CFL Online: Official Site of the Church Football League, Inc.

Awkward Finishes

2010-01-12T03:33:00.003-06:00

In a season where the CFL has seen the highest level of competition in its history, the 2009-10 playoffs ended as unusual as it could have ended with neither first round game being played to its finish. The Eagles jumped to a 21-0 lead over the Raiders till a scuffle broke out which caused an Eagle and a few Raiders players to be ejected, and with only 3 players left the Raiders subsequently forfeited the game. As for the highly anticipated Jets vs Giants game, the game ended before it even began with a forfeit by the Giants as they were unable to play the game at the time both teams agreed. So all this leaves the 12-1 Jets and the 9-4 Eagles in the final and biggest game of the season. The Jets have been beyond remarkable this season, putting an unparalleled 12 game winning streak together and triumphantly taking down anyone who's tried to stand in their way, but the Eagles have insisted all season they are unstoppable and even indestructible when their full squad takes the field. One team will leave very disappointed, and the other will reign as the undisputed Champions!

Final Regular Season Standings

2009-12-12T20:22:00.003-06:00

EMAN?

2009-12-03T20:39:00.003-06:00

Once again " Eman " has guaranteed that as long as him, Roque, and Eric the Eagles will demolish any team that gets on his way! He even has came upon belief that he will win Mvp Probowl and that nobody is on his level. What has gotten into this monkey? Why all of a sudden does he think he's untouchable? Is it maybe because he has reached to a low pin point season and is trying very hard to boost his confidence and ago back up? Only he knows why he says absurd comments like, " I don't give a hell what everyone says, ill shut down ANYONE on D cuz the only people who are a challenge are Gomez, Said, and Christian! Anyone else could say whatever cuz ill smoke them, shut em down, and prove that dumbo moss ain't on my level." That is an actual quote said by Eman on a text message in which a CFL Intel provided us with that information. " Gomez is the only kid with ***** to guard me, its understandable they guard Eric instead of me cuz he is just as good as me on OFFENSE!" Eman please stop being so hardcore, its just a game!

AT LAST...... RAIDERS VS JETS

2009-12-03T19:52:00.004-06:00

Who is the better team between the Raiders and Jets? With the record of 8 and 1 many can say the Jets are the better team, but after their first meeting some can say the Raiders, who won the game, indeed are the better team. In fact we don't know who the better team is, but what we do know is that it will be a phenomenal game this Saturday at 5pm in which the Jets try to knock off the Raiders for the first time this season! After suffering their first loss to the Raiders these Jets have gone in an impressive run winning 8 straight games. Led by captain Gomez and rising stars such as Dre and Mark Brady, the Jets will try to deliver a knockout blow to these Raiders. Mando Moss captain of the Raiders didn't have to deal much of Gomez who played limited time due to an injury. The first game could have gone either way with Unitas from the Raiders throwing 3 interceptions to Dre, but the most costly turnover had to have been the fumble forced by Mando Moss to Mark. The game was tied up at 48 with that fumble recovered by the Raiders they went on and scored the winning touchdown. Gomez has been on an urge to DESTROY the Raiders after suffering their only loss to them! Mando Moss has said that Gomez is indeed unstoppable but also said the Jets are beatable just like any other team in the league. After last weekends games where the Jets continued their dominance beating the Titans, and the Raiders finally getting Mando Moss on track and destroying the Giants. Both teams have agreed that it will be a very intensive and emotional game, but they are committed on playing as hard as they can. Most of us can agree of both these teams being favored to reach the Superbowl but nothing is guaranteed in the CFL. Gentlemen tighten your seat belts because both of these teams will take you on a long run this Saturday!

Standings At The End Of November

2009-11-29T18:58:00.003-06:00

Click to enlarge:

RAIDERS SAGA CONTINUES.....

2009-11-25T23:02:00.005-06:00

This week Raiders captain Mando Moss received information from that player himself (4th round pick Mondo) that he wanted to be dropped from the Raiders. Rumors are that Jets captain Gomez somehow convinced Mondo that he can ask to be dropped from the Raiders and play with his buddies in the Jets. With that said what that player and captain did is not tolerable in the CFL. Gomez was let off with a warning, but with CFL approval next time a captain does such a thing he will be penalized with player tampering and serve his next scheduled game as a one game suspension. Things didn't go so well with Mondo from the Raiders, with CFL approval he was suspended for the rest of the season and may not get picked up by ANY team! Mando Moss even proposed a trade that would have sent Mondo to the Jets for Dre the Jets most consistent and reliable player but agreements were not reached. With both teams not being able to agree on a trade Mando Moss granted Mondo's request and he was dropped from the Raiders. With LEAGUE APPROVAL the Raiders were able to pick up Miguel after being denied by most captains to bring in a new-comer Joel. Many captains agreed that they don't know how well this guy can play so they decided and agreed to welcome Miguel to the Raiders. Miguel indeed was drafted last year by Mando Moss and the Raiders on the 4th round, but was unable to show up but to the first game of last season. Many are crying that why should the Raiders be able to replace Mondo but how is this fair for the Raiders whose player was tampered with and convinced of going elsewhere. After having some devastating losses to the Giants, Titans, and Eagles, how good are these Raiders? Could this be that spark they have been looking for? With only a couple of games left this season things will get very tight, nail biting, and interesting. Captains gather your teams and practice because this year is up for grabs after having so many competitors and balanced teams many can say not even the Jets are guaranteed a Superbowl victory!

Three Clinch

2009-11-23T05:27:00.002-06:00

With both a Vikings and Patriots loss this weekend, the Jets, Raiders and Eagles all clinched a playoff spot with 6 wins or more. The Giants can clinch a playoff spot by simply winning one more game, and the Titans could clinch a spot with either a victory over the Vikings or by winning any 2 of their last 3 games. The last place Patriots and Vikings could still over take the Titans or Giants, but if the Vikings or Patriots don't take care of business next week, they'll find the sun quickly setting on their post-season chances.

5 TEAM PLAYOFF SYSTEM?

2009-11-09T23:07:00.001-06:00

CFL BREAKING NEWS......... As you have heard by rumor or not The CFL Committee has agreed to a five team playoff system, where in which the fourth seed would face the fifth seed, in what people refer as, "the wild card game." The winner of the game would play the top seed in first place. Now to make things fair for the fourth seed the CFL Committee has agreed to give the fourth seed 1 point and possession of the ball to start the game! Which means the fourth seed wouldn't have to go for the 2pointer to end the game. So it now means that the current bottom three teams, Patriots, Vikings, and Titans now have a shot to extend their season longer and try to beat the "never showing to games" Eagles, who are currently in that fourth spot.

CFL Superbowl Winning QB Joins Patriots

2009-11-08T19:18:00.005-06:00

According to the CFL schedule coordinator, the Ravens quarterback from their 2007-2008 championship season, Edwin, will join the Patriots to try to turn around and salvage their season to make a run at the playoffs.

CFLONLINE.TK

2009-11-06T18:39:00.002-06:00

A new, shorter URL (website name) is now available for convenience. Instead of typing churchfootballleague.blogpsot.com you can now find the site by just simply typing cflonline.tk

Rule Clarification: Running the Ball inside the "20"

2009-11-04T18:56:00.005-06:00

If the ball is on or inside the "20" (the 2-PAT line) the offense cannot advance the ball or score by rushing it.

If the ball is inside the no rushing zone but then a penalty occurs that pushes the new line of scrimmage outside of the "20", the offense is now once again able to advance the ball or score by rushing.

