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Week 19 in the CFL. The final week of 2008. Bring on the playoffs… please…

Posted on October 30, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Thank goodness it’s over. After all, with the exception of the battle for playoff positions in the West, the CFL hasn’t been particularly interesting for the past three weeks.

Could it be that 18 games are too many?

 

This week, we will get to find out whether it will be Saskatchewan or B.C. playing host to the Western semifinal. And that’s it. On Pro Line, three of the four games are considered blowouts this week. Winnipeg will play host to Edmonton in the Eastern semifinal at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg (1 p.m. CST on TSN) while Calgary and Montreal have each wrapped up first in the West and East respectively.

 

Other than that, the only worry this week is who or how many will be banged up and unable to perform in the playoffs.

 

In the meantime, let’s take as close a look as we possibly can at Week 18, a week that look an awful lot like pre-season…

 

Saskatchewan Roughriders (11-6) at Toronto Argonauts (4-13)

 

Thursday, 6:30 p.m. CT, TSN

 

Michael Bishop is back in Toronto for a rare end-of-season Thursday night game, even though there is a chance he might not play all that much. Riders head coach Ken Miller also has Derian Durant and Steven Jyles and who knows? All three of them could play. As Saskatchewan gets more of its players back from injury, the team just could be playing its best football of the year (judging from last week’s 55-9 demolition of Edmonton, they probably are). Kerry Joseph, meanwhile, has been a bust in Toronto, ever since he was dealt from Saskatchewan to the Boatmen before the season began. Last winter, GM Eric Tillman lost his Grey Cup-winning quarterback (Joseph just wanted too much money and was too old) and his Grey Cup-winning coach (not many people thought Ken Miller would be a significantly better coach than Kent Austin) and his team is even better than it was last year at this time. But who knows? Prhaps the Argos will win one for coach Don Matthews. Or, maybe not.

 

Pick: Saskatchewan

Montreal Alouettes (11-6) at Edmonton Eskimos (9-8)

Friday 8 p.m. CT, TSN

Hard to imagine what’s worse. Last week Montreal was beaten 24-23 at home by the then-6-10 Winnipeg Blue Bombers while Edmonton went on the road and lost 55-9 in Regina. In their own special ways, both games were lopsided upsets (Montreal should have won by three TDs) and both losing teams left the field embarrassed. The Eskimos have been blitzed in their last two games and have allowed 98 points. The Edmonton defence is ready for an overhaul except that there is only one game in which to do the overhauling before the Eskies haul ass to Winnipeg for the Eastern semi (isn’t there something odd about an Edmonton-Winnipeg Eastern semifinal?). Marcus Brady is set to start at quarterback for Montreal.

Pick: Edmonton (holding my nose)

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-14) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-10) 

Saturday 1 p.m. CT, TSN

Wouldn’t you love to be Marcel Bellefeuille? He was the interim head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, went 1-6 in the job and because of all that success, had the interim tag removed from his title. His record isn’t as good as the guy the ‘Cats fired, but Bellefeuille got the guy’s job anyway. Poor Charlie Taafe should sue for unlawful dismissal. The ‘Cats are awful and Bellefeuille hasn’t done much to make them any better. Winnipeg, meanwhile, has improved dramatically since the addition of Jason Armstead, Kai Ellis, Zeke Moreno and Joe Smith. Brendan Taman should be executive of the year. The Bombers have won five of their last seven and should win again this week.

 

Pick: Winnipeg

B.C. Lions (11-6) at Calgary Stampeders (12-5)

Saturday, 4 p.m., CT, TSN

If Calgary actually tries, the Stamps should blow away a B.C. Lions team that is pretty good, but not that good. If Toronto happens to upset Saskatchewan (which they won’t), the Lions could be playing for home-field advantage in the Western semifinal. As they probably won’t be playing for anything at all, this will simply be a battle of two of the league’s superstars: B.C. defensive lineman Cameron Wake and Calgary quarterback Henry Burris. I like Burris, if he plays more than a quarter.

Pick: Calgary

Last Week: 2-2

Season: 41-19

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Week 18 in the CFL. Will Saskatchewan or Edmonton be the crossover team?

