CFL: The CFL Thread: Part VI

[sonic92]

Less than two months until the Grey Cup as the CFL hits week 17.

Saskatchewan (6-8) at Winnipeg (12-2) Fri. 8PM ET
- The Bombers have beaten the Riders twice already this year and another win here would guarantee a home playoff game for Winnipeg. A Riders loss plus a Calgary win mean Saskatchewan's only way into the playoffs would be via the cross-over.

Ottawa (3-10) at BC (9-4) Fri. 10:30PM ET
- A stinker at home last week means the Lions are only a half game up on Calgary for 2nd in the West. They have a good chance to right the ship here since Ottawa stinks and they'll also have the late West Coast start time to deal with.

Montreal (6-7) at Edmonton (4-10) Sat. 4PM ET
- Some CFL history could be made here as another home loss for the Elks would give them the record for most consecutive home losses. Their streak of 14 is currently tied with those awful Ottawa teams of the 80's.

Toronto (8-5) at Calgary (9-5) Sat. 7PM ET
- An intriguing game for the playoff pictures in both division with Calgary fighting with BC for a home playoff game and the Argos pulling away from the rest of the muck in the East. (Not that anyone in Toronto has noticed).

Bye Week - Hamilton (4-10). The TiCats are quickly using up their nine lives as last week's loss to Montreal puts them two games behind Saskatchewan for that last playoff spot. Next week's game with the Riders visiting Hamilton could seal their fate.

 

[Stylizer1]

It just came to me, the CFL has no stars. Growing up as a kid teams had their guys fans could latch on to. I'm not sure that is the case anymore. Can anyone tell me without a shadow of a doubt who is the best Quarterback, Running back, Wide Receiver, best defensive player are in the league? There seem to be absolutely no marketing campaigns around any players these days.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Bracing myself for the Alouettes to be the team that the Elks beat to end their never ending home drought.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Bracing myself for the Alouettes to be the team that the Elks beat to end their never ending home drought.

I was pretty damn sure all week that the streak was going to end against Maciocia. I was pretty damn sure for 55 minutes yesterday as well.

If the Elks can't win either of their last two home games, it will be two consecutive years where Paul Lapolice won more games at Commonwealth than the Elks coach.

 

[sonic92]

The Canadian Thanksgiving weekend brings us Week 18 in the CFL.

Saskatchewan (6-9) at Hamilton (4-10) Fri. 7:30PM ET
- The sky is falling in Saskatchewan with the Riders having lost four in a row. That has their grip on a playoff spot not as tight as it was earlier in the season, but a win over another sluggish team in the TiCats could change that in a hurry.

BC (10-4) at Toronto (8-6) Sat. 4PM ET
- Playoff positioning in both divisions could be affected here. The Lions are only a half game up on Calgary for second in the West, and the Argos only have a one game lead on the Alouettes for first in the East.

Edmonton (4-11) at Winnipeg (13-2) Sat. 7PM ET
- The Bombers still remain ahead of everyone else and a win here plus a loss by BC would clinch first in the West for Winnipeg and give them a fourth straight trip to the West Final.

Ottawa (3-11) at Montreal (7-7) Mon. 1PM ET
- Paul LaPolice was finally fired in Ottawa and Bob Dyce will serve as the interim head coach for the rest of the season for the RedBlacks. They'll try to play spoiler as the Alouettes can clinch a playoff spot with a win.

Bye Week - Calgary (10-5). Wins in five of their last seven games since making Jake Maier their starting QB have earned Maier a contract extension, and brought questions about where Bo Levi Mitchell will end up next season. My gut tells me he'll end up in Toronto since the Argos love stealing guys from Calgary.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Well I think that was it for the crossover. Sask has a home and home with a Calgary team that will not be resting anyone down the stretch. I don't think they can win either of those games. Even let's say they get a split in those despite the 2-9 record in their past 11 games. They'd still need Hamilton to win less than two of @ CGY, vs OTT, @ OTT. Hamilton has a strong chance of sweeping those Ottawa game. More realistically Sask loses out and Hamilton beats Ottawa at least once. So no cross over.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Just another laughable performance by the Alouettes at home against the Red Blacks.

