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It’s Week 10 in the CFL and it doesn’t get a whole lot more fun that the Labour Day Classics.

Posted on August 29, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

It’s Week 10 and it’s Labour Day Classic Weekend and that in itself is more fun than a human being should be allowed to have.

 

However, it’s also a very big week for two veteran members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

 

First, Milt Stegall, a 14-year Bomber star, is just 112 yards shy of the all-time receiving yardage record currently held by Allen Pitts (14,892). Pitts set the mark in 176 career games. Stegall, meanwhile, has played only 172 games in his brilliant career.

 

Then there is the great Charles Roberts. He is currently only 63 yards short of a place in the exclusive 10,000-yard rushing club. Only four players – Mike Pringle, George Reed, Damon Allen, and Johnny Bright – have gained more yards on the ground than the Bombers’ outstanding tailback.

 

Individually, Roberts and Stegall might be looking at milestones and records this week, but to be fair, it’s Anthony Calvillo and Henry Burris who are more likely to put up some gaudy numbers. 

 

Here’s a look at the games coming up in Week 10…

 

B.C. Lions (4-4) at Montreal Alouettes (5-3)

 

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

 

Back in Week 6, Montreal was 2-3 and looking shaky. Here we are, after a bye week and the Als are coming off three straight wins. This is a team that will probably win the East and this week, they’ll very likely improve to 6-3. The Lions have already lost four times this year, after losing only three times last year, but if you go back to the 2007 playoffs, you’ll see that the Lions are a mediocre 4-5 in their last nine and neither Buck Pierce nor Jarious Jackson has shown he can lead a football team for an entire game, let alone an entire season. Back on July 25, B.C. beat Montreal 36-34 in Vancouver, but B.C. is only 1-2 on the road this season. Anthony Calvillo will have a field day.

Pick: Montreal

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-6) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-2)

Sunday, 2 p.m. CT, TSN

It’s been a strange week on the prairies. In Winnipeg, life has been serene. The team is a last-place 2-6, but it’s coming off a big 37-24 win over Hamilton, a win in which quarterback Kevin Glenn called his own plays, got Charles Roberts the football and clearly was the best player on the field. Roberts was pretty good, too, so the Bombers have been strutting around like a 6-2 team. Saskatchewan, on the other hand, has acted like a 2-6 team in the midst of a crisis. Granted, the Riders have 14 players on the DL, have lost two in a row and just traded for a new quarterback (Michael Bishop) and released their old quarterback (Marcus Crandell), but they have no reason to panic. It’s just that you just get the sense that even though Saskatchewan has played better football for most of the season, the Bombers are better prepared for this weekend. 

Pick: Winnipeg

Edmonton Eskimos (5-3) at Calgary Stampeders (5-3)

Monday, 3 p.m. CT, TSN

If ol’ Brain Fart Burris plays a perfect game — something he does seldomly — the Stampeders will put up 60. A couple of interceptions and some bad play calling shouldn’t hurt him, however. He’s the best quarterback in the West and he has so many weapons, it’s almost impossible to beat him. The Stamps can go to 6-3 with a home win this week and they just might find themselves in a tie for first the West. That’s where they should be. The Stamps are coming off a big win IN Vancouver and despite what happened in Edmonton in Week 2 (the Eskimos won 34-31), Calgary is the better football team.

Pick: Calgary

Toronto Argonauts (3-5) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-6)

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

Toronto is a mess and this could be the end of Rich Stubler. When  these two teams played in Toronto in Week 2, the Tiger-Cats eviscerated the Argos 32-13. When they played in Hamilton in Week 7, the Ticats won 45-21. This week, it’s going to be more of the same. Hamilton looked dreadful in Winnipeg two weeks ago, but Toronto has looked worse. The Argos have lost three-of-four and we found out this week that Kerry Joseph is uncomfortable calling his own plays, so that job has been handed to Steve Buratto who has already proven he’s not very good at it. The Tiger-Cats aren’t very good, either, but they’ve sure been good against the Argo-nots. Especially at Ivor Wynne. Stubler will be gone before the re-match, if he doesn’t win this week. 

Pick: Hamilton

Last Week: 2-0

Season: 18-6

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Canadian Football League Picks for Week 9: All theories out the window.

Posted on August 21, 2008 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

It’s Week 9 in the CFL and, this week, it’s all about the Western Conference. And this week, we don’t have to worry about West vs. East or home team advantage. 

