I think he last played his last season here in the 2012 Grey Cup. He went out on top.
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I think he last played his last season here in the 2012 Grey Cup. He went out on top.
Actually, that was his first season. Also played 2013.
At only 29, and considering his record with the Argos in 2012-13, I would love to have him back, especially considering the defensive sieve backfield we had last year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_BallQuote:
In two seasons with Toronto, Ball had 142 tackles, 7 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and 4 interceptions (with 2 touchdown returns)
I thought he was great when he was with the Argos. The last I had heard of him was during that whole baseball bat incident which was extremely bizarre.
It would be a nice problem to have.
It look like he has played in 18 games over the last three seasons. Practise roster salaries are $6,900 USD per week. On the 53 man roster its sizeably more at $450,000 USD minimum. In his three seasons in the NFL, he has played 5 games (Saints 2014), 1 game (Panthers 2015) and 15 games (49ers 2016). It looks like as a rule, in the NFL practise roster players, they pro-rate your minimum salary as a fraction of the minimum NFL, plus pay you the practise roster pay for the balance with a guaranteed 3 weeks ($79,000 USD). Teams can pay more, and the Patriots do.
Last year was a good year, when Marcus made at least $429,000 USD for 15 games or the 49ers. In 2014, the Saints paid Marcus at least $210,000 USD. In between, for the game he played for the Panthers, he was likely paid $169,000 USD.
If he returned to the CFL in good form, if he could earn money similar to his first two years in the NFL.
I would think they will pass on Ball unless he comes in at a reasonable price under the cap. Most come back from the NFL heavier and slower but there has been a few players who come back and play well for several years. Maybe it depends on how much they love the game, stay humble and work on their conditioning etc. Unfortunately they seem to be in the minority.
Curious comment by Marcus Ball on Instagram. He was cut by the 49ers for something he had no control over. Perhaps SF cut him to make room for their 2017 7th round pick?
Supportive comments from his 2012/13 teammates.
While I don't remember a whole lot of players who have gone lengthy stints here, there and back again with resounding successes (CFL-NFL-CFL).....I'd be more than happy to let this decision be made on the field. That's what Training Camp is for. Not like this team couldn't use a hard nosed LB like Marcus Ball. A gamer is a gamer is a gamer, and having a 29 year old drop 10 pounds isn't exactly the biggest challenge one may face in a career full of them.
All true, but if he could be signed for a reasonable amount (unlikely, IMO, given the salary he has become used to), there is no downside to bringing him in and seeing if he still has it. If not, he gets cut.
While I would love to have him back, I agree there is a good chance he will sign elsewhere, but like you say if we can get him within budget constraints, then I see little to lose (other than possibly a signing bonus) in bringing him to TC to see if he still has it.
It's pretty hard to find a downside of landing a popular player with CFL experience. He has 15 games experience playing at the highest level in 2016. Most of the previous three years he earned $6,900 per week. He'd likely make more in Canada. He was considered a very good teammate and at past Argofan Corn Roasts, came across humble and approachable. He has a young family and am pretty sure he'd like a few more earning years before retirement.
I'm not sure signing Marcus Ball to a "fat" contract would be a horrible thing. 60,000 people in Toronto watched him play a heck of a Grey Cup game in 2012 and he played much of last year for the 49ers. JB would always play the player who was one step faster, but does that bring in butts in the seats. Popp understands media exposure all the way back to the Stallions who were a very successful CFL franchise. How tough would that job have been in Baltimore?
Blow up the salary cap in year one and get back to relevance here. Is that a crazy idea?
Absolutely, let's squash all "out of the box" ideas. Make sure everyone who provides input is put in their place. Let's stick to the status quo. Next year we'll look back fondly at the time we still had 3,500 STHs.
Whoever said "there are no stupid questions", what were they thinking?
Are the 52,000 who attended the 100th really remembering Marcus Ball's performance or are they remembering Ricky Foley and Chad Kackert. The casual is likely remembering the latter players.
Maybe.