0-3 at home against OTT and EDM. Ridiculous. And yet this team will probably host a home playoff game.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Well I think that was it for the crossover. Sask has a home and home with a Calgary team that will not be resting anyone down the stretch. I don't think they can win either of those games. Even let's say they get a split in those despite the 2-9 record in their past 11 games. They'd still need Hamilton to win less than two of @ CGY, vs OTT, @ OTT. Hamilton has a strong chance of sweeping those Ottawa game. More realistically Sask loses out and Hamilton beats Ottawa at least once. So no cross over.

Have to agree, been saying for weeks that the SSK-HAM winner would end up making the playoffs and the loser wouldn't.

This Riders meltdown has even extended the season for Ottawa. If the Riders indeed lose their last two against the Stamps, the Redblacks would make the playoffs by going 2-0 against Hamilton, never even minding what they do next week against the Als. They could actually still host a playoff game, which is mind-blowing. Saskatchewan can't make the playoffs if they don't win again thanks to the Redblacks pulling off the upset today.

The last day of the season could be interesting. The possibility exists of two 5-12 teams in Hamilton and Ottawa playing each other for the last playoff spot, with the 6-11 Riders playing right afterwards to see if they can snatch it away. Only in the CFL! Has Calgary stated they won't be resting anyone? It's not particularly likely, but they could be locked into 2nd place by the last week of the season. Less likely, but also possible, they could be locked into third place as well.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Just another laughable performance by the Alouettes at home against the Red Blacks.

0-3 at home against OTT and EDM. Ridiculous. And yet this team will probably host a home playoff game.

Can any damn team in this country win a home game!? Every team in the entire league besides Hamilton (0-7) is probably satisfied with their road record. Winnipeg is the only team in the league without 3+ home losses.

 

[sonic92]

CFL Week 19 is a go-go.

Montreal (7-8) at Ottawa (4-11) Fri. 7PM ET
- Monday's 24-18 win by Ottawa over Montreal is the latest case of a team winning after firing their coach midseason. The RedBlacks shockingly still have a faint possibility of a playoff spot, although they'd need quite a few things to go their way for that to happen.

Hamilton (5-10) at Calgary (10-5) Fri. 9:30PM ET
- We have signs of life in Hamilton as the Tiger-Cats are only a half game behind Saskatchewan for that last playoff spot. Unfortunately, the TiCats now have to go to Calgary, where they have not won at McMahon Stadium since 2004 (and their last trip was in the 2019 Grey Cup).

Toronto (9-6) at Edmonton (4-12) Sat. 7PM ET
- Between the Blue Jays playoff collapse and the Maple Leafs starting their season, no one in Toronto has noticed the Argos now having a two game lead for first in the East. They're guaranteed to win this one since the Elks are in their house of horrors know as Commonwealth Stadium.

Winnipeg (14-2) at BC (10-5) Sat. 10PM ET
- For a second straight year, the West Final will be played in Winnipeg after the Blue Bombers clinched another first place finish. The battle for second and home-field in the West Semi-Final will be the interesting race to watch with the Lions and Stamps currently tied for that spot.

Bye Week - Saskatchewan (6-10). They're getting the torches and pitchforks ready in Saskatchewan with the Riders holding a very slim lead on a playoff spot. They'll end the season with a pair of games against a Calgary team that still has stuff to play for.

 

[MM917]

It just came to me, the CFL has no stars. Growing up as a kid teams had their guys fans could latch on to. I'm not sure that is the case anymore. Can anyone tell me without a shadow of a doubt who is the best Quarterback, Running back, Wide Receiver, best defensive player are in the league? There seem to be absolutely no marketing campaigns around any players these days.

Yes it is by far the lowest level in my time (early 90's) of following the league for talent.