Posted on October 24, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

The six CFL playoff-bound teams are all set: Montreal and Winnipeg will play host to post-season games in the East. Calgary, Edmonton, B.C. and Saskatchewan have all made it in the West, but we still aren’t sure who will play whom.

That’s because one of those Western teams will morph into an Eastern team and play the Eastern semifinal in Winnipeg on Nov. 8. That team will be Edmonton if they lose to Saskatchewan on Saturday night, but the Roughriders have been so ravaged by injuries this year that it’s hard to imagine them beating a good opponent anytime soon. And Edmonton IS a good opponent.

 

Frankly, if I were Edmonton right now, I’d throw the game, rest my stars and finish last in the West. Playing in Winnipeg in the Eastern semifinal on a cold, November Saturday as opposed to playing in Calgary or Saskatchewan in the semifinal would be a lot more inviting. When you consider the West is 22-6 against the East this season, playing the Bombers would be a lot better than playing against a Western rival.

 

So that’s it. All that’s left in the CFL regular season is to determine which team finishes in which spot in the West.

 

So does all this sound familiar to you? It should. The league has been like this for almost the entire season and now the CFL is finally — we’re told — discussing a change to the concept of divisional alignments.

 

In fact, I’ll be on the Saskatchewan Roughriders pre-game show this Saturday evening (around 5 p.m. CDT) with host Roger Currie, discussing my column in last week’s National Post where I suggested the CFL needed to go to an non-divisional, eight-team format as soon as possible.

 

In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at Week 18…

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Week 17 in the CFL. All that’s left is the crossover team.

Posted on October 17, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

The six CFL playoff-bound teams are pretty well determined: Montreal and Winnipeg in the East and Calgary, Edmonton, B.C. and Saskatchewan in the West.

 

One of those Western teams, however, will morph into an Eastern team and play the Eastern semifinal in Winnipeg on Nov. 8. That team is beginning to look like Saskatchewan, a team that has been so ravaged by injuries this year that it looks more like the Hilltops than the Roughriders.

 

Montreal has the East by the cojones, Winnipeg could finish 6-12 and still play host to the Eastern semifinal. The West, however, remains a competitive quandary. Will Calgary hold on or will Edmonton catch its hated rival? Will B.C. or Saskatchewan get to make the trip to Winnipeg as opposed to say, Edmonton?

 

Frankly, If I were a slumping Western team right now, I’d rather finish last in the West than third. Playing in Winnipeg as opposed to Calgary or Edmonton in the semifinal would be a lot more inviting.

 

All that’s left in the CFL regular season is to determine which team finishes in which spot in the West. 

 

So let’s take a closer look…

 

B.C. Lions (9-6) at Edmonton Eskimos (9-6)

 

Friday, 8 p.m. CT, TSN

 

The B.C. Lions appear to be playing like a team that is trying desperately to finish fourth in the West. They were dreadful last week against Edmonton in their own barn and it now looks like they’d much rather play Winnipeg than the Eskimos. And why not? The Lions are 3-5 against the West and 6-1 against the East. The Eskimos are about to get a home-and-home sweep under their belts. And, oh yeah, Ricky Ray has never looked better. 

 

Pick: Edmonton

Montreal Alouettes (10-5) at Toronto Argonauts (4-11)

Saturday 2 p.m. CT, TSN

This game isn’t fair for two reasons. No. 1 Don Matthews is 69 and he hasn’t won a game since his return to coaching this season and No. 2, Anthony Calvillo is the best player in the CFL. Tough combination for a wonky Argos team that would have a lot of trouble beating the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Calvillo has already thrown for 5,097 yards this season and Ben Cahoon will soon become the third leading all-time receiver in CFL history — even though the current No. 3 (Milt Stegall) is still playing. This Montreal team should win the Grey Cup.

