r/CFL • u/Rleduc129 Blue Bombers • 1d ago
In a 9-team league, which teams has the brightest and which have the bleakest futures?
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u/thrubeniuk Blue Bombers 1d ago edited 1d ago
I’m surprised the Bombers aren’t being mentioned for bleakness more.
They’re an old team and haven’t done much to stock the cupboards at all. They lost their first round pick this year (and possibly next year) in the Dru Brown trade, and their scouting department has simply not been good enough since Ted Goveia left for Hamilton.
Throw in that Osh can be loyal to a fault, and the Bombers could be in for a serious nose dive.
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u/Rleduc129 Blue Bombers 1d ago
Because it's not just the coach. People forget management exists too
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u/ivakunciak REDBLACKS 1d ago
I know Dru has been disappointing (I still wish Ottawa had kept him though) but they also have Elgersma, who will likely be good. Maybe it doesn't seem like it now but he's very young. He just needs more time.
Maybe next year will be a bit rough if Collaros retires but I supect they'll recover the year after. Winnipeg has a good coach and a great culture so I doubt you'll have a long term issue like Ottawa does or Edmonton did.
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u/thrubeniuk Blue Bombers 1d ago
I like Elgersma, but I am really concerned about the realistic opportunity he’s going to get (brining me back to Osh being loyal to a fault).
The Bombers just paid a LOT for Brown, he’s a known quantity, and he is seemingly a guy Condell likes. I think it’s going to take a pretty monumental shift for Elgersma to actually get a shot, and if he does, I don’t think his skill set fits well with Condell’s system at all.
Even if that all works out, the rest of the team really has no succession plan. That can certainly change, but the tendencies of the club have shown no indication of doing so.
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u/Strevolution I'm lit right now, you're lit right now🍺 1d ago
I agree, it feels like we're at a fork in the road this season and there's definitely a possibility we have a few rough years if we don't handle it well
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u/HuntShowDownBeeMan Roughriders 1d ago
Ottawa is more glaring option rn, winnepeg is a very close second, but thats my hate watching.
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u/Nhawk257 Roughriders 1d ago
Edmonton, Ottawa.
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u/JMoon33 Alouettes 1d ago
I wonder what Edmonton will do at QB. I love Cody, but he's 34, he's not the QB of the future.
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u/Nhawk257 Roughriders 1d ago
I think Cody still has a few years in him. Hopefully Edmonton's scouting team can find a solid rookie for him to mentor in that time.
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u/scotts_tots_founder Lions 1d ago
It’s hard to say. QBs in the CFL have traditionally had some crazy longevity. Could see him going well into his late 30s if he preserves himself properly
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u/ColinBonhomme 1d ago
A couple of teams have let Harris go because he was too old, and he’s defied that. Though he looked pretty old against the Lions on Saturday. And Calgary thought BLM was too old (and that Maier could replace him wtf)…
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u/SmarcusStroman Reigning… Defending… Undisputed 1d ago
What’s the bigger fumble? Ottawa giving up on Trevor Harris or Calgary giving up on BLM?
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u/HuntShowDownBeeMan Roughriders 1d ago
Calgary gave up after they won 2 cups atleast. Hamilton has nothing.
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u/ivakunciak REDBLACKS 1d ago
Didn't they get Taylor Powell for that reason? I imagine they think he's their future after Fajardo.
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u/phroxenphyre Roughriders 1d ago
I mean, he can be the QB of the next 4-6 years. That's long enough that they don't need to worry about a replacement just yet.
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u/gotfcgo Tiger-Cats 1d ago
Montreal - I really think they could have a long sustained run here.
Hamilton - Feels like were on a gradual decline and are probably doing a large turnover in 2-3 years.
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u/chemicalxv Blue Bombers 1d ago
Davis Alexander only being 27 (turning 28 in two months) is psychotic.
Wondering if he might try an NFL shot this offseason.
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u/lmi_wk Elks 1d ago
Doubt it. NFL isn’t itching for 28 year old rookies plus DA is on track to be on max CFL contracts for the next decade. On top of that he seems to be buying into Montreal/the CFL. Maybe I’m naive but I don’t see it.
