12-05-2019, 08:10 AM
Every football coach will tell you that in order to make a difference in the game, you have to take full advantage of your opportunities. Victor Martinez Jersey . Now, on the field that could mean scoring after your defense creates a turnover or moving the football offensively when you have the wind at your back. On Thursday, the CFL Board of Governors will have their opportunity to make a difference when they vote on the proposal to make pass interference a reviewable call. A "yes" vote means that for the first time since video review was implemented, the system will be used on a judgment call by the refs. Coaches will not get extra challenges but if the rule change is passed, they will be able to challenge a called pass interference or challenge a missed called PI. Critics call it a drastic shift in philosophy which turns the on-field refs into robots, while proponents call it a small expansion of the current video review system that will help the on-field officials make the toughest and most controversial call in the game. The rules committee, which is made up of football people, passed the rule change proposal over a month ago but while it was a strong majority, it wasnt a unanimous "yes" vote. Sources contacted on Tuesday were divided on whether or not the fact that it wasnt unanimous will influence the Governors. While they couldnt come up with actual numbers, one source felt that rule change proposals that did not get a unanimous vote from the rules committee were almost always voted down by the Governors. A separate source didnt think that the fact that it wasnt a unanimous vote would make any difference at all to the Board. One thing both sources agreed on was that this is one of the most important rule change votes in recent memory and if passed, will be a rule change that will be watched closely by the National Football League. The NFL rules committee decided to put a much more drastic proposal to a vote this year when they tabled the idea of giving coaches the chance to challenge all personal foul penalties. That is a drastic change in philosophy with regards to video replay and it was, not surprisingly, voted down. However, if the CFL Governors vote "yes" to this PI rule change, you can bet the NFL will be paying close attention. In fact, a source close to the process said that there are many coaches in the NFL that are pushing for a chance to review pass interference, so if it is voted in by the CFL board and runs smoothly in year one, then it is safe to say it wont be long before the NFL tables the idea again. There is also a sense of urgency with this decision in that, when a rule change proposal gets defeated by the Governors it typically cant be reintroduced for two years. Which means, if you are a fan that gets frustrated with the inconsistency of the PI call, you are going to get two more years of a whole lot of the same. The CFL head office was contacted Tuesday and refused to comment, but football fans should not read into that. With the current CBA negotiations on going, the "no comment" response may becoming automatic. There has been interesting debate on this topic, however, the question football fans have to ask is; what is the downside and the upside of a "yes" vote? Without debating all aspects of this rule change proposal again, it is still tough to find a real downside. Even if this change is a one year experiment and the league finds out that it has created more questions than answers when it comes to pass interference, nothing is really lost. If it doesnt work, it was at least attempted, all teams in 2014 will have played by the same rules, and the idea is dropped in 2015. However, if it works; if it does help refs get the game changing penalty right more often and if it does improve the game, then the CFL will be looked upon as innovators. On May 13, a new crop of young football players will be drafted into the league and will be looking to take full advantage of their opportunity to play the game they love for a living. On the field, a defensive back can make a difference with an interception if he takes advantage of an opportunity when the quarterback throws and errant pass. On Thursday, an opportunity will present itself to the Board of Governors. If they vote "yes," they have a chance to make a difference. If they vote "no," it will be two more frustrating years and an opportunity lost. Ray Boone Jersey . Im very excited about the playoffs, particularly in the Western Conference with amazing match-ups, as well as the wonderful local story in the Toronto Raptors. It should be a blast. Here are my predictions, but based upon my lousy prognostications during the NCAA Tournament, you might be better off going the other way on some of mine - particularly with the Raptors, who I hope and pray are able to win an incredibly difficult match-up. Mickey Stanley Jersey . -- Raiders wide receiver Jacoby Ford made it through a third straight practice without any setbacks and expects to play in Oaklands regular-season finale against San