NFL FanHouse

With NFL Threat Looming, CFL Launches 'This Is Our League' Ad Campaign

Michael David Smith — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:25:00 EST

Filed under: Bills, NFL Video, Buffalo, Toronto

Many Canadians believe that the NFL's plans to play regular-season games in Canada -- and possibly move a team there permanently -- are a threat to the Canadian Football League's very existence. In response, the CFL has launched an ad campaign reminding Canadians, "This is our league":

The commercial itself is cool, but I really don't understand why so many Canadian football fans are freaking out, to the point where elected officials are trying to pass laws to keep the NFL out. Is the CFL really so weak that putting one NFL team in Canada would put the entire league out of business?

Via Sports by Brooks.

With NFL Threat Looming, CFL Launches 'This Is Our League' Ad Campaign originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CFL Coach Takes Blame for Mike Vanderjagt's Three Missed Field Goals

Ryan Wilson — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:23:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, Toronto

On Sunday, MDS pointed out that Canadian national treasure, Mike Vanderjagt, had accepted a full-time job to play professional football in the motherland, and in his very first game honked three field goals. Not to worry, though; Vanderjagt managed to convert two attempts, and also had a fine day punting.

And come to find out, the three misses weren't even his fault. Vanderjagt's Toronto Argonauts coach even says so.

[Rookie head coach Rich] Stubler believes the Argos have done Vanderjagt a disservice by not practising on a field fitted with uprights, an oversight that will be addressed.

"We had two days all of camp where we went some place that had goalposts," Stubler said. "That's a coaching fault and I'll take that."

Yeah, I'd say that's a pretty big oversight. Luckily, the Argonauts appear to be in very capable hands; Stubler not only takes the blame, but the situation will be rectified. That's leadership, people.

I guess the sight of Vanderjagt taking a nap in the stands during every training camp practice didn't seem unusual to Stubler. Of course, this is the same guy who said of Vanderjagt's three misses (two "wide rights", and one "woefully short"): "In the NFL, those kicks are right down the middle", based solely on the fact that the CFL hashmarks are six yards wider than NFL hashmarks.

Made-up laws of physics aside, Bill Parcells vehemently disagrees.

Hat tip: Hashmarks. Naturally.

CFL Coach Takes Blame for Mike Vanderjagt's Three Missed Field Goals originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mike Vanderjagt Misses First 3 Field Goals in Return to Canadian Football League

Michael David Smith — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:08:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, Toronto

Former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt was finally back on a football field Saturday after a nearly two-year absence. It took him some time to shake off the rust.

Playing for the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Vanderjagt missed his first three field goals. He did, however, finally straighten out and hit a 49-yarder and a 44-yarder in the game's last four minutes to help the Argos to a 23-16 win.

Vanderjagt also punted for the Argonauts, and he did it well, averaging 48 yards and at one point uncorking a 60-yarder after his protection broke down and he was nearly tackled.

All things considered, it wasn't a disastrous outcome for Vanderjagt, who previously played in the CFL in the 1990. But it also wasn't particularly impressive, and it was a reminder that Vanderjagt, who was once among the NFL's best field goal kickers, will never be that kind of player again.

Hat tip: PFT.

Mike Vanderjagt Misses First 3 Field Goals in Return to Canadian Football League originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Good News for Buffalo Fans: Bills in Toronto Makes Season Tickets a Better Deal

Michael David Smith — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:04:00 EST

Filed under: Bills, NFL Fans, Buffalo, Toronto

Although some fans in Buffalo are concerned about the fact that the NFL is now scheduling Bills games across the border in Toronto, the NFL's decision is good news for Buffalo fans for several reasons. Case in point: Season tickets are now a better deal.

One of the big rip-offs in sports is that NFL season ticket holders can't buy the eight regular-season home games without also buying two preseason home games. Since NFL preseason games are dull exhibitions featuring a whole lot of playing time for guys with no shot of making the roster, fans don't particularly like it, but they put up with it because they want to see those eight regular-season games.

But now that the Bills are playing one regular-season game and one preseason game in Toronto, a typical Bills season ticket only requires fans to pay for eight games, seven regular-season and one preseason.

Bottom line: If you were a Bills season ticket holder last year, 20% of the games you were paying for were meaningless. If you're a Bills season ticket holder this year, the meaningless percentage has gone down to 13.5%. One of the many reasons for fans in Buffalo to be glad to share their team with fans in Toronto: Sharing the costs of preseason games.