Note: Rule courtesy of Mando and Toad.

Rule Clarification: Blitz

2009-11-04T18:48:00.001-06:00

If the ball is hiked and tossed back, and then a defense player yells "Blitz" after the toss back, the defense will have used up their one Blitz per drive, unless of course a penalty occurs on that play and the down is replayed.

CFL Q1 Report

2009-10-11T21:34:00.005-05:00

Quarter of the way through for most teams and Christian and Mando think they're good, Snoopy and Juan think they don't suck and everyone else in the middle don't know about either.

Week 4 will feature the Eagles vs Patriots, Raiders vs Vikings, and Jets vs Giants. After that nobody knows who they play next cause the schedule's still in Mando's head.

2009-2010 CFL Rosters (Part 2)

2009-09-24T19:34:00.004-05:00

Three additional team have submitted their rosters for the 2009 season:

GIANTS:

Christian Campos (Captain)

Javi

Brian

Yamil

Jose Campos

Gill

Christian Camacho

PATRIOTS:

Juan (Captain)

Hernan

Danny

Alex

Alexis

Geo

Kike

VIKINGS:

Ismael (Captain)

Brian

Said

Aldo

Norman

Tito

2009 Season Opener: Raiders vs. Titans

2009-09-21T20:45:00.002-05:00

The Raiders defeated the Titans in the 2009 season opener 54-35. The Raiders first round pick and number one overall selection in the draft, Unitas, threw for 5 TDs in the opener and Mando caught 3 TDs and rushed for one. Marco added 2 TDs for the Raiders and Nestor added one. Nemo, who the Titans faught so hard to obtain, didn't even make it to the Titans game and even though the Titans kept it close halfway through the game at 28 all, the Raiders pulled away and scored 3 of the final 4 TDs of the game. The Raiders will take on the Jets on Saturday, September 26 at 11am kickoff and the Titans will face the Eagles at 12pm noon kickoff.

2009-2010 CFL Rosters

2009-09-13T20:30:00.000-05:00

The Eagles, Jets, Raiders and Titans held their draft on Saturday, September 12 with the following players being drafted/added to the following teams:

EAGLES:

Eman (Captain)

Eric

Frank

Roque

Meño

Chaks

Steven

JETS:

Gomez (Captain)

Mark Brady

Jay

Dre

Sergio

Marty

Elliot

RAIDERS:

Mando (Captain)

Unitas

Nester

Marco

Mando

Enrique

Rocky

Edward

TITANS:

Snoop (Captain)

Zok

Robert

Ramon

Toady

Punz

Nemo

Week 12 Rankings

2008-11-27T14:02:00.006-06:00

Standings going into final week of the season:

Final season standings for teams that finish tie with the same record are decided by their head-to-head record against each other, but if the season series is split at one game a piece, like the way it would be if the Chargers and Eagles win their games this weekend, then it is decided by those teams' record against the other top teams. And if the standings are still tie after that tie-breaker, then it could get a little more complicated.

Depending on what is decided, those teams should be prepared to play a short wild-card game up to 3 or 5 touchdowns to decide their ranking among themselves, unless of course one team decides to voluntarily give up the higher seed and just head right into the playoffs.

Three Cheers For Ten Years

2008-11-17T19:59:00.014-06:00

Halfway through November and the 2008 CFL regular season is drawing to a close.

With just two more weeks to go the Colts stand a top the standings with an 8-1 record, followed behind closely by the Raiders at 8-2. The red-hot Colts victory over the Raiders this past weekend basically puts the Colts in the driver's seat, and while the top spot could still go to either of these teams, what would be real interesting is if these two teams finished with the same record having split the regular season series at one game a piece.

The Colts and Raiders have put together some of the most impressive seasons of any team, but the other four teams are having a difficult time battling it out for the last two spots in the playoffs. Even at this point, any of the four teams could still find themselves out of the playoffs. Should the Bengals lose their final two games, they could find themselves tied with the Eagles, Chargers or even both, with the regular season series evenly split.

At 3-7 the Titans have the longest shot at trying to get into the playoffs needing to beat the Raiders in their final game and needing the Chargers to lose their last two games, while needing the Eagles to win only one of their final two games. All this would give the Chargers, Eagles and Titans the same record, but trying to figure out what team would have the playoff-seeding advantage is the difficult part considering what their series record against each other would be.

While not yet over, this season we've seen the fall of old time greats like the Titans' Captain Nemo who had his season cut short with a devastating finger injury and Chargers' Captain Snoopy who left his team during part of the most crucial time of the season and let his team decide its own fate without him. Likewise, we've seen the rise of new faces like Gomez of the Raiders and Eric of the Colts. And even witnessed the brief return of former CFL captains Frank and Unitas.

It's been a somewhat erratic season at times, and no doubt the quickest in the CFL's 10-year history, but the oh-so-dreadful end is drawing near and before you know it one team will finally hoist the trophy at year's end and retire into the winter as the season's greatest.

Rankings At Midway Point

2008-10-26T22:00:00.000-05:00

Brand New Draft, Brand New Season

2008-08-21T17:08:00.009-05:00

Pre-season will begin Sunday, August 24th.

The regular season schedule will also be finalized that day and depending on how the league ends up being structured (with two divisions, or just one), the regular season could be 10 to 14 games long.

One proposal is having two conferences with each conference having two teams from their respective church. The teams would play each team in their conference twice and each team from the other conference once, for a 10-game season.

The team with the best record in each conference would get a bye week in the playoffs, and the second and third seed in each conference would play a wild-card/playoff, for a chance to meet the top seed in the conference championship game.

Another option is having one big conference with everyone playing each other twice, for a 14-game season. The playoff structure would be somewhat similar to the previous scenario, but all these terms and structures will be resolved at pre-season.

The regular season begins next week on Sunday, August the 31st, and the season schedule and times will be posted by the start of the week hopefully.

Vida Division announces Draft results

2008-08-11T20:28:00.002-05:00

BENGALS
Team Captain: Ismael Jr
Rnd 1. Edwin
Rnd 2. Daniel
Rnd 3. Aldo
Rnd 4. James
Rnd 5. Byron
Rnd 6. Hilberto

GIANTS
Team Captain: Christian
Rnd 1. Carlos
Rnd 2. Alexis
Rnd 3. Geo
Rnd 4. Sam
Rnd 5. Mike
Rnd 6. Ismael Sr

COLTS
Team Captain: Brian
Rnd 1. Javy
Rnd 2. Jose
Rnd 3. Ozzie
Rnd 4. Alex Q.
Rnd 5. Steven
Rnd 6. Alex B.

RAVENS
Team Captain: Danny
Rnd 1. Sebastian
Rnd 2. Manny
Rnd 3. David
Rnd 4. Tito
Rnd 5. Angel
Rnd 6. Israel

2008 Draft Results

2008-06-11T12:34:00.005-05:00

The CFL conducted the '08 Draft a few weeks ago and with the number one overall selection, Snoopy drafted arguably one of the most prolific wide receivers in the CFL over the years, Sanchy. It was no surprise Armando quickly selected Zok with his second overall pick, a capable quarterback and receiver, though some have questioned his abilities after a knee injury which resulted in a considerable decline in his production the last several seasons.

But the most stunning selection definitely had to be when Nemo selected Roque Favre with the 3rd overall pick. Though he helped deliver the Eagles their first Championship and quarterbacked the team with the most wins of any throughout the past two seasons, no one ever fathomed he would be taken so high and so early, but clearly Nemo thought otherwise. And with the final selection in the first round Eman took former Bears Captain Chaky and said he would fulfill his destiny and take Chaks to the Superbowl.

