Tag Archives: michael bishop

Seven Turnovers? Now that’s the CFL.

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

I’ve long contended that unlike the NFL, where big plays on both sides of the football tend to lead to victories, in the CFL, it’s all about mistakes.

Saturday, depending entirely on your point of view, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers forced seven turnovers (the Argos pissed away the football seven times) and beat the Toronto Argonauts 13-12 (the Argos picked up a delay of game penalty with 30 seconds left to push Jason Medlock out of field goal range and lose 13-12).

I was at Minnesota Vikings training camp during the game, but the guy who invented the PVR should be knighted. This morning I was able to watch the game and, let’s not lie, that was as bad as professional football can be. That, me hearties, was the “beauty” of the Canadian Football League — just one screw up after another.

For Winnipeg fans the outcome was much more important than the way in which the victory was achieved (the Bombers still don’t have much offence, even with Michael Bishop at quarterback) and for Blue Bombers’ head coach Mike Kelly, it was the most important win of his young head coaching career (Michael Bishop was certainly an improvement over Stefan Lefors). In Winnipeg, where the Bombers are now 2-3, all is well. At least, this week.

But in Toronto, that loss was so ugly, so horrible, that somebody needs to fired. Not sure who, but somebody should lose his job over that (By the way, you can announce any attendance figure you like, but were there actually 15,000 people inside Rogers Centre to watch that thing?).

It might have been one of the worst football games ever played. And yet it very well could have turned around the struggling Blue Bombers’ season.

* * *

FRIENDS GET THE AX

It’s been suggested (right here) that old media is dying. Frankly, there is little need for journalism courses anymore if the professors are teaching skills that will get graduates jobs on TV stations, radio stations or in big daily newspapers.

This past week, two friends got the pink slip: morning show host Bryn Griffiths at The TEAM 1260 in Edmonton and reporter Tony Ambrogio at The Score in Toronto.

The TEAM didn’t have great numbers (not bad, but not great), but that could probably be chalked up to the fact the Edmonton Oilers didn’t have a great year. When there isn’t a lot to talk about it, it’s pretty hard to just make it up.

Meanwhile, I haven’t watched The Score in so long that I couldn’t provide an intelligent, critical opinion of the network’s problems.

Apparently no one else has watched it either, but somehow, I don’t think it was Tony Ambrogio’s fault. Owner John Levy has very little idea about what makes for compelling television. Never did. It’s just too bad that good people have to suffer from Levy’s inability to run a half-assed TV sports network.

I’m convinced Griffiths and Ambrogio will do well. Both have talent. Trouble is, I worry that they will have no place to go. Or at least no place that pays the way old media paid.

Of course, that’s the problem, isn’t it? The old media’s business model doesn’t work. It pays huge amounts of money to people who don’t deliver the news any better than most bloggers. Especially here in Canada where dull is rewarded.

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Favre Says No Thanks. Will the Vikes Actually Start the Season with Jackson or Rosenfels?

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Brett Favre has told the Minnesota Vikings that he won’t return to the National Football League this year or any other year in the future. He’s retired, period.

Wonder what Reebok and the NFL are going to do with all those FAVRE No. 4 Vikings jerseys that are already being sold in places like Shanghai and Hong Kong?

Oh well, that means Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson or maybe even John David Booty will start at quarterback this year for the Vikings. While I, frankly, believe that Jackson was capable of being a winner two years ago, Vikings fans think otherwise so we’ll see what happens. But somehow, I don’t see the Vikes starting the season with any one of those three guys at the helm.

Call me crazy, but if Jackson was good enough last year, there would have no pursuit of Favre in the first place. Or even Rosenfels.

Meanwhile, Rosenfels has shown a great deal of maturity and class. In an interview with the St. Paul Pioneer Press, he said: “I don’t think it’s necessary to give me an explanation because I understand the situation. I’ve been around the league long enough. … I feel no animosity toward players or coaches.”

That’s a solid response to an otherwise difficult scenario. It’s hard not to root for the guy. But somehow, he just doesn’t appear to me to be the starter on a team that has Super Bowl aspirations. Call me crazy. Trent Dilfer of all people, won a Super Bowl in Baltimore, but I’m sure this Vikings team and its three-headed monster of Rosenfels/Jackson/Booty doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of the Bears or Packers.

And that’s why I still believe the Vikings are going to make some news before Sunday, Sept. 13. Whether that news is spelled F-A-V-R-E or V-I-C-K or something else altogether, I just can’t for the life of me see Sage Rosenfels or T-Jack under centre on Opening Sunday in Cleveland.

How about Favre coming in about Week 3 of training camp?

* * *

THE OTHER MICHAEL

No not Michael Vick, Michael Bishop.

