With Rogers having most of the NHL hockey television broadcasts, TSN depends heavily on the World Junior tournament after Xmas to generate big ratings. Canada on average has a good performance, but in some years like 2015-2016 Canada goes out early. With Canada not in either of the semis or the finals, TSN's ratings will end up tanking from what they could have been.
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Friday, May 29, 2015
Tallboy Beer Prices Up to $9.50 at Tim Horton's Field
I'm at the Canada England friendly tonight and tallboy prices for Canadian and Coor's Light are now $9.50 up from $9 last year. Obviously that's more than 5% inflation and last time I checked Ontario wasn't anywhere near 5% annual inflation.
I'm thinking I'll spend the pre-game period at the Eddie and ghost in for kickoff.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Raptors Playoff Ratings Game 1, Meh
@TSNScianitti just tweeted television ratings for game one for the Raptors at home against the Brooklyn Nets. Average 539K, "peaking at over 2.17 million unique views." Compared to the CFL the unique views are impressive, but the average is nothing special. That game and all CFL games are on TSN, so there's no broadcast versus cable effects.
As a way of comparison, in 2012, the BC Saskatchewan pre-season game had over 400,000 viewers, whereas the Ticats Argos pre-season game has 336,000 viewers. Generally I think the CFL should broadcast more pre-season games, or at least the Saskatchewan ones.
The CFL has the advantage for advertisers that more fans are in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where males make more on average and the median. I'd be curious to see how Toronto centric viewership was.
As a way of comparison, in 2012, the BC Saskatchewan pre-season game had over 400,000 viewers, whereas the Ticats Argos pre-season game has 336,000 viewers. Generally I think the CFL should broadcast more pre-season games, or at least the Saskatchewan ones.
The CFL has the advantage for advertisers that more fans are in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where males make more on average and the median. I'd be curious to see how Toronto centric viewership was.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
CFL Web Ratings and Other Musings
With the bye week, I figured that rather than going on endlessly about last week's debacle against the Blue Bombers or the Labour Day clash, I'd go on about something else.
I've been interested for a while about the CFL financials. I've long felt that the CFL is leaving significant money on the table from various income streams. The internet is certainly one of them. The CFL and Ticats both have decent websites. Looking at the Alexa ranking, the CFL has a worldwide ranking of 67,170 with a Canadian rank of 1,195. The Ticats had a worldwide ranking of 239,017 with a Canadian rank of 11,457. Comparing, the Saskatchewan site, www.riderville.com has a worldwide ranking of 265,729 with a Canadian ranking of 5,774. Looking at the Alexa chart for the last six months, the Ticats and Riders web popularity seems to switch back and forth. These stats aren't bad. One thing I wouldn't mind seeing at Ivor Wynne is a relatively big sign with www.ticats.ca on it. There probably is one, but the fact I've never noticed it means that it isn't prominent enough. Hell, put it on the field, there's enough crap as it is strewn all over it.
Another thing with both the CFL and Ticats websites is what ads they have on it. From what I can see, most of the ads are ticket buying related (makes sense) or sponsors. I'd like to see them add a discreet Google Adsense ad to their pages, especially the forums. From my experience which is a bit limited, often conventional sponsorship has the web component added in for cheap. Having an Adsense ad on all pages would allow some extra money. Other big Canadian websites have these ads mixed, although maybe there's a valid reason not to have them.
In other news, worse than mediocre nonimport defensive tackle Clinton Wayne, cut recently by the Cats has been picked up by Edmonton. Didn't they pick up Hitchcock last year too? Well at least we have one game left against them. Hopefully he'll get in and lamely try to gum up the middle. With Armstead getting picked up by Winnipeg, it makes one wonder what the Cats are doing.
Saskatchewan at Edmonton tomorrow. Edmonton is three points favourites, probably due to the Riders' injuries and the fact that Marcus Crandell is crap. Prepare to see the Riders to go below 500 for the rest of the season. Then again, the Esks are a bit beat up too. My God, the Riders luck may win out again. I'll pick the Riders to cover, but not win. How's that for fence sitting? Or boxing myself in.
Calgary at BC, with BC three point favourites. Uh. I'll probably take Calgary. I have no faith in Jarious Jackson and Buck Pierce has my infamous stamp of brittleness.
I've been interested for a while about the CFL financials. I've long felt that the CFL is leaving significant money on the table from various income streams. The internet is certainly one of them. The CFL and Ticats both have decent websites. Looking at the Alexa ranking, the CFL has a worldwide ranking of 67,170 with a Canadian rank of 1,195. The Ticats had a worldwide ranking of 239,017 with a Canadian rank of 11,457. Comparing, the Saskatchewan site, www.riderville.com has a worldwide ranking of 265,729 with a Canadian ranking of 5,774. Looking at the Alexa chart for the last six months, the Ticats and Riders web popularity seems to switch back and forth. These stats aren't bad. One thing I wouldn't mind seeing at Ivor Wynne is a relatively big sign with www.ticats.ca on it. There probably is one, but the fact I've never noticed it means that it isn't prominent enough. Hell, put it on the field, there's enough crap as it is strewn all over it.