When it was all said and done, the Saints finished with one of the most impressive rosters, at least on paper, but many question how their play will translate onto the field.

Another team that finished with an impressive roster was the Raiders, but despite all their offensive firepower, many believe their biggest weakness could the be an absence of a reliable quarterback.

Likewise, the Eagles have been the center of ridicule as they came away without any definite quarterback and stated they would attempt to develop a quarterback in their fifth round pick Juan or try to have a quarterback by committee.

Nobody was overly impressed or unimpressed by the Titans roster, so perhaps the Titans may posses the most balanced roster. The season will get underway sometime in August with the Titans opening up against the Eagles, and the Raiders taking on the Saints that same weekend. Pre-season will begin in a little over a month (with probably only one pre-season game), so by then hopefully everyone will have a little better idea of how their team functions and stacks up against the others.

2008 Draft Order Selection

2008-05-05T12:27:00.003-05:00

Results from this past weekend's CFL Draft Order:

This season the CFL has installed two new captains that will replace former Raiders and Bears Captains, Frank and Chaks. While Frank has stepped down indefinitely to pursue his soccer career, Chaky has only stepped down as Bears Captain and will be included in the Draft Pool and remain as CFL Commissioner until his untimely death.

Armando will head the CFL Saints and Snoopy will head the CFL Raiders, though Snoopy's team name may change prior to the draft.

The big winner in the draft order selection? Well, according to the draft value ranking below, Snoopy (aka Jimmy) will be getting the best value in this season's CFL Draft, so the pressure's already on this first year Captain to come through with solid selections.

The draft is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, May 18 and Captains will have until Draft Day to scout players, confirm their status for the upcoming season, conduct player interviews and negotiate trades.

Probowl: Old School vs. New School?

2008-03-31T07:31:00.023-05:00

After delaying and pushing the 2008 Probowl into the first week of April, the CFL finally scheduled this year's CFL Probowl for Sunday, April 6, at 5pm at Mr. Toado Field (Vittum Park). While many players have been looking forward towards having the top players from what we'll call the "Old School" (players from the Raiders, Titans and Eagles) play against the top players from the "New School" (players from the Ravens and Patriots), that may not be the case after all because of a conflict of schedule with players from the New School. It should be made clear that this conflict of schedule was not an attempt by the New School players not to play in the game because "they were supposedly scared of losing" because that was clearly not the case.

The New School players were very willing to play, and indeed are still very willing to play, but their soccer season that begins this weekend (and that will continue in the coming weeks), conflicts with the scheduled date and time of the CFL Probowl. So maybe one day this friendly and historic battle for momentary bragging rights will take place, but until then the show must go on. The CFL has fallen behind from certain standpoints, and really can't afford to delay things much longer as many players have expressed their sheer displeasure at the speed in which preparations for the Draft have been made.

So without further delay, the CFL will hold the '08 Probowl this Sunday with the Captains, more importantly, discussing and determining the specifics around the '08 Draft either before or after game. Based on the Tentative '08 Player List compiled below, the "Old Schoolers" can field 5 teams of five-players or 4 teams of six-players, with the latter probably being more realistic. But of course this depends on whether the "New Schoolers" want to have their own draft or just have one league-wide draft. The New School has alluded to possibly bringing in 4 teams and having their own conference, but that's still up in the air. All those details will definitely be resolved in the next week or two, but in the mean time preparations for the Draft must be made where they can, so this week the CFL will check with the players on the list below to confirm their status for the '08 season.

Tentative '08 Players List (Old Schoolers*):
Armando Vega
Daniel Alas
Daniel Garcia
David De Leon, Jr
David Sanchez
Edder Nava
Edgar Alas
Ernie Mac
Ernie's Cousin
Emmanuel Ramirez
Hector Aranda
Jamal
Jesus Menchaca
Jesus Valencia
Jonathan Alas
Juan
Marco
Meño Morales
Naser Musleh
Pancho Garcia
Rene Menchaca
Robert
Roque Favre
Roque Menchaca
Rudy
Sergio Ramirez

*While it may be easier to refer to the players from their corresponding teams as SDA Players or Vida Players (denoting the respective church players attend or are associated with), the CFL does not want those phrases to connote a church-vs-church mind set or an us-verses-them mentality as some Captains have noted last season. Yes, the fact of the matter is there are predominantly two groups of players that come from mostly two churches, but we hope using the terms "Old School" and "New School" will reduce division while helping to describe what group of players the CFL refers to in the two-component structure of the '08 Draft/Probowl at this time.

Draft Registration

2008-03-21T07:02:00.001-05:00

Unlike previous CFL Drafts in years past when the event was held hastily and even practically spontaneously, the 2008 Draft will be much more controlled and structured in order to try to obtain a greater commitment from everyone involved for the dozen or so games during the season. While few captains expect every single player on their roster to make it to every single game since unpredictable and more important events do come up, every player wants a teammate who wants to play, who wants to compete, who wants to win, and not a teammate who misses a game just because they didn’t feel like playing.

So in preparation for the 2008 draft, those who want to play in the upcoming season can now begin registering, signing up, enrolling (whatever you want to call it) with any of the captains by informing them to place your name on the "CFL Players List" for 2008. Registration is open to anyone willing and capable of playing, and once the list is compiled and the registration deadline is set, the CFL will shortly afterward finalize captains, teams, and draftees. It’s important to note that in addition to registering, the CFL will now require the season fee to be paid before the draft and not during the season. This will eliminate the need of having the Chief Financial Officer chase down players who haven’t paid and threatening delinquent individuals with suspensions that he has no authority to even enforce. So unless the player fee is received by the CFL, that individual will not be eligible for the draft or upcoming season, though players with financial hardships could possibly have the fee waived by explaining their situation to the CFL Committee before the draft.

Collecting the fees before the draft will further demonstrate the player’s commitment to the upcoming season and more importantly allow the CFL to purchase game equipment like belts, flags, whistles and field paint as well as a championship trophy and outing, and depending on the funds available additional game balls, penalty flags, and disposable hand warmers for all players during the colder games. The exact amount of the fee has not yet been determined but it will at least be $10. A few players have suggested $12 or $15 in order to buy better flags and equipment but that is still being debated since some captains consider that excessive. A decision will hopefully be made in a week or two. Any further information regarding the draft will be posted as it is received.

First Changes Made To The '08-'09 Season

2008-03-10T18:04:00.005-05:00

This off-season, the CFL competition committee agreed to a standard field size instead of the previous inconsistent and adjustable field parameters stated in the CFL Rules & Regulations manual. The previous field parameters consisted of a field 78-yards long and about 25-30 yards wide, but in order to promote more uniform playing conditions the competition committee approved a more practical and slightly shorter field 70-yards long and 28-yards wide, evenly split into ten 7-yard sections. These new approved field measurements in the CFL are more inline with the dimensions of the other two pro-football leagues in the U.S., the National Football League and Arena Football League. The CFL field now sports a length-to-width ratio of 10-to-4 (70 x 28 yards), more aligned with the NFL's length-to-width ratio of 10-to-4.4 (120 x 53 1/3 yards), and even closer to the AFL's length-to-width ratio of 10-to-4.29 (66 x 28 1/3 yards). One other issue that the league's competition committee was considering was moving up the spot from where kickoffs take place from the 2-PAT line (currently) to the 3-PAT line which has been proposed. This would increase the chances of a team recovering an onside squib kick/throw from the 3-PAT line (unless it is fair-catched on a high throw/kick, in which case the kicking team would have to allow the the returner the space and opportunity to make the fair catch) and would probably lead to a onside kick recovery percentage more similarly inline with the NFL's onside kick recovery percentage of about 20-25%. This "kickoff line" issue will be resolved in the coming weeks, but a poll has been posted in case any players wish to submit a vote or opinion which will be taken into consideration as the competition committee decides to accept or reject the new proposal.