On Monday, the replacement for Lefty Lefors went to his first Winnipeg Blue Bombers practice and took nearly every snap. Still, head coach Mike Kelly hinted that (and I’m paraphrasing), “Oh, perhaps Michael won’t be ready to start on Saturday in Toronto and maybe, just maybe, we’ll go with Lefty again this week.”

Kelly is not insane. He was just playing the local rubes. ‘Cause if Bishop doesn’t start on Saturday at Rogers Centre, the Bombers will be down 5-0 before they can blink — and 5-0 oughtta do it with Lefors at QB.

If Michael Bishop isn’t the answer for the Bombers, Lefors still won’t be. If Bishop fails, Casey Printers will be on the next plane. As much as Mike Kelly likes and even admires Lefors, he’s not going to allow the guy to cost him his job.

And if the Lefors experiement isn’t over, it will. Cost Kelly his job, that is.

CFL NOTEBOOK: The Bombers released both DT Tyrone Wlliams and QB Richie Williams yesterday. A lot of Winnipeg newspaper space was wasted on those two clunkers… The Argos dealt Arland Bruce III to Hamilton for the rights to Corey Mace and some draft picks. That Argo outfit still has no offence. Trouble is, with Lefors at QB, six points was enough last week…

* * *

FROM THE READERS:

Got the following note from Jason, a regular reader and listener, on Wednesday:

Mr. Taylor:

With the Goldeyes in first place heading into the final month of regular season Northern League baseball and playing some very exciting baseball these days, it bothers me that they get lost in the mix because of the Blue Bombers.

The Blue Bombers. One of sorriest excuses for a sports franchise, well, ever. Playing out of a building that’s falling apart and should’ve been torn down 10 years ago. A team that hasn’t won a Grey Cup in 19 years (in an 8-team league!). And this season will be no different, as the team stumbles their way through each game. (kind of makes me wonder why every football fan in this city isn’t desperate to see a new owner take over… what’s so great about community ownership again?)

Yet, it’s all the Winnipeg media talks about. The Winnipeg Goldeyes have a real good shot at bringing this city its first championship since 1994. It’s a team with a beautiful venue, rock-solid ownership, and greater value and entertainment for your dollar than a Blue Bombers game. Yet, this city seems to rarely give them the respect they deserve.

Does it frustrate you too?

- Jason

Jason,

The Goldeyes get tremendous support at Shaw TV, 1290 CFRW, Grassroots News, 92-CITI-FM and www.goldeyes.com.

Just make sure you read, watch and listen to what matters and don’t get caught up in the slow, agonizing death of old media.

Thanks for your note, Jason.

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“Man, if we’d pissed one drop of offence in those three losses, we’d be 4-0 now. Just one drop.”

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

You have to hand it to Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly. His team was dreadful on Friday night in a 19-5 loss to the Toronto Argonauts, but it could always have been worse.

After all, his defence and special teams were good to enough to win. However, his offence was so bad, well… no sense beating a dead horse. That was four days ago. Just check out our previous posts and it’s quite obvious how downright brutal his offensive unit has been.

This morning, however, as he talked about bringing in Michael Bishop as the team’s new No. 1 quarterback, Kelly still had enough personality to laugh a little.

“Man, if we’d pissed one drop of offence in those three losses, we’d be 4-0 now,” Kelly told Tom McGouran and I just before an on-air interview at 92-CITI-FM. “Just one drop.

“But we’ll get this thing right. I know we will. And Michael’s acquisition is the first step.”

You have to hand it to Kelly. He has now proven that his reign as head coach will NOT be Reinebold-esque. After all, when Jeff Reinebold’s Reign of Error was in its wildest throes of lunacy, ol’ Jeff wasn’t changing. He’d made a decision to go with T.J. Rubley and it was going to be T.J. Rubley until Jeff was fired.

And it was.

(Note: Reinebold, who had a tremendous personality and is still a person I like a lot, walked up to me at a Super Bowl five or six years later and the first thing out of his mouth was: “Scotty, T.J. Rubley, what was I thinking?” So he wasn’t completely insane.)

Kelly, meanwhile, has not gone the Reinebold route simply because he’s making a change just four games into his first season as head coach. Stefan Lefors was given every opportunity to succeed, he didn’t and Kelly understands that he has to do what he has to do. He still like Lefors, but he’s realized — as has everyone else — that the kid isn’t the answer. So he went out and got a veteran who, at least, gives the Bombers some hope.

“Michael is a great guy and he will fit in very well in the locker room,” Kelly said this morning. “And he should be ready to play quickly. When he was in Toronto and went through that outstanding 11-1 stretch with the Argos, the terminology and philosophy was the same.