Another thing with both the CFL and Ticats websites is what ads they have on it. From what I can see, most of the ads are ticket buying related (makes sense) or sponsors. I'd like to see them add a discreet Google Adsense ad to their pages, especially the forums. From my experience which is a bit limited, often conventional sponsorship has the web component added in for cheap. Having an Adsense ad on all pages would allow some extra money. Other big Canadian websites have these ads mixed, although maybe there's a valid reason not to have them.
In other news, worse than mediocre nonimport defensive tackle Clinton Wayne, cut recently by the Cats has been picked up by Edmonton. Didn't they pick up Hitchcock last year too? Well at least we have one game left against them. Hopefully he'll get in and lamely try to gum up the middle. With Armstead getting picked up by Winnipeg, it makes one wonder what the Cats are doing.
Saskatchewan at Edmonton tomorrow. Edmonton is three points favourites, probably due to the Riders' injuries and the fact that Marcus Crandell is crap. Prepare to see the Riders to go below 500 for the rest of the season. Then again, the Esks are a bit beat up too. My God, the Riders luck may win out again. I'll pick the Riders to cover, but not win. How's that for fence sitting? Or boxing myself in.
Calgary at BC, with BC three point favourites. Uh. I'll probably take Calgary. I have no faith in Jarious Jackson and Buck Pierce has my infamous stamp of brittleness.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Battle of the Mediocre Football Teams, Part Deux
That's right, both teams are mediocre. Montreal going into tonight's game is 2 and 3 and has lost three straight after winning their first two (including a week one drubbing of Hamilton). I didn't have a lot of confidence going into the season for Montreal and neither did a lot of prognosticators, considering they were ranked below Hamilton on odds to win the Grey Cup. I mainly based my prediction on the fact that Cavillo is getting older and older and is statistically likely to miss some games this year and that Montreal's recent history with backup QBs may be worse than Hamilton. However, if Montreal wins this week, they are even Steven on the season and out goes my thesis. Until Cavillo goes down in a couple of games for a stretch.
So no Printers this week, but we do have Richie Williams. I do like Printers more over the long haul, however it's not like he led us to the promised land so far, going 1 and 4. I like Richie for the fact that he's not afraid to run the ball if he sees a chance, which Printers has seemed unwilling to do much of this year, preferring to hang on to the ball in hopes of someone getting open down field. For the Ticats, picking up first downs in the first half, and allowing the run game to develop and the defence to stay relatively rested is critical. Nothing better than the QB picking up some cheap first downs and driving down the field. Statistically it is not like the Cats receivers have been the masters of yards after the catch (I'm looking at you Tony Miles, with a longest reception of 17 yards this season) anyways.
No Miles this week unfortunately, but Rodriguez is starting to look good with his jump ball abilities. I would love it if he made the habit of running a short route to the first down line, stopping, turning, jumping and making first down after first down in front of hapless defensive backs. From the depth chart, Rodriguez, Walker, Mitchell and Woodcock are starting at the receiver/slot positions, with Bauman backing up Woodcock and I assume Bauman coming in for five receiver packages (which it should be noted, didn't really work for us last week, with 8 an sack festival). Personally, I'd rather have Bauman in for Mitchell, and have Mitchell in for the five receiver set, as Mitchell has mostly proved his skills at dropping catchable balls and fumbling. Mediocre import receivers, truly the bane of a Ticat fan's existence the past few years.
On the line, import tackle and erstwhile turnstile Thomas is out and Cavka moves from guard to his apparent natural tackle position. Are tackles and guards like guitarists and bassists? Nonimport Dyakowski comes in to start now at guard. Last week I was excited for three imports starting on the offensive line. I figured it would be a glorious occasion of long Ticat runs interspersed with consecutive completions and a good time had by all. Not so. I think starting a third import doesn't really help that much. The third import might be a bit better than the nonimport, but not enough to matter over the game (and three imports are just asking for procedure penalties, which for the Cats is sometimes almost as bad as a sack) and certainly the import spot would be more valuable somewhere else. Which apparently is the defensive line where we are starting four imports. Interestingly, I looked at the Argos offensive line depth chart from last week and they only start one import. Hmmm.
Lumsden was kind of off and on last week, although he didn't get a lot of carries. I wouldn't mind him catching a few more passes, but I think part of the problem is that every team is keyed on Lumsden. Perhaps develop a situation where Lumsden is open, but Williams takes off instead. I'm fixated on Williams running I know. Apparently for this game the Alouettes are starting two rookies in the secondary. I'll end my ramblings about the offense on that note of hope.
On defence, well we are starting four imports on the line as I previously mentioned. A team might have three good imports, but I kind of wonder what quality you are getting for the fourth.
Cornelius Anthony (#48) is starting at one of the defensive end positions, despite usually being a linebacker and only being 222 pounds. Perhaps the Cats are hoping that he can morph into some sort of lesser Joe Montford. One thing that could work in his favour is the ability to track Cavillo down if gets flushed out of the pocket, or gasp, tries to run. I'm just assuming Anthony has some speed. Maybe Anthony (with his assumed relative speed) will drop back into coverage on occasion, with a DB or linebacker coming from the other side for a glorious Cat sack. The line and the whole defence looked reasonable apart from the end last week. Maybe they will get some pressure against the somewhat cagey Cavillo.
