Life – Page 14

Why I love the CFL

November 14, 2011 by koalateagirl

Recently I’ve had a number of conversations on twitter and out in the real world about the CFL and how it’s seen to be bush league or second tier. First off, if you were one of the people with whom i had those conversations, I’m sorry. I must have seemed like a zealot. The fact is I love 3 down football. Always have. Maybe because i was exposed to it years before the 4 down version. I know I that I live and breathe Canadian Football. I’m sure the nice people at Toshiba were sick of me by the end of the She’s Connected conference. While most of the other women there were worried about which apps were available for their kids, I kept asking about football apps. (In case you’re wondering, I want an app that lets me create and run plays against multiple defensive schemes and – most important of all – allows the right number of players on the field).

Yep. I’m addicted to football. I enjoy NCAA and NFL football too (Michigan State Spartans and Detroit Lions!) but given my druthers, I’d much rather watch 3 down football. It’s not just the speed of the game (though on average it takes 45 minutes less to play a CFL game than an NFL game – and I’d argue that only about 20 minutes of this is commercial and the slightly (2 mins) longer halftime (again due to commercial breaks)) it’s the character. I like the 20 second play clock because it keeps the game moving. 40 seconds feels like an eternity to me and i find myself yelling at the TV during NFL games for the Quarterbacks to “Hurry up”.

I take issue with people who call the CFL second rate. It’s not a second rate league in anything except the TV revenue. In fact, until the late 1970s NFL players came up to the CFL because they could make more money! People such as Cam Wake who have played in both leagues have said that the NFL isn’t a tougher league, just different. In fact, in an interview with ESPN 760, Cam Wake said that the rules made the CFL tougher to play in as an outside linebacker.

He’s right – and the changes don’t just make it harder for the Defence either. The wider field has been known to give NCAA Quarterbacks, even those who have won a Heisman Trophy fits. Wide receivers can have problems adjusting their routes to the wider field. The extra 10 yards in field length makes running a kickoff back for a touchdown that much harder.

Then there’s my favourite difference between the CFL and the NFL – the 3 downs. Having 3 downs means that you actually have 2 real attempts to get the ball 10 yards. This means that running (which typically averages 3-4 yards a carry) won’t get you a first down. So there are more pass attempts in the CFL. Take Sunday’s Eastern Semi-Final as an example and compare it to one of the NFL games on at the same time. The LOSING Quarterback in the Eastern Semi-Final completed 30 of 42 pass attempts for 513 yards. AND HE LOST THE GAME. In contrast, Tim Tebow, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, DID NOT MAKE A PASS ATTEMPT IN THE FIRST HALF. At the end of the game he was 2 for 8 for 69 yards. You just can’t do that in the CFL. You have to have a good passing game as well as a running game to mix things up or you’ll be eaten alive. (Note the troubles that both the Argos and the Riders had this year as an example – though you *can* win in the CFL without a solid passing game, it’s much harder and usually at least partly dependent on special teams).

The Rouge. Oh the Rouge. I love the Rouge (and not just because I’m on RougeRadio.com). I have had to explain the Rouge until I’m literally red in the face. It’s not a reward for missing a Field goal. It’s a reward for preventing the other team from running it out. If it was simply a reward for failure, it wouldn’t be awarded on a punt.

No Lead is Safe – this is the CFL’s most recent ad campaign. It’s very true. Very few games are complete blowouts with no chance for redemption. In the final week of the regular season, I stayed up really late to watch Montreal at BC. Even though BC had a decent lead at the half, I didn’t want to go to bed because I have witnessed Anthony Calvillo put up insane numbers in one half, so I couldn’t trust that it wouldn’t happen. It didn’t but overall, it seems that the last 4-5 minutes of a CFL game end up having more weird and wacky endings than the NFL ones. (the one thing that drives me nuts with the NFL play clock is that with 1:30 on the clock, and a fresh set of downs, the QB can take a knee and the game’s done. You’d have to get at least a 1st down in the CFL.

Finally, I love the CFL because Our Balls are Bigger. It’s not just a slogan. It’s true. I even have the T-Shirt.