Pick: Montreal

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-9) at Calgary Stampeders (10-5) 

Saturday 5:30 p.m. CT, TSN

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are so convinced they’re finishing second in the East, they started selling playoff tickets to the general public today. In fact, if Montreal beats Toronto (which they will), the Bombers could clinch that No. 2 spot in the East before the game begins. Calgary is a 10 1/2-point favourite and for good reason. If the Stampeders defence is even marginally decent, the Stamps will win by two touchdowns. But then again, that defence has more brain farts than Brain Fart Burris.

 

Pick: Calgary

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-12) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-6)

Sunday, 2 p.m. CT, TSN

This could be the best game of the week. Neither team is very good and the Saskatchewan slump prompted one Blue Bombers defensive player to say this week: “I wouldn’t mind another shot at Saskatchewan. That team is on the way down.” They’re on the way down because they have no players left. No team has suffered more injuries to key starters this season than Saskatchewan and last week, in a 43-5 shellacking at the hands of Calgary, they looked like a junior team. Derian Durant will get the ball this week, replacing Michael (The Bust) Bishop. The Tiger-Cats, despite some decent vibes from young QB Quinton Porter two weeks ago, were awful against Montreal last week and are the worst team in the CFL for the fourth consecutive year. Since the West always beats the East at home, the Riders will get their groove back.

Pick: Saskatchewan

Last Week: 3-1

Season: 36-16

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Week 16 in the CFL. The playoff participants could be set this week.

Posted on October 10, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

You know are far the Canadian Football League’s Eastern Division has fallen into the abyss when a game between the 5-9 Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the 4-10 Toronto Argonauts has playoff implications.

 

And not just implications. If the Bombers win and get to 6-9, they’re all but guaranteed a shot at the post-season. If the Argos win, they’re tied with the Bombers and back in the hunt.

 

And here’s what’s even uglier. This is not just a fight for the playoffs, but a battle for second place in the East. Second place! The East is a mess, but on the upside, in Week 16 at least, the East plays the East and all the power in the West plays against all the power in the West. That means we should see some pretty good football games.

 

For the most part, it will be a close and competitive Thanksgiving Weekend, except for, perhaps, the opener. Let’s take a closer look…

 

Toronto Argonauts (4-10) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-9)

 

Friday, 7:30 p.m. CT, TSN

 

This has the makings of a rout. Kerry Joseph, with the worst passer’s rating among (sometimes) starting quarterbacks in the CFL with a 69.2 mark, will start for an Argos team that still hasn’t won for Don Matthews. There seems to be a lot of angst in Winnipeg, worrying about this one, simply because Toronto has won two-of-three against the Bombers so far this season, but here’s why Bomber fans should stop worrying. A win tomorrow night against the Argos, a team the Bombers beat 39-9 in Toronto four weeks ago, will wrap up a playoff spot. Forget the mathematics, win ad it’s a done deal. And even if the Bombers don’t win, just one more win down the stretch should lock up that playoff spot. I’ve said it for months, 6-10 makes the grade in the East. I still believe that. However, what’s important to remember is that the last time these two teams met, in Toronto, Winnipeg won 39-9. This could get ugly.

 

Pick: Winnipeg

Edmonton Eskimos (8-6) at B.C. Lions (9-5)

Friday, 10:30 p.m. CT, TSN

The Lions have won five straight games to go from 4-5 to 9-5 and move into a first-place tie in the West although, in fairness, three of the five wins have come against Hamilton and Toronto (yeah, it’s true, you could get 11 of your buddies together and beat Toronto and Hamilton). The Eskimos, who can clinch a playoff spot with a win, whipped Winnipeg at home last week and Ricky Ray looked good in the process, but always remember the home-away scenario in the West, B.C. is at home. 

Pick: B.C.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-11) at Montreal Alouettes (9-5) 

Monday, Noon CT, TSN

Last week, these two teams met in Hamilton. Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo, who absolutely, positively should be the CFL’s most outstanding player, threw for 468 yards and four touchdowns while Hamilton’s new hotshot stud, Quinton Porter threw for 429 yards and FIVE touchdowns. In an amazing football game, Hamilton beat the Als 44-36. Wow! It won’t happen again. Especially in Montreal’s little band-box.

