CFL Pet Peeve No. 1

[Rammer]

Once again the stats show this dated old argument to be much ado about nothing. Prior to this weekend there had been 50 missed FGs in 40 games. Of those 50 misses only 17, 1 in 3, resulted in a rouge. Conversely 3 TDs have been scored off missed FGs. In other words more points have been scored returning missed FGs than have been scored by conceding singles. In addition there have been 5 more returns of 50 or more yards including a 117 yard scamper by Chris Williams that fell 1 yard short of being the 4th missed FG TD of the season. The detractors would leave one to believe every missed FG results in a rouge. The numbers have been fairly over the past several years with the missed FG single point result happening roughly once every 2.3 games. Eliminating the single is to reduce the CFL FG play to the sterile NFL version whereby the play is effectively over once the ball successfully clears the attempt to block. As for punts there had been 30 punt singles after 40 games, less than one per game. Again the single is a small price to pay for the potential excitement generated by having one rammed back down the punting team's throat for 6.

Excellent post. One of the major differences between Canadian and American football is that kicked balls are always live in the CFL. Players can't stand around and watch a ball die. A returner has to pick the ball up in the end zone or field of play, lest a kicker or other onside player recover it. A point is conceded for field position. A lot of strategy goes into missed field goal returns. We've seen cases this year, including one by Tim Brown on Saturday, where returners have brought a ball out of the end zone and been tackled inside their 10-yard line. There are more rare open-field kicks and kick-backs, which add a whole new level of excitement to the CFL kicking game.

On Tim Brown returning missed FG's, is it just me or do the Lions need a returner with a 5th gear to be able to stretch outside on those.

[sj-roc]

Good point. Your 'peeve' reminds me of the general concept of whose coming to these games. I missed the GORE touchdown because a guy returning from the washroom didn't think he should wait, even though a play was on, and therefore people in front of me were standing while Gore scored. The TV replay screen bailed me out but COME ON.

I wasn't planning on responding to this thread but you just touched upon my biggest pet peeve at Lions games. IMO, the ushers do an absolutely HORRIBLE job of allowing fans to try and get into their seats during a play. The average football play is about 5 seconds followed by about 40 seconds of setting up the next play. Why people can't wait until a play is over is absolutely beyond me. I sit on a corner and I have on numerous occasions told people to wait until the play is over. The ushers are usually just standing there doing nothing about this.

At Canuck games, they ALWAYS make the fans wait in the aisle until there is a stoppage in play. This should be way easier to do in football. The BC Place stadium staff could really step up here and help facilitate this so that you don't have to miss a play like Gore's TD which was one of the highlights of the game.

Goofus constantly runs back and forth from his seat while the play is in progress without any regard for other spectators.

Gallant always takes care not to disturb the view of his fellow fans at inopportune times.


.......


Ever notice how the deepest seats in the row — like, the ones abutting the next section or nearly so — are so often taken by the fans who do the most running back and forth?

This is why when I have season tickets, I specifically request those seats if possible. I never get out of my seat except at half time and even during breaks in play it's a nuisance for me to be always getting up for others who are constantly cycling around. Aisle seats are obviously the worst for that. I want a seat I'll be able to actually sit on most of the time.

At the same time BT, it is your right as a paying customer, no matter how close to the aisle you are, to ask for some courtesy from your fellow fans, so just keep tellin' 'em to wait.

The ushers used to be stricter about this — not even letting people back in through the concourse entrance while the play is in progress. That's perhaps a bit excessive because for folks sitting far from concourse grade (top and bottom rows), it can take longer than the break between plays to get from the entrance to their row, especially if they're carefully navigating a full flight of stairs while carrying $20+ worth of concession fare. I'm guessing some people complained about this, which is perhaps why you're seeing the current standard (or lack thereof).

The ushers should let people through the entrance, but advise them to remain cognizant of the play and stay on the aisles while it's in progress. Seems they're fumbling the ball halfway through that.

Better yet, there should be large signs on each side of the concourse entrance reminding fans of this — possibly even with a visual graphic showing a group of sitting fans disgruntled by others, themselves also disgruntled, who have to stand in front of them as some ignoramus awkwardly shuffles past. If you have a message to sell, it should be as concrete as possible.

[Hambone]

I wasn't planning on responding to this thread but you just touched upon my biggest pet peeve at Lions games. IMO, the ushers do an absolutely HORRIBLE job of allowing fans to try and get into their seats during a play. The average football play is about 5 seconds followed by about 40 seconds of setting up the next play. Why people can't wait until a play is over is absolutely beyond me. I sit on a corner and I have on numerous occasions told people to wait until the play is over. The ushers are usually just standing there doing nothing about this.