Provided Cavillo gets some pressure (a big if) I think the Cats secondary won't do to bad. Bradley being out hurts. Not really much to say here.
I like the Cats run defence, mainly because while it occasionally allows a first down here or there, it is not bad at stopping the runner after one or two yards on first down, setting up second and long. That's just my anecdotal observation and I can't really back it up. I hope I'm right.
The Cats are 10 point underdogs and I am hopeful they will cover the spread. In the fortuitous situation where Cavillo has to leave the game, I like the Cats. Maybe they'll even bring in Timmy to mop up...
So no Printers this week, but we do have Richie Williams. I do like Printers more over the long haul, however it's not like he led us to the promised land so far, going 1 and 4. I like Richie for the fact that he's not afraid to run the ball if he sees a chance, which Printers has seemed unwilling to do much of this year, preferring to hang on to the ball in hopes of someone getting open down field. For the Ticats, picking up first downs in the first half, and allowing the run game to develop and the defence to stay relatively rested is critical. Nothing better than the QB picking up some cheap first downs and driving down the field. Statistically it is not like the Cats receivers have been the masters of yards after the catch (I'm looking at you Tony Miles, with a longest reception of 17 yards this season) anyways.
No Miles this week unfortunately, but Rodriguez is starting to look good with his jump ball abilities. I would love it if he made the habit of running a short route to the first down line, stopping, turning, jumping and making first down after first down in front of hapless defensive backs. From the depth chart, Rodriguez, Walker, Mitchell and Woodcock are starting at the receiver/slot positions, with Bauman backing up Woodcock and I assume Bauman coming in for five receiver packages (which it should be noted, didn't really work for us last week, with 8 an sack festival). Personally, I'd rather have Bauman in for Mitchell, and have Mitchell in for the five receiver set, as Mitchell has mostly proved his skills at dropping catchable balls and fumbling. Mediocre import receivers, truly the bane of a Ticat fan's existence the past few years.
On the line, import tackle and erstwhile turnstile Thomas is out and Cavka moves from guard to his apparent natural tackle position. Are tackles and guards like guitarists and bassists? Nonimport Dyakowski comes in to start now at guard. Last week I was excited for three imports starting on the offensive line. I figured it would be a glorious occasion of long Ticat runs interspersed with consecutive completions and a good time had by all. Not so. I think starting a third import doesn't really help that much. The third import might be a bit better than the nonimport, but not enough to matter over the game (and three imports are just asking for procedure penalties, which for the Cats is sometimes almost as bad as a sack) and certainly the import spot would be more valuable somewhere else. Which apparently is the defensive line where we are starting four imports. Interestingly, I looked at the Argos offensive line depth chart from last week and they only start one import. Hmmm.
Lumsden was kind of off and on last week, although he didn't get a lot of carries. I wouldn't mind him catching a few more passes, but I think part of the problem is that every team is keyed on Lumsden. Perhaps develop a situation where Lumsden is open, but Williams takes off instead. I'm fixated on Williams running I know. Apparently for this game the Alouettes are starting two rookies in the secondary. I'll end my ramblings about the offense on that note of hope.
On defence, well we are starting four imports on the line as I previously mentioned. A team might have three good imports, but I kind of wonder what quality you are getting for the fourth.
Cornelius Anthony (#48) is starting at one of the defensive end positions, despite usually being a linebacker and only being 222 pounds. Perhaps the Cats are hoping that he can morph into some sort of lesser Joe Montford. One thing that could work in his favour is the ability to track Cavillo down if gets flushed out of the pocket, or gasp, tries to run. I'm just assuming Anthony has some speed. Maybe Anthony (with his assumed relative speed) will drop back into coverage on occasion, with a DB or linebacker coming from the other side for a glorious Cat sack. The line and the whole defence looked reasonable apart from the end last week. Maybe they will get some pressure against the somewhat cagey Cavillo.
Provided Cavillo gets some pressure (a big if) I think the Cats secondary won't do to bad. Bradley being out hurts. Not really much to say here.
I like the Cats run defence, mainly because while it occasionally allows a first down here or there, it is not bad at stopping the runner after one or two yards on first down, setting up second and long. That's just my anecdotal observation and I can't really back it up. I hope I'm right.
The Cats are 10 point underdogs and I am hopeful they will cover the spread. In the fortuitous situation where Cavillo has to leave the game, I like the Cats. Maybe they'll even bring in Timmy to mop up...
Monday, July 28, 2008
Battle of the Mediocre Football Teams, the Aftermath
So while I couldn't be at the game due to a business trip, I did manage to catch it via the internet, which wasn't a bad way to experience the game, such as it was. At least it wasn't as bad a game as last week with Calgary, although the first half was quite painful in its own way.