 

Pick: Montreal

Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-5) at Calgary Stampeders (9-5)

Sunday, 3:30 p.m. CT, TSN

Things aren’t getting better in Saskatchewan, they’re getting worse. This week, the Riders had 19 players on the DL. Last week, they had 18 and still the Green Men beat the Stampeders 37-34 in a nasty game that ended with fines, after a number of Stamps got themselves into an altercation with the officials (as bad as the officiating is in the CFL, you just have to fine a way to ignore it, boys). Calgary is the better team and they are playing at home this week.

 

Pick: Calgary

Last Week: 2-2

Season: 33-15

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The CFL’s Week 15 is in the books. Have we learned anything yet?

Posted on October 5, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

I love that question. “Have we learned anything yet?” We’ve been chasing around the CFL for 15 weeks and after 15 weeks the only thing we’ve learned is that there are no guarantees.

 

Oh, don’t worry, we certainly  thought there were guarantees. After 14 weeks we thought we had the Conference champions figured out. I mean Montreal and Calgary were red-hot as we passed the midway point of the 2008 Canadian Football League season. Calgary in the West, Montreal in the East, let’s play the Grey Cup right now.

 

Then along came Week 15. Calgary goes on the road and loses 37-34 to Saskatchewan. Montreal goes on the road and loses 44-36 to Hamilton. Now I understand the Calgary loss. Regina is a tough place to play and the Calgary defence is not very good, but the Montreal loss to sad-sack Hamilton was a shocker.

 

Anthony Calvillo went an unbelievable 44-for-53 for 468 yards and four touchdowns  — three receivers had at least 100 yards and three had at least 10 catches — and the Als still lost as Quinton Porter went 27-for-32 for 429 yards and five touchdowns.

 

Montreal rushed for 10 yards in the game. That’s how you lose in the CFL, even when you put up 36 points.

 

Let’s take a look at the five things we learned in Week 15.

 

1. Home teams are still a safe bet. Western Conference teams are now 20-7 at home. In the East, teams are 13-16 (Toronto and hamilton are a combined 4-11), but that has more to do with the fact that the East is just plain lousy. Western teams are now 18-6 against the East. It doesn’t matter where they play.

 

2. The Calgary defence is the only thing that will keep the Stampeders out of the Grey Cup. It’s not that the Calgary defence is awful. The Stamps have allowed only 352 points in 14 games. It’s just that when they need it, they don’t get it. The Stamps have five losses. The defence collapsed in the final minute in a 32-28 loss to Winnipeg (and, don’t forget, the Bombers had Ryan Dinwiddie at quarterback), it collapsed late in a 34-31 loss in Edmonton and gave up 37 at home in another loss to Edmonton. In five losses, the Stampders have given up 162 points. In nine wins, only 190. There is a lesson in all that. 

 

3. The Bombers still aren’t a lock — although, they should be. Winnipeg added Jason Armstead, Kai Ellis, Zeke Moreno and Joe Smith and should be better. For three weeks, they were, with wins over 3-11 Hamilton and 4-10 Toronto on the road and 7-5 Edmonton at home. But on Friday night, the Bombers did the things they did when the team was 2-8: they didn’t run the ball enough, they were awful on special teams, they committed a couple of turnovers that led to 14 points and their kicking game — once again — was dreadful. Winnipeg should have second place in the Least Division locked up by now, but with games against Toronto and Hamilton at home and Calgary and Montreal on the road, anything can happen.

 

4. Saskatchewan isn’t going to roll over. Just when we thought the banged-up Roughriders were about to go down for a third and final time, they get a sensational effort from Michael Bishop and 128 yards receiving from Weston Dressler and beat Calgary 37-34. The Riders are 9-5, still tied for first and still in a legitimate race for first place. 