Bills have fewer home games, best ticket prices [Rochester Democrat & Chronicle]

Good News for Buffalo Fans: Bills in Toronto Makes Season Tickets a Better Deal originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ralph Wilson to Bills Fans: 'Don't Worry. Don't Worry Right Now'

Sportz Assassin — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:17:00 EST

Filed under: Bills, AFC East, Buffalo, Toronto

You have to give it to the Buffalo Bills' owner Ralph Wilson ... one way or another. At the news conference to announce that the Bills will play eight home games in Toronto over the next five years, he tried his best to keep the citizens of Buffalo from fretting that this is the beginning of an eventual relocation:

"What am I going to say to the fans of Buffalo?" Wilson asked in response to a question. "I'm going to say, 'Hey, I can't speculate. I can't speculate what's going to happen in the future. But don't worry. Don't worry right now.'"

Well, that should put everyone at ease. When Wilson was asked if this move was leading to the relocation of the team to Toronto, he rationalized, "Buffalo is dwindling in population, in jobs. People don't have jobs, and they move out of Buffalo, they move out of Western New York" (you can read the long, rambling statement here).

I see what he's trying to convey to fans. Buffalo is getting smaller and it has gotten harder to be economically viable in today's NFL. Bringing in the Toronto and southern Ontario market does make sense and it isn't like the NFL hasn't seen a team split home sites during a season. The Green Bay Packers played some home games in Milwaukee until 1994.

Still, the writing is on the wall. Wilson has long been one of the so-called "small market" owners who tends to object to most of the league's business, since he feels it prices him out. It doesn't help that the Toronto side of this deal is hungry for an NFL team and that Wilson thinks it's ready:

"I can answer that in the affirmative," Wilson said. "Just driving in from the airport and seeing all the buildings, all the construction that's going on here in Toronto. I guess I've been told it's the fifth-largest town in North America. It reminds me of my trip to Dallas a few months ago. There's building in Dallas, Texas, everywhere. Cranes, brand-new structures, and I see the same thing here in Toronto. I'm going to answer that in the affirmative."

Ralph Wilson to Bills Fans: 'Don't Worry. Don't Worry Right Now' originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CFL Uses Lenny Kravitz to Deliver a Message to Roger Goodell

David J. Warner — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:42:00 EST

Filed under: NFL Media Watch, Toronto, International Football

You might have noticed a lot of chatter lately about the possibility of an NFL team moving to Toronto -- and how many believe that an NFL team in Toronto might end up killing the Canadian Football League. Well, CFL officials quietly let everyone know their stance on an NFL team in Toronto -- by hiring Lenny Kravitz to perform at the Grey Cup Final halftime show on Sunday.

This had me scratching my head when I heard about it. After all, Kravitz is definitely not Canadian, not to mention hasn't been particularly relevant since the 1990s. Why was he playing the CFL halftime show?

The second song in his three-song set revealed all:

American woman, said get away
American woman, listen what I say
Don't come hangin' around my door
Don't wanna see your face no more
Coloured lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else's eyes

There is no possible way that was an accident. Message sent, CFL. You realize, though, that you just made Roger Goodell even more determined to destroy your 12-man, 3-down, 110-yard gridiron game before decade's end. Good luck fending off the impending invasion.

CFL Uses Lenny Kravitz to Deliver a Message to Roger Goodell originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buffalo-Toronto Bills a Good Fit

Michael David Smith — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 09:11:00 EST

Filed under: Bills, Buffalo, Toronto

Lots of pro sports teams play outside the city that bears their name. The New York Giants and Jets both play in New Jersey. The Washington Redskins play in Maryland. The Dallas Cowboys play in Irving. And so on.

So although the talk that the Buffalo Bills could move to Toronto has been greeted by fans on both sides of the border as potentially cataclysmic, could it be that it really wouldn't be such a big deal at all? Richard Florida writes in the Globe and Mail that Toronto has become the nerve center for a huge region, and that what he calls mega-regions are the real drivers of the global economy:

A glimpse of this new reality came earlier this month when The Globe and Mail revealed that Canadian Football League owners were negotiating to bring an National Football League team to Toronto, and that the most likely and logical choice of available teams was the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are now seeking permission to play two games at the Rogers Centre next season. The move makes sense because the market for American-style football in Toronto is huge, but even more so when you think of the Buffalo-Toronto corridor in a way that was fashionable before 9/11 but has gone mostly unmentioned since: as a single economic entity - a mega-region, in other words.

The team could still be called the Buffalo Bills even if it starts to play regularly in Toronto. I don't think the Bills are going to move permanently to Toronto any time soon, but I could definitely envision a scenario in which they play games in both cities every year, like the Packers used to do with Milwaukee. And although some Buffalo residents would be upset, I think it would be good for fans, good for the Bills, good for the Buffalo-Toronto region and good for the NFL.