Winnipeg fans will get pissed at this and it is not meant to shit on them but the fact they have a good chance to win 3 in row with a team that is in no way close to having the talent of teams with similar accomplishments in the past shows how weak the league. This Winnipeg team is good, but nowhere close to great. Mike O'Shea is a fine coach but nowhere close to the greats but will be included because they are the best team in a very watered down league.

Zac Collaros likely being the best QB/player, while likely Rourke if healthy, says it all. He is not an all time great, not even all time good. He is a solid QB that doesn't come close to matching up to the greats. Even to BLM in his prime Collaros is a big step down let alone guys like Ray (puke), Garcia, Flutie, Calvillo, Allen etc.

I think it comes down to NFL teams keeping more QB's and especially keeping more QB's that would have thrived in the CFL in the past. This is and will always be a QB driven league and right now the QB talent is really weak.

 

[joestevens29]

Yes it is by far the lowest level in my time (early 90's) of following the league for talent.

Winnipeg fans will get pissed at this and it is not meant to shit on them but the fact they have a good chance to win 3 in row with a team that is in no way close to having the talent of teams with similar accomplishments in the past shows how weak the league. This Winnipeg team is good, but nowhere close to great. Mike O'Shea is a fine coach but nowhere close to the greats but will be included because they are the best team in a very watered down league.

Zac Collaros likely being the best QB/player, while likely Rourke if healthy, says it all. He is not an all time great, not even all time good. He is a solid QB that doesn't come close to matching up to the greats. Even to BLM in his prime Collaros is a big step down let alone guys like Ray (puke), Garcia, Flutie, Calvillo, Allen etc.

I think it comes down to NFL teams keeping more QB's and especially keeping more QB's that would have thrived in the CFL in the past. This is and will always be a QB driven league and right now the QB talent is really weak.

Granted my team sucks, but I can't believe the decisions the QB's have made the past couple years here. Forcing the ball to a receiver because they can't read the play. Throwing the ball wide by 10 yards in back to back plays to the same receiver.

It's just painful to see these guys actually playing pro football.

Then like you said where are the elite QB's in the league?

 

[Stylizer1]

Yes it is by far the lowest level in my time (early 90's) of following the league for talent.

Winnipeg fans will get pissed at this and it is not meant to shit on them but the fact they have a good chance to win 3 in row with a team that is in no way close to having the talent of teams with similar accomplishments in the past shows how weak the league. This Winnipeg team is good, but nowhere close to great. Mike O'Shea is a fine coach but nowhere close to the greats but will be included because they are the best team in a very watered down league.

Zac Collaros likely being the best QB/player, while likely Rourke if healthy, says it all. He is not an all time great, not even all time good. He is a solid QB that doesn't come close to matching up to the greats. Even to BLM in his prime Collaros is a big step down let alone guys like Ray (puke), Garcia, Flutie, Calvillo, Allen etc.

I think it comes down to NFL teams keeping more QB's and especially keeping more QB's that would have thrived in the CFL in the past. This is and will always be a QB driven league and right now the QB talent is really weak.

Granted my team sucks, but I can't believe the decisions the QB's have made the past couple years here. Forcing the ball to a receiver because they can't read the play. Throwing the ball wide by 10 yards in back to back plays to the same receiver.

It's just painful to see these guys actually playing pro football.

Then like you said where are the elite QB's in the league?

It's not only the NFL having more QB's on their practise rosters there are more professional football leagues in the US now. They probably don't pay as well as in the CFL but all of the costs to move to Canada, pay for housing, Transportation, taxes etc adds up. If they have a family back home is it even worth it at that point to make such a drastic change for what might turn out to be not that much extra money.

The average CFL salary is between $60,000-$100,000. That is really good money for 5-6 months of work. Then you have the conversion rate which knocks off in a good year 15-20 percent. Taxes could be 25 to 30%( i'm guessing), They can only work for the team and might be ineligible to find part time work. (Again, guessing) because of work visa's.

Back in the 60's the CFL and NFL where a lot closer to parity but by the 90's the gap just got out of control.