I had predicted that with Lumsden back and Cavka in at guard (and three imports in total on the line) that the running game would probably do ok against an Edmonton team that has a better offense than a defence. On the first Ticats series they gave to ball to Lumsden who got around one yard. The offensive line on that play had almost no push forward. After that a sack. The next series a O'Neil Wilson drop for a first down on what in hindsight would have been a better running play. Then an overthrown ball to Woodcock. And so it went. Crappy passing plays, with the offensive line being overwhelmed by blitzes (which Lumsden didn't seem to be able to help much with either it must be mentioned) in five receiver sets. Why not a few more tight end setups on first down? Mix in a typical Mitchell drop (who had no catches), a fumbled snap and a reception by Woodcock and you had a mostly terrible offensive first half.
The defence in the first half played great, considering they were constantly getting back on the field. A bunch of Edmonton two and outs in the first half and really they kept the Cats in the game. Ricky Ray displayed his typical pass a lot, but not do much style that plagued him last year. I know he's won a Grey Cup, but then so has Marcus Crandell. Kamau Peterson was his usual mostly useless self in the first half. The line seemed to get some pressure at times and the secondary was great.
In the second half, the offense improved somewhat. The defence wasn't as hot as in the first half, but again they spent a lot of time on the field and couldn't stop the Eskimos at the end when they needed to (similar to the Saskatchewan game). Interestingly after the game, Clinton Wayne and Kori Dickerson were outright released. I thought the defensive line was ok, with a bunch of pass knockdowns (including one by Dickerson) so I'm not sure what is up with that. I almost would have rather we heaved somebody from the O-line.
Boneheaded play after Printers gets injured when the Cats were down near the goal line with 2nd and one and they go shotgun with Richie Williams and he ends up getting tackled for a few yards back and they have to settle for a field goal. Admittedly hindsight is great and if whatever they were trying to do would have worked they would have looked like heroes, but honestly? Either sneak it or give it to Lumsden on a power run and get some confidence and the first down and likely the TD afterwards.
Williams didn't play badly when he was in, going 7 for 11 for 138 yards (although obviously that was upped a bit by the desperate flurry at the end). Ultimately I think it is possible for the team to win with Williams in (although I still would somewhat rather Printers over the long haul), but he will have to use his feet in the next game if he starts the next game and pick up some easy first downs.
With regards to the receivers, the 6'5" Rodriguez was amazing with ten receptions for 155 yards. I have to admit, I felt a project like him wasn't something a poor team like the Ticats could afford, however he has worked out better than expected. Fantastic height and great hands, hopefully he can win a game for us down the road. JoJo Walker, despite being released and then brought back also had a decent game. Scott Mitchell, why is he starting? I would start Bauman at his slotback position along with Walker (providing Miles is still hurt) along with Woodcock and Rodriguez. Maybe put Mitchell in with five receiver packages, but he has dropped more passes than his catches would justify. With Bauman starting, that's another ratio player, so we could start four import linemen! Just joking, our line sucks with three imports as it is, and I would have to think the fourth would bring sucking to a new level. Keep Mitchell plastered to the bench though.
I had predicted that with Lumsden back and Cavka in at guard (and three imports in total on the line) that the running game would probably do ok against an Edmonton team that has a better offense than a defence. On the first Ticats series they gave to ball to Lumsden who got around one yard. The offensive line on that play had almost no push forward. After that a sack. The next series a O'Neil Wilson drop for a first down on what in hindsight would have been a better running play. Then an overthrown ball to Woodcock. And so it went. Crappy passing plays, with the offensive line being overwhelmed by blitzes (which Lumsden didn't seem to be able to help much with either it must be mentioned) in five receiver sets. Why not a few more tight end setups on first down? Mix in a typical Mitchell drop (who had no catches), a fumbled snap and a reception by Woodcock and you had a mostly terrible offensive first half.
The defence in the first half played great, considering they were constantly getting back on the field. A bunch of Edmonton two and outs in the first half and really they kept the Cats in the game. Ricky Ray displayed his typical pass a lot, but not do much style that plagued him last year. I know he's won a Grey Cup, but then so has Marcus Crandell. Kamau Peterson was his usual mostly useless self in the first half. The line seemed to get some pressure at times and the secondary was great.
In the second half, the offense improved somewhat. The defence wasn't as hot as in the first half, but again they spent a lot of time on the field and couldn't stop the Eskimos at the end when they needed to (similar to the Saskatchewan game). Interestingly after the game, Clinton Wayne and Kori Dickerson were outright released. I thought the defensive line was ok, with a bunch of pass knockdowns (including one by Dickerson) so I'm not sure what is up with that. I almost would have rather we heaved somebody from the O-line.
Boneheaded play after Printers gets injured when the Cats were down near the goal line with 2nd and one and they go shotgun with Richie Williams and he ends up getting tackled for a few yards back and they have to settle for a field goal. Admittedly hindsight is great and if whatever they were trying to do would have worked they would have looked like heroes, but honestly? Either sneak it or give it to Lumsden on a power run and get some confidence and the first down and likely the TD afterwards.
Williams didn't play badly when he was in, going 7 for 11 for 138 yards (although obviously that was upped a bit by the desperate flurry at the end). Ultimately I think it is possible for the team to win with Williams in (although I still would somewhat rather Printers over the long haul), but he will have to use his feet in the next game if he starts the next game and pick up some easy first downs.