At Canuck games, they ALWAYS make the fans wait in the aisle until there is a stoppage in play. This should be way easier to do in football. The BC Place stadium staff could really step up here and help facilitate this so that you don't have to miss a play like Gore's TD which was one of the highlights of the game.

The Canuck usherss are like border crossing guards at the old Berlin Wall. The BC Place ushers may not be quite as stringent but are still pretty good at holding fans back. What I find often happening is that even if they hold the fans back until play stops by the time many get to their row the offence has already broken the huddke and is lining up to snap the ball.Instead of crouching to a knee ore sitting on the step until the play is over they continue on to their seat during the play.

[Hambone]

I've never been a fan of the crossover. The CFL is an east west competition. Keep it that way. Otherwise, may as well just have a complete ranking and put the top 6 in the playoffs.

I look at that as a necessary evil. I think there have been occasions when a 4 win team in the East would make the playoffs while a West team with a winning record wouldn't.

[Hambone]

Great points, Hambone. An interesting read!


DH

Ironically without the rouge BC might be 9-2 now. I can't remember at what point if the game it was but would Tristan Jackson have attempted to run that missed FG out of the endzone for what wound up being a difference making TD in a 3 point Rider victory if It didn't cost the Riders a single to not run it out? I'm thinking he'd simply let it roll through the end zone.

[Blue In BC]

I've never been a fan of the crossover. The CFL is an east west competition. Keep it that way. Otherwise, may as well just have a complete ranking and put the top 6 in the playoffs.

I look at that as a necessary evil. I think there have been occasions when a 4 win team in the East would make the playoffs while a West team with a winning record wouldn't.

Necessary for what? 6 teams make the play offs either way.

[Tighthead]

getting a point on a missed field goal and on a punt un returned from the endzone

I see this as a feature of the Canadian game that puts an added premium on field position. Don't wanna give up a single? Simple — just make sure you don't let the other team get deep enough to kick the ball into the end zone.

I get that argument, although most times on punts teams would prefer to pin the receiving team inside the 10 as opposed to getting a point.

I don't get real fussed about it either way.

[Tighthead]

I've never been a fan of the crossover. The CFL is an east west competition. Keep it that way. Otherwise, may as well just have a complete ranking and put the top 6 in the playoffs.

I look at that as a necessary evil. I think there have been occasions when a 4 win team in the East would make the playoffs while a West team with a winning record wouldn't.

I hate to agree with Dan Russell, being more of a @FakeDanRussell fan, but the one downside to the crossover is that some interesting Western playoff races don't happen. I

[Rammer]

I've never been a fan of the crossover. The CFL is an east west competition. Keep it that way. Otherwise, may as well just have a complete ranking and put the top 6 in the playoffs.

I look at that as a necessary evil. I think there have been occasions when a 4 win team in the East would make the playoffs while a West team with a winning record wouldn't.

Necessary for what? 6 teams make the play offs either way.

For the fans getting their monies worth on a Semi Divisional Final game. But more than that, it forces all teams to compete longer, if you are going to end up 6 games back of second and 4 games up on fourth, at a point you needn't fear the outcome of games. With the crossover, if you aren't playing to win, you are Winnipeg...whoops, I mean out of the playoffs.

[JohnHenry]

I've never been a fan of the crossover. The CFL is an east west competition. Keep it that way. Otherwise, may as well just have a complete ranking and put the top 6 in the playoffs.

I look at that as a necessary evil. I think there have been occasions when a 4 win team in the East would make the playoffs while a West team with a winning record wouldn't.

I hate to agree with Dan Russell, being more of a @FakeDanRussell fan, but the one downside to the crossover is that some interesting Western playoff races don't happen. I

I think the crossover works better when there are 5 teams in the West. With only 3 teams making the playoffs out of 5 it's highway robbery if a weak 6-12 team in the East gets in while a 10-8 4th place team in the West sits out. When Ottawa rejoins the league then the crossover should have more relevance.

[Toppy Vann]

CFL Pet Peeve #2 - fans complaining about advertising and the good things that better the product.
CFL Pet Peeve #3- fans complaining about Rod Black incessantly. (watch online and hear fans EVERY game say this same old tired crap about the guy). Right after he presents a good story or information about a BC Lion player!

[sj-roc]

There's one thing that has ALWAYS annoyed me about BC Place: the gawd-awful yard numbers marked on the turf.

