Gwydyon

Bit of a rant that I keep coming up with, and maybe someone can explain why.

NFL, MLB and NBA players are all introduced with their colleges still mentioned. Strikes me that that is fine for a year or two after they are drafted. Why does this continue throughout the career, though?

In 1998-99, for example, we had Monday Night Football still introducing an 18 year NFL vet as "John Elway, Stanford"...he's played in the Denver for 18 years, and Stanford for four...

You don't see it in the NHL as most players end up playing for Canadian or European junior teams that no one has heard of...you don't say something like "for the Ottawa Senators, Jason Spezza of the Windsor Spitfires"...he's just Spezza of Ottawa.

So my question is, why does the college/university matter? After 5, 10 or 15 years...why keep mentioning it?

He, obviously, no longer wants to be in Cincy. I would say to the point that his appearance on Total Access on the NFL Network became downright awkward as he tried to evade their questions.

However, where should he go? Where would he fit in? More importantly to the team and, apparently, to "The Chad", where would his addition likely put the team over the top to win?

Read a rumour that the Ottawa 67s owner is near to signing an agreement to return the CFL to Ottawa...again.

First off, can anyone confirm or deny said rumour?

Second, any thoughts?

The previous two Ottawa attempts both blew up due to poor ownership situations, in the end...the fans may not have been supporting in full force, but with the front office disasaters that were such mammoth names as Horn Chen and/or the Gliebermans (forgive the spelling on that one), who could blame them. We have seen just how solid ownership has turned around the fortunes of the good ship Argonaut...could it happen in Ottawa as well?

Difficulty #1: NFL's Buffalo Bills to play in Toronto...only 8 games over five years, so far, but some are equating this to living with a girl or boyfriend before marrying.

Difficulty #2 & 3: Emergence of two new pro leagues in the US with the AAFL and UFL. Quality of these league's aside, I suspect many quality American players would decline to come to Canada and, instead, prefer to play on home soil.

As such, the CFL has dealt with previous US leagues attempting to play in Canada (with the WFL and WLAF...though not the NFL), previous leagues appearing and disappearing (WFL, WLAF, USFL, and XFL), and even survived a very poor attempt at CFL expansion into the US (which, on an aside, almost succeeded inspite of itself).

So how will they survive this time?...and please note...I did not say "how do they survive" as we all know they will, just a question of how.

Apparently, ESPN is reassigning Michele Tafoya and Suzy Kolber...and I personally believe and hope that Kolber will finally get her well deserved shot as an analyst.

Nothing yet has been said about those in the booth, but I suspect that Kornheiser will finally get sacked...again, we can only hope. Unfortunately, Jaws may also get thrown under the bus...but in 2007, I would have prefered to see Theisman and Jaws working together instead of corny Tony.

Anyhow...outside of scheduling better games, what would you do to improve it?

Only recently I was re-reading the definitions offered by the little handbook included with one of my decks.

When I received my first deck, I choose my significator and have held fast to that card ever since. Lately, though, not feeling like I was at that time...20 years ago. Not being "trained" on cards other than through self-learning, I am curious as to thoughts of others.

Can the significator card change? ...or maybe a better question is should it?

We are midway through year three of the "new" NHL.

Is it succeeding, or receding back to the way it was before the lockout?

Is US support improving for teams in places like Florida, Carolina, Phoenix, etc?

The Bills have signed to play eight games in five years at the Jolly Roger Centre (and I offer that nickname to Chris Berman, free of charge) in Toronto...there seems to be a lot of fear that this is the equivalent of living together before marriage.

However, the Southern Ontario market is based on service and exports which are drying up thanks to the recent surge in value of the Canuck buck. As well were said buck to drop in value again, the Bills would be playing catch up simply on currency exchange (see issues with NHL teams in Canada). Realistically, currency issues would affect any other city whether Canadian or Mexican.

I will admit that, with the economy of the oil sands involved, I could see a team based in either Calgary or Edmonton working...but even there is a stretch.

With large US markets open in Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Sacramento...are Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary or any Mexican city really ready to host NFL franchises?

Though I'm not certain of the actual expected kick off date, I assume we're less than nine months away.