Cheerleader etiquitte

September 18, 2011 by koalateagirl

Okay this post is a week overdue. Sorry about that but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t overreacting to the situation. Last weekend I went to the opening game of the Waterloo Warriors season with a friend and her daughters. I wanted to check out some of the Guelph Gryphon players and see how UW was going to do with their newly resurrected football team.

The game itself was a blowout but I expected that. What I didn’t expect was the complete lack of attention the cheerleaders paid to the game. They were cheering through the huddle, through injured players on the field and when the other team was scoring. They held up signs that blocked fans’ views of the field while the game was on. It wasn’t only the signs, they also stunted and did cartwheels which also blocked the view of fans. To me, doing backflips when there is an injured player on the field shows a lack of respect for the game that you’re supposed to be cheering at. It seems like the UW cheerleaders have forgotten that they’re not the main attraction but are simply supposed to be cheering on the team and getting the fans involved IN THE GAME. Distracting fans so they can’t see the game makes true fans not come back. I’m not sure I want to go to another Warriors game – why would I pay to see a game that I won’t get to see all of because for at least 1 quarter there will be cheerleaders blocking my view and getting the fans to yell at completely inappropriate times?

They also looked sloppy. One of them was chewing gum. the rest of them slouched, stood around with hands on hips (and not in the typical, cheerleader ready to cheer pose – in a I’m bored and don’t want to be here way). I have seen high school cheer teams behave more appropriately. If the Waterloo cheerleaders don’t want to be at the game – then don’t go. The true football fans will thank you.

Because I know a couple of people who were involved in the Warrior Band over the years (and have been persuaded to play when they were shorthanded on more than on occasion) I feel the need to mention them too. They were there. They were far from mighty. They were not balanced – 3 flutes, a trumpet, a sax and a badly played drum from what I could hear and see. They also barely played. This is unusual. Typically the Warrior Band is in direct competition with the Rider band for the “who can annoy the opposing team first” award. I heard them 3 times – once before the game, once in the 3rd quarter when the PA announcer directed our attention to a passable version of the Magnificent 7, and when they murdered the Warrior song. My friend who went with me to the game has been to a lot of UW games. I have not. I asked her if the song I heard was the Warrior song, she said “no” then “maybe” then “i don’t know – it sounds kind of like the Warrior song but played really badly”. Being a flute player, I am pretty sure that the flute part i heard was part of the Warrior song – but not so sure about everything else. Hopefully they, too, get better with practice.

With all of that said, I did have a great time at the game. Saw some great football (mostly by Guelph) and spent an early fall day (yes I know it’s still technically summer but the leaves are starting to change colour so it’s fall to me) outside in the fresh air.

Stupid Driver Tricks

September 3, 2011 by koalateagirl

I may not be the best driver in the world. Occasionally I speed. I have been known to get impatient with other drivers when they cut me off. I have also been known to use my brake pedal to tell other drivers where to go in Morse Code when they’re tailgating me (I know most people don’t know Morse Code but it makes me feel better.) I do however feel entitled to feel superior to the 2 special drivers I encountered today. The first bit of insanity came as I was driving to the game – A merge lane was coming to an end and large SUV was barreling down the shoulder. I had no choice but to let him in, otherwise I would have been hit. When traffic is stopped because of an accident, don’t drive up the paved shoulder and then forcibly edge into the queue. I was tempted to let him hit me, but I was already running late and can’t really afford a new car right now.

This incident paled in comparison to the 2nd one. On the way home from the game, I was on the 427 northbound, north of the 401 split. I was in the left lane, and there was a car in the middle lane and a truck in the right lane. I noticed that the car in the middle lane was drifting into my lane. I honked and the car straightened out. I don’t like driving close to people who do unpredictable things, so I went to pass the car. It was then that I noticed that the driver was WATCHING A DVD as she was driving ! She was the only passenger in the car and the DVD player was set up on the dashboard! I was flabbergasted! Who does that? And where are the police when you need them? In hindsight I should have called 911 but I wasn’t sure if this qualified as an emergency. Instead I got as far away from her as possible and got home in one piece.