Games are just too boring to watch at this point and if they Don't join the XFL they are finished. I think the CFL is not on the minds of any Canadians at this point. Not especially the ones with real professional sports teams in their cities like the NHL, NBA, MLS, and MLB. Only so much money to go around.

If this league was healthy there would already be a team in Quebec, Halifax, and maybe another in Ontario.

 

[DueDiligence]

The average CFL salary is between $60,000-$100,000. That is really good money for 5-6 months of work. Then you have the conversion rate which knocks off in a good year 15-20 percent. Taxes could be 25 to 30%( i'm guessing), They can only work for the team and might be ineligible to find part time work. (Again, guessing) because of work visa'

NFL Practice Squad members make a minimum $207,000 and can make up to $358,000 US dollars. For many guys better to stay there and get noticed than come up to Canada.

 

[sonic92]

The penultimate week of the CFL regular season, Week 20.

Ottawa (4-12) at Hamilton (6-10) Fri. 7PM ET
- Only one playoff spot is still up for grabs and the TiCats can get that with a win and a Roughrider loss. The RedBlacks have played better since making their coaching change so it won't be a gimme for Hamilton.

BC (11-5) at Edmonton (4-13) Fri. 9:30PM ET
- The Lions can clinch second in the West with a win and this one will be a gimme since the Elks are at home. Vernon Adams seems to finally be clicking with the BC offense as well which will be big for them in the playoffs.

Toronto (10-6) at Montreal (8-8) Sat. 4PM ET
- Egads. There's actually going to be a team in the East finishing with a winning record with the Argos cracking the 10 win barrier. Another win here would clinch first place and home field in the East Final for Toronto.

Calgary (10-6) at Saskatchewan (6-10) Sat. 7PM ET
- The Stampeders having a back-to-back set with the Riders would normally have me sweating buckets, but there's a really high probability these games won't mean anything for Calgary if the Lions can take care of their own business.

Bye Week - Winnipeg (14-3). The Bombers played fairly well against BC despite resting several key players. It will be interesting to see how they handle things next week since they'll have another bye week to start the playoffs.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Elks complete another winless home season. Woof.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Elks complete another winless home season. Woof.

That's rough. I don't blame Edmonton fans for staying away. During the darkest years of the 29 year drought in Winnipeg (2012-2016 in particular) I left games early and considered not going to some games. And I'm the beyond die hard fan. But the Bombers never even reached quite the lows of Edmonton is going through obviously.

Kinda funny though. Only team in CFL history to win 5 Grey Cups in a row? Edmonton. Only team to go over 3 calendar years and over 2 straight seasons without a home win? Also Edmonton.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

The Argos win on a rouge and are Eastern division champs. #OnlyInTheCFL

 

[hoglund]

The Argos win on a rouge and are Eastern division champs. #OnlyInTheCFL

If the returner didn't step out of bounds he could've run out of the endzone or kicked it out to prevent the rouge and they'd probably go to overtime. I hate the Argos, but if Montreal alows the Argos close enough to kick the ball over Montreal's goal line without them being able to return it then they deserve to win.

 

[sonic92]

The CFL regular season ends with week 21.

BC (12-5) at Winnipeg (14-3) Fri. 8:30PM ET
- There's a really high probability that this will be the Western Final in a couple of weeks from now. The Lions are in an intriguing spot right now with Nathan Rourke likely to return from his injury.

Montreal (8-9) at Toronto (11-6) Sat. 2PM ET
- A one point win over the Alouettes last week clinched first in the East for the Argos (not that anyone in Toronto noticed). Expect to see some resting of guys from both teams in this one.

Hamilton (7-10) at Ottawa (4-13) Sat. 5PM ET
- Winning four of their last five combined with an implosion in Saskatchewan has the Tiger-Cats stumbling into a playoff spot. Ottawa will look to end their nightmare of a season by finally getting a win at home.

Saskatchewan (6-11) at Calgary (11-6) Sat. 8PM ET
- The Riders missing the playoffs in a year when the Grey Cup will be played in Saskatchewan is music to my ears. I'm going to savour this feeling since I don't think the Stampeders can get very far in the playoffs.