 

5. The B.C. Lions just might be the surprise of the West. They don’t do much of anything, at least not anything remarkable, (although DE Cameron Wake is pretty impressive) and yet, the Lions find ways to win. Friday night, they went into Toronto and should have blown the wonky Argos away. Instead, they were lucky to beat a team that hasn’t won since Week 10 — and hasn’t won at all for Don Matthews. But in B.C.’s case, the emphasis should be on the word “win.” They found a way and that’s what makes a champion (remember the 1988 Blue Bombers and the 2001 Calgary Stampeders and the 2007 Saskatchewan Roughriders?). There is a lot to be said for a team that can win a close game on the road. Of their nine wins this season, the Lions have won five games, each by less than a converted touchdown. That’s a team that will be tough in the playoffs. 

 

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It’s Week 15 in the CFL and with Hamilton and Toronto done, the final six are jockeying for playoff position…

Posted on October 3, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

With only five weeks left in the CFL season, it’s apparent the Argos and  Ticats are done, the Als and Stamps are on a collision course to the Grey Cup and the Bombers and Eskimos are just trying to lock up playoff spots.

Last week we went 4-0. Need we say more?

Let’s take a closer look at Week 15…

B.C. Lions (8-5) at Toronto Argonauts (4-9) 

 

Friday, 6 p.m. CT, TSN

 

Toronto head coach Don Matthews is now 0-3 since his return to coaching with the Argos. He’ll be 0-4 after Friday night’s game at Rogers Centre.  The Argos have lost four in a row and six of their last seven and the Boatmen just might be the worst team in football (if not, it’s their neighbors down the QEW). Kerry Joseph will start at quarterback this week, but it won’t much matter. B.C. has won four straight and not only is the offence starting to click with Charles Roberts in the backfield but the defence, behind big Cameron Wake is playing as well it has in years.

Pick: B.C.

Calgary Stampeders (9-4) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-5) 

Friday, 9 p.m. CT, TSN

The Roughriders have lost three straight and are now tied for second in the West and, amazingly, they’re now only two points ahead of last-place Edmonton. The Riders are still banged up and now they can’t decide if Michael Bishop or Derian Durant is their quarterback. Calgary, meanwhile, is playing as well as it has in years. The Stamps have won four straight and scored 157 points in those four games. This might not be close.

Pick: Calgary

Montreal Alouettes (9-4) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-11) 

Saturday, 3 p.m. CT, TSN

Montreal gets back-to-back games with the worst team in all of football (most high school leagues included). The Als have won seven of their last eight games. Their only loss came at the hands of the red-hot Stampeders. The Alouettes have already beaten Hamilton twice, 33-10 in Hamilton and 40-33 in Montreal. The Als will win again.

 

Pick: Montreal

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-8) at Edmonton Eskimos (7-6)    

Saturday, 6 p.m. CT, TSN

The re-match of last week’s 30-23 Bombers win in Winnipeg, this is a much bigger game than one might think. If the Bombers win, they almost lock down second place and leave Edmonton dead last in the West. If the Eskimos win, it’s likely they catch Saskatchewan and might not have to play in Winnipeg again in the first round of the playoffs. Of course, if the Eskimos don’t shut down punt/kick returner Jason Armstead, they’ll get thumped.

 

Pick: Edmonton

Last Week: 4-0

Season: 31-13

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It’s Week 14 in the CFL. The Bombers and Als are streaking. The Eskies and Argos are sliding …

Posted on September 26, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

It’s Week 14 in the Canadian Football League and there are teams going north and teams heading straight south.

For instance, Winnipeg is playing the best football it has all season and is coming off two straight road wins. Montreal has won six of its last seven. Those are two of your winners — both at home — this week.

Meanwhile, Toronto just stinks right now and hasn’t won since Don Matthews became head coach while Edmonton is coming off a 40-4 loss in Montreal. There are two of your losers.