With regards to the receivers, the 6'5" Rodriguez was amazing with ten receptions for 155 yards. I have to admit, I felt a project like him wasn't something a poor team like the Ticats could afford, however he has worked out better than expected. Fantastic height and great hands, hopefully he can win a game for us down the road. JoJo Walker, despite being released and then brought back also had a decent game. Scott Mitchell, why is he starting? I would start Bauman at his slotback position along with Walker (providing Miles is still hurt) along with Woodcock and Rodriguez. Maybe put Mitchell in with five receiver packages, but he has dropped more passes than his catches would justify. With Bauman starting, that's another ratio player, so we could start four import linemen! Just joking, our line sucks with three imports as it is, and I would have to think the fourth would bring sucking to a new level. Keep Mitchell plastered to the bench though.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Edmonton Eskimos Game, Battle of the Mediocre Football Teams
The Cats are at home versus the Esks with a chance to go 2 and 3. Both are coming off losses with Hamilton the 2 point underdog. So there is definitely a chance for the Cats to win and pick up their second win, in July no less and Edmonton is playing on a short week. Ah, the soft bigotry of low expectations.
Obviously the big story is Jesse Lumsden's return and how that goes. Edmonton's defence is one of the more mediocre thus far (although not as bad as Winnipeg). Edmonton has given up 6.3 yards per rush so far this year, so that bodes well for Lumsden. Hopefully the Cats won't go too crazy this game relying on Lumsden exclusively. Instead they should try to mix in some Smith and have Printers make the odd first down scamper. With Lumsden playing and the import Cavka likely at guard, will that make the O-line effective. Fred Perry, Edmonton's rush end was lost last week with a delightfully gruesome leg injury (which I witnessed at a bar in Pearson's international departures terminal while munching on some surprisingly tasty nachos), so maybe it is time for a dominant offensive performance with Printers having forever to throw and long runs ripped off effortlessly. I'm almost overconfident.
Oh wait, Miles is out with a bad hamstring and erstwhile Catatonia favourite JoJo Walker is apparently in for him (despite being recently released) at slotback. I'm hoping Bauman and Woodcock will have good games, because I don't have a lot of confidence in Hamilton's import receivers. Maybe Mitchell will prove me wrong and score the Ticats first TD through the air.
I'm picking Lumsden on a screen or shovel pass for that illustrious honour.
On defence, well, if the offense can avoid sucking with turnovers and 2 and outs in the first half, they probably won't do too bad. Edmonton has a pretty pass happy offense with some rushing, but the Cats haven't done a bad job stopping the rush this year (although the stats don't really show it). Having Ricky Ray as your QB means you are going to have a lot of passing yards in your game, however it doesn't necessarily mean you are going to win. Last year Ray passed for a ton of yards (which Jason Maass definitely did not do), but the Esks were only marginally better than Hamilton. I'm not exactly sure how that's possible, but I believe it has something to do with a porous defence and falling behind. Hopefully Moreno will have a big game for once this year and the rejigged line with McKay-Loescher not starting (and Clinton Wayne nonimport starting at tackle wtf?) will get at least some pressure. Maybe we'll blitz and not get burned too badly.
This is the first of the blacked out games, which is a grievous mistake in my opinion. What if Hamilton actually does well in this game? Who's going to see it? Interestingly the most watched game so far this year was Toronto at Edmonton on July 10th, with 475,000 viewers.
Unfortunately, I won't be at the game in my usual seat in section 7, but I will attempt to watch it on broadband here in Deutschland. Failing that it is CHML, followed by the replay tomorrow. Go Cats! May the other team have a run of stunning incompetence.
Obviously the big story is Jesse Lumsden's return and how that goes. Edmonton's defence is one of the more mediocre thus far (although not as bad as Winnipeg). Edmonton has given up 6.3 yards per rush so far this year, so that bodes well for Lumsden. Hopefully the Cats won't go too crazy this game relying on Lumsden exclusively. Instead they should try to mix in some Smith and have Printers make the odd first down scamper. With Lumsden playing and the import Cavka likely at guard, will that make the O-line effective. Fred Perry, Edmonton's rush end was lost last week with a delightfully gruesome leg injury (which I witnessed at a bar in Pearson's international departures terminal while munching on some surprisingly tasty nachos), so maybe it is time for a dominant offensive performance with Printers having forever to throw and long runs ripped off effortlessly. I'm almost overconfident.
Oh wait, Miles is out with a bad hamstring and erstwhile Catatonia favourite JoJo Walker is apparently in for him (despite being recently released) at slotback. I'm hoping Bauman and Woodcock will have good games, because I don't have a lot of confidence in Hamilton's import receivers. Maybe Mitchell will prove me wrong and score the Ticats first TD through the air.
I'm picking Lumsden on a screen or shovel pass for that illustrious honour.
On defence, well, if the offense can avoid sucking with turnovers and 2 and outs in the first half, they probably won't do too bad. Edmonton has a pretty pass happy offense with some rushing, but the Cats haven't done a bad job stopping the rush this year (although the stats don't really show it). Having Ricky Ray as your QB means you are going to have a lot of passing yards in your game, however it doesn't necessarily mean you are going to win. Last year Ray passed for a ton of yards (which Jason Maass definitely did not do), but the Esks were only marginally better than Hamilton. I'm not exactly sure how that's possible, but I believe it has something to do with a porous defence and falling behind. Hopefully Moreno will have a big game for once this year and the rejigged line with McKay-Loescher not starting (and Clinton Wayne nonimport starting at tackle wtf?) will get at least some pressure. Maybe we'll blitz and not get burned too badly.
