CFL CBA talks progress

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/05/2022 (1502 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Don’t look now but the return of the Canadian Football League is right around the corner.

With Tuesday’s CFL Draft now in the rear-view mirror, what’s next is for rookies to arrive May 11 and formal training camp to get underway a few days later on May 15. Of course, there is one piece of important business still to take care of and that’s finalizing a new collective bargaining agreement.

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie, at the top of the CFL draft show on TSN, said he was encouraged that a new deal would be reached, mainly because of the work that’s already been done and the motivation from both sides to play in 2022. The CFL’s negotiating committee has been meeting with the CFL Player’s Association in Toronto in recent weeks and most, if not all, topics have already been discussed.

That’s not to suggest, though, that common ground has been found on all issues, particularly those involving money — whether that be player salaries or guaranteed contracts. The Canadian ratio is also being tinkered with, something the CFL has made a priority.

Both sides want a fair deal, but what’s fair can differ depending on which side you find yourself on. While I’m sure lots of work has been done to this point, it’s safe to say much of the heavy lifting will occur over the next week.

Here’s my guess: a deal gets done in time — as neither side can afford to lose another season — but it won’t happen until the last minute and could come as a short-term solution rather than a long-term commitment. Collective revenue has rebounded, but is still not where it used to be, and both sides felt they gave more than they took during a shortened 2021 campaign.

With that, let’s get into the latest edition of CFL Rundown, with news, notes and analysis of the week that was in the three-down loop.

1) Sticking with CBA negotiations, the CFLPA recently issued a strike mandate to its membership, resulting in a 95 per cent approval rate. This is just a standard part of any CBA negotiations, but it does mean if the CFLPA feels like they’re not getting a fair deal, they have nearly complete approval to go on strike.

2) The sense I get from front offices across the league is that they’re cautiously optimistic that a deal will get done. It’s the same feeling they had in 2019, and again in 2021, when they needed to adjust the CBA to reflect a 14-game regular season. The CFLPA has been quietly threatening not to show up for training camp without a memorandum of agreement with the CFL or certainty that players will not be stranded in their respective cities in the event of a work stoppage. Lots of language, but I’ll only be worried if things go public.

3) For a third straight year the first player to be selected in the CFL Draft wasn’t an offensive lineman. On Tuesday, Montreal selected Syracuse linebacker Tyrell Richards with the first overall pick. It was also the second straight draft that only two O-linemen were selected in the opening round, after averaging nearly five O-linemen in the first round between 2015 and 2020. Could we be seeing a shift in philosophy?

4) The Edmonton Elks selected Tre Ford out of Waterloo with the No. 8 pick, making him the first Canadian quarterback to be selected in the first round since 1980. That season, Calgary selected Sheldon Paris at No. 7 and Montreal drafted Joe Hawko one pick later.

5) Ford has a twin brother, Tyrell, who was picked by Winnipeg at No. 13. They were one of two pairs of twins selected in the draft. The other being Tyson and Jalen Philpot, who were selected fifth (Calgary) and ninth (Montreal) overall, respectively.

6) I have only one beef with the CFL Draft this year and that’s the fact it took 2.5 hours to get through the first two rounds. It’s not even the length that was overly concerning — part of it had to do with TSN incorporating a couple unique segments — it was that the show began at 7 p.m. CT. Starting earlier would get the younger generations more involved, and that should be a serious goal.

7) We’ve talked lots about the potential for new rules to be adopted this season, and this week a handful of them were confirmed. The hash marks on the field will each be moved four yards closer to the middle; following a field goal, the ensuing drive will now begin at the 40-yard line, up from the 35, and if a team opts for a kick, it will be booted from the 30 rather than the 35 (following a safety, the kick will now be from the 25, up from the 20-yard line); all no-yards penalties will be 15 yards, whether the receiver catches the ball or not; two QBs will be permitted on the field at the same time.

8) It’s really too bad the double-QB rule wasn’t in play when Chris Streveler was in Winnipeg. Talk about the possibilities.

9) There are also a couple changes to improve game flow, including the creation of a “communications co-ordinator” from the officiating department, which will allow for quicker communication to coaches, meaning coaches won’t have to wait for the official to come over and let them know the call. Penalties that occur at the end of the first and third quarters will now be assigned at the start of the next quarter, rather than triggering an extension of the quarter. There is one exception to that, being if there’s a clear advantage — say, the wind is strong for a kick — then the team who wasn’t penalized will be able to extend the quarter.

10) The Associated Press is reporting the NFL’s Cleveland Browns intend on hiring Catherine Raiche, a current employee of the Philadelphia Eagles, as a high-ranking member of its front office. Full details on the job aren’t public but word is Raiche, who is Canadian and got her start in the CFL with Montreal and Toronto, could become the assistant to Browns GM Andrew Berry. What a run the 33-year-old is on.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton