Regular readers have heard it before we suspect, our energetic jump out of the gate at the start of the CFL season, which in recent years has sputtered out towards the end of each campaign.We feel a mixture of disappointment and guilt over how the blog slipped in recent years. Though, we suspect many will take our annual promise of better things to come and renewed commitment with a grain of salt.
Still, hope springs eternal and perhaps with a reconfiguration of how we plan on presenting the blog this year, the production levels will keep pace with the schedule for the 2014 season.
We've looked at how we have moved the Twelve Men on the Field blog forward in the past few years and where things kind of went off the rails, and with that in mind we're going to redirect our energies into only highlighting items of note from the nine CFL cities (welcome aboard again Ottawa).
We'll set up links to each cities media options, the national view and from the team websites as well.
So the day to day information flow will still be available to our readers, our input will tackle some of the larger topics of the day, rather than trying to cover each and every development from the east and west division squads.
In the days to come we'll recap the CFL draft of a few weeks ago, offer up some thoughts on the many changes to the CFL's rosters over the off season. Keeping watch on what the plans are for both the east and west division squads with a new year set to debut.
With a new stadium already in place in Winnipeg, the Tiger Cats about to return to a brand new look in Hamilton and plans in development for what should be a modern look in Regina, the CFL is entering a new era that celebrates not only the game, but the fans that make the league a success.
No better indication of that excitement for the future is that which can be found in Ottawa. We also have plans to have a peek at what's up with the Ottawa RedBlacks as they prepare to take the field in a return of the CFL to the nations capital.
Well, that's the plan at any rate.
Our hopeful reboot starts today, with lots of ideas and what we hope is a balanced approach to make this one last through to the Grey Cup.
It's an evolving blue print, which we suspect we shall tweak along the way, though our hope is that through this plan, we'll be able to remain focused on the game and the personalities that make the CFL one Canada's signature organizations.
As May winds down and the prospect of June training camps ramp up, we will once again strive to provide a helpful review of all things Canadian football for 2014.
That of course hinges on there being Canadian football in 2014.
As we compose our re-entry to the blog for the season ahead, the two sides at the negotiating table aren't exactly getting along very well. With the CFL management team and the Players association a bit apart both in vision and monetary concerns.
Word Sunday however, has the two sides returning to their discussions later in the week, a welcome development and one that CFL fans are surely hoping means that the camps will open without much in the way of drama and the countdown to kickoff for the 2014 season moves forward
If not, our hopeful plan for a full year of blogging on the CFL will be put up on a dusty shelf, there for future use whenever that might be.