I am still FUMING about the REDBLACKS’ loss last week. I’ll explain why later on. But FUCK. As maddening and infuriating as blowing a 24-point lead late in the third quarter is, this is, after all, the reason we watch football in the first place. If they do it again, though…

Light on league news this week, with only a couple items of real note:

• In the wake of their loss to Toronto, Ottawa released DB Loucheiz Purifoy, who signed with Saskatchewan shortly afterwards. Purifoy, who was one of the REDBLACKS’ most-touted free agent signings, was cut due to both “football and non-football reasons”, probably due in part due to a culture fit in the room. With Josh Johnson also gone a few weeks, that’s two guys who were supposed to be fixtures in the secondary… expect Sherrod Baltimore, who was a starter last year but confined to the REDBLACKS’ practise roster in 2018, to step in and take his place as the cover corner.
• Saskatchewan worked out Terrell Owens in Chattanooga on Monday, the day after his Hall of Fame induction ceremony, with head coach and GM Chris Jones in attendance due to it being the Roughriders’ bye week this week. While I still don’t expect anyone to sign him, it is definitely curious that he’s still attracting attention from multiple CFL teams this offseason, and the Riders, who are mired in the middle of a tough West Division, probably need a spark of some variety in order to start righting the ship for the weeks ahead.

WEEK 8 RECAPS

Ottawa 41 vs. Toronto 42: The REDBLACKS, man. Just… god damnit. 18 minutes left in the game, and you have a 24-point lead. How do you fuck that up? Unbelievable. Kudos to the Argos, who didn’t quit despite the massive deficit; new QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson, in his very first pro start at age 30, overcame a shaky first half to finish 25-37 for 302 passing yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winner to receiver Armanti Edwards with one second left on the clock. Backup QB James Franklin added two rushing TDs in the game as well, and it was completely bewildering to see the REDBLACKS’ defence essentially take a nap through the final quarter of the game. More heads should be rolling in Ottawa because of a result like this – it is truly pathetic on all levels.

PICK: Ottawa

RESULT: Toronto

Saskatchewan 19 vs. Edmonton 26: Edmonton won a back-and-forth game to move to 5-2 on the season, a hard-fought victory with four lead changes in the second half. The Riders looked better on offence, with Zach Collaros, in his first game action since Week 2, going 22-34 for 261 yards and a TD to Duron Carter, also back on the offensive side of the ball for the first time in weeks. They also looked better on D as well, with four sacks and a fumble recovery to boot, but alas, the Eskimos were simply just that much better. While the game was very close throughout, the Eskimos put together a solid drive late in the fourth quarter, capped off with Mike Reilly pulling off a successful QB sneak to put Edmonton up by four. A late 46-yard field goal from Sean Whyte sealed the deal for the Eskimos, who now have a solid hold on second in the West Division.

PICK: Edmonton

RESULT: Edmonton

Hamilton 50 vs. Montreal 11: Well, Johnny Football’s Canadian debut went about as horribly as it could have possibly gone. Manziel finished his first-ever CFL game 11-20 for just 104 yards and four interceptions, without any touchdowns to show for it. While Manziel didn’t play well, his team also really didn’t do him any favours either; the Alouettes O-line was as porous as Steve Bannon’s syphilis-riddled nose, giving him basically zero pocket protection and forcing him to scramble a ton, and the defence got absolutely shredded all over the field as well. The Ti-Cats had over 500 yards of offence in this game, and special teams contributed to running up the score thanks to a blocked punt returned for a TD in the first quarter. The Ti-Cats had 28 points in the first quarter alone… while Johnny Manziel was not good, the Alouettes as a whole were still absolutely terrible.

PICK: Hamilton

RESULT: Hamilton

BC 18 vs. Calgary 27: Bo Levi Mitchell and Kamar Jorden had some impressive chemistry in the Stamps’ latest win, with Mitchell going 19-31 for 370 yards and a 53-yard touchdown to Jorden, who had five catches for 185 yards. The Stamps, to absolutely nobody’s surprise, continue to roll on through the regular season as per usual. The Lions had a hard time finding offence in the first half, but were bolstered with a strong drive in the third quarter, when Travis Lulay led BC 70 yards on five plays before Jeremiah Johnson pounded the ball in from five yards out. A late touchdown by Lulay to Bryan Burnham would ultimately not be enough to keep pace with the Stamps, who enter the bye week as just one of five Calgary teams to be undefeated at 7-0, joining the 1948, 1949, 1993 and 1995 squads.

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Calgary

BYE: Winnipeg (4-3)

WEEK 9 PREVIEWS

Edmonton (5-2) vs. BC (2-4), Thursday, August 9th, 10:00 PM EST: The Lions pushed towards the end last week, but what’s killing them is getting in big holes early and not being able to dig their way out all the way. It’s tough to have Calgary and Edmonton in back-to-back weeks; even with home field advantage, they’ll have their hands full against Mike Reilly and company. Jeremiah Johnson re-aggravated his earlier-season ankle injury last week, so expect to see Travon Van and Chris Rainey share RB duties. The Eskimos are mostly at full strength, but won’t have a backup running back behind CJ Gable, so FB Calvin McCarty may see duty there if need be. Other than that, it’ll be business as usual for Edmonton in this one.

PICK: Edmonton

Hamilton (3-4) vs. Winnipeg (4-3), Friday, August 10th, 8:30 PM EST: The Bombers are coming off the bye hopefully feeling rested and focused after the slow start to their season due to Matt Nichols’ absence in the lineup. With one of their losses coming at the helm of this Hamilton team back in Week 3, they’ll be looking for revenge now that they have their starting quarterback healthy and rested. The Ti-Cats, meanwhile, despite their record, have the ability to do some damage, although it’s likely going to be difficult for them to have another 50-burger like they did last week against the hapless Alouettes. This could turn into a shootout, which would be tons of fun.

PICK: Winnipeg

Montreal (1-6) vs. Ottawa (4-3), Saturday, August 11th, 8:00 PM EST: Both these teams had ugly losses last week that they’re looking to put behind them; while both these teams have potential, the timelines remain very different. The REDBLACKS continue to lead the East, but absolutely cannot afford any more massive mistakes like last week against the Argos, especially with Hamilton just a game back after their big win over the Alouettes. For Montreal, it’ll be hard to be any worse than they were last week, but they need to do a better job of supporting their QB – yes, four interceptions is on Johnny Manziel, but when you have little time to make your throws and your D can’t stay off the field, it’s not telling the full story. Still tough sledding ahead for the Alouettes on this one, as Ottawa has continuously wrecked their shit over the last few seasons, including one win already this year.

PICK: Ottawa

BYE: Calgary (7-0), Saskatchewan (3-4), Toronto (2-5)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards

1. Reilly, EDM – 2320
2. Masoli, HAM – 2214
3. Mitchell, CGY – 1887

Passing TDs

1. Reilly, EDM – 14
2. Mitchell, CGY – 13
3. Harris, OTT – 8

Rushing Yards

1. Harris, WPG – 638
2. Powell, OTT – 504
3. Gable, EDM – 481

Receiving Yards

1. Williams, EDM – 713
2. Saunders, HAM – 686
3. Sinopoli, OTT – 641

Sacks

1. Hughes, SSK – 9
2. Boateng, EDM – 5
3. Johnson, CGY – 4

Interceptions

1. Murray, OTT – 3
2. Fogg, WPG – 3
3. Randle, WPG – 2

Field Goals

1. Ward, OTT – 22
2. Lauther, SSK – 19
3. Hajrullahu, HAM – 18

PICK POOL

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Enjoy the games, everyone.