with changing the plan to pick the best DL available with our 1st round pick as I see him as a rotation guy in year 1 and I don't think much of Jake Thomas. Still a long way off though. It'll be interesting to see what happens with NFL draft and with the one on ones at the combine.

Politics has little or nothing to do with 'My God is better than your god'.

I'd take Sheets in a second. He's a difference maker in the CFL.

I'm worried that Hurl is penciled in as the starter and that they won't bring in an FA competition for the MLB spot. Hurl would then only have to beat a CFL rookie for the starting spot. Still might be a huge problem for him based on last years play.

Best thing about Brohm signing IMHO is folks can stop arguing about Glenn.

Tate over Brohm every single day of the week. Tate's a better QB and has way more experience. I really don't understand what folks see in Brohm. He's literally played one good half in his entire CFL career.

Fair enough. Hurt half his first season and hurt again last year.

Doesn't mean the injury didn't keep him out all year either. In fact, it's more likely that it did than didn't.

From Drew Edwards when Brohm was sent to Winnipeg: "It also gives them something of value for a player who has yet to see action in a regular season CFL game. Brohm hurt his non-throwing arm during an exhibition game last June and spent the season on the injured list." Source: http://scratchingpost.thespec.com/2014/03/ticats-deal-quarterback-brian-brohm-to-the-bombers.html

Brohm's been injured for most of his CFL career. All of 2013 then he only lasted a half or so of playing time in 2014. Time to move on IMHO.

I'm actually surprised you would go with Marve at #2.. I'd rather have Glenn at the right price, but I like what I saw from Marve enough to feel relatively comfortable with him at #2.

I couldn't care less about bringing Brohm back. I'd rather have Marve or Glenn at #2.

Curran was one of the two guys on my FA want list, Bryant was the other. I know he's going to cost a lot, but he fills a huge need for us.

I like this years 'What If's' better than last years. I'm stoked that they finally did something about the O line that didn't involve drafting and crossing their fingers that we'd have a good O line sometime down the road. I expect us to be in the top half of the league this year, which is a big step forward. My guess for the O line: Bryant, Greaves, Picard, Goosen, Daniels with Neufeld as the 6th. Tyler, Dile and Newbie Draft pick on the PR/Reserve.

Glenn's one of the best backup QB's in the league. He kept BC and Calgary in the playoffs when their #1 QB's got hurt. For the right price, he'd be a good pick up. If I were him, though, I'd wait until the first starting QB went down to get the biggest payday.

I love the Bryant signing. Best player available in FA and he filled a huge need for us. Hurl got more money than he's worth IMHO. Good special teams guy who couldn't make the leap to starter in Regina last year. I know we have to overpay, but $130K? The rest of the signings are C level players or B level with questions about durability. Hope one of them works out, but I wouldn't bet big that they do.

Nik Lewis of 2 years ago and any time before that, you bet. Nik Lewis of last year when he couldn't even keep his starting job... No thanks. I'd much rather go with a young up and comer as our 3rd import receiver.

I wish you guys would just ignore him. He'll eventually just go away on his own.

Romby Bryant is a pending free agent. And yes, so is Aaron Kelly. Thanks to Kuale for his contributions to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Football Club (established 1930), and best of luck in all his future endeavours. I missed that. Thanks.