Look at everyone else's yard numbers.

Bold. Solid. Robust. Powerful.

Ours?

Wimpy. Broken-stencilled. Weak. Ugly.

In the last fifteen years or so, we've changed the turf a few times @BCP and moved to and from Empire.

Each time, I've had my hopes raised by the opportunity thereby presented to rectify this egregious eyesore. Each time, I've come away disappointed.

Why must we alone continually insist on defiling our playing field in such fashion when the solution is so readily at hand?

-30-

[Blue In BC]

I look at that as a necessary evil. I think there have been occasions when a 4 win team in the East would make the playoffs while a West team with a winning record wouldn't.[/quote]

Necessary for what? 6 teams make the play offs either way.[/quote]

For the fans getting their monies worth on a Semi Divisional Final game. But more than that, it forces all teams to compete longer, if you are going to end up 6 games back of second and 4 games up on fourth, at a point you needn't fear the outcome of games. With the crossover, if you aren't playing to win, you are Winnipeg...whoops, I mean out of the playoffs.[/quote]

I can't agree. There is the issue of historic rivalries that are lost both with within the playoffs and Grey Cup game. I'd rather see a true east west game.

That gets a bit muddied with Winnipeg as a team that has been in both the west and east divisions. With Ottawa coming back do they stay in the east or return to the west? My preference would be a return to the western division.

[Centrum22]

There's one thing that has ALWAYS annoyed me about BC Place: the gawd-awful yard numbers marked on the turf.

Look at everyone else's yard numbers.

Bold. Solid. Robust. Powerful.

Ours?

Wimpy. Broken-stencilled. Weak. Ugly.

In the last fifteen years or so, we've changed the turf a few times @BCP and moved to and from Empire.

Each time, I've had my hopes raised by the opportunity thereby presented to rectify this egregious eyesore. Each time, I've come away disappointed.

Why must we alone continually insist on defiling our playing field in such fashion when the solution is so readily at hand?

-30-

You seem to be forgetting that the Lions share BC Place with the Whitecaps and therefore the football lines have to be erased every time the Whitecaps play and then reapplied again. I think it would be very difficult (if not impossible) to erase solid, bold, robust, powerful, permanent-looking lines multiple times a season. Even if it were technically possible to erase such strongly-applied lines, I don't think it would be practical; nor do I think the turf could handle it in the long run. You can still see the ghost images of the dark red advertising used during last year's Grey Cup, which I believe have ruined the field.

By the way, I love Rod Black. He is the only regular CFL announcer who actually makes an exciting and dynamic play sound exciting and dynamic. "There he goes! The Flyin' Hawaiian! TOUCHDOWN!!!!!" "Oh what a catch!!! Welcome to the circus folks!!!" "Oh my goodness! Chris Williams has done it again!!!" With Chris Cuthbert's calm, quiet, elderly, nasal-sounding voice, sometimes you don't even know a touchdown has been scored. When listening to the best plays of the week, it's Rod Black's calls (and the excited, enthusiastic, exclamatory way he makes them) that stick out in my mind and make the great plays even more fun to watch.

[sj-roc]

There's one thing that has ALWAYS annoyed me about BC Place: the gawd-awful yard numbers marked on the turf.

Look at everyone else's yard numbers.

Bold. Solid. Robust. Powerful.

Ours?

Wimpy. Broken-stencilled. Weak. Ugly.

In the last fifteen years or so, we've changed the turf a few times @BCP and moved to and from Empire.

Each time, I've had my hopes raised by the opportunity thereby presented to rectify this egregious eyesore. Each time, I've come away disappointed.

Why must we alone continually insist on defiling our playing field in such fashion when the solution is so readily at hand?

-30-

You seem to be forgetting that the Lions share BC Place with the Whitecaps and therefore the football lines have to be erased every time the Whitecaps play and then reapplied again. I think it would be very difficult (if not impossible) to erase solid, bold, robust, powerful, permanent-looking lines multiple times a season. Even if it were technically possible to erase such strongly-applied lines, I don't think it would be practical; nor do I think the turf could handle it in the long run. You can still see the ghost images of the dark red advertising used during last year's Grey Cup, which I believe have ruined the field.

Actually, I was under the impression that they used two different sets of turf segments for the two different sports. I could be wrong about that. But even so, I don't see why we have to forego better looking numbers. Would it really be that much more difficult to clean them off if they were shaped like *real* football field numbering? The proportions of those numbers are all wrong to my eye.