Hat tip: Data Janitor.

Buffalo-Toronto Bills a Good Fit originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 02 Nov 2007 09:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL Up North? Toronto Owners Have Eyes on Bills, Jaguars, Vikings and Saints

Michael David Smith — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 16:09:00 EST

Filed under: Bills, Jaguars, Saints, Vikings, Toronto

We noted this week that Canadian Football League officials were talking about the possibility of an NFL team moving to Canada, and that at least one executive is concerned that the NFL moving up north would kill the CFL.

Now comes word from the Globe and Mail that David Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski, owners of the Toronto Argonauts, have outlined a strategy of actively pursuing any NFL franchise that might be a candidate for relocation to Toronto. Cynamon and Sokolowski would apparently view that as a step toward a future in which the NFL and the CFL coexist peacefully in Canada.

The report continues:

While the NFL has no current plans for expansion, several existing teams are believed to be potential candidates for relocation, including the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints.

Of those franchises, the Bills seem most likely to move in the short term, given that 89-year-old owner Ralph Wilson has publicly declared the team will be sold to the highest bidder after his death and that the Buffalo market might be too small to satisfy the revenue demands of an NFL franchise purchased for current value.

I don't think any team is going to move within the next year. But I do think it's reasonable to believe that one of those four teams will move within the next five years. And although the NFL insists that putting a team in Los Angeles is its top priority, Toronto might turn out to be a more attractive destination. There's a real chance of this happening.

Hat tip: Pro Football Talk.

NFL Up North? Toronto Owners Have Eyes on Bills, Jaguars, Vikings and Saints originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 13 Oct 2007 16:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Claim: NFL in Toronto Would Kill the CFL

Michael David Smith — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 19:47:00 EST

Filed under: NFL Fans, Toronto

There's long been talk that the NFL wants to have a team in Toronto. Whether that means moving a team there (Buffalo Bills?) or an expansion club down the road is unclear, but there's little doubt that the league wants to expand beyond American borders, and that Toronto would be one of the most attractive options.

But what would happen to the Canadian Football League in that scenario? According to British Columbia Lions President Bob Ackles, the CFL would go under:

"No question in my mind a team could be successful in Toronto," Ackles told Sun Media. "But it would take southern Ontario and immediately kill Toronto and Hamilton and therefore it would kill the Grey Cup and the CFL. I don't think there's any question about that."

I don't think the NFL will have a team in Toronto any time soon, but I do think it'll be there eventually. And I find it hard to believe that one team going to Canada would kill the entire Canadian league. Especially considering what a bad PR move that would be for the NFL. If anything, having the NFL move to Canada would probably be a good thing, at least in the short term, for the CFL, because the NFL would pump money into it to keep from looking like American imperialists.

But saying the NFL could kill the CFL is a good strategy for keeping the NFL out, if that's your goal.

Via Fark.

Claim: NFL in Toronto Would Kill the CFL originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 07 Oct 2007 19:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CFL Won't Welcome Michael Vick

Michael David Smith — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:50:00 EST

Filed under: Falcons, Atlanta, Toronto

Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is likely to spend at least one NFL season in prison and at least one more sidelined with a league-mandated suspension, and there has been some speculation that while suspended from the NFL, Vick could play in Canada.

But the Canadian Football League says that's not going to happen. Rick Matsumoto of the Toronto Star reports that although CFL officials wouldn't address Vick specifically, they made clear that they do not want to be the outpost for players who are banished from the NFL.

A CFL spokesman reiterated Tuesday that a league rule instituted last spring bans any CFL team from signing a player under suspension in another league. That rule came about when the Toronto Argonauts signed Ricky Williams, who was suspended by the NFL for repeated violations of the league's substance-abuse policy.

So Vick's options, assuming he is suspended for at least a full season after he gets out of prison, will be limited. His best bet may be the UFL, the startup league that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and a few other billionaires have said they plan to form next year. That's assuming the UFL calculates that the publicity it gets from Vick is worth the boycotts and protests -- far from a safe assumption. Vick might never play organized football again.

CFL Won't Welcome Michael Vick originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CFL Player Scores 129-Yard Touchdown

Michael David Smith — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:04:00 EST

Filed under: NFL Video, Toronto

What can CFL players do that NFL players can't? Score 129-yard touchdowns.

In a game one Canadian sports writer said may be the most bizarre CFL game ever played, Toronto Argonauts kick returner Dominique Dorsey scored a 129-yard touchdown last night.

