WINNIPEG — The video review process is one of the main topics on the agenda this week in wintry Winnipeg, where the CFL's presidents and general managers are gathered for their annual year end meetings.

Where the review process is headed is anyone's guess, but it's safe to say the league's fan base would like to see some changes after a 2016 season in which there were long delays and even a handful of errors made by the review official himself.

Last December, when the league held its year end meetings in Las Vegas, the GMs and presidents got the ball rolling on making more penalties reviewable. Three months later the CFL announced coaches could challenge seven infractions in addition to defensive pass interference, which was already reviewable: offensive pass interference, illegal contact, illegal interference on pass plays, no yards, illegal blocks on kick plays, contacting/roughing the kicker or passer, and illegal interference at the point of reception on kickoff attempts.

Coaches used the new challenge rules to go fishing for penalties in the first few weeks of the campaign, leading to a mind numbing number of yellow flags. So the league made a change in late August, making a team's first challenge no longer “free.” Every challenge became tied to a timeout, meaning a team would lose one if it got a challenge wrong.

That reduced the number of challenges slightly, but when all was said and done there was still an average of one more challenge per game this season.

The goal of making some penalties reviewable was to create more offence, especially when it came to illegal contact. Offences averaged 49 points per game this season, which was an increase of 4.5 from 2015 and 12.3 from 2014. It was only 0.3 more points, however, than what offences produced during the 2013 season.

The problem with producing more points, however, was that it slowed down the game thanks to all the challenges. Which begs the question: Is the league going to stick with the status quo or reduce the number of penalties that can be challenged?

The general managers were scheduled to head home Wednesday night or Thursday morning, leaving the league presidents to discuss its issues on Thursday. One of the topics the big dogs will chat about is the league's digital imprint, including its foray into fantasy.

WESTERN DOMINATION

The league's all-star team was announced on Wednesday, and the top four teams in the West Division had a whopping 23 of 27 players on the squad.

That's not overly surprising given the West's dominance this season. The top four teams were Calgary, B.C., Winnipeg and Edmonton, and their division won 28 of 40 games against their East counterparts. The fifth West team, the Roughriders, didn't have any all-stars in the voting conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada.

The four East players who got all-star nods were Redblacks centre Jon Gott and slotback Ernest Jackson, Ticats defensive end John Chick and Alouettes linebacker Bear Woods.

LEFT OUT

Speaking of the all-star team, it could use a tweak or two.

The primary problem is at linebacker, where there are two completely different kinds of players. Middle and weak side linebackers are big bruisers who stop the run and rack up the tackles, while the strong side linebacker – also known as a dimeback or a nickelback – is more of a defensive back.

The true linebackers produce an impressive number of tackles, which often attracts the voters' attentions. That's likely why there were two middle linebackers voted to the all-star team: B.C.'s Solomon Elimimian and Woods, and weak side Adam Bighill, also of the Lions.

That left Bombers strong side linebacker Moe Leggett on the outside looking in when he should have been a slam dunk all-star. He tied for the league lead with seven interceptions and returned three of them for touchdowns.

“Can't believe @almighty31 (Leggett) not a CFL all-star,” Stampeders quarterback and CFL most outstanding player Bo Levi Mitchell wrote on Twitter.

There are specific positions in the CFL that require unique talents. It's high time the all-star team reflected that.

LATE HITS

TSN's Gary Lawless reported Wednesday that Redblacks assistant general manager Brock Sunderland has been told he will not be getting the Alouettes vacant GM position ... Roughriders defensive back Justin Cox signed an extension with the Green and White through 2018 ... Sportsnet's Arash Madani reported 20 players have been fined for improperly wearing their socks during the Grey Cup ... The Argos, despite having plenty of uncertainty at the top of their organization, are continuing business as usual. They added four players on Wednesday, including offensive lineman Chris Kolankowski, a 2016 draft pick.

kpenton@postmedia.com