 

The East has the bye this week so there are only two games on the CFL schedule, both Western Conference matchups. On Thursday night, Saskatchewan, coming off that tough home loss to Calgary, will travel to Edmonton to meet an Eskimos team that just might be better than everyone thought while on Friday night, the Calgary Stampeders with its league-leading offence heads into B.C. Place Stadium where it has lost seven consecutive games to the B.C. Lions.

 

As we head into this week’s two-game Western affair, Saskatchewan leads the way at 6-1 while the remaining three teams are deadlocked at 4-3. It would be a surprise if one of the four Western teams missed the playoffs. This is shaping up to be a crossover year.

 

This week, two teams will close the gap and a fourth-place team will actually become a legitimate fourth-place team. Although it will be a legitimate third-place team in the East.

 

Here’s a look at the games for Week 9… think close, high-scoring games. 

 

Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-1) at Edmonton Eskimos (4-3) 

 

Thursday, 8 p.m. CT, TSN

 

Saskatchewan will have a couple of its seriously injured players back, but there has to be one  question asked: How long will the Riders last with so many injuries to so many skilled players? This team went 6-0, even without some of its top performers in the lineup, but even with a week off, Rider fans are not going to see the likes of Andy Fantuz, D.J. Flick, Matt Dominguez or defensive end John Chick. When they lost to Calgary last week, the Riders had 18 players on the injured list. This week, 16 players are still on the list despite the two-week break. Interestingly, earlier in the season with all their skilled players in the lineup, in a game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the Riders whipped Edmonton 34-14. With all the injuries, it won’t happen twice.

 

Pick: Edmonton

 

Calgary Stampeders (4-3) at B.C. Lions (4-3)

  

Friday, 9:30 p.m. CT, TSN

 

Sport Select’s Point Spread game has made the B.C. Lions 4 1/2-point favourites this week and one supposes that’s probably fair. After all, the Lions have won seven straight games against the Stamps at B.C. Place Stadium. There is no reason why Calgary should be considered a favourite. But I just can’t help myself. The Stamps won last week in Regina and the Roughriders — with 18 players on the injured list — is still a better football team than the Jarious Jackson-led Lions. In most offensive categories, B.C. is in the bottom half of the league while Calgary is in the top half. On defence, Calgary dominates. The real question here is: How did Calgary and B.C. both get to 4-3? Calgary is a 6-1 or 5-2 team that blew late leads (to Edmonton and Winnipeg, for instance). B.C. is a 2-5 team that won some games it should not have won (against Montreal and Edmonton). In Week 1, Calgary beat B.C. by 10 (28-18). It’s hard not like the Stamps. 

 

Pick: Calgary

 

Last Week: 1-1

 

Season: 16-6

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CFL Picks Week 7. Can the Green Riders repeat against Stamps at home?

Posted on August 7, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

It’s Week 7 in the CFL and it could very well be another CFL “Homer Weekend.”

 

There are two things we know about the Canadian Football League: The West usually beats the East and home teams almost always win.

 

Granted, home teams have a record of 15-9 this season, but on four occasions Western teams beat Eastern teams in the Eastern team’s buildings. That means when you take the Western factor out of the equation, home teams have a 15-5 record. Now that’s significant.

 

This week there are no crossover games. The West does not have a holiday playing the East. That means, despite the records of the competing teams, the ones at home should have an advantage. 

 

In fact, something tells me that even though some visiting teams are prohibitive favourites, that might not matter this week.

 

Here’s a look at the games for Week 7… think home teams. 

 

Toronto Argonauts (3-3) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-5)

 

Thursday, 6 p.m. CT, TSN

There is absolutely no reason to take the Hamilton Tiger-Cats this week. They are 1-5 (and lucky to be 1-5). They can’t figure out whether Richie Williams or Casey Printers should be the quarterback and their best player, Jesse Lumsden, is always hurt. And the smartest football man in Hamilton, Mike McCarthy, is in the Steel City, selling cars. How bad are the Ticats? How’s this? The top two tacklers in the CFL are Ticats. Trouble is they’re both defensive backs which means they can’t cover. Still, Hamilton is playing against Toronto, and as the Bombers proved in a 19-11 loss at Rogers Centre last week, Toronto isn’t that good — especially on offence. If the ‘Cats are going to win another game, this is it.