Ravens Soar Over Raiders In CFL Superbowl VII

2008-03-09T09:27:00.000-05:00

On a field where the CFL's never hosted a regulation game before, in conditions that were quite possibly the worst ever for a CFL Superbowl, the high-powered Raiders met the short-handed Ravens for the '07-'08 Championship. The bad ground conditions made for an extremely slippery game as large patches of the field looked more like reflective mirrors than grass, dirt or snow, but against the Raiders wishes, the game would not be post-poned another day. Both teams took the field as the Ravens and their captain, Edwin, playing against doctor's orders and risking further injury, eagerly looked forward to playing in the biggest game of their young careers. Fast-forward into the game and at more than halfway to the winning score of 72-points, the Raiders extended their lead 41-34 over the Ravens on Tank's touchdown. Things looked bleak for the Ravens but definitely not hopeless. If the game was up to 50-points, the Ravens might have been hitting the panic button after Tank's touchdown, but good teams find ways to be great when it matters most. Down by 7-points, the Ravens put together an incredible run and scored 20 straight unanswered points putting them ahead 54-41. Fast-forward further, and by the time the Raiders reached 54 points, the Ravens had 61. To make things worst for the Raiders, their captain, Frank, suffered a demoralizing injury to his leg that wasn’t as severe as Edwin’s injury in the Ravens playoff game, but was just a debilitating. With the Raiders down 54-61, Frank stepped out of the game and saw the Ravens score immediately thereafter making it 68-54. The Raiders took possession of the ball on the following drive and drove the ball past midfield, but on a pressured play, and in the blink of an eye, Bryan of the Ravens/Patriots made the play of the game and perhaps of the year and picked off a pass intended for Ernie and ran it back all the way to the endzone for the game-ending score putting an end to the ’07-’08 season and crowning the Ravens Champs. (Note: To view videos, click light blue link above and download for best viewing experience. More videos available on the CFL Films site.)

Theatrical Masterpiece?

2008-02-14T20:27:00.018-06:00

About a week and a half ago the CFL finally unveiled that much anticipated CFL DVD at a small screening during halftime of the NFL Superbowl and to everyone's delight the film was received with overwhelming accolades! A theatrical masterpiece? Everyone can decide for themselves, but while the final production is definitely not a historic epic on the scale of Lord of the Rings or a kind of ingenious visual production never before seen, most can probably agree its certainly very impressive considering the extraordinarily small level CFL Films operations in. Many more things can probably be said and debated, but after premiering the final product we close in saying we are extremely enthusiastic about 2008's "cinematic" prospects, so without further ado we present the general public with the main portions of the 2003 CFL DVD. (Note: For best viewing experience, right click and download the light blue link in the title above the flash players, this will allow you to view the videos as an ipod video file)

CFL Highlights:

Cast & Credits:

Blunders & Bloopers (Bonus):

Second most anticipated SUPERBOWL SUNDAY of the year!

2008-02-14T14:50:00.001-06:00

After 20 weeks of blood, sweat and tears; the season comes down to one last game. One last game where two fierce teams are determined to prove they're the best. A game that determines 8 months of bragging rights and respect. One final game... the SUPERBOWL. At the start of each season every player on every team has the hope of playing in this very game. Many even go to bed at night with the vision of catching that final TD Pass of the year. All can hope and dream but reality is; only two teams can play in this game. And for the "other" 4 teams reality has set in quick. On the field this year it'll be the Ravens and Raiders entertaining us on SUPERBOWL SUNDAY. Although many fans and spectators expected the Ravens to be here, not the same can be said about the Raiders. Despite finishing the season as the 2nd seed entering the playoffs, many considered them playoff underdogs against the defending champion Eagles. The way the Eagles ended their regular season they seemed unstoppable!
But they were stopped. Many predicted "Mando Moss" taking over in this one. But he was shut down. Most fans wanted to see a Hollywood showdown between the Eagles and Ravens. But the Raiders had something to say about that. After entering the playoffs on a downward spiral many questions arose about the legitimacy of this team. But now theirs only one question left to be answered. It’s obvious the pressure this weekend is on a Ravens squad that has never been here before. A Ravens team that seemed immovable and yet self-destructing at times, especially in crucial situations. The question for them is; which Ravens team will show up this Sunday evening? Much speculation has been raised about the health of the Ravens QB, and whether he will be ready to go after suffering a knee sprain just 2 weeks prior in their game against the Titans. Although Edwin has expressed much confidence in Ismael as their backup QB, Javi has stated that after knowing Edwin and his love for the game, he highly doubts the star QB will miss this One. Although the Ravens might be slightly favored in this game, they understand they won’t exactly be "fan favorites" come Sunday. The Ravens will get the ball first, but home field advantage will definitely belong to the Raiders. Will the Ravens walk away with the trophy in only their second season in existence? Or Will the Raiders finally be the team to shut up the much hated Ravens once and for all? Get your popcorn ready!

One And Done

2008-02-13T19:33:00.010-06:00

When a team’s journey abruptly comes to an end of such a long and rough season, many players are left upset, angered or disappointed as they try to figure out just what went wrong, but end of the road this season makes that failure even more bitter and frustrating because there’s absolutely nothing these players can do to make anything better next season since there is no next season, at least not as a team. The two-year journey for Titans and Eagles ended with their “one-and-done” playoff appearance this year and in that span the Titans finished the regular season 2nd and 4th overall while the Eagles finished 1st and 3rd overall in ’06 and ’07 respectively, with the main and most important difference perhaps being the Eagles Championship in 2006. So while history will remember the Eagles successful, at least for one year, the Titans and Eagles will share in the Patriots misery this year as they digest their failed season.

The "story", behind "THE STORY".

2008-01-30T13:18:00.000-06:00

With 12 games of football in the books, you would assume that each team knows exactly where they stand heading into the playoffs. At this point one could argue that only the Patriots know exactly where they stand (not qualifying for postseason play with 2-10 record). How the season began would be absolutely no indication of how the season would eventually end. Lets begin with the Raiders, who started their season in stride with a 6-2 record before losing 3 of their last 4 games. Or how about a Titans squad who came on strong in the middle of the season, (5-3 after 8 games) before falling into a bottomless pit and ultimately holding the 2nd worse record in the league. And we can’t forget about those mighty Ravens who couldn't keep a stable roster for most of the season and fell twice to a 4th seeded Titans team. I believe this has been a season in which no team has been able to separate themselves from the pack and be a dominant force by any stretch of the imagination. But wait! Maybe there IS hope! A midst all the chaos maybe there IS a Cinderella story? If there is going to be any "feel good" story this season, it would have to be the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. That's right I said it, the Eagles! Despite starting the season 1-4 and having all kinds of roster questions, the Eagles led by superstars "Mando Moss" and "E-man"; never lost hope. Instead, they kept on fighting. After a very disappointing 4th loss in 5 games, Armando like any true team leader would do; was compelled to try and spark his teammates. After a phone conversation with long time friend and team captain "E-man", the two decided to hold a team meeting the very next day. Team sources indicate that a very emotionally driven Armando gave a heck of an inspiring speech that day. That speech seemed to spark a fire that would eventually light up the entire Eagles organization. Since then, the Eagles are 6-1 and no doubt the hottest team in the CFL. Whether it was that amazing speech or simply roster consistency… no one knows, but what IS clear is that the Eagles seem to be the only team storming into the playoffs with a full head of steam. To cap off this remarkable run and add confidence to an already confident team, they beat the 1st seeded Ravens that were talking plenty of trash heading into the season finale. With that said, it seems there’s only one thing left for them to do; continue to play Eagle football. Playing like they have been, who could possibly get in their way? No one....... right? Well the way this season has gone so far, I believe very few fans would be bold enough to actually make any kind of predictions. It seems the safest Super bowl prediction at this point, would be a showdown between the Ravens and Eagles. But then again... you just never know. Ladies and gentlemen that’s why the games MUST be played! Lets all have fun out there.