Bye Week - Edmonton (4-14). The 14 losses this season for the Elks ties an Edmonton franchise record for losses in a season (1963 and 2013 were the other 14 loss seasons) highlighted by going 0-9 on their home field at Commonwealth Stadium.

 

[snowkiddin]

The CFL regular season ends with week 21.

BC (12-5) at Winnipeg (14-3) Fri. 8:30PM ET
- There's a really high probability that this will be the Western Final in a couple of weeks from now. The Lions are in an intriguing spot right now with Nathan Rourke likely to return from his injury.

Montreal (8-9) at Toronto (11-6) Sat. 2PM ET
- A one point win over the Alouettes last week clinched first in the East for the Argos (not that anyone in Toronto noticed). Expect to see some resting of guys from both teams in this one.

Hamilton (7-10) at Ottawa (4-13) Sat. 5PM ET
- Winning four of their last five combined with an implosion in Saskatchewan has the Tiger-Cats stumbling into a playoff spot. Ottawa will look to end their nightmare of a season by finally getting a win at home.

Saskatchewan (6-11) at Calgary (11-6) Sat. 8PM ET
- The Riders missing the playoffs in a year when the Grey Cup will be played in Saskatchewan is music to my ears. I'm going to savour this feeling since I don't think the Stampeders can get very far in the playoffs.

Bye Week - Edmonton (4-14). The 14 losses this season for the Elks ties an Edmonton franchise record for losses in a season (1963 and 2013 were the other 14 loss seasons) highlighted by going 0-9 on their home field at Commonwealth Stadium.

I wouldn’t count Calgary out quite yet. I think they can take BC. In any case, it should be a close, fun game.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

I think Calgary is being slept on. Tonight pending, they could have won every single game they played this year, never losing by more than 7 points, and all those losses coming in the dying minutes. Some close wins too obviously, but that's pretty impressive. Even Winnipeg got blown out once. Tough to come out of the 3-hole, especially in the west, but it does happen. Stamps have a better cold-weather offense than Winnipeg IMO, and I think they've got a real shot if they survive BC next week.

Bombers are better than Stamps or Leos, but it's really damn tough string together wins like this in November. Five and counting is already extremely impressive, I can't even remember that happening in my 25 years watching the league. Hate to say it, but the landmine of CFL playoff randomness is looming large. Still, I could really only seriously envision them losing to Calgary. I don't think Rourke is going to be in good enough form to win there in November, and anyone out of the East would be a serious underdog, especially in Regina.

 

[Jeffrey Pedler]

I think Calgary is being slept on. Tonight pending, they could have won every single game they played this year, never losing by more than 7 points, and all those losses coming in the dying minutes. Some close wins too obviously, but that's pretty impressive. Even Winnipeg got blown out once. Tough to come out of the 3-hole, especially in the west, but it does happen. Stamps have a better cold-weather offense than Winnipeg IMO, and I think they've got a real shot if they survive BC next week.

Bombers are better than Stamps or Leos, but it's really damn tough string together wins like this in November. Five and counting is already extremely impressive, I can't even remember that happening in my 25 years watching the league. Hate to say it, but the landmine of CFL playoff randomness is looming large. Still, I could really only seriously envision them losing to Calgary. I don't think Rourke is going to be in good enough form to win there in November, and anyone out of the East would be a serious underdog, especially in Regina.

Rourke's going to be fine. He knocked off the rust in a meaningless game.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Redblacks did not win a home game either. 2 teams in a 9 team league don't win a single home game. How does that happen...

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Rourke's going to be fine. He knocked off the rust in a meaningless game.

We'll see I guess, but it's tough to not play for months then return at a time when your opponent is going to pull out all the stops to beat you. Not sure a few tosses in a meaningless game really got him back in rhythm. Truthfully this league needs a story like a Canadian QB winning the Grey Cup, glad to hear the Lions sold a bunch of tickets for the playoff game.