Pick: Hamilton

Calgary Stampeders (3-3) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-0)

Thursday, 9 p.m. CT, TSN

There is no sane reason to think the Saskatchewan Roughriders have a hope in this one. The Riders will likely go with Marcus Crandell at quarterback this week and despite a strong start, he wasn’t that good in Calgary last week. The Riders are also without receivers Matt Dominguez (who could be done) and Andy Fantuz (who won’t be back until October). This team is banged up and unbeaten and that means they’re ripe to take a beating. But then again, they’re playing at the friendly confines of Mosaic Stadium, they’re playing against a team with the worst defensive secondary in the CFL and they have the best defence in the CFL. Defence wins championships and until somebody can figure out a way to beat that defence, I’ll go with the home team.

Pick: Saskatchewan

Montreal Alouettes (3-3) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-5)

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

This is a very interesting inter-conference game for those, like me, who bet home teams first. Montreal is 3-3 and their only three losses have come at the hands of Western Conference teams. The Als have already beaten Winnipeg once — 42-24 — and they have one of the two best quarterbacks in the league in Anthony Calvillo. The Alouettes are better in every sense of the word and Winnipeg is banged up. There is no possible way the Bombers can win this game. So I’m taking the home team. For no other reason than it’s the CFL East.

Pick: Winnipeg

Edmonton Eskimos (4-2) at B.C. Lions (3-3) 

Friday, 9:30 p.m. CT, TSN

The Eskimos have Ricky Ray while the B.C. Lions have Jarious Jackson and Buck Pierce. Ray is proving he can lead the Eskimos to victory without having to worry about Danny Maciocia. Jarious Jackson and Buck Pierce are having trouble winning without Dave Dickenson. Neither is a starter and neither one looks like a starter and that’s why Edmonton should win this game. But they won’t. The Eskimos are playing in a dome. B.C. is at home and in the CFL, home teams win.

Pick: B.C. Lions

Last Week: 4-0

Season: 13-3

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CFL Picks Week 6: All four Eastern teams could be tied for first — or last.

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Scott Taylor| 2 Comments

It’s Week 6 in the CFL and it opens with a big night for the Bombers — even though they don’t play — on Thursday night in Montreal. 

 

If the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — with young Richie Williams, not Casey Printers, at quarterback — can somehow upset the Montreal Alouettes, there is a chance that the Bombers could find themselves in a tie for first in the East by late Friday night. Granted, Montreal is a 10 1/2-point favourite and a 6.00 wager on Pro Line, but hey, stranger things have happened in the CFL.

 

So, if the Ticats win in Montreal and the Bombers win in Toronto, every team in the CFL East will be 2-4 by Saturday morning. Granted, that’s not very good, but it’s a helluva lot better than 0-6.

 

And, let’s be honest here, if Ryan Dinwiddie doesn’t give Bomber fans a CFL Offensive Player of the Week performance against Calgary last Thursday night, Winnipeg could very well be 0-6 by the weekend.

 

The is a big week for both Conferences. In the East, two teams are 2-3 and two are 1-4. In the West, Saskatchewan is 5-0 while everyone else is 3-2. The crossover playoff format looms (By the way, if there is a crossover, why doesn’t the first or second place team in the West get to choose which Conference it wants to play against in the playoffs? Why does the fourth-place team in, say, the West, get to crossover to play an obviously weaker East?). And if things keep going the way they’re going, we could have a Saskatchewan-B.C. Grey Cup game in Montreal.

 

Here’s a look at the games coming up in Week 6…

 

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-4) at Montreal Alouettes (2-3)

 

Thursday, 6 p.m. CT, TSN

OK, Montreal is the prohibitive favourite and sure, the Als will probably win at home, but 10 1/2-point favourites? That’s kind of out there, don’t ya think? Granted, Richie Williams is the starting quarterback for the ‘Cats, but he wasn’t that bad against Edmonton last week and Jesse Lumsden appears healthy. The Alouettes also have a banged-up defensive secondary and two rookies will move into the D-backfield If Williams can exploit those kids, this game might be close. I’m not crazy, but I’m not sure 10 1/2 is the number.  

Pick: Montreal

B.C. Lions (3-2) at Edmonton Eskimos (3-2)

Friday, 9 p.m. CT, TSN

Edmonton has a decimated receiving corps thanks to the loss of Fred Perry and Jason Tucker for the season, but Kamau Peterson (who suddenly learned how to catch) and Kelly Campbell (the ex-Minnesota Viking) are still there and they have a lot of talent. In B.C. Joe Smith is back this week and that will make the Lions better, but if I’m betting Ricky Ray vs. Jarious Jackson — in Edmonton — I’m going with the home team.