Let’s take a closer look at Week 14…

Edmonton Eskimos (7-5) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-8) 

 

Friday, 7 p.m. CT, TSN

Two teams apparently going in opposite directions. The Eskimos looked absolutely dreadful in a 40-4 shellacking at the hands of the Montreal Alouettes last week while the Bombers went into Hamilton and beat the Tiger-Cats 25-23. Granted, Edmonton played a superior team but when you start losing by five touchdowns on the road, it doesn’t matter who you’ve just played. Kevin Glenn is getting his game together and the Bombers defence is playing better with Zeke Moreno in the middle. This week, Bombers GM Brendan Taman said, “No matter what you think might happen, it doesn’t matter because Edmonton has a great quarterback.” He’s right, but still…

Pick: Winnipeg

Calgary Stampeders (8-4) at Toronto Argonauts (4-8)

Saturday, 5:30 p.m. CT, TSN

The Argos appear to be in disarray. From the start of the season you knew this Argos team was just an injury or a mistake away from collapse and when head coach Rich Stubler decided that he was going to have two “starting” quarterbacks, you kind of figured things would eventually come apart. That happened the day Stubler was fired and replaced by Don Matthews. Matthews is a legend, but he’s 69 and he took over the team in September, at a time when he couldn’t cut anybody without paying them anyway. Makes it hard to be a tough, taskmaster. Meanwhile, Calgary has moved into a first-place tie and last week looked great in a 34-4 shellacking of the sad-sack Argonauts in Calgary. The outcome shouldn’t be much different this week.

 

Pick: Toronto

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-10) at B.C. Lions (7-5)  

Saturday, 8:30 CT, TSN

This isn’t even fair. Sport Select has made B.C. a 12 1/2-point favourite. The Lions should cover. 

 

Pick: B.C.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-4) at Montreal Alouettes (8-4)  

Sunday, 12 Noon CT, TSN

This should be the best game of the weekend. Saskatchewan is still banged up and have lost two straight. Obviously, all the injuries are starting to catch up to the Riders. The Alouettes just might be the best team (right now) in the CFL and it would appear that barring injury, Anthony Calvillo, will be the league’s most outstanding player. Montreal is playing extremely well right now and that 40-4 win over Montreal last week was impressive in all aspects of the game. 

 

Pick: Montreal

Last Week: 3-1

Season: 27-13

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It’s Week 12 in the CFL. Think, West. Think home teams.

Posted on September 12, 2008 by Scott Taylor| 2 Comments

It’s Week 12 and the first thing you have to think about, if you want to pick winners this week, is West vs. East. West usually wins.

 

In fact, in 16 meetings between Western Conference and Eastern Conference teams this season, the West leads the season series 13-3.

 

This week, Montreal plays in Calgary while Hamilton plays in Edmonton. Take the Western teams in both meetings. If, for no other reason than this: Avon Cobourne is not playing for Montreal and Edmonton is simply a better team than Hamilton.

 

In the other two games, take the home teams. Home teams are up 22-18 this season, but remember one important thing, in West at East matchups, the West is 6-2 — on the road. Take those games out of the equation and home teams beat road teams 20 out of 32 times.

 

This week, we have two Western teams at home and those teams will win. We have an Eastern team at an Eastern team and the home team will win and we have a Western team at a Western team and the home team will win.

 

This week, if we stick to our theories, we should go undefeated.

 

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-8) at Toronto Argonauts (4-6)

 

Friday, 6 p.m. CT, TSN

 

The Bombers head into Toronto with a revamped defence featuring Stanford Samuels at DB, Kelly Malveaux and Zeke Moreno at linebacker and Kai Ellis at rush end. It’s certainly a new look, but not as fearsome as the new look in Toronto. Don Matthews is back. How scary is that? Here’s the difference, Toronto won 19-11 the last time the two teams met in Toronto and Winnipeg’s offence isn’t any better than it was two months ago. However, the underlying story of this game is, once again, Winnipeg slotback Milt Stegall. Stegall can become the Canadian Football League’s all-time leading receiver tonight as 14-year Bomber veteran is just 17 yards shy of the league’’s all-time pass receiving record of 14,891 yards, currently held by Calgary’s Allen Pitts. That should give the Bombers a little incentive. Too bad he didn’t need 117 yards. Toronto is a dreadful football team but Matthews will make them better.