Diego. https://www.cheaptigers.com/ .S. President Barack Obama saluted the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks at the White House on Monday -- a rare moment for a president hungry to see more victorious teams from his hometown.INDIANAPOLIS -- Eight straight wins isnt enough for the perfect Pacers. They have far bigger plans. The NBAs last unbeaten team remained undaunted Monday night, getting 23 points from Paul George and the first triple double of Lance Stephensons career to run past Memphis 95-79 and complete a brutal five-game in seven-day stretch with a sweep. Indiana extended its franchise-best start to 8-0, becoming the seventh team to achieve the feat since 2000. "Everything were shooting for is attainable, but weve got a long way to go, a lot of work to do," coach Frank Vogel said. "It was probably our most complete game." The Pacers made no secret of this seasons plan -- dethroning two-time defending NBA champion Miami. The best way to do that, they figured, was earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and so far, nobody has been able to touch Indiana. The Pacers already have a 3 1/2-game lead over Miami and Atlanta in the East. Indiana is showing no sign of slowing down, either. Rather than look fatigued after back-to-back wins last Tuesday and Wednesday and two more back-to-back wins Friday and Saturday, something Vogel said he had never been part of previously, the Pacers appeared to get stronger Monday. They again dominated the glass, outrebounding Memphis 30-15 in the first half and finishing with a 45-32 advantage. They again relied on suffocating defence, which held Memphis (3-4) to a season-low point total and nearly 20 points below its season scoring average (98.5). And again they were content to share the honours. George scored seven of his game-high points total during a key 9-3 stretch to close out the third quarter. That gave Indiana a 72-55 lead. Stephenson, who is playing the best basketball of his career, finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, a career-high 12 assists and only one turnover. Roy Hibbert added five more blocks to his league-leading total (35), George Hill finished with 13 points in his third game back from a hip injury and Luis Scola added 12 points off the bench. Indiana could be making things even tougher for opponents soon, too. Vogel said before the game that former All-Star Danny Granger, who once led the Pacers in scoring for five straight seasons, will begin working out Tuesday and could return to practice as soon as Wednesday. Vogel did not say when Granger would return to the rotation. Granger has not played this season because of a strained left ccalf. George Kell Jersey. For now, though, fans seem content with the way things are going. During the final minutes, they even serenaded Pacers players with chants of "un-de-feat-ed." But the Pacers arent content with that. "We are not looking at this 8-0 start," said George, the NBAs Most Improved Player last season. "We want to enjoy it, but we must let our strengths continue to lead us to victory. Everybody helps, everybody is doing their job." For Memphis, it was a rough night. Marc Gasol , who showed his frustration at times during the second half, finished with 15 points and six rebounds. The only other Memphis players to reach double-figures were two guys with Hoosier State ties -- Zach Randolph had 12 and Mike Conley added 11. The Grizzlies shot just 41.3 per cent from the field and were only 6 of 19 from 3-point range, and after a 15-3 run put Memphis in an 80-55 deficit just 83 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies never had a chance. "Theyre the best defensive team in this league, they really compress the paint, it was hard for any of us guards to get in there and make anything happen," Conley said. "Theyve got a lot of length, theyve got great guards that play great D and they made us take contested shots." Indiana didnt leave anything in doubt Monday. The Pacers jumped to a 13-8 lead in the opening minutes, scored the final six points of the first quarter to make it 23-16 and then methodically pulled away in the second. Though Memphis closed to 46-39 at halftime, the Pacers opened the second half on a 7-2 run to rebuild a 12-point lead and put it away with the spurt spurred by George and Stephenson that eventually made it 80-55. "Everybodys on the same page, everybodys playing together and everybodys playing smart," Stephenson said. "When we play like that, no one can stop us." Indiana now gets a three-day break before playing another back-to-back -- hosting Milwaukee on Friday and visiting Chicago on Saturday. Notes: Indiana led at halftime for only the second time this season. ... Memphis continued its trend, winning all of its even-numbered games and losing all of its odd-numbered games. ... The Pacers have won the last three in this series and are now 14-3 all-time against the Grizzlies in Indy. ... Grizzlies forward Quincy Poindexter left the game in the second quarter with a fractured nose and did not return. ' ' '