Pick: Edmonton

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-4) at Toronto Argonauts (2-3)

Friday, 6 p.m. CT, TSN

The Argos have been improving ever since head coach Rich Stubler said, “One quarterback, thank you.” The Boatmen should still deal Michael Bishop, but at least he’s not a distraction anymore. Kerry Joseph is the No. 1 QB and that’s that. At least, this week. The 2-3 Argos are heavily favoured, but we still have to see if Toronto’s defensive secondary is capable of shooting down Ryan Dinwiddie’s ducks. Dinwiddie threw up a bunch of wobblers against Calgary last week and exposed the Stamps weak secondary. If Toronto is as bad as Calgary was, the Bombers win in a walk. I’m not sure they are, but I’m certain Toronto will give Dinwiddie a better rush (Who, in Calgary, thought rushing three men at a banged-up defensive line and a rookie quarterback was a good idea?). We also wonder if Charles Roberts will actually get a few more touches. 

Pick: Toronto

Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-0) at Calgary Stampeders (3-2)

Saturday, 7 p.m. CT, TSN

Marcus Crandell will get the start for the Riders this week and that shouldn’t matter. The Green Shirts have won five straight times with three different quarterbacks at the helm, so a return to Crandell should be no big deal. Losing receiver Andy Fantuz to a leg injury will hurt, however. Meanwhile, Calgary has a very weak defence — The Stamps new D is called “The No Rush, No Cover Defence” — and Henry (Brain Fart) Burris, the extremely talented Calgary QB who sometimes forgets where he is, will have to put up at least 40 in order to allow his team  compete. 

Pick: Saskatchewan

Last Week: 3-1

Season: 9-3

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Week 3 in the CFL: So what did we learn this week?

Posted on July 13, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

So here were the scores in Week 2:

Calgary 23 Montreal 19

Edmonton 47 Toronto 28

B.C. 42 Winnipeg 24

Saskatchewan 33 Hamilton 28

Notice a trend?

As we pointed out in yesterday’s item, the West is dominating the East. In the first week of West vs. East crossover football, the Western teams won all four matchups. Two of them were three-touchdown blowouts.

It’s pretty clear what we’ve learned, but let’s go a little deeper.

1. The Saskatchewan Roughriders don’t need Michael Bishop, the Toronto Argos  do. I talked with Joe Aiello on 92-CITI-FM in Winnipeg and with Mike Richards on the FAN 960 in Calgary this week about where Michael Bishop might end up. Earlier in the week, the Toronto Argos put their former No. 1 quarterback on recallable waivers to see if there was any interest in a trade. All of us thought  that with the Riders down to their No. 3 quarterback, Bishop would probably look good in Riderville. Guess not. Darian Durant was outstanding in leading Saskatchewan to a 33-28 win in Hamilton and  after Toronto’s evisceration in Edmonton, it’s pretty obvious the Argos need Bishop more than they want to believe. In fact, the Argos need Bishop more than they need Kerry Joseph.

2. There seems to be less talk about firing Edmonton Eskimos head coach Danny Maciocia now. Over the last two weeks, the Eskimos have won 34-31 and 47-28. Things are still shaky in Edmonton despite two home wins, but at least Ricky Ray is once again getting the ball into the end zone. Still, the Esks have a problem on defence. Allowing 34 points to Saskatchewan, 31 to Calgary and 28 to Toronto is, at least, an improvement every week, but if the holes aren’t plugged soon, trips to Toronto and Hamilton over the next two weeks might leave the Esks at 2-3 before they can blink. Unless, of course, the West is so dominant, defences are no longer important.

3. You just gotta love offence – and defence and special teams — and on Friday night, we had a game that actually looked like it took place during the league’s Golden Era of scoring back in the late 80s and early 90s. Behind the brilliance of 22-year-old Tristan Jackson who returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown and then returned a punt for another 61-yard major (oh, so maybe it’s not offence), the Edmonton Eskimos beat the Toronto Argonauts 47-28. After two weeks of 22-16-type scores it was nice to see every aspect of the game of football represented on the scorebord. And it was nice to be excited about a non-Bombers CFL game again.