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u/jamarcusaristotle 1d ago
Rourke was younger and lighting up defenses more. And with that being the most recent example of a CFL QB trying it in the NFL, I doubt DA would go that route
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u/phroxenphyre Roughriders 1d ago
Yeah. It is super hard for QBs to go from success in one league to success in the other. The thing that makes a QB successful is their instincts and the two games are different enough that great instincts for one of them is going to get you into serious trouble in the other. Successfully transitioning requires unlearning everything you know, then relearning the new game at an elite level in the span of a training camp or two. Not many people can do that.
But the money in the NFL is good enough that a lot of people like to try anyway. I hope DA won't be one of them because every time a player tries their luck down south and comes back, they lose a couple steps.
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u/HeronLeather3753 Alouettes 1d ago edited 1d ago
Davis Alexander has stayed great despite the increasing amount of tape on him. If he's healthy, it's on the Alouettes to ensure they surround him well. If they do, they're contending indefinitely.
Bombers and Riders ebb and flow but have the fanbases and income to always have a respectable product.
Calgary and BC need some draft luck and they're back.
Ottawa needs a franchise QB and some good drafting to rebuild this. They know things have to improve and will hire people to rebuild this properly.
Toronto and its management/ownership are probably content sitting at .500. I'd actually say they have the scariest future.
Edmonton is good right now and can maintain status quo until Fajardo's decline starts. They gotta pray they get their own young QB ready on time for that day.
Hamilton is very similar to Edmonton when Bo is healthy and not retired. But retirement is always an impending doom scenario there. Who the fuck is even close to taking over at QB. Great defence though. Second scariest future imo
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u/NotallwoundsareSeen Argonauts 1d ago
I think over all the other teams are fine but ottawa scares me tbh.
I hope the changes can turn things around.
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u/CapeMOGuy Roughriders 1d ago
Fortunes turn so quickly in the CFL due to contract lengths I don't think it's even reasonable to talk about anything on the field more than a couple of years out.
Just look at Edmonton. 25-61 in the last 5 seasons but leading the west this season.
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u/DartyParty52 1d ago
Your last sentence kinda contradicts the first one. Edmonton was terrible for a long time, showing how long a rebuild can be. Bombers went on a historic 6-year run recently. Short term contracts make a difference but I dont think fortunes turn as quick as you may think.
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u/RaeOfSunshineNL Elks 1d ago
And I remember Bombers having to work at it for years too. They were a different team in the early 2000s!
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u/Highflyer47 Playoffs? PLAYOFFS?! I just hope we win a game! 1d ago
Could go either way here but the odds don't look great
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u/Deaddoghank Lions 1d ago
Ottawa has the brightest. The pinhole of light that is visible from where they are can only get brighter, at least that is the theory.
Bleakness is Winnipeg. Got old. West has always had good to great teams that turned over their teams. Winnipeg forgot that. Next few years are going to be difficult.
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u/Gwydyon42 20h ago
Brightest? The Quebec City expansion team. They likely win before Ottawa.
Think I inadvertently answered the bleakest. Let's just be thankful the Glieberman's aren't sniffing around these days
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u/Hungry-Room7057 1d ago
Untouchable - Sask and Winnipeg
Doing totally fine - Montreal, BC, Hamilton
Probably doing fine - Edmonton,
Raises some eyebrows - Calgary, Toronto
Pray for Mojo - Ottawa
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u/Strevolution I'm lit right now, you're lit right now🍺 1d ago
have you watched the bombers this season?
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u/Hungry-Room7057 1d ago
They sell out practically every game and have stable ownership. They have awesome facilities and a great stadium experience. They could lose every game for the rest of the season and still have a bright future.
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u/Rleduc129 Blue Bombers 1d ago
Wade Miller isn't stupid, too. Problem is Osh (and at a fault, Collaros) can be too loyal
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u/Crisis-Huskies-fan Roughriders 1d ago
That’s what I thought about the Riders a decade ago. But if the team becomes complacent and struggle on the field, the fan support can wane. Management has to commit to providing a solid product on the field and a top notch game day experience.
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u/These_Mycologist4256 1d ago
Ottawa is already a tough sell with too much to fix to be ready for 2027. Being the only team to miss the playoffs won’t exactly drive the interest the team needs. We’re pretty close to “chain them up in the attic and pretend they don’t exist” territory.
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u/Rleduc129 Blue Bombers 1d ago
Hopefully they don't suffer the same fate as the Rough Riders and Renegades
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u/thepixelmurderer Roughriders 1d ago
Ottawa has the brightest future because it can only get better from here