This is the first of the blacked out games, which is a grievous mistake in my opinion. What if Hamilton actually does well in this game? Who's going to see it? Interestingly the most watched game so far this year was Toronto at Edmonton on July 10th, with 475,000 viewers.
Unfortunately, I won't be at the game in my usual seat in section 7, but I will attempt to watch it on broadband here in Deutschland. Failing that it is CHML, followed by the replay tomorrow. Go Cats! May the other team have a run of stunning incompetence.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Today's Game
Well here we are with a decent chance to be 2 and 1, which considering the last few seasons is pretty cool. I wonder when we last had a winning record? I guess the first year of the Bob Young era when the Cats went 0.500. Certainly there is a decent chance, with Crandell out for Saskatchewan and Durant in with Jyles backing him up. I was a bit leary of Saskatechewan's chances starting the season with Crandell and the two new guys remind me a bit of the Todd Bankhead Billy the Skid era of bad Ticat backups. One never knows however.
I think the key for this game again will be avoiding two and outs early versus a tough Saskatchewan defence. If the Cats can establish Lumsden early and make some first downs, I think they will be ok. I do think it will be critical for Printers to occassionally run when the opportunity presents itself, picking up the easy first down or perhaps six or seven yards on first down. Get the offence in sync and on the field and keep Durant from getting any chance of getting hot. Same as last week I guess.
For the defence, throw some blitzes at Durant, and watch out for Wes Cates. Again prevent the Riders from converting 2nd and long, however with the inexperienced quarterback, that shouldn't be too hard.
I'm really hoping this goes according to plan, but lord knows I've been dissappointed before. One last thing, if the Cats do get ahead, they need to keep it going and absolutely crush the Riders and give them no chance at coming back. That's how good teams win a lot of games.
I think the key for this game again will be avoiding two and outs early versus a tough Saskatchewan defence. If the Cats can establish Lumsden early and make some first downs, I think they will be ok. I do think it will be critical for Printers to occassionally run when the opportunity presents itself, picking up the easy first down or perhaps six or seven yards on first down. Get the offence in sync and on the field and keep Durant from getting any chance of getting hot. Same as last week I guess.
For the defence, throw some blitzes at Durant, and watch out for Wes Cates. Again prevent the Riders from converting 2nd and long, however with the inexperienced quarterback, that shouldn't be too hard.
I'm really hoping this goes according to plan, but lord knows I've been dissappointed before. One last thing, if the Cats do get ahead, they need to keep it going and absolutely crush the Riders and give them no chance at coming back. That's how good teams win a lot of games.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Last Week's Argo Game
Well it has been almost a week since the magical victory of the Cats over the Argos. I won't say that I was expecting it (considering the Cats were 10.5 point underdogs), but I did think that they had a slight chance (to beat the spread). Winning 32 - 13 sure wasn't what Vegas was expecting.
Before the game, on offence I said the Cats had to have a semblance of a running game, Printers has to have a similar completion percentage as last week, and Printers has to be able to run for some first downs. Considering the Cats ran for over 300 yards, Lumsden picking up 189 himself, obviously they had a running game. Tre Smith also picked up a lot of yards. I noticed that Printers was also able to run, including for two touchdowns. Whether the Cats will be able to do that against the defences of other teams is a question. Printers was 16 of 23 for 171 yards, for a 69.6% completion rate, which was in fact similar to last week. I guess starting three imports on the oline worked for the Cats, although I noticed they switched Peter Dyakowski in at guard when Lumsden went out. Lumsden was impressive not just on his long runs, but also when he was met at the line, he always seemed to grind out a couple of yards or sometimes even five or six. That's so important, as 2nd and 7 allows a lot more possibilities (including the QB legging it) than 2nd and 10. Someday I would like to make a chart of the percentages for making a first down for 2nd and X number of yards, but I'm guessing that would take a lot of effort.
On defence, I said how the Cats would do would depend on how the Argos QB did. Fortunately, Kerry Joseph didn't do a lot, especially in the first half. That might have a bit to do with new Argo receiver Bethel Johnson getting injured early (by his own player if I recall correctly). Johnson is another one of the former NFLers the Argos love so much and apparently really fast. Welcome to the CFL son! I also mentioned that the Cats had to stop 2nd and long (8 or more yards). I tried keeping track for both teams, but it was harder than I thought. However for the first half, the Argos didn't make a first down in any of those situations (the Cats themselves were rarely in 2nd and long situations). So obviously that's the key. Hard to tell how good the Cats defence is based on their last two outings. Moreno played ok from what I saw, but not fantastic.