“Charlie Carpenter, our line coach, was in Toronto at that time and it turns out that Michael didn’t have to make a big adjustment as we watched film on Sunday night. He knows the terminology and the way we run the offence. He also has the strongest arm in the CFL and that can’t hurt.”

Of course, if Bishop has all this upside, why wasn’t he working in the league?

“I was very much surprised he was out of work and available to us,” said Kelly who has conveniently  ignored Bishop’s follies in Regina last year. “He has an exceptional arm and can make plays with his feet. He has the skill set to be a very successful quarterback in Winnipeg.”

In fairness to many of  the Bomber players, the team played well on defence and on special teams during that offensive debacle on Friday night. And as Meatloaf said, “two out of three ain’t bad.”

“True,” said Kelly, “but we’ll be looking at the dashboard lights as we drive out of town if we don’t get the offence turned around.”

Good for him. Even in the darkest of times, a man has to keep his sense of humour.

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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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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 11 in the CFL. Time to take this Weekly Picks thing seriously again.

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

Last week, we threw all of our theories out the window and, as a result, we burned big time for that one bad decision.

 

Taking Winnipeg to win the Labour Day Classic in Regina was a dreadful mistake. It reminded me of the last time I ran into the old Bomber coach, Jeff Reinebold. It was at the last Super Bowl in Tampa and Jeff walked up to me with a big smile on his face and said: “T.J. Rubley!???!! Scotty, what was I thinking?”

 

Reinebold’s deadly choice of quarterback in Winnipeg didn’t quite equal my stupid choice of the Bombers in the Labour Day Classic, but it was a dumb mistake, nonetheless. The Bombers simply don’t win the Labour Day Classic in Regina. Someday, I’ll learn. 

 

Of course, that doesn’t mean the Bombers can’t win the re-match at home and we’ll talk about that in a second, but first, what a week in the CFL.

 

In Winnipeg, the Bombers traded Charles Roberts in an ugly divorce. It started out ugly when most fans (a truly vast majority of fans) vented to the local newspapers over the trade — Roberts to B.C. for I-travel-to-the-beat-of-my-own-drummer Joe Smith — that it might have been the worst deal in Bomber history, but it got even uglier when Roberts filed a little missive on ourbombers.com which read, in part: “The natural reaction for me would be to be enraged, and ordinarily I would have been considering what I have done for that organization. I am not, however, because of the events leading up to the trade. (Bombers GM) Brendan (Taman) called me into his office about eight o’clock Monday night and, as I got to the stadium, Doug Berry and I pulled into the stadium parking lot at the same time. Once he figured out it was me, he mysteriously pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared. For a man to have publicly claimed that the reason for trading me is because I had lost a step, how come he couldn’t face me? How come he ran off like a coward instead of facing me man-to-man and telling me what he felt?”

 

What a mess. On Friday morning, Smith stiffed a Winnipeg radio show and won a few more fans. He’ll need a good day on Sunday to win over the masses.

 

Meanwhile, Roberts was dealt 13 yards shy of the 10,000 mark which is something that says as much about the state of the Bombers franchise as it does about the trade itself. 

 

In Calgary, the Stamps were licking their wounds after getting drilled by Edmonton at home in Alberta’s version of the Labour Day Classic, but they were even more worried when they learned quarterback Dave Dickenson would be gone for the season with post-concussion syndrome.

 

In Toronto, the Argos revealed that they were in negotiations for former Saskatchewan Roughriders runningback Kenton Keith who was released by the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts last week, a nod to the fact their running game is one of the weakest in the league.

 

And in Saskatchewan, they were working with and hoping for quarterback Michael Bishop, a young man who won his opener as the Riders QB, 19-6 over Winnipeg, but looked horrible doing it.

 

This will be a very interesting week. 

 

Calgary Stampeders (5-4) at Edmonton Eskimos (6-3)

 

Friday, 8 p.m. CT, TSN

 

It’s hard to imagine the Eskimos are going to let the Stamps off the hook after drilling them 37-16 last week in Calgary. Ricky Ray went 26-for-38 for 376 yards and three touchdowns and his offensive line gave him, at times, what seemed like hours, to throw the football. You just have to love Edmonton, with ease, in the re-match. In fact, another performance like last week’s in Calgary and the Eskimos might just grab the mantle as “Best Team in the CFL.” Then again, if ol’ Brain Fart Burris avoids his inevitable brain farts, the Stampeders have enough offence to beat Edmonton. Even on the road.