 

Pick: Toronto

Montreal Alouettes (7-3) at Calgary Stampeders (6-4)

Friday, 9 p.m. CT, TSN

Most outstanding player candidate, tailback Avon Cobourne, is not playing tonight and that will obviously hurt the Alouettes. But will it hurt them enough to lose this football game? Calgary has won three of its last four and had an impressive 38-33 win IN Edmonton last week. Montreal has won five in a row, but their last loss, a 36-34 defeat, took place at B.C. Place. The Stamps beat the Alouettes 23-19 back in Week 3 in Montreal. It’s two months later and it’s still hard not to like the Stamps.

Pick: Calgary

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-8) at Edmonton Eskimos (6-4)

Saturday, 6 p.m. CT, TSN

This one is a no-doubter. Ricky Ray, A.J. Harris, Kelly Campbell… Edmonton by three touchdowns. Not even Marcel Bellefeuille, who replaced the fired Charlie Taafe this week, can stop the implosion in Hamilton.

 

Pick: Edmonton

Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-2) at B.C. Lions (5-5)

Saturday, 9 p.m. CT, TSN

This could be the game of the week. Saskatchewan is playing with a pre-season roster and yet behind a terrific performance by quarterback Michael Bishop, they overcame a 31-14 deficit in Winnipeg last week,  scored 20 unanswered points in the final quarter and won 34-31. B.C., meanwhile, went into Hamilton and blasted the Ticats 35-12. It was a terrific road win and this week, the Lions add small, feisty and gifted tailback Charles Roberts. Saskatchewan can’t continue to win with 14 players in the injured reserve. Can they?     

 

Pick: B.C.

Last Week: 2-2

Season: 21-11

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A week of CFL shake-ups: Matthews back, Taafe gone and the Bombers acquire Zeke Moreno for virtually nothing. What does Hamilton know that Winnipeg doesn’t?

Posted on September 10, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

Let’s start with our list:

 

1. In Toronto, the Argos fired Rich Stubler, the head coach of a struggling 4-6 team — a 4-6 team that should be better — and replaced him with 69-year-old Don Matthews. Not quite as old as Cliff Fletcher, but much older than Cito Gaston. No wonder all the teams in Toronto wear blue uniforms. The owners just rummage around in a big blue box and come up with anything recyclable (Hey, is Isiah Thomas coming back to the Raptors?).

 

2. The 2-8 Hamilton Tiger-Cats fired head coach Charlie Taafe (2-8 this season and 5-23 over a season and a bit) and no one argued in the least. Not even a peep. Taafe is replaced by offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille.

 

3. The 2-8 Bombers signed 28-year-old import defensive end/outside linebacker Kai Ellis, a recent cut of the Montreal Alouettes. With Joe Lobendahn and Ike Charlton nursing injuries, Ellis will start on Friday in Toronto. 

 

4. The on-going carnival in Winnipeg continued to sell out, but this week it got really crazy — again. After blowing a 31-14 lead with 11 minutes to play, the Bombers lost 34-31 to Saskatchewan in front of a sold-out crowd in the fifth annual Canwest Banjo Bowl on Sunday. You can bet head coach Doug Berry wasn’t going to take the blame for that mess, so he started the week by throwing safety Ian Logan under the bus. In the end, however, he didn’t trade or bench Logan. Instead, he traded defensive end, Tom Canada, one of the city’s most popular players, to Hamilton in exchange for the league’s leading tackler Zeke Moreno (Remember, River City Sports can provide you with a brand new Zeke Moreno jersey at any of its Winnipeg locations).

 

Starts out, Canada isn’t going to report to Hamilton, but he goes for his physical anyway, and finds out he has an enlarged spleen, After a trip to the hospital, he’s put on the nine-game injured reserve list and is out for the season. Still, Bombers GM Brendan Taman is able to finish the deal with 2-8 Hamilton, getting Moreno and a conditional draft pick in exchange for the Bombers first overall pick in the 2009 CFL draft plus the rights to their No. 1 pick in 2007, offensive lineman Corey Mace, who is on the practice roster of the Buffalo Bills. In the end, the Bombers didn’t have to move Tom Canada, but what do the Tiger-Cats know about Moreno that Winnipeg doesn’t? Did Ticats GM Bob O’Billovich get fleeced or has Moreno lost a step? Guess we won’t know until Moreno starts on Friday night in place of the injured Joe Lobendahn against the 4-6 Argos in Toronto. 