Other bits, I noticed Jonta Woodard got an illegal formation call against him. Jonta seems to be good for at least one to two drive killing penalties per game. Is that worth giving up an additional sack for an inferior player? Hard calculation to make. Woodcock made at least four good grabs that I saw, often for first downs. Good pickup. Argos coach Stubler was wearing shorts, not really a good look, although I admit I prefer that to some dork on the sidelines with a suit on. Vanderjagt's placekicking was good, but his punting was mediocre. I'm guessing he will flipflop throughout the year.
Finally, as a suggestion for selling more tickets, the Argos and Cats should offer an option for their season ticket holders to receive tickets for the other team's home games against their teams (maybe even including the exhibition games). Just add on $20 or $30 per game onto the original season ticket price and call it the ultimate package or some other marketing jargon. Likely you will get a number of hardcore fans who might end up going that might not have. A bit of extra revenue for the tickets plus the concessions, plus the demand comes from those less likely in some ways to buy a ticket on the spur of the moment. One might as well take advantage of the teams being so close together.
Before the game, on offence I said the Cats had to have a semblance of a running game, Printers has to have a similar completion percentage as last week, and Printers has to be able to run for some first downs. Considering the Cats ran for over 300 yards, Lumsden picking up 189 himself, obviously they had a running game. Tre Smith also picked up a lot of yards. I noticed that Printers was also able to run, including for two touchdowns. Whether the Cats will be able to do that against the defences of other teams is a question. Printers was 16 of 23 for 171 yards, for a 69.6% completion rate, which was in fact similar to last week. I guess starting three imports on the oline worked for the Cats, although I noticed they switched Peter Dyakowski in at guard when Lumsden went out. Lumsden was impressive not just on his long runs, but also when he was met at the line, he always seemed to grind out a couple of yards or sometimes even five or six. That's so important, as 2nd and 7 allows a lot more possibilities (including the QB legging it) than 2nd and 10. Someday I would like to make a chart of the percentages for making a first down for 2nd and X number of yards, but I'm guessing that would take a lot of effort.
On defence, I said how the Cats would do would depend on how the Argos QB did. Fortunately, Kerry Joseph didn't do a lot, especially in the first half. That might have a bit to do with new Argo receiver Bethel Johnson getting injured early (by his own player if I recall correctly). Johnson is another one of the former NFLers the Argos love so much and apparently really fast. Welcome to the CFL son! I also mentioned that the Cats had to stop 2nd and long (8 or more yards). I tried keeping track for both teams, but it was harder than I thought. However for the first half, the Argos didn't make a first down in any of those situations (the Cats themselves were rarely in 2nd and long situations). So obviously that's the key. Hard to tell how good the Cats defence is based on their last two outings. Moreno played ok from what I saw, but not fantastic.
Other bits, I noticed Jonta Woodard got an illegal formation call against him. Jonta seems to be good for at least one to two drive killing penalties per game. Is that worth giving up an additional sack for an inferior player? Hard calculation to make. Woodcock made at least four good grabs that I saw, often for first downs. Good pickup. Argos coach Stubler was wearing shorts, not really a good look, although I admit I prefer that to some dork on the sidelines with a suit on. Vanderjagt's placekicking was good, but his punting was mediocre. I'm guessing he will flipflop throughout the year.
Finally, as a suggestion for selling more tickets, the Argos and Cats should offer an option for their season ticket holders to receive tickets for the other team's home games against their teams (maybe even including the exhibition games). Just add on $20 or $30 per game onto the original season ticket price and call it the ultimate package or some other marketing jargon. Likely you will get a number of hardcore fans who might end up going that might not have. A bit of extra revenue for the tickets plus the concessions, plus the demand comes from those less likely in some ways to buy a ticket on the spur of the moment. One might as well take advantage of the teams being so close together.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Reflections on the previous game
Now that a sufficient amount of time has passed since last week's debacle, I think it is time to reflect a bit. First looking at Printer's stats from last week is a small positive, 15 for 21 (71% completion) for 203 yards. That completion ratio is a big improvement over the Maass era (who had a 59.8 % last year), plus an average of 13.5 yards per completion. Again that is an improvement over the Maass era, where short passes short of the first down marker were the norm. One can argue that as the game got out of hand, the Cats were forced to pass, pumping up the stats, however the completion percentage is still high. One would expect that to go down as desperate passes are attempted.
The Ticats poor performance really stemmed from their problems offensively in the first half. Especially in the first quarter, a dropped pass, a fumble and a failed third down gamble really limited the number of offensive plays that were run. This was partially the offence's fault, however the defence didn't help here either. There were numerous times where the defence had Montreal 2nd and long and failed to stop them. If they had managed to stop them, the Cats offence would have had more chances to get going in the first half, possibly win the battle for field position and keep the game closer. This would have also have allowed for more running from Lumsden in the second half (who only had nine carries for 36 yards). I doubt the Cats would have won, however the game would have been more respectable. If your team can't stop 2nd and long, there's no way you are going to win.
Cavillo played a great game, however it is important to remember that Cavillo will soon be 35. Looking over the rest of the season, it is unlikely that Cavillo won't get injured for a period of time, coinciding with a slew of Montreal losses. Montreal is facing a McManus type situation this year. I'm betting the Cats still have a chance to catch them for third place (although the crossover probably takes the playoff spot).