 

Pick: Edmonton

B.C. Lions (4-5) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-7)

Saturday, 3 p.m. CT, TSN

The Lions should have beaten Montreal on the road last week, but came up short three times at the one. That won’t happen again this week. Especially with Charles Roberts alongside Stefan Logan in the Lions backfield. I would normally take Hamilton — yes, lowly Hamilton — at home against a 4-5 B.C. team, but the way the Lions played last week suggests they are, indeed, better than their record indicates. As well, they’re a good Western team playing a last-place Eastern team and, as a result, should win handily. With a victory, the Lions will bury Hamilton and could pull three full games ahead the two Eastern cellar-dwellers, should Winnipeg implode on Sunday.

Pick: Winnipeg

Toronto Argonauts (4-5) at Montreal Alouettes (6-3)

Sunday, Noon CT, TSN

This one is a no-doubter. Anthony Calvillo, Avon Cobourne, great defence… Montreal by three touchdowns.

 

Pick: Montreal

Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-2) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-7)

Sunday, 2 p.m. CT, TSN

On paper, and after watching last week’s game in Regina, it’s hard to imagine that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a chance against those same Saskatchewan Roughriders in Winnipeg this week. But the key is, “it’s in Winnipeg this week.” Home teams win a lot of games in this league and in Winnipeg’s case, the Bombers are 2-3 at home and 0-4 on the road this season. Is Winnipeg good enough? Probably not. But Winnipeg IS at home and it IS the Banjo Bowl and more often than not, in the CFL, emotion can carry a team a long way. So although the Bombers might not be good enough to win, they can find a way to win. And besides, if they don’t win this week, they can write off the playoffs and they’ll all know exactly what they’re made of.

 

Pick: Winnipeg

Last Week: 1-3

Season: 19-9

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Bombers drilled by lousy Roughriders and Winnipeg is rewarded with its first sellout of the season.

Posted on August 31, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders proved beyond all doubt on Sunday afternoon that neither team has much of an offence. The Riders beat Winnipeg 19-6 in a dreadful football game at Mosaic Stadium, but give the Riders credit. At least all their receivers are on the DL. Winnipeg was just awful — and badly coached.

 

With the loss, the Bombers dropped to 2-7 on the season. Truly astounding when one considers that earlier in the afternoon, the Bombers announced they had sold out the Canwest Banjo Bowl this coming Sunday afternoon at Canad Inns Stadium.

 

Gotta give Winnipeggers credit, they certainly embrace second- or even third-best. 

 

In most cities, football fans would tell the operators of a lousy home team to shape up by refusing to buy tickets. When you’re 2-7 in most towns, you tell the team’s management you’ll come back when either they get their act together or they get themselves fired. Not in Winnipeg. Winnipeg fans are like Leafs fans. The more you disappoint us, the faster we buy tickets. In Winnipeg, drop to 2-7 and we’ll give you everything you want. If you’re the smiling proprietors, it’s sure a nice deal because it cuts down on any urgent need to fix the mess.

 

Sunday afternoon, the Bombers took everything they learned in last week’s 37-24 win over Hamilton and abandoned it. All of it. They stopped giving Charles Roberts the football and as a result, they had nothing else. The passing game was decent, not great, but decent, but without a running game, they couldn’t create a sustained offensive attack. Glenn went 28-for-42 for 269 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions (the final one IN the end zone), but Roberts carried the ball only 13 times for 48 yards and if he doesn’t see the ball 20 times a game, the Bombers have no chance. No chance at all. That’s just stupid. 

 

When a team puts up only two field goals in the wide open CFL, that’s a bad team. When a team doesn’t use its most important weapon, the coach should get a pink slip. Even if you’ve decided to allow the quarterback to call his own plays, you could still remind him every now and again that No. 1 is in the lineup.

 

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan wasn’t very good on offence, either. Michael Bishop, in his first game with the Riders, was a downright rotten 10-for-24 for 107 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. That’s just horrid. Without the two Glenn interceptions along with fumbles by Charles Roberts and Kevin Glenn, Saskatchewan would have been lucky to score enough points to win. 

 

Winnipeg notched a field goal in the first quarter and another in the fourth quarter and that was it. In the world of real professional football, Roberts would have been given the ball on nearly every play. That’s because Roberts went into the game needing 61 yards to reach the 10,000-yard plateau. In Winnipeg, the coaches don’t care about such nonsense. In Winnipeg, losing big and losing ugly is more important than, well, giving the ball to the greatest runningback in franchise history and, ahh, winning.

 

OK, OK, I’m kidding. But this Winnipeg team couldn’t get Roberts enough touches to gain 61 yards. No wonder they’re looking at Timmy Chang, who failed miserably in Hamilton, as a fourth quarterback.

 

On the upside, with the CFL East as awful as it is, the 2-7 Bombers are still in the playoff hunt so no wonder they sold out the Banjo Bowl.

 

Or did they just sell 10,000 tickets in Regina?

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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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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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