Are people really that stupid? If texting and driving is illegal (as it should be ) then watching a DVD is definitely illegal and dangerous!

The Good, the Bad, and the Argos

September 3, 2011 by koalateagirl

I’m not going to play armchair GM at 2 am the morning after a loss. Especially after a home game where I didn’t see all of the game because I was playing in the band. Yes the Argos played badly, no I don’t have a magic fix to make the season all better. It wasn’t just one thing or one player that made the team lose, it was a number of factors working together. It’s really easy to lay the blame at the feet of a single player but football is a team sport. Part of the Argos’ trouble seems to be an inability to deal with unexpected changes such as a key player going down to injury. If left to their own game plan, the Argos seem to be a decent (Not spectacular) team; but when a monkey wrench is thrown into the works, such as Rob Murphy’s injury this week or Kevin Eiben’s injury a few weeks ago, the team collapses in on itself. I think it goes back to confidence and the Argos seem to be lacking in it. When everything is carefully scripted, they’re fine but going off script is disastrous because the players are worried that in doing so they’ll make a mistake. The most dangerous thing to be in football is cautious – it’s also the most boring! There’s nothing worse than a team playing to not lose. I can root for a losing team, but not a boring team. Other than some spectacular special teams plays by Chad Owens. the Argos were boring tonight There was a lot of potential to not be boring – there was a great string of 1st downs in the first quarter but then the drive ended with a rather anti-climatic field goal. Turnovers were not capitalized on, turning an exciting event into nothing. Again I’m not sure how to fix it but I’m hoping one of the coaches on the Argos does.

Even with the loss, the Argo game was fun tonight. That’s the best thing about being in Argonotes – even when the team on the field is less than entertaining, the band is always awesome. At halftime tonight, we did our usual show – 4 or 5 songs to a small but loyal crowd by gate 5. As we were playing our first song, I noticed 2 little girls dancing along to the band. I went over to our ~~director~~ Dictator’s big bag o’ musical toys and dug out a tambourine and gave it to the girls. The look on their face was of pure delight. They shook it together and were generally adorable. Their dad took some pictures and the girls were having a great time. For the next song, I asked the girls if they wanted to play WITH the band. Our fantastic bass drummer Tyler came in front of the band and let the younger girl “help” play the bass drum and the older girl got to play the tambourine in front of the band, wearing the Dictators furry blue hat. The looks of joy on their faces made my whole night. To make things even better, when I was walking around the Dome after our half-time show, I saw the family. The girls came up to me and thanked me and then the older one went to call her mum and was eagerly telling her about being IN the band. The grandmother told me that we had made their night extra special and that they’d remember it for a long time.Thinking about that makes me put the loss in perspective. The Argos may not have won, but this Argonote sure did.

Random thoughts on a CFL standard

August 31, 2011 by koalateagirl

I know a lot of CFL teams have at least one “football 101” day for women to learn about football. Today, as I was explaining some of the basics of the game to a friend, I wondered why they don’t have the same thing for men. Are men supposed to just know about football? is there something in the Y chromosome that makes them know all about football? What about recent immigrants from countries where there is no football tradition? I don’t know how well it would go over but I’m thinking there might be a demand, even as part of the game day for a team. In one of the commercial time outs, instead of some inane promo thing, (or even after one of the short ones), show a play or a formation on the scoreboard and explain it. I think that you’d get more people coming back to games if they knew what was going on on the field.

I had a friend from high school, a very smart woman, who when watching her first live CFL game asked “where’s the yellow line” – referring of course to the line that is generally added by television to show where the first down is. Naturally since this line is added in production, you can’t see it in the stadium. Her boyfriend at the time (now her husband), nearly choked himself laughing. It’s not that it was a dumb question but it was one he had never thought of, having watched very few games on TV. Everyone coming to the CFL for the first time is going to have questions. Simple things such as what a first down is. Why a team is kicking a field goal when they are, what a 2 point convert is, onside kicks, simple offensive and defensive formations, man versus zone defensive schemes.

What about you, football fans? what else would you love to know more about?