 

Meanwhile, Canada is a happy guy even though he spent time in the hospital with an enlarged spleen and will be on injured reserve for the rest of the year. Canada’s happy because he wasn’t traded to Hamilton this week. And that might be OK for awhile, but he’s still finished as a Blue Bomber, at least under Doug Berry’s watch. Fact is, Canada was shopped around to the entire league. Berry doesn’t want him and even though he’s on the injured list for the rest of the season, Canada is only a Bomber because he was too physically damaged to be traded (ules of course, Berry is gone before next spring’s training camp).

 

I have my own opinions on this mess and you can probably detect a little sarcasm in my usually objective accounting of events, so I thought I’d share some e-mails from Bomber fans(?) I received this week:

 

Scott,

 

Here is the skinny. You are (CEO) Lyle Bauer’s boss. That ‘group’….You go to him and say this is what happens today. Berry gets released. Bob Cameron is named as head coach for the balance of the season. Troy Westwood will be the punter for the remainder of the season. Lyle balks at the idea. You give Lyle a fat lip and fire his ass. I tell you what, Bob Cameron is the cure. How long was he on the side lines? How many coaches listened to his ideas? Henry Rosolowski, Winnipeg

Scott,

Incredible. No wonder the Bombers are in disarray! Who is letting this idiot Taman run the club into the ground!  YOU DON’T TRADE TWO NUMBER ONE DRAFT PICKS AWAY UNLESS YOU ARE GETTING THE SECOND COMING OF JOE MONTANA!  

 

The season is lost and even if by some miraculous event they did make the playoffs, how far do you think this team is going to go?  TIME TO BUILD FOR THE FUTURE, NOT NOW!  

 

If and when 2007 first round pick Corey Mace does come to the CFL, the kid is going to be an impact player! The inept Bombers have the best chance right now to have the #1 draft pick next season. Do you know what kind of stud they could draft to go along with excellent rookie Labatt on the O-Line, which is a must in the CFL!  You need the big talented Canadian kids to build your O-Line. And simple football 101 states that if you have no O-Line you have nothing!  

 

Or at least you could draft the best Canadian kid in the country for that porous D-Backfield which, lord knows, under Taman has been the worst secondary in CFL history! You only make a trade like this if you have a bonafide chance to win the Grey Cup. Other than that YOU KEEP YOUR DRAFT PICKS AND FUTURE TALENT! No wonder they have not won a Grey Cup in 18 years and now sit last in the league!

 

Ted Arichteff, Winnipeg

 

(Wow! A lot of capital letters)

 

Scott,

 

Thank you for a great report this morning (on 92-CITI-FM). Honestly I’m not a CFL fan, unfortunately I’m a Dolphin fan (yes they are brutal), but my true love is NCAA football. 

I’m a huge Gator fan and watching them dismantle Hawaii a few weekends ago was a joy. The Bombers have two WAC QBs (Dinwiddie and Chang) and that is a joke. The WAC is a poor conference and the Bombers seem to think these two QBs from there are s-o-o-o good. 

You are 100 per cent right. Drop all these bozos and let (Bryan) Randall play. I watched him at Virginia Tech and he is one hell of a QB! Why don’t the Bombers make a deal with Montreal for Chris Leak. He’s on the inactive roster. I watched him and the Gators take apart Ohio State.I don’t even listen to classic rock but I listen to you guys every morning.

Derek Capri, Winnipeg

The great thing about the Bombers is that EVERYONE (speaking of capital letters) has an opinion. And when they’re 2-8, most of those opinions are not flattering.

 

Friday night, Winnipeg plays in Toronto. The Argos are only four points ahead of the Bombers in the race for second place in the Eastern Conference. If Zeke Moreno and Joe Smith and Kai Ellis and all the big names can get it done, this Bomber team can make the playoffs. If they don’t, it’s time to look at a real, legitimate shake-up.

 

Meanwhile, win or lose, the Bombers will look great in their new retro jerseys supplied by, you guessed it, River City Sports. 

 

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