Football (North America: NFL, CFL, Arena Football, minor leagues)

[1995hoo]

They schedule the Grey Cup sites in advance, same as the Super Bowl, but because there are far fewer teams in the CFL (currently nine, versus 32 in the NFL), it's common for a team to play at home. But it doesn't always happen. Last year Ottawa beat Calgary in Toronto, for example, and my favorite Grey Cup was in Regina in 1995 when Baltimore beat Calgary.

I believe Ottawa was promised a Grey Cup within four years of the Redblacks beginning play. This year was the fourth year. The same stadium will host an outdoor NHL game next month (Ottawa hosting Montreal) to mark 100 years since the NHL's first game. Today marks 100 years since the NHL was founded, but the league didn't begin play until a few weeks later.

There's no reason why an NFL team couldn't play at home in the Super Bowl. It's just never happened.


Edited to add: I rather liked Shania Twain's outfit. 

[1995hoo]

Damn, quite a finish in Ottawa!

[jbnv]

There's no reason why an NFL team couldn't play at home in the Super Bowl. It's just never happened.

I think the reason Bountygate happened was because New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl that year, and the NFL didn't want the Saints to be the first team to play in the Super Bowl in their home stadium.

Speaking of the Saints, why was that game on CBS? Neither team is in the AFC.

[jp the roadgeek]

There's no reason why an NFL team couldn't play at home in the Super Bowl. It's just never happened.

I think the reason Bountygate happened was because New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl that year, and the NFL didn't want the Saints to be the first team to play in the Super Bowl in their home stadium.

Speaking of the Saints, why was that game on CBS? Neither team is in the AFC.

NFL has a new thing called cross-flexing which gives a few non-conference games to the opposite network.  Way of balancing things out as far as strength of games.  Next week's Vikings-Falcons game is also on CBS.   It's a major topic on the506.com's forum (I recognize a few people here who are members there too; they even have a roads discussion thread in their off-topic area).

And there is an outside chance the Vikings could be that first team this year.

[1995hoo]

I read somewhere that the cross-flex thing came about in part because of the development of flexible scheduling associated with Sunday Night Football when NBC picked up that property. Because more desirable high-profile games are shifted to Sunday night later in the season, games can be moved across networks for the reasons jp the roadgeek noted. This had not previously been an issue because the NFL had consistently rejected ABC's requests for flexible scheduling for Monday Night Football, saying it was unfair to teams and fans to move games to a different day of the week on short notice.

I also read that another reason for the policy is to ensure that every team's local FOX and CBS affiliates will air at least one of that team's games every season. That is, take the Redskins' schedule this year. The Redskins' two interconference home games (which would normally be on CBS due to the "visiting team network" rule) are against Oakland and Denver. The Raiders game was a Sunday night game, so it was on NBC. The Broncos game is scheduled for 1:05 Eastern on December 24. It won't be moved for flexible scheduling because there is no Sunday night game that day due to it being Christmas Eve (instead, NBC has a Saturday night game; the NFL still won't normally move a game to a different day of the week unless there's an emergency situation), but suppose, for discussion purposes, it were moved to Sunday night. The DC-area CBS affiliate would be left with no Redskins games this season if the normal scheduling rules were in effect because all their games would be on FOX, NBC, or ESPN. So allowing the "cross-flex" would ensure the CBS affiliate got a Redskins game at some point.

(BTW, the Redskins' game in Los Angeles against the Chargers in two weeks, which would normally be on FOX, is on CBS. It was originally scheduled for FOX. Originally, the Broncos game noted above was to be the Redskins' only CBS game this season.)

[Roadgeekteen]

There's no reason why an NFL team couldn't play at home in the Super Bowl. It's just never happened.

I think the reason Bountygate happened was because New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl that year, and the NFL didn't want the Saints to be the first team to play in the Super Bowl in their home stadium.

Speaking of the Saints, why was that game on CBS? Neither team is in the AFC.

NFL has a new thing called cross-flexing which gives a few non-conference games to the opposite network.  Way of balancing things out as far as strength of games.  Next week's Vikings-Falcons game is also on CBS.   It's a major topic on the506.com's forum (I recognize a few people here who are members there too; they even have a roads discussion thread in their off-topic area).

And there is an outside chance the Vikings could be that first team this year.

A real chance, the Vikings have the second best record in the NFC.

[oscar]

Damn, quite a finish in Ottawa!

Agreed, enough to draw me away from an unexpectedly exciting Packers-Steelers Sunday night game.

The other Grey Cup game I remember was from 2013, in Regina at the outdoor home field of one of the teams playing (and which ended up winning), the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Conditions for that game were no precip but cold. It was funny that one of the bands performing at halftime included in its lyrics "Take off all your clothes | Strike that Playboy pose". With temps below 0°C, and wind chills below 0°F, there was very little danger of any fans actually doing that!