History In The Making

2008-01-25T18:36:00.000-06:00

Its been years in the making, almost five in fact, but the long awaited CFL DVD from 2003 will finally make its video premier next weekend! Initial reactions have been tremendous and includes reviews like "stunning" and "mind-blowing". As it turns out though, it probably wont be the visual masterpiece that the CFL envisioned, but despite devastating setbacks including the damage and destruction of critical computer hardware and the irrevocable loss of valuable footage, the compilation nonetheless is "magnificent" to say the least. Finishing touches are being put on the CFL DVD (including a few bonus segments, time permitting), but ready or not, the CFL DVD will debut at halftime of the NFL Superbowl with videos from the DVD being posted on the website the following week. Furthermore, based on preliminary results and on what producers and directors have seen of the footage, the CFL is definitely planning to have a 2008 CFL DVD next season! And now that the video production capabilities of the CFL have been improved, we fully expect to be able to release quarterly CFL segments or "music video highlights" throughout the 2008 season, and the complete '08 CFL DVD weeks after the end of the season, and not years afterward. So be ready to be shocked and awed!

The Improbable Finish?

2008-01-25T15:52:00.001-06:00

What happens in the CFL playoffs if three teams finish with the same record? This question has been frivolously proposed before, but the possibilities of such a finish not only seems probable, but now inevitable. A win this Sunday by the Raiders and Titans over the lowly 1-9 Patriots would give them the same 7-5 record as the Eagles who are presently ranked second in the standings. A three-way finish almost happened last season but the Falcons barely escaped finishing with the same 5-9 record as the Chiefs and Bears. Of course the team with the better series record against the other tie team would be seeded higher, but if a three way tie were to occur by Eagles, Raiders and Titans this season, there is no official tie-breaker rule in the CFL for this scenario since each team has won and lost a series to the opposing two teams. How would the CFL resolve this dilemma? Maybe there should just be a paper-scissors-rock resolution, or maybe team names should just be pulled out of a hat, or maybe the team with the best record should just decide who they want to face in the first round of the playoffs? In preliminary discussions, not many captains and players favor the previous options, but there are one or two other options that the CFL believes are more viable. One option would be to have these three teams play each other once up to 22 points (3-touchdowns and a 2-point conversion) in one day, taking into account the margin of victory should they also split wins and losses among each other that day. The other option would be to settle this dispute by ranking the team with the better record against the first ranked team higher than the other two. In this case, since the Titans beat the Ravens twice, they would be seeded second, leaving the Raiders and Eagles to settle who would be ranked third, and since the Raiders won the season series against the Eagles, they would be seeded third and the Eagles fourth. The latter option sounds a little simpler and may make the most sense, but a single victory by the Patriots this weekend would alleviate the need for any such option.

Ravens And Eagles Waiting In The Wings

2008-01-24T17:45:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday, in dangerous and sub-zero temperatures, the Ravens tried to put an exclamation point on their very impressive '07-'08 season against the rapidly rising Eagles but as it turns out the Ravens ended their spectacular season on a very sour note. The Eagles, who have arguably been the hottest team in the league the past few weeks having gone 6-1 in their past seven games, escaped with a somewhat unimpressive victory against the shorthanded Ravens squad 50-43 who were without Hernan who's incidentally the league over a 3-game stretch with 12 (non-quarterback) touchdowns in that span. The Ravens have lost several key players in the past few weeks, most notably Brian, who in all likelihood will win the '07-'08 Defense Player of the Year honors. So its no surprise the Ravens are heavily petitioning the league to find permanent replacements for the post-season. A decision will probably be made regarding the Ravens roster this weekend, though it may be unlikely the Captains will just agree to simply giving the Ravens the best players on the Patriots squad to fill their roster, but who knows. So with all control of who they'll face in the post-season now out out of their hands, all the Ravens and Eagles can simply do is await the results of this Sunday's final two games of the regular season.

Great '07, Even Better '08?

2008-01-11T20:42:00.001-06:00

A win this weekend by the Eagles would guarantee them a spot in the playoffs, while a loss would leave them open to the possibility of still finishing with the worst record in the league. But the story of this weekend probably isn't whether the Eagles will be the last team to clinch the final playoff spot or not; the story is how close these playoff contenders are to each other. Two and a half games separate first place from fourth place with 3 games or less to go for these teams. Not since 2004 when the Titans, Raiders and Eagles finished with 8, 7, and 6 wins respectively has a playoff seeding been so close at this point in the season. Things will probably be a lot clearer Sunday night after all these games are in the books, but regardless of how the season winds down, the level of play, and of the players themselves, has probably never been higher thanks in large part to the two expansion teams and the dismantling of the Bears this season. There are high hopes for the '08 season, and even though the end of the '07 season is still a little ways off, many players and captains have been discussing several questions about the '08 season, primarily who will be captains besides Frank, Eman and Nemo and how the draft will be conducted. There have been several reports of the unrelenting and un-aging Papa Bear Chaky Menchaky possibly retaking his role as captain (though some might say that is probably more doubtful than likely), and there has also been talk of several first-rounders possibly making the jump to captain-hood in '08. Mando Moss of the Eagles or Zok of the Titans are definitely good candidates, but a few of the captains have expressed their concerns and doubts about these players' ability to lead a team. In any case, perhaps before deciding who the captains will be or the number of teams next season, the CFL must first decide how the draft will be conducting. In other words, whether two separate drafts will be take place with the two expansion teams in one draft and the original CFL teams in another as some players have suggested, or whether it will be just one entire draft for the whole league regardless of what team they played for previously. Several players and captains have discussed both possibilities, but either scenario just probably depends on who returns to play in '08. The CFL always loses a couple players after every season, but also usually adds a few new ones too. The majority of captains seem to favor having one single draft if the expansion teams/players return for the '08 season, but whether that happens or not will not effect whether there will be a draft or not. Most of these decisions will probably be made in the next few days or weeks after the CFL Superbowl, if not in the days leading up to it, but the two-year deal that essentially freezes rosters over that period will expire once the last touchdown of the Superbowl is scored, so all this uncertainty is going to make for an interesting and intense off-season.

