Are you an exhausted reindeer, in the throws of turkey hangover and in deep CFL football withdrawal? This post might just save you. In today's Football Friday 5 I'm discussing the top 5 stories of the year. Pour yourself a coffee or rum and eggnog and settle in to find out what the stories of 2018 were according to my discussions with CFL fans around social media and ABC Rider Fans.
5. The CFL expands to Halifax. When the CFL was waiting to select it's next Commissioner for the league this was one of the topics I thought was relevant and wrote about it in a 2017 blog titled The Commish. The CFL expanded to 9 teams in 2014 and I always thought that to make the league truly Canadian and unite all fans across this great nation there needed to be a 10th team located in the maritime provinces. A 10th team would even out the schedule...no more having to play the Blue Bombers three times in a season...and there could be great Labour Day match ups without some teams having to sit out on bye weeks. While it's true that the name, the Atlantic Schooners has been chosen and registered there is still much discussion and planning to be done with the biggest question mark being where will they play. I'm sure this will continue to be a big story in the upcoming season.
4. From Jon Gott guzzling beer to the Blue Bombers climbing their stair cases the CFL Celebrations were interesting in 2018. At the start of the season things like sword slashes, ball spins or using props were penalized but mid season that rule was changed and they threw the door wide open to everything and anything as long as the players took responsibility. Read the rule change HERE. Now the problem is that without rules (and people love rules) things can run amuck. When Jon Gott epically took a beer from his girlfriend in the stands and guzzled it on live TSN TV well it wasn't long before the CFL was saying "whoops, my bad" and amended the celebration rules. If only they acted so quickly when it came to player safety.....
3. TSN's love affair with Johnny Manziel was something else. First it was will he or won't he arrive in the league. Then it was about him being signed in Hamilton and how he had to sit out while Masoli rose to fame. When Montreal traded for Johnny Football no one could hardly wait for him to make his starting debut. I'll admit that I did watch but for some reason I only remember the seagulls and Rod Black's reaction a la the movie The Birds instead of Manziel's actual performance. I do recall the Monday after the Glenn Suitor discussing on Green Zone how many times the name Manziel was called on the broadcast and while he didn't seem to think it was that much...it was completely sickening to the rest of the fans watching or flipping channels at home. Hopefully in 2019 the media circus will be over and John will be able to develop into the quarterback we are waiting to see.
2. As I eluded to in number 4 injuries to CFL QB's was a story from the get go whether we knew it in June or not. Zach Collaros was suffering from a concussion from a preseason game, Matt Nicholls was out and Streveler made a remarkable start and then there was the devastating neck injury to Ricky Ray who had contemplated retirement in the off season. It was horrible to watch him lie prone for what seemed like forever before responders finally removed him from the field. The talk about player safety and quarterback safety was only a murmur at that point but when the hit from Odell Willis to Zach Collaros happened and how that whole debacle was handled or lack there off fans were irate. Where was the discipline? Fines? Suspensions? Why was the Commish able to change a celebration rule but didn't have the gumption to look at the safety of the players who make this league what it is? That conversation continued until Jackson Jeffcoat took out Brandon Bridge in a meaningless play in the West Semi Final and in a game that the Bombers seemed to care most about winning because they certainly didn't play with same determination against the Calgary Stampeders a week later. Let's hope that this is a huge discussion while the CBA is being negotiated in 2019.
1. Number One could easily be Darian Durant scampering off with $70k, Duron Carter being released, Rob Bagg's return, Messam's or Hughes charges or even how the Eskimos missed the playoffs while hosting the Grey Cup, but, I felt the number one story, even though not a football story was indeed and without question the Humboldt Broncos. I live about an hour from Humboldt and pass through there a few times a year. I didn't know any of the players. I'm not even a hockey fan. When the bus crash happened I was in New York on Easter vacation. I was back in my hotel room after being out all day and had tuned in to CKRM's Sportscage and had tweeted in that I was listening. Rod and Luc proceeded to roast me for listening when I was in such an amazing city. While I was listening and scrolling through my Twitter feed I saw a post about the bus crash and then that the hockey game was cancelled. It was one of those 'where were you' moments that I will never forget. Everyone was in mourning in Saskatchewan and around the world. The Roughriders held a special fan day and some of the players dedicated their play to the hockey team. A Roughriders home game was held in the Broncos honour and fans were given green and yellow ribbons to wear while the Riders donned Humboldt Strong on their helmets for the season. We may all enjoy different sports and even some of the same sports but regardless we are a community and in times like this we all come together and forget all other differences for the betterment of each other. Be kind. Love one another. I don't know of a better theme for us all to follow now and into 2019.
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