[Roadgeekteen]

Big fight between Aqib Talib and Micheal Crabtree yesterday.

[jp the roadgeek]

Eli Manning benched by the Giants after 210 consecutive starts for Geno Smith.  Ben McAdoo is being roasted like a Thanksgiving turkey by Giants fans and the New York media.

[Roadgeekteen]

Eli Manning benched by the Giants after 210 consecutive starts for Geno Smith.  Ben McAdoo is being roasted like a Thanksgiving turkey by Giants fans and the New York media.

Mad respect to that dude even though I am still salty about 2007 and 2011.

[jp the roadgeek]

And Ben McAdoo was fired today, along with GM Jerry Reese.  Guess John Mara heard the outcry and saw the billboards calling for him to be fired after the whole Eli benching.  Steve Spagnuolo takes over on an interim basis, and Eli will be under center again this coming Sunday.

Also, Gronk has been suspended 1 game for that senseless hit yesterday.  He plans on appealing it.

[Roadgeekteen]

And Ben McAdoo was fired today, along with GM Jerry Reese.  Guess John Mara heard the outcry and saw the billboards calling for him to be fired after the whole Eli benching.  Steve Spagnuolo takes over on an interim basis, and Eli will be under center again this coming Sunday.

Also, Gronk has been suspended 1 game for that senseless hit yesterday.  He plans on appealing it.

Gronk One bad thing about yesterday's game. I hope he never does something like that again.

[MNHighwayMan]

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article188145129.html

update now Dr. Omalu who made discoveries of NFL players and CTE is leaving San Joaquin Coroners office.

Okay, you've posted this to two threads now, but, besides his initial tangential relationship wrt his research, I fail to see how this has anything to do at all with the NFL presently.

[ET21]

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article188145129.html

update now Dr. Omalu who made discoveries of NFL players and CTE is leaving San Joaquin Coroners office.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article188145129.html#storylink=cpy

Outside of that he helped in pursuing CTE, this story has nothing to do with the NFL

[Roadgeekteen]

Massive disaster on Monday with a devastating Ryan Shazier injury plus many more disasters.

[Alps]

Massive disaster on Monday with a devastating Ryan Shazier injury plus many more disasters.

constant posts about the NFL are a disaster

[Roadgeekteen]

Massive disaster on Monday with a devastating Ryan Shazier injury plus many more disasters.

constant posts about the NFL are a disaster

Last night's game was important. This is a high profile player suffering a devastating injury.

[oscar]

Massive disaster on Monday with a devastating Ryan Shazier injury plus many more disasters.

constant posts about the NFL are a disaster

Last night's game was important. This is a high profile player suffering a devastating injury.

Important enough for everybody who cares, and didn't watch the game as I did, to know about it already.

[Roadgeekteen]

Massive disaster on Monday with a devastating Ryan Shazier injury plus many more disasters.

constant posts about the NFL are a disaster

Last night's game was important. This is a high profile player suffering a devastating injury.

Important enough for everybody who cares, and didn't watch the game as I did, to know about it already.

Then what's the point of this thread?

[oscar]

Massive disaster on Monday with a devastating Ryan Shazier injury plus many more disasters.

constant posts about the NFL are a disaster

Last night's game was important. This is a high profile player suffering a devastating injury.

Important enough for everybody who cares, and didn't watch the game as I did, to know about it already.

Then what's the point of this thread?

Things like commentary/opinion, or under-the-radar news people otherwise would not know about (like my item way upthread about the use of a CFL logo by a southern California college team).

As least be more selective! I suggest assuming that forum members get most of their sports news elsewhere, and focusing on stuff we don't get from sports websites or talk shows. Unlike this week's Monday night game, for example, which was discussed at length on every one of the sports programs and websites I follow.

[Roadgeekteen]

Browns fire gm.

[hotdogPi]

Browns fire gm.

General Motors is challenging this decision, believing that a mere football team cannot fire a major American car manufacturer.

[ilpt4u]

Browns fire gm.

General Motors is challenging this decision, believing that a mere football team cannot fire a major American car manufacturer.

The Ford family, also owners of the Lions, do approve tho of a fellow franchise firing gm and are looking for new partnerships with Browns ownership

[Roadgeekteen]

Browns fire gm.

General Motors is challenging this decision, believing that a mere football team cannot fire a major American car manufacturer.

Not sure if you were joking or not but gm stands for general manager.

[ET21]

Browns fire gm.

General Motors is challenging this decision, believing that a mere football team cannot fire a major American car manufacturer.

Not sure if you were joking or not but gm stands for general manager.

Whoosh!