Maas wants discussion on playoff format
CFL’s West Division has consistently outplayed East, meaning better teams often don’t make cut
MONT-TREMBLANT, Que. — While there are many topics on the agenda during this week’s CFL winter meetings, it seems the league’s playoff format is not one of them.
Edmonton Eskimos coach Jason Maas would like to get that conversation going.
The CFL has had an imbalance problem between the West and East Divisions for years and there are some that would like to see a switch to one division, with the top six teams making the playoffs.
That would eliminate the traditional East-West Grey Cup game and is sure to be resisted by many for that reason alone, but Maas believes it’s something that at least needs to be discussed.
“We’ve changed a lot — challenges, not practising with pads — and there’s plenty of other things that we’ve looked at changing in this league,” Maas said this week.
“Why is the playoff format not being talked about at all?”
The Eskimos finished last in the West in 2018 with a 9-9 record and missed the playoffs. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished second in the East with an 8-10 record and hosted a playoff game.
In 2017, the Bombers and Eskimos were both 12-6 and had to play one another in the West semifinal. Meanwhile, Toronto finished first in the East Division at 9-9, hosted the East Final against 10-8 Saskatchewan and eventually won the Grey Cup.
In 2016, the Ottawa Redblacks had the fifth-best record in the CFL at 8-9-1 but hosted the East Final and eventually won the Grey Cup. That year, an 11-7 Bombers team had to travel to play 12-6 B.C. in the West semifinal. Do we see a trend here? “It continues to happen and it’s two or three or four years,” Maas said. “I think the conversation can be had to maybe look at changing some things up.
“I just know it looks every year like there’s an odd team out or someone’s hosting that maybe shouldn’t be hosting and then you see the reality that when you host it’s hard for the other team to come in and win one game even against a team with a lesser record than you that has played the same competition.”
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has promised to have conversations with fans about the playoff format during the last two off-seasons, but you don’t get the sense he has any real desire for a change.
In fact, the league is hoping to add a 10th team in the next few years, in Halifax. The Atlantic Schooners would obviously slot into the East, meaning there would be five teams in each division.
That still wouldn’t fix the competition imbalance necessarily.
“You can make the argument that it’s unfair,” Maas said. “I don’t like to say it that way. I just say ‘When it’s continuing to show a certain way year after year, I just think you need to have the conversation. I don’t know what the right answer is, but I certainly think it’s worth having a conversation about.”
GIVING BACK TO AMATEURS
The CFL announced Wednesday it committed to donating more than $4 million to amateur football in Canada over the past year.
“In 2018 we pledged to invest over $3 million in amateur football and I’m incredibly proud that our member clubs significantly surpassed that,” Ambrosie said. “In 2019, we are raising the bar even further.”
All nine teams participated in initiatives to raise money and help promote amateur football, bringing the total of donations to $4,115,756.