Historically, I can count seven different attempts to bring more pro football to the US...two have succeeded in the AFL and Arena League (though limited success)...however four others have failed (WFL, USFL, WLAF and XFL) and the Canadian Football League expansion south in the early 90s was pulled back north across the border.

So...does the UFL have a chance? If so, why is this league any different than previous attempts?

According to Wikipedia's listing on the potential United Football League that is to kick off in the fall with a Friday night schedule...there is a little rumor suggesting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are looking to join. Can anyone confirm or deny this rumor?

This is not anything Earth-shattering, but are the Pats now scheduled for three straight prime time games with the next two consecutive Sunday night NBC games and week 13's Monday night game in Baltimore?

The NFL has never, in my memory, had consecutive Monday night or Sunday night games with the same team involved...and II expected that would continue. They might have a team play Sunday night one week followed by Monday the next...or vice versa.

As such, when the Bills-Pats game was rescheduled with the flex, I figured the Pats-Eagles game a week later would be bumped for someone else...

However, as a side note, of the games that could take that Sunday night slot, I'm not certain I like much of what is being offered for Sunday's games in week 12 (Maybe Vikiings v. Giants, but that's a stretch).

Barring injury, of course, will Brady ever start a game under center as a Cleveland Brown?

Or has Anderson, with the chemistry that is developing on that offense combined with the bad taste Quinn's summer hold out left in the mouths of Brown fans, basically made Quinn trade bait for a better draft pick in either 2008 or 2009?

If this continues, as an addition...where does Quinn get his first start (if ever)?

Rumor on the Toronto news wires this morning have the Argonaut owners laying groundwork to purchase an NFL franchise and move it to Toronto. All other issues aside...stadium size and suitability, exchange rates (which are currently very favourable to such a move) and everything else...

How would this affect the CFL?

Unlike previous talk, does the fact that this is current CFL owners (instead of people involved with the Blue Jays and/or Maple Leafs) involved change your thoughts?

We have the Dolphins v. Giants in London coming along the schedule in a few weeks...and a rumor has surfaced that the NFL is about to announce a Canadian city will be hosting a regular season game in either 2008 or 2009.

Assuming this rumor is true, which Canadian city should it be?

We are a quarter of the way through the season and we have the Raiders, Chiefs and Broncos tied for first at 2-2...whilst the *ahem* lowly Chargers sit at 1-3.

Considering the Chargers and Broncos were both thought to be amongst the AFC elite prior to the season...is this simply a blip, or has the division fallen off this season more than most expected?

Being a Bronco fan stuck in the Toronto area means all I get is the Buffalo rhetoric on how the Bills had that game right where they wanted it yesterday. Seems to me, from all the previous hype, Denver should have blown the Bills away.

Question is, just what does yesterday's game say about Denver? Did Buffalo simply play over their heads while the Broncos came out flat, or are the Broncos going to get pushed around this year?

The evidence:

Exhibit 1: CFL game in Toronto on Saturday. A Hamilton Tiger-Cat player's helmet flies upward to reveal his dreadlocks as he gets tackled.

Exhibit 2: Twice I saw Marshawn Lynch's lid explode away from his body at frightening speed, as the Bills the Broncos for 59 minutes and 59 seconds. Again, I note, dreadlocks underneath.

Exhibit 3: Not sure who, but two helmets go flying off during the Bear-Charger game. In one case, for certain, again dreadlocks...the other, I didn't see who's helmet it was. Also, in this case, I didn't watch the entire game.

Exhibit 4: Giants versus Cowboys, one of the 'Boys linemen losses his lid. He is the one exception to the dreadlocks rule as he had no hair at all.

Is this something we should be concerned about? Is this an issue of too much hair under the hat (except in the SNF game, of course)?...or is there something about chin straps that the league should clamp down on?

There are complaints about the current alignment by the western teams due to the travel schedule. The five Northwest division teams, for example, are spread out over a much larger geographic area than the Atlantic division.

How would you realign if you had the chance to fix this?

I have found that with a little creativity in math, yes it is likely that most number sequences can be deducted down to 23...but does this mean anything at all?

Yes, I realize its only pre-season, but the defense looks horrid and just took another injury hit...the offense doesn't appear to be as high calibur as we had been lead to believe...

So, from what you've seen. How many do they win, and will they stay ahead of Miami, saving themselves from the division cellar?