Ugly loss for da Pats as they fall to 1 - 8

2008-01-06T22:39:00.000-06:00

Another week and yet another devastating loss for the Patriots who keep playing hard, but continue to get blown out by there opponents. They entered this game with the right attitude; an upset win against arguably the best team in the league could have given them hope, confidence and the momentum needed to make a late season run at the fourth and final playoff spot. Unfortunately for Christian and the rest of the Pats, it didn’t turn out that way. Even with the help of veteran/MVP self proclaimed "Mando Moss" starting at WR, it was clear from the get go that the Pats simply didn't have the fire power needed to keep up with a very good Ravens team. Watching them as they walked off the field after a 50 - 7 smack down on that gloomy Sunday afternoon, one would even suggest that they might have given up on their season. Even if they do physically show up for the rest of their schedule you would have to wonder if their minds and hearts are still in the game. If any positives came from this game it was the obvious need for a complete draft come next season as well as the surprising play of Danny who made a couple of impressive catches that might have caught the eye of some team captains. But if the Pats have any hopes of winning another game this season they must solidify the QB position as they have had 3 different players perform miserably at that position this year. Its clear Christian could be a star player in this league for years to come, but definitely not as a QB! The Ravens on the other hand go into next week with ONLY the QB position secure, not knowing for sure exactly who will still be on their roster for the remainder of the season. Definitely not a good situation for them, considering their hopes of being a 1st seed heading into the playoffs. Edwin made it clear that his team would not take their game against the Pats lightly, or any game for that matter. Knowing that with a depleted roster, wins could be harder to come by as the season progresses. The concern was obvious Sunday after the game when Edwin made a few phone calls, scrambling for players and permission from the league to possibly fill a roster spot or two. The madness starts immediately for the Ravens next week as they take on a Raiders team with plenty of weapons and a chance to prove to everyone that they are in fact the best team in the league right now. My bet is that both teams will show up hungry for this anticipated game 3 match up, as it has the potential to be one of the best games this season. Lets all hope for a good one!

Titans On The Verge Of A Grand Collapse?

2008-01-04T19:46:00.001-06:00

Those in attendance during Week Thirteen's Titans-Ravens game witnessed one of the most despicable acts ever to ever occur during a CFL game! On what turned out to be the final play of the game Titan's Captain, Nemo, hiked the ball, dropped back and out of no where handed the ball over to the closest Raven! Stunned spectators and dumbfounded Titans waiting for the pass in the endzone looked on as Nemo walked off the field! Why would anyone, much less a captain, ever commit such a loathsome and disgraceful act? Nemo has yet to comment about the incident, but you don't need to be a genius to see why the game was practically over being down 46-29 on a fourth and two from mid-field. Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds against the Titans at that point in the game, every single player who has ever fought or bled to win a game will tell you that nothing could ever justify what Nemo did, no matter how much they were down! At worst they go down blazing, and at best they complete one of the greatest comebacks this season, but sadly they'll never know. Perhaps Nemo couldn't see well anymore since the field had poor lighting conditions and his vision was probably poor from the glass lens he lost earlier in the game, or maybe he was just tired, cold and scared? Whatever the reason, Nemo violated the integrity of the game and will be fined an undisclosed amount for his conduct. The CFL said in a statement, "This was the first time anything like this has ever happened so it is difficult to determine exactly how he should be disciplined, but one thing is certain, any other players who intentionally throw a game in the future will be suspended for a minimum of one game and possibly for the remainder of the season depending on how serious we deem his actions to be." The CFL is also conducting an investigation to see if Nemo profited financially as a result of his actions during his last game or from gambling in any CFL game he's played in. The Titans now stand at 5-4 with three games to go. What effect will Nemo's actions have on the Titans the rest of the season? Is their season over? Have they thrown in the towel? Even though the Patriots are 1-7, the Titans could still finish last in the standings. The mighty, mighty Titans will have their work cut out for them this Sunday against the Raiders, but a win against the number-one ranked team will quickly erase any controversy and doubt from their past game.

Eagles Fly To Victory Over #1 Ranked Raiders

2007-12-27T16:37:00.000-06:00

What had seemed to be the coldest game played this season, it wasn't enough to stop these resurrected Eagles. On the first possession of the Eagles Roque threw an interception and it seemed that those mighty Raiders were going to cruise to an easy victory once again, but the defending champions were not gonna go down so easy. On that possession of the Raiders, Armando answered back intercepting a pass!!! Midway through the game and the Eagles with a two touchdown lead the Raiders stepped up their game and evened the score up. Following an Eagles timeout (in which Rocky came up with a game plan) Roque and Armando connected with 9 of his 13 catches!! Incredibly the Raiders didn't have an answer to stop the former Mvp Armando. On the last drives of both teams they couldn't connect on the two point conversion. Finally Roque found Eman (the runner up for this years Mvp) in the back of the end zone to beat the Raiders. Now is this Eagles team making a comeback winning 3 out of their last 4 games? Are they for real? Or are they going to choke? Well by the looks this team is ready to take that 3 spot in the standings. We all don't know for sure but i can say this much, with 3 games remaining for most teams they better be careful because these Eagles are anxious to win!!!
- Published by Special Guest Contributor

Access Granted To All

2007-12-14T21:55:00.000-06:00

Recently, and probably more so this season than in previous seasons, this website has failed to keep up with posting headlines in a timely manner. There are only a handful of people have access to update the site, and while they make it an effort to update videos, standings and statistics a day or two after the games, sometimes they don't get enough time during the week to post headlines promptly or even at all. So in response to this predicament, the CFL will grant access to anyone who wants to post headlines on this site. All that is needed is a gmail account. Anyone who wants to post on this site can email us at churchfootballleague@gmail.com with their gmail account and we will send them a link that will give them access to post on this site. That's it and its that simple. We will continue to try to post headlines whenever possible, which hasn't been regularly as of late, but if some are unhappy about a lack of headlines, there's finally something they can do about it.

"Your Vote Can Make A Difference"

2007-11-29T21:03:00.000-06:00

At least that is what they tell us. Even though several players and fans voted for having four teams in the playoffs this season, that outcome is probably unlikely at the moment. Having 4 out of 5 teams in the playoffs seems ridiculous from a competitive standpoint because it would render the majority of the 12-game regular season worthless. Why not just have every team team in the post-season as some players have seriously suggested? Um, basically for the same reason we stated two sentences ago. What logical incentive is there to have the best record possible if it makes no significant difference in the playoffs? There's barely any worth while incentive as it is now for the teams competing to make the post-season. Just a bye week and the coin toss for the top seeds? Surely there could be more. But for now, the CFL Committee has decided that it'll only be 3 teams in the playoffs. Its a long shot, but perhaps, just maybe, there's a chance there could be more than three teams in the playoffs, but that would probably require a playoff system where the fourth seed plays the third seed, and the winner takes on the second seed and so on, in order to reward the teams who finish with the better records during the year. Bottom line, if a team cant finish with more wins than losses, they probably don't deserve to be in post-season. While the CFL tends to be more of a pompous monarchy than a democracy at times, if there's enough support for expanding the number of teams in the playoffs, the CFL Committee will listen and seriously consider arguments for that case. The comment forum is open, so speak now or forever hold your peace.

Worst To First?