4. Memo to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers: Run the freakin’ football. Hamilton’s Jesse Lumsden carried 19 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns before the ‘Cats fell 33-28 to the defending Grey Cup champs — and now 3-0 Saskatchewan Roughriders — in the dying seconds. The Bombers, on the other hand, gave Charles Roberts the ball eight times for 23 yards in a 42-24 shellacking at the hands of the previously 0-2 B.C. Lions (by the way B.C. took a 42-8 lead while the Bombers were ignoring Roberts). In three games, Roberts has a measly 110 rushing yards and the Bombers are 0-3. There is a correlation.

5. Speaking of the Bombers, despite their 42-24 home loss to B.C. this week, it was the first time in seven games (dating back to last year’s Eastern semifinal) that the Bombers offence put up at least 20 points in a game. That’s the good news. The bad news — for Kevin Glenn, at least — is that No. 2 quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie was responsible for 16 of those points. There are some in Winnipeg who think Glenn might be the next Troy Westwood — a well-liked veteran (in the room) who is treated like crap until he’s finally released and then never heard from again. Oh, by the way, after three weeks and an 0-3 record, Glenn is the No. 4 passer (by yardage) in the CFL, ahead of Casey Printers, Jarious Jackson and Kerry Joseph. However, his passer’s rating is a near rock-bottom 67.2.

6. Back to Roberts for just a second. Last year’s rushing champion is now seventh in rushing after three weeks, 252 yards behind leader Jesse Lumsden. Roberts is averaging only nine carries per game and has two touchdowns and no fumbles. He trails a quarterback, Calgary’s Henry Burris, in the rushing race. Despite what head coach Doug Berry would have you believe, the Bombers don’t have a “player” problem, they have a “coach” problem. 

7. My players of the Week: No doubt about it, Geroy Simon and Jason Clermont of the B.C. Lions. In case you needed to be reminded, these guys are big-time receivers who each played a major role in B.C.’s 42-24 shellacking of the Bombers in Winnipeg. Simon caught seven passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns while Clermont caught three passes in traffic for 71 yards. In fact, TSN made a big deal out of a Jason Nugent hit on Clermont on Friday night, but the fact is, Clermont got right back up while Nugent almost didn’t. They’re both big and fast and they have great hands and they’re both part of the reason that, when it’s right, CFL football is wonderful to watch.

 

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Back by (un?)popular demand. Here are our weekly CFL picks.

Posted on July 9, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

Week 3

 

OK, so nobody really demanded this, but since Joe and I don’t have as much time on 92-CITI-FM as we’d like in order to explain ourselves, I’ll explain myself here…

 

And then I’ll probably do some more “‘splainin” on Sunday.

 

Week 3 starts Thursday night with Calgary at Montreal and Toronto at Edmonton.

 

Calgary Stampeders (1-1) at Montreal Alouettes (2-0)

Thursday, 6 p.m. CDT, TSN

The Alouettes proved quite clearly that scoring isn’t a problem when they put up 33 in Hamilton in their opener and 38 at home against Winnipeg in Week 2. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo has tossed six TD passes in two weeks and get this: Calvillo has only seven fewer rushing yards than Winnipeg’s Charles Roberts (Roberts has 87, Calvillo has 80). Calgary has a nice team, but they proved last week, they don’t play very well — at least not defensively — on the road.

Pick: Montreal

Toronto Argonauts (1-1) at Edmonton Eskimos (1-1)

Thursday, 9 p.m. CDT, TSN

Argos head coach Rich Stubler did what Winnipeg head coach Doug Berry won’t do. He told offensive co-ordinator Steve Buratto to allow quarterback Kerry Joseph to call his own plays. Of course, in his zeal to make Michael Bishop happy, Stubler also told the Toronto media that Bishop would play in Edmonton (Note: 24 hours later, Toronto put Bishop on waivers, suggesting the Argos were going to trade him). The Eskimos meanwhile, got an absolutely brilliant performance from offensive player of the week, Ricky Ray, in last week’s 34-31 win over Calgary and looked like a team that feels comfortable in its own backyard.

Pick: Edmonton

B.C. Lions (0-2) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (0-2)

Friday, 7 p.m. CDT, TSN

Obviously, Canadian football writers aren’t that bright because almost all of them picked B.C. and Winnipeg to challenge for the title in their respective conferences. Now, two weeks in, and they’re both 0-2 and are barely challenging themselves in practice. Winnipeg will be without Milt Stegall, Dominic Picard and Matt Sheridan. B.C. will be with both Buck Pierce and Jarious Jackson. Not sure which team is worse off. 