Finally, third and one. The Cats turned the ball over on downs on a key third down in the first half, on a bungled run play to Lumsden, when the ball was in easy sneak range. If the Cats are going to have any chance to win this year, they will have to be automatic on third and one. Printers is a big guy, so there is no reason not to sneak. This needs to be drilled in practice, so there's no doubt. I like gutsy third and one calls, but the Cats can't afford to fail. Not this year, not with this team.
The Ticats poor performance really stemmed from their problems offensively in the first half. Especially in the first quarter, a dropped pass, a fumble and a failed third down gamble really limited the number of offensive plays that were run. This was partially the offence's fault, however the defence didn't help here either. There were numerous times where the defence had Montreal 2nd and long and failed to stop them. If they had managed to stop them, the Cats offence would have had more chances to get going in the first half, possibly win the battle for field position and keep the game closer. This would have also have allowed for more running from Lumsden in the second half (who only had nine carries for 36 yards). I doubt the Cats would have won, however the game would have been more respectable. If your team can't stop 2nd and long, there's no way you are going to win.
Cavillo played a great game, however it is important to remember that Cavillo will soon be 35. Looking over the rest of the season, it is unlikely that Cavillo won't get injured for a period of time, coinciding with a slew of Montreal losses. Montreal is facing a McManus type situation this year. I'm betting the Cats still have a chance to catch them for third place (although the crossover probably takes the playoff spot).
Finally, third and one. The Cats turned the ball over on downs on a key third down in the first half, on a bungled run play to Lumsden, when the ball was in easy sneak range. If the Cats are going to have any chance to win this year, they will have to be automatic on third and one. Printers is a big guy, so there is no reason not to sneak. This needs to be drilled in practice, so there's no doubt. I like gutsy third and one calls, but the Cats can't afford to fail. Not this year, not with this team.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Team Revenues
Just a quick post on CFL teams revenues and costs. Scott Mitchell was quoted as saying in the Spec yesterday that the costs of running the Ticats is around 14 million. He is also quoted as saying each blacked out game is worth $100,000 by their estimates. Dividing by $40 for the average ticket price, that's an extra 2500 fans per game. Strikes me as a bit high.
Yesterday in the National Post, it was reported that revenue in Saskatchewan was $23 million last year, up from $11 million in 2004. The profit last year was $1.7 million. That much in revenue versus a $4.15 million salary cap isn't bad, although it makes you wonder where the remaining $19 million after salaries were spent.
I'm going to the preseason tilt in Toronto tonight. I think the biggest thing is how Lumsden does, plus if Printers can be successful against the blue team's defence passing. I'm still somewhat leery of the Ticat receivers. I sometimes wonder how hard it can be to find a decent import receiver. Maybe Tony Miles will step up. At least we won't have Jason Maas and his broken down shoulder holding us back...
Yesterday in the National Post, it was reported that revenue in Saskatchewan was $23 million last year, up from $11 million in 2004. The profit last year was $1.7 million. That much in revenue versus a $4.15 million salary cap isn't bad, although it makes you wonder where the remaining $19 million after salaries were spent.
I'm going to the preseason tilt in Toronto tonight. I think the biggest thing is how Lumsden does, plus if Printers can be successful against the blue team's defence passing. I'm still somewhat leery of the Ticat receivers. I sometimes wonder how hard it can be to find a decent import receiver. Maybe Tony Miles will step up. At least we won't have Jason Maas and his broken down shoulder holding us back...
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Blackouts
So the Ticat braintrust in their infinite wisdom, has decided to blackout two games in the summer. As I have season tickets, it doesn't affect me personally, but I do have an opinion. I think this is a terrible idea. I understand the desire to boost ticket sales, however I think it is a false economy. They may get an extra few fans for those games, compared to the surrounding ones, but I'm guessing the increase will be modest. The free advertising and marketing you lose out on are incalcuable. Consider a Hamilton kid today. He can watch NFL games with no blackouts. Say he only goes to a couple of Ticats games or none at all. I want him to be able to watch every Ticat game on TV possible, just like the Bills games. Hopefully he becomes a fan, watches more games, and down the line as he becomes a teenager and adult, he or she will start attending Ticat games more regularly, rather than becoming a fan of some NFL team from some crappy dying Midwestern city he or she will likely never visit. Plus having all the games on TV allows the casual fans to watch and discuss the game over the next few days. Consider the 500,000 people in Hamilton. With the blackout, you might get a couple of thousand extra fans (maybe). You're probably losing a few tens of thousands from watching the game, which in my opinion is worth a lot more over the years. I know that some of the Western teams like Edmonton and BC blackout a lot of their games too. I don't think that is a good idea either. You need to give kids the opportunity to become a CFL fan, whether their parents take them to a game or not.
How to increase attendance? A better team would be nice. Continually improving the stadium experience would be another. Deciding whether that extra 50 cents for a beer or a hotdog is really in the longterm interest of your club. Easy for me to say, but cutting out the best free marketing your club has, not a good idea.
How to increase attendance? A better team would be nice. Continually improving the stadium experience would be another. Deciding whether that extra 50 cents for a beer or a hotdog is really in the longterm interest of your club. Easy for me to say, but cutting out the best free marketing your club has, not a good idea.
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