2007-11-28T19:22:00.000-06:00

Fifty-five to twenty-one. Are the Eagles really that good, or are the Patriots just that bad? Was it the Eagles defense or Eagles offense? Maybe its both? Maybe neither? Whatever the case, the battle between the two worst teams in the league was thee most lob-sided game of this season. The Patriots basically had no answer for the Eagles two leading candidates for MVP. Eman and Armando went a combined 11-for-11, hauling in 6 of those catches for touchdowns, and scoring another 2 touchdowns on the ground! Just an amazing performance by these two individuals (even though it took them half the season to finally have one). One would think that with the Patriots winning the coin toss, and the Eagles turning the ball over on downs three times, that the game would of been a lot closer, even competitive, but unfortunately the Patriots just picked one of the worst days to play one of their worst games of the season. They lost a fumble, threw a pick, and committed six total turnovers. If you want a recipe for disaster, there it is. A win would have given the Patriots the same amount of wins as the Eagles and the fourth spot in the standings, but they now sit at the bottom of the standings. Despite their 1-5 record, the Patriots aren't definitely out of it. Yet. They could still conceivably finish first in the standings being only three and a half games out of first with six to go, but they're probably going to need a lot of help. Fortunately, all the Patriots need, and everyone else for that matter, is a spot in the playoffs, and the Patriots are only two games out of that spot at the moment.

Refs Tried, But Didn't Get It Right

2007-11-02T23:36:00.000-05:00

While all official CFL referees strive to make the correct call every play, the referees got it wrong last week on a two-point conversion attempt by the Ravens with an unusual outcome. An offensive penalty was called against the Ravens for clipping when they converted the extra point, and after some deliberations by the disagreeing officials, they ruled it would be unfair to give the team that committed the penalty the benefit of having another try at the extra point because theoretically the offensive team could just commit an offensive penalty on the extra point every time they were in danger of not converting it in order to retry it just a few farther yards out, thereby giving the offensive team an advantage when they were at fault. Needless to say, after review, the CFL referees got that call wrong. Former NFL referee Jerry Markbreit answers a similar question posed to him on ChicagoSports.com saying: "The defender's choice is to accept the penalty ... or decline, which, of course, would give the offense two points." So despite the fact that it could be advantageous for the offensive team to commit a penalty on an extra point attempt, the Ravens should have been assessed the penalty and been forced to retry the extra point last week. Unfortunately, other teams have been screwed worst by other erroneous calls in the past, though never purposefully. Every single official CFL referee will make the call impartially and to the best of their ability, but they wont always get the call right. Several weeks ago some players adamantly felt the referees purposefully made a call against them, or actually, that they didn't make a pass interference call intentionally because they felt the officials favored the other team. Despite the league's mandate to "administer the league as honest and fair as possible... to the best of the league’s ability" and the CFL's strict, unbiased and rigorous emphasis on officiating, we can't convince any players of the referees' objective and impartial intentions. The inadvertent contact "no-call" that some players were upset about was indeed correct. The NFL rulebook on pass interference states:

"Actions that do not constitute offensive pass interference include but are not limited to:

(a) Incidental contact by a receiver’s hands, arms, or body when both players are competing for the ball or neither player is looking for the ball.

(b) Inadvertent touching of feet when both players are playing the ball or neither player is playing the ball.

(c) Contact that would normally be considered pass interference, but the ball is clearly uncatchable by involved players."

Obviously, while not all rules in the NFL Rulebook will apply or be the same as in the CFL, the majority of them are. With certainty we can say that CFL officials are definitely not as corrupt as other officials in recent months that have been convicted of gambling in the NBA. All our referees unequivocally strive to make the correct call no matter what team they're gambling on, and that you can be certain of.

Fifteen Minute Rule Proposed

2007-11-02T23:21:00.000-05:00

A new rule has been proposed by some players to the CFL Committee in order to encourage the timely start of scheduled games. Last week both games began more than 30-minutes after their scheduled start time, and some games have started a lot later than that for no significant reason. Suffice to say that this tardiness is unfair to the team that arrives on time and unacceptable to everyone else who has their day delayed for no good reason, so a 15-minute rule has been proposed that would penalize the team that does not arrive within 15-minutes of the scheduled start time by forfeiting the coin toss. Technicalities and specifics will be discussed this weekend but the rule is as simple as it sounds: If a team cant start playing within those 15-minutes because some players are late, and the other team has enough players to begin the game, then the tardy team would lose the coin toss. So if this rule is indeed approved by the CFL Committee after this week's games, then some players may want to consider not turning the clock back this Sunday so that they get to the game on time next week.

Can't Be Saved?

2007-11-02T10:35:00.000-05:00

Can the Eagles season be saved? Not since 2002 when the Titans went 2-5 after winning the CFL Championship (only to win it again that year, and don't ask how) has a team fallen so low as the 2007 Eagles. A third of the way through the season and the Eagles now stand at a dismal 1-3, tied for last place in winning percentage! How does a 13-4 team (including the playoffs) go to a 1-3 team almost overnight? Well for one, the Eagles have had enormous roster issues this season. The Eagles had to let go last season's sack-record holder, Norman, because if his availability to only play in less than half the games this season; the Eagles number two scoring receiver last season, Gonz, has appeared in only one game and has practically abandoned his team for the past several weeks; and Marty left the team last week because of several commitments he has to make at school. Even though Armando and Eman rank number two and four respectively in (non-quarterback) points scored per game, these two players have been incredibly inconsistent and unreliable in the most crucial moments of the game. The Eagles roster problems seem to have been resolved at the moment, but the results have definitely not been stellar. Their patchwork of a team turned the ball over three times, registered one of the lowest receiving percentages of the season and ultimately lost to the Raiders 41-50 their last time out. Considering the way they played that game, perhaps its surprising the Eagles didn't lose by more or at least get blown out. Maybe its even more startling that in both of their losses to the Raiders that the Eagles led by two touchdowns at one point, only to relinquish that lead; and that in their other loss to the Ravens, that the Eagles only lost by two touchdowns considering they committed three turnovers and had the slower Norman, Marty and Roque guarding the Ravens' incredibly quick top-tier receivers. Could the Eagles be on the verge of breaking out of their slump and retaking their 13-4 championship form if they only cut their mistakes and stop breaking down on defense? If past performance is an indicator of future performance, then that answer is probably no. But if the Eagles can get a really solid outing this Sunday against an exceptionally good Ravens squad, then maybe the Eagles still have hope.

Ravens Superb Game Enough To Overcome Raiders' Equally Splendid Performance

2007-11-01T10:25:00.000-05:00

It was a battle between the top two teams in the league as the Raiders and Ravens faced off this past Sunday. A good game was expected, and these two squads definitely delivered on that. Very few mistakes, if any, were made in this match by either team. The Raiders went 21-for-23 while the Ravens completed 7 of their 8 in pass attempts! A game this superb has probably never been played in the history of the CFL. And a game this flawless could only be lost by the team who committed the first turnover, but then again, these two team played so well that this game didn't contain a single one. Every single score was answered by the other team with another score. So it was that the Ravens defeated the Raiders 50-41 in dramatic fashion. Edwin gunned the ball about half the distance of the field to an outstretched receiver; Hernan hauled in a spectacular catch over Frank and the rest was history! The Ravens scored an incredible four kickoff returns for touchdowns, with Javy accounting for two of them. On the Raiders side of the ball, Sanchy went 11-for-11 in catch attempts turning out 4-first downs and 3-touchdowns. This Sunday the Raiders get their first crack at Christian and the surprising Patriots, while the Ravens get their second shot at the Eagles as they seek to go up a critical 2-0 on the defending Champs this season. After last week's performance, the Ravens are clearly distinguishing them one of the top teams in the league, if not thee top team, and a victory over the Eagles in Week 7 would only further support that argument.

