CFL: Spicy social media posts by TSN analyst Luke Willson proving marketing boon

National Post

2 days ago

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'I will say the sky is blue, boss, and they will said it's not.'
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As we get into guts of the game, Willson wanted to express why he's doing this.
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'It kind of boils down to the personal side because I was a kid in Canada, who looked up to players and wanted to play pro football,' he said. 'I eventually fulfilled that dream and wanted to grow the game in Canada. It has given me opportunities and is a huge part of my life.
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'And not just the pro side or financial, but from values and characteristics and what it's taught me in all areas of my life. I hold the game very near and dear. If I can give 1/100th back to the Canadian community, the would mean the world to me.'
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That said, here's what irks Willson:
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A lot of us grew up with the game when it wasn't chess, more like gunslingers taking their best shots on any down at any time.
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It was exciting. It became you've got to be there to see it.
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'There's an ideal or stereotype that the CFL is very innovative league and the NFL copied the league,' said Willson. 'There is some merit to offence, but that was 20 years ago. That's simply not the case anymore. Offences are the polar opposite of innovative. It's not that they're bad, but when you turn the film on, there's nothing I have seen in six weeks. And I watch a lot.
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'It's not something that blew my mind. Very simple concepts. Not a ton of motion to trick anyone, and defensively, very zone heavy. I get why with motion and four rushers and maybe five, and sometimes three, you get eight guys to drop back and not not many guys on planet earth who can throw against that.
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'And not everybody in the CFL has a super-strong arm. A bit of a weird dynamic. If you don't have that powerful arm, you can't make that throw efficiently. The hash marks have been moved in, but it's still a long way on a long field. There are poor innovations with the Xs and Os.'
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This one drives Willson crazy. The league says it's to prevent teams from deliberately running out the clock and create more opportunities for comeback. Willson begs to differ big time. It takes away the steak and the sizzle.
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'I don't like excessive amounts of QB sneaks, I don't like missed field goals for a point, and unnecessary amount of penalties,' started Willson. 'But the three-minute thing is the craziest take I can think of. When I think of a two-minute drill, I look at the intricacies. It used to be do coaches use or save a time-out? Do they play for the win or tie? So complex.
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'Stopping the clock takes that out, not all of it, but a huge part. And if you're down three touchdowns with two minutes left, you don't deserve to win.'
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In a parting moment of pure levity, Willson offered these summations after visiting Saskatoon for a University of Saskatchewan football function and then experiencing Regina.
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