CFL implements 21 week schedule starting 2018

[PullTogether73]

http://3downnation.com/2017/09/13/cf...schedule-2018/

Add another bye week for each team.
Shoulder pads banned from practices after training camp.

I hope the extra week is added to the beginning of the schedule.
If they add it to the end and play in December, they might lose me as a STH.
I've frozen at a November game before and I don't plan on challenging December.

[R.J]

Not a fan of adding another week. If anything the League should have kept the amount of weeks the same, and moved up the start of the season by a week or two. Just my opinion of course.

[paulwoods13]

This is a great move. Now what the league should do is have a kickoff classic in week 1 featuring the grey cup finalists, followed by 80 games over the next 20 weeks. AV and others have proposed this and it's brilliant. Gives the league another big event to promote and solves the 81-in-20 problem. But it would not give all teams three bye weeks. I'm not sure that is even possible unless there are some three-game weeks.

[Argo57]

Should ensure proper rest between games and help reduce injuries, great move!!

[ArgoGabe22]

Hopefully no more 3 games in 11 days, 4 games in 16 games for the Argos. Not sure how anyone could be against this.

Shoulder pads makes no difference. They were already limited to one day of contact per week and I'm not sure teams even utilized that. Every practice I've been too, was always limited/no contact.

[ArgoRavi]

This is a great move. Now what the league should do is have a kickoff classic in week 1 featuring the grey cup finalists, followed by 80 games over the next 20 weeks. AV and others have proposed this and it's brilliant. Gives the league another big event to promote and solves the 81-in-20 problem. But it would not give all teams three bye weeks. I'm not sure that is even possible unless there are some three-game weeks.

The second year in which they had an 18 game schedule was in 1987. I recall the original schedule, before the Als folded, looked like what AV proposed. I always remember watching Calgary and Saskatchewan kick off on Sunday, June 21st that year with the next set of games not scheduled until the following Thursday.

[argolio]

This is a great move. Now what the league should do is have a kickoff classic in week 1 featuring the grey cup finalists, followed by 80 games over the next 20 weeks. AV and others have proposed this and it's brilliant. Gives the league another big event to promote and solves the 81-in-20 problem. But it would not give all teams three bye weeks. I'm not sure that is even possible unless there are some three-game weeks.

I think three-game weeks are exactly what we'll see. 18 weeks of four games + three weeks of three games would fit 81 games into 21 weeks, and would give every team three byes. The league also gets more scheduling flexibility.

Though I'm still dreaming about a tenth team.

[BroadSword]

This is a great move. Now what the league should do is have a kickoff classic in week 1 featuring the grey cup finalists, followed by 80 games over the next 20 weeks. AV and others have proposed this and it's brilliant. Gives the league another big event to promote and solves the 81-in-20 problem. But it would not give all teams three bye weeks. I'm not sure that is even possible unless there are some three-game weeks.

Yeah I've had this thought as well, I love the idea of week one being just one game that they can promote the heck out of. I wouldn't be surprised to see that this is also part of a push to have all the games on one or two days a week, it's been said before but Friday and Saturday probably make the most sense.

I'd also say you're probably correct about a few three game weeks. The best math I've been able to do has me in agreement with others that the schedule will probably look like this:

4 games a week for 18 weeks.

3 games a week for 3 weeks.

In a way this might actually help them get around competition, particularly if the games are all on Friday and Saturday. You could have 1-2 games on a Friday and 2-3 games on a Saturday in most 4 game weeks and 1-2 on a Friday and 1-2 on a Saturday in most 3 game weeks, although they would probably want to prioritize Saturday in hopes of making that the day of the week for CFL at least during the summer.

All of this has to do with TSN's ability to broadcast all of these games, not to mention their willingness to do so in this fashion and naturally the games would have to be staggered by timezone. However those 3 game weeks, along with multiple TSN channels, might give them the ability to get around events like the US Open, Wimbledon, etc. Not to mention hockey games at the start of NHL season.

It of course also goes without saying that all of this would be a heck of a lot easier with a tenth team in the league.

Any way I like the idea and I certainly hope that they do this, and sorry for repeating a bit of what some have already said.

[paulwoods13]

I believe TSN will want Thursday night games until Labour Day, and we know Montreal has to play on Thursdays in the summer. The ideal schedule imo would be Thu-fri-2Sat until Labour Day, and fri-2sat-sun or fri-3sat after labour day.

[paulwoods13]

I really hate Fri doubleheaders becuz the second game goes way past my bedtime. Doubles should ideally be 3 and 630 or 4 and 730 ET.

[Argo57]

I really hate Fri doubleheaders becuz the second game goes way past my bedtime. Doubles should ideally be 3 and 630 or 4 and 730 ET.

Old fart😛

[argotom]

This is a great move. Now what the league should do is have a kickoff classic in week 1 featuring the grey cup finalists, followed by 80 games over the next 20 weeks. AV and others have proposed this and it's brilliant. Gives the league another big event to promote and solves the 81-in-20 problem. But it would not give all teams three bye weeks. I'm not sure that is even possible unless there are some three-game weeks.

Agreed, history will show how the CFL was a visionary in promoting safety that no doubt will catch on quickly spreading to all kids leagues, high schools, colleges and the No Fun League.