Patriots Avoid Being Written Off

2007-10-29T20:00:00.000-05:00

After the Patriots were embarrassed by becoming victims of the largest margin of defeat by any team this season, they bounced back in convincing manner against the Titans. Many players had written off the Patriots after their blow-out loss to the Ravens in their first game of the year, and the Titans no less were predicting an even greater slaughter even though they wouldn't have their tardy captain for the first part of their contest! But to the Titans dismay, half way through the game it appeared like there indeed wouldn't be massacre. Despite their disappointment the Titans still had to be pretty happy in the position they were in, never relinquishing the with just a few more scores to go. Nemo also finally arrived to try to help the Titans close out the game, but things quickly turned sour on the Titans. Nemo threw a pair of touchdown passes, but he also threw two critical interceptions that would prove to be costly! The Patriots rallied strong in the final possessions of the game as Christian returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Even though Christian, last season's second ranked player in total catches per game, didn't make a single reception, he did throw for 6 touchdowns showing the fans in attendance their ain't nothing he cant do, except ride the bench! The Patriots defeated the Titans 50-36 on Sam's game winning TD reception, so now the Patriots will square off against the 3-1 Raiders in their well earned Sunday night prime-time slot under the lights and will hope to avoid going 0-2 against the two top teams in the league.

Most Prolific Passing Team Ever?

2007-10-12T20:52:00.000-05:00

Last season the Titans realized almost 300 catches, averaging an incredible 21 catches a game and shattering the record they set in 2004 when they averaged just over 16 catches a game. This season, the Titans appear to be well on their way to breaking that record once more. They're averaging 24.5 total catches a game, and though we're only 2 games into the season, the Titans certainly have a good shot at making history again with what will probably be a shorter than usual 9-game regular season. After such a remarkable accomplishment and run since 2004, the Titans certainly have to be considered one of the most prolific passing teams in CFL history, if not ever. Just how have the Titans achieved such a dominant position in this area of the game? The obvious answer is by just passing the dang ball, and passing it often. But what else can their superiority in this category be attributed to? Is it the players or the system? Well, surprisingly, despite the fact that the Titans led the league in completions the past 4 seasons (including this one), they have never led the league in receiving percentage or touchdown percentage once in that same span. So while the Titans are definitely throwing more passes and getting them caught, one can argue that they're just not achieving them in superior ways. Just because you hit the target more times than someone else who shot fewer times doesn't mean you outdid them. Its no secret the Titans eat up yardage and catches by dinking and dunking the ball down the field, but when an opponent manages to put the clamps on their passing game, the Titans' heavy reliance on their aerial game could become a great weakness. Unlike the Titans, the Eagles have actually lead the league in fewest catches per game in 3 of the last 4 seasons since 2003 but with a little greater success in the post season than the Titans. The Eagles have appeared in every Superbowl since 2003 when the CFL eliminated the ridiculous 2-team division format, but while the Titans haven't made to the Big Game as much, these two teams still have the same amount of Championships in that span. This Saturday sets the stage for what will be an intriguing look into two very different styles of play. Will the passing game prevail over the running game? Well, that depends on how much of each these two teams plan to do, but the only true measure of either teams' success will perhaps be determined by whatever team is able to take this season's 2007 CFL Championship.

Raiders Capture Primetime Spotlight

2007-10-03T20:37:00.000-05:00

Looking to build on their success last weekend against the Eagles, the Raiders sought to obtain sole possession of the top spot as they battled the Titans in CFL's Primetime slot under the lights. Early in the game, Nemo pulled one of the first blunders of the season by letting Tank recover the ball in the endzone on the kickoff. That mistake seemed to basically set the tone for the game as the Raiders easily piled on more points than the Titans winning the game 54-26. Two games into the season, the Raiders look to be well on their way to becoming one of the top teams in the league yet again, once more demonstrating a remarkable ability to consistently rank in the upper echelon of the CFL, year in and year out.

Eagles Reign In CFL Superbowl VI

2007-02-14T22:30:00.000-06:00

The Eagles captured that elusive CFL title with a 75-49 victory over the Raiders on Saturday, and fittingly the Eagles attained that Championship in the same manner they attained some of their most toughest and improbable victories of the season: By yet again overcoming a difficult deficit in the late stages of the game to win in stunning form. The Eagles got off to a sluggish start and the Raiders took advantage of that by capitalizing on two major defensive breakdowns by Armando and Eman that Victor and Sanchez scored on. The Eagles also had problems early on getting pressure on the quarterback against the Raiders unusual blitz protection strategy, which proved to be quite effective as the Raiders jumped out to a 49 to 35 lead. With the Eagles down by 2-TD’s and the Raiders 3 scores and a 3-point conversion away from the title, the possibility of an Eagles Championship this season was highly in doubt. Indeed, if it was a regular season game or even a playoff game up to 50-points the Raiders might have already won that game, but the Superbowl is up to 72-points and maybe it was this lengthy and arduous contest that proved to be the downfall of the Raiders. After very little success in stopping the Raiders offense, the Eagles used a different approach in reaching the quarterback and adjusted to force several urgently needed turnovers-on-downs. Armando, who should now probably change his name to Armando Hester (after the Chicago Bears explosive return specialist, Devin Hester), once again returned a kickoff for touchdown for the 12th time all season (including 2 in the post season) to tie the game at 7-TD's a piece. After his TD-return Armando told his team that the Raiders looked very tired and that now was the time to step up their game and take it to them. The Eagles responded to his challenge in compelling fashion with a cunning "flea-flicker" play that isolated Eman on Tank in which Roque threw an easy touchdown strike to him. Gonz and Norman turned in some very impressive defensive drives and all the momentum was now turning towards the Eagles. In a play that probably sealed the Raiders doom, Roque and Armando got some heavy pressure on the Raiders quarterback to force the fumble which Roque ran back nearly the full length of the field for the touchdown! The final touchdown of the game came on a midfield pass from Roque to Armando, over 3-time MVP Frank, to give the Eagles the 75-49 victory! It was a very cold but great game, at least from the Eagles perspective. The Raiders fought hard. Tank and Frank connected on many short-range passes, while Ernie once again showed glimpses of his tremendous receiving abilities. But despite the Raiders gutsy performance, the Eagles are now undisputed CFL Champs! It took many seasons and four straight Superbowl tries, but the Eagles finally got it right. With so many questions and uncertainties concerning next season, no matter what happens the Eagles will be sure to savor every moment as their reign as Champions cause perhaps no other team more than the Eagles knows how agonizing and difficult it is to finally reach the top.

CFL Superbowl VI Pregame Report

2007-02-01T22:39:00.000-06:00

After five months, 32 games and more than 2,000 plays since the start of the '06-'07 season, the finale is now at hand. The Eagles and Raiders will step onto the CFL's biggest stage and battle it out for the right to be named this year's greatest! Legacies are created, champions are anointed and careers are defined, deservedly so or not, by this one game. Only about two handfuls of players have ever raised the trophy as champs, and the Eagles and Raiders collectively carry 6 of those 11 current players to ever win a CFL Championship. Frank (2), Sanchy (1), and Tank (2) are the only '06-'07 Raiders to experience Superbowl victories, while Armando (1), Gonz (2) and Norman (1) are the only players on this year's Eagles squad to have done the same. Less than a quarter of the 45 players to ever play in the CFL have achieved Champion status since 2001, and that number will only increase slightly after this game. The Superbowl marks the end of a very long and tough season, and unfortunately, just like the Bears in Miami, one of these team's season will painfully come to end, but the other will enjoy the spoils of an all-expense paid night out and the acclaim of rightfully being named CFL Champions.