For you American fans, that's possible because the CFL field is 110 yards from goal line to goal line, and the end zones are 20 yards deep. If you're wondering what a 129-yard touchdown looks like, I don't have a video of Dorsey's run, but here's another CFL 129-yard touchdown:

That was Toronto's Bashir Levingston. He and Dorsey now share the record for the longest touchdown in professional football history. Let's see Devin Hester top that.

CFL Player Scores 129-Yard Touchdown originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mike Vanderjagt Heading Back to CFL?

Michael David Smith — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:43:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, Cowboys, NFL Gossip, NFL Rumors, Dallas, Indianapolis, NFL Free Agency, Toronto

It's been an incredible fall for Mike Vanderjagt. Just a year ago he was so well regarded that the Cowboys gave him a $2.5 million signing bonus -- huge for a kicker. And three years ago he was coming off a season in which he went 37-for-37 on field goals for the Colts.

And now NFL training camps are about to start, and not a single team has issued Vanderjagt an invitation. He was lousy in Dallas last year, and it's hard to picture any head coach feeling comfortable having Vanderjagt lining up for a game-winning field goal with one second left.

So is Vanderjagt done with football? Pro Football Talk reports that Vanderjagt attended Thursday's Toronto Argonauts-Calgary Stampeders game, and that he may be getting ready to return to the CFL. That would be a good place for him. He won two Grey Cups with the Argonauts, and he'd probably be more comfortable playing north of the border. That may be the only place where he's still welcome.

Mike Vanderjagt Heading Back to CFL? originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL Teams in Toronto, London, Mexico City?

Michael David Smith — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: NFL Gossip, NFL Rumors, Toronto

The NFL will move beyond just playing games in other countries and will have franchises permanently based in foreign cities within the next 10 years, according to Mark Waller, who heads the league's efforts at gaining international popularity.

"Ten years from now, I hope we will have a team in London, I hope we'll have a team in Mexico, I hope we'll have one in Toronto, playing within the NFL,'' Waller said.

That could mean current teams will move -- Mexico City Jaguars? Toronto Bills? -- but it would more likely involve expanding beyond the current 32 teams. And that's where I question whether this idea could really take off. For an owner to buy an NFL expansion team, he'd have to be willing to plunk down more than $1 billion. For a businessman to front that much money on a venture that might not have much of a following on foreign soil would be an awfully big leap of faith.

NFL Teams in Toronto, London, Mexico City? originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toronto Bills? If They Reach the Open Market, It's Very Possible

Dan — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Bills, AFC East, NFL Gossip, Buffalo, Toronto

Could the Buffalo Bills eventually be moving to Toronto? Former running back Willis McGahee thought they should have and owner Ralph Wilson recently admitted that the team would be sold following his death, so the possibility is certainly there.

And with that possibility looming, potential Toronto owners have begun eyeing the Bills franchise. Some of the names include president and CEO of Rodgers Entertainment, Ted Rogers; Toronto Raptors co-founder and Kilmer Sports Incorporated owner, Larry Tanenbaum and President/CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, Paul Godfrey.

According to Globe Sports, all three of these men are expected to "act aggressively" in their pursuit of the Buffalo franchise, should it become available. Even more concerning for Bills fans is the fact that they are acting as individuals, not as a corporate entity. That basically means that there are three chances this team moves to Toronto if it's sold, rather than one.

On the plus side of all of this, is the reality that it could be many, many years before the Bills are ever sold. And from now until the potential decision to sell, various different things could happen that result in the Bills remaining in Buffalo for the remainder of our lives.

Toronto Bills? If They Reach the Open Market, It's Very Possible originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 22 Jun 2007 10:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anthony Dorsett Jr., Son of Hall of Famer, Heads to CFL

Michael David Smith — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 07:17:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Raiders, Titans, Dallas, Oakland, Nashville, Toronto

Defensive back Anthony Dorsett, the son of Cowboys Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett, has signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. CFL players are reporting to training camps this weekend.

The 33-year-old Dorsett was a good safety and special teams player for four years with the Titans and three years with the Raiders, but he hasn't played since 2003, so he'll have an uphill battle making it with the Argonauts. In the last three years he's worked in commercial and residential development, so his football skills may be rusty.

Dorsett played at Pittsburgh, where his father, Tony Dorsett, won the 1976 Heisman Trophy, left school as the NCAA's all-time rushing leader, and was one of the greatest players in the history of college football. With the Cowboys, Tony Dorsett ran for more than 12,000 yards in 11 seasons before ending his career with one more year in Denver.

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Anthony Dorsett Jr., Son of Hall of Famer, Heads to CFL originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 02 Jun 2007 07:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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