Ironically, both players above recently released. One for bonus purposes and one I had to dig to find out he was no longer on the roster. Ricky a local player and very popular out here in the East.
I'm not saying they shouldn't be released, but they were contributors on a big stage in front of 52,000 football ticket buyers.
You are advocating blowing up the team for 1 player who
a) Hasn't played in the CFL in a few years, who knows what impact he'd have.
b) Ball has been active in exactly 6 NFL games in the last two seasons
c) Would be a marginal marketable player at best. Certainly not drawing "60,000". Nor did he draw 60,000 to the 100th Grey Cup (Which you have also claimed).
The Argonauts have other areas of need, namely offense.
As for your "no stupid questions" comment, you phrased your original post on the topic as a statement.
Regardless, there is stupid ideas and "Blowing up the Salary Cap for a American Linebacker" certainly is one of them.
Bring him in and see if he can make an impact? Sure.
Thinking he is going to sell tickets? No. It won't move the needle in Toronto, it barely would anywhere else in the CFL.
The troubles the Argos have are far greater than what one individual player will ultimately solve. Recall that this is the team that added Doug Flutie in 1996, went 30-6 in two seasons, kicked the shit of most teams and still couldn't draw above 20,000.
IMO the problem with the notion of "blowing up the salary cap" for one year is that it represents yet another attempt at a quick fix. This team's history is full of quick fixes, from Anthony Davis to Terry Metcalf to Rocket Ismail to Tracy Ham to Kent Austin to Doug Flutie to Ricky Williams. Did any of them produce sustainable, long-term growth of the business and fanbase? What's needed here is a team that competes and is entertaining every year, not a team that flares up in popularity from time to time (e.g. 1991 and 2012) only to fall off the radar right after.
If we were going to blow up the salary cap, it would have to be for a guy or guys who would definitely sell a lot of tickets. Loved Marcus Ball when he played here, but he isn't even on the radar of hard-core NFL fans in this market.
No one will be blowing up any salary cap for one Marcus Ball. I would love to have him, but he won't be getting huge bucks and he'd still have to make the team. Bring it on. He's a baller. Van Roten, Greg Jones, same deal. The more better ball players around, the better it is for all.
Blowing up the salary cap is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. A team that goes over the salary cap one year has that much less to play with the following. Furthermore, all contracts need to get certified by the league before a team can actually use a player. This will not happen. But that's ok 71. Keep on ragging on the team.
Marcus Ball was an example folks. Writing a big cheque to Doug Flutie or Rocket Ismail didn't hurt the Argos. I'd rather that, than spending my time doing research trying to find tidbits on the Argos. Their media coverage has gone to pretty near zero. Saving money on salaries isn't very newsworthy.
TFC is spending $10 million a year on Giovonni. Putting in seats doesn't seem to be a problem in the City of Toronto for that marginal sports franchise..
As I understand it, CFL teams aren't allowed to have "marquee players" anymore. Every player must fit under the cap. Even if it was allowed, I can't imagine a team doing it for someone other than a skill-position player.
Frankly, I don't see how the MLS can sustain their policy of three marquee players per team. Their TV contract is minimal and their ratings are poor. Unless the league has a really rich guy(s) funding it all, it sounds like a Ponzi scheme.
Last I read, TFC isn't even making any money. But they do have rich owners.
Quote:
Toronto FC is still losing $9 million a year, according to Forbes’ operating income estimates for 2015.
President Manning wouldn’t speak to that number specifically, but did acknowledge the club made some large investments in players — strikers Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore and midfielder Michael Bradley are three of the highest paid athletes in the league — and BMO Field recently.
“I believe that all those investments are actually going to pay off as our business and revenues are growing,” he said. “That’s how the organization is looking at it.”
Haven't we already acquired a high profile player this year? I suspect that more people have heard of SJ Green than Marcus Ball. And if bringing back a previous hero is worth anything to marketing, we already did that too, with Cleyon Laing.
Amazon just turned a profit for the eighth straight quarter
https://www.recode.net/2017/4/27/154...ash-flow-chart