Pick: Winnipeg

Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-0) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-1)

Saturday, 3 p.m. CDT, TSN

My goodness the Green Riders look good, especially on defence. So many people — inlcuding me — believed that the Bombers had the best front-seven in the league, but it just might be the Riders. Offensively, Saskatchewan has some serious injury problems, but this defence might just be good enough to carry the defending Grey Cup champs. However, this week, they have to stop runningback Jesse Lumsden, the top Canadian last week after blistering the Argos for 189 yards and two TDs. Still, the Ti-Cats have not beaten the Riders in regulation since Aug. 1, 2002.

Pick: Saskatchewan

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Week 2 in the CFL: Now that the old four-game pre-season is over, do the offences start to pick it up?

Posted on July 5, 2008 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

Back in the day, long before TSN saved the Canadian Football League with its slick, entertaining Friday Night Football package, a package that made the league young and hip (like that word, kids?) again, each CFL team played four pre-season games. Just like the NFL.

 

By the end of this four-week stretch, teams were pretty good. Especially the offences. Granted, it didn’t do the clubs much good at the gate and ultimately, that’s why the final two exhibition games were eliminated and the schedule went from four pre-season and 16 regular season games to two pre-season and 18 regular season games. Teams still lost money. Just not as much.

 

So Week 2 in the 2008 CFL schedule ended Friday night and what we got for the first two weeks of the schedule was, pretty much, two extra pre-season games.

 

So if you were coaching, what did you learn?

 

1. Toronto is still trying to figure out who its No. 1 quarterback is. After losing 32-13 at home to Hamilton, a team that lost 33-10 to Montreal at  Ivor Wynne Stadium a week earlier, one wonders if Kerry Joseph is the answer. Interestingly, a day after the loss, the National Post reported that head coach Rich Stubler kind of laid the blame at the feet of offensive co-ordinator Steve Buratto. The Argos have scored 36 points in their first two games and that’s not much considering all the offensive weapons they possess. Maybe Joseph is done and its time to get serious about Michael Bishop again.

 

2. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are probably better than anyone — including themselves — thought. If Jesse Lumsden stays healthy and the offensive line continues to run-block the way it did in that 32-13 win over Toronto on Thursday, the Ti-Cats should be a threat in the East. 

 

3.  Montreal is clearly the best team in the East, Anthony Calvillo is obviously healthy again and head coach Marc Trestman is not having any problem with the Canadian game. The Alouettes two-touchdown blistering of Winnipeg on Friday night was testimony to a great offence, a pretty fair defence and sharp special teams.

 

4. The Blue Bomber offence isn’t very good. Although the scoreboard will tell the Bombers they lost 38-24 in Montreal, Winnipeg did get an outstanding 80-yard interception return for a touchdown by Javon Johnson. That means the Bombers put up only 17 points on offence. That’s six consecutive games (including two pre-season and two regular season games this year) in which the Bomber offence has not scored 20 points. Of course, this little nugget might have something to do with Winnipeg’s woes: Charles Roberts, six carries, 11 yards, one touchdown. Six carries? No wonder they can’t score. So do you blame Kevin Glenn or Kit Cartwright? We know who Rich Stubler would blame. With back-to-back games against B.C., then Calgary, Toronto and Montreal on the schedule, the Bombers had better pick it up on offence. Of course, in the CFL of 2008, allowing 38 points in a single game is pretty worrisome, too.

 

5. Despite all the gnashing of teeth, despite all the people who worried about the things GM Eric Tillman was doing in the off-season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have now started with a 34-14 home win over Edmonton and a 26-16 road win in B.C. The Riders lost Kerry Joseph and Kent Austin and they still have a legitimate Grey Cup contender. It’s called defence. No team has yet to score 20 points against them.

 

6. The combination of Buck Pierce and Jarious Jackson in B.C. is not as good as the mainstream media might have you believe. The Lions have yet to score 20 points in a game this season.

 

7. The best game of the week was that 34-31 seesaw battle in Edmonton between the Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders. One senses it won’t be that close when the two teams return to Calgary, but nonethless, Thursday night’s matchup was a dandy. 

 

8. There are still too many teams in the CFL that can’t put up 20 points in a game. There are too many weak, unimaginative offences. Of course, the final “pre-season” game was this past weak. The 16-game schedule starts this coming Thursday night. One would expect the offences are now ready to go

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