With the trade deadline having come and gone yesterday, it was a fairly quiet week on the transactions front across the CFL. With 75% of the schedule having been played, the East remains wide open, and the West’s real contests will be for the second and third playoff spots, as Winnipeg will host their first Divisional Final since 2011 and first West Final since 1972 (after the demise of the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1996, the Bombers played in the East Division until the REDBLACKS’ return in 2014). That said – despite limited trades, some very juicy tidbits to share with you all the same!

In league news this week:

• The Ottawa REDBLACKS finally fired their GM, Marcel Desjardins, after yet another disappointing season. After two disastrous years in a row which featured just a combined five wins, change was long overdue for this team. After three Grey Cup appearances – and a win – from 2015-18, Desjardins’ unwillingness to spend money to retain the core of the team ended up imploding in his face; his insistence on trying to rebuild on a budget has further hamstrung the REDBLACKS. Obviously, he’s not the sole thing plaguing Ottawa’s fortunes as a franchise, but there are a number of rumours afloat that Desjardins’ mishandling of two key situations – not signing key players and having head coach Rick Campbell leave the team when his contract expired – ended up causing Jeff Hunt – one of the members of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, which owns the REDBLACKS and Ottawa 67s junior hockey team – to sell his stake in the franchises. At any rate, whether the rumours are true or not, it’s certain that the REDBLACKS need a reset from the top down. Another season like the last two and the team risks sliding into territory akin to the miserable years of the early 1990s, which ultimately caused the demise of the original Rough Riders – not good company to be in at all. With Desjardins’ dismissal, Jeremy Snyder, former assistant GM, will take over in the interim.
• Having sent Trevor Harris to Montreal last week, the Edmonton Elks brought in Nick Arbuckle from Toronto; though he’s just on a one-year deal that’s expiring in a few weeks’ time, I’d expect Edmonton to take a run at signing him to (hopefully) be their new long-term starter. Arbuckle has potential – we’ve seen it in flashes thus far in his time in Calgary and Toronto – but he hasn’t quite been consistent enough to be a full-time starter just yet. A hip injury did mess with his training camp this year, but even after his recovery, he was still outplayed by McLeod Bethel-Thompson in Toronto. At age 28, there’s still time for him to hit his stride and make the next jump in the Canadian game.
• After having their Week 4 game against the Argos postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak, the Elks will end their 2021 regular season playing three games in seven days… a less than ideal situation for any pro football team anywhere on the globe. The Elks believe they may well be the first pro team that’s ever had to do this; in light of the incredibly difficult scheduling due to moving the Toronto game, Edmonton will be allowed to dress 50 players for their final two contests, giving them five additional spots to work with.
• Speaking of QBs, the Argos added former Mr. Irrelevant Chad Kelly, former Denver Bronco and Indianapolis Colt, to their negotiations list on Tuesday. No certainty on whether or not the two sides will actually come to terms on a contract, but Kelly’s athletic pedigree – and criminal record – will unquestionably factor into the team’s decision.
• The Als are also bringing back return specialist Martese Jackson to the CFL; he won a Grey Cup with Toronto in 2017; he was traded to Edmonton midway through 2018 before his contract expired at the end of the 2019 season. In four seasons, Jackson has 163 punt returns for 1776 yards and two scores, as well as 128 kickoff returns for 2553 yards; with Mario Alford on the shelf for at least the next six games, bringing in Jackson was a necessary move to help the return game down the stretch drive.

Onto the games!

WEEK 12 RECAPS

Toronto 16 vs. Montreal 37: William Stanback matched his career high of 203 rushing yards in a game, toting the rock 24 times and adding a TD, while the Argos’ McLeod Bethel-Thompson had an uncharacteristically bad night, throwing four interceptions. The Alouettes take over top spot in the East Division with the win, though they sport matching 6-4 rivals with their Toronto counterparts. All eyes may have been on Stanback, but Als QB Matthew Shiltz, filling in for an injured Vernon Adams, also had a very strong, efficient night, going 12-18 for 212 yards and two TDs. Antonio Pipkin, the Argos’ backup QB, had the Double Blue’s only TD scores of the evening, finding the end zone twice on short rushes.

PICK: Toronto

RESULT: Montreal

Ottawa 3 vs. Hamilton 32: Another week, another beatdown of the REDBLACKS. Ottawa’s lone points were a single second-quarter field goal from Lewis Ward, while Caleb Evans tossed two more interceptions… meanwhile, Devlin Hodges, seeing his first CFL game action, tossed another to add to Ottawa’s offensive woes. The Ti-Cats looked sharp as ever against their Ontario rivals – Jeremiah Masoli went 25-28 for 320 yards and two TDs, while backup Dane Evans, finally returning to game action after a long stint on the injured list, added two more majors on goal-line sneaks. The Ti-Cats, despite all their injury woes this season, are just one game back of both Montreal and Toronto for the East Division lead… things are tight as can be headed into the final quarter of the season.

PICK: Hamilton

RESULT: Hamilton

BC 0 vs. Winnipeg 45: With a quarter of the regular season still yet to play, the Blue Bombers have already clinched the West Division crown… and they did so in highly convincing fashion. Zach Collaros threw three touchdowns and Brady Oliveira scored his first career rushing TD with star Andrew Harris on the shelf for the foreseeable future. The defence absolutely stifled the Lions, sacking Michael Reilly four times, and added a Willie Jefferson pick-six to boot. Finally, the special teams chipped in on the scoring as well, with Janarion Grant scoring a 63-yard punt return TD in the fourth quarter to add further insult to injury. The Lions are in freefall… though their previous losing streak was never going to be much a factor in the outcome of this game anyway.

PICK: Winnipeg

RESULT: Winnipeg

Saskatchewan 20 vs. Calgary 17: Having lost their two previous matchups against the Stampeders this year, the Roughriders finally broke through and got revenge. Not only was it a big victory for Gang Green in general, but this win was also the first time Saskatchewan’s beaten Calgary since the 2018 season. Down 10-6 at the half, Cody Fajardo stepped up through the final two frames and led the way on offence with two touchdowns, including one to Duke Williams, who made his Saskatchewan debut. Williams also recovered Calgary’s onside kick attempt after a late fourth-quarter TD pulled the Stamps to within 3 of the Riders; despite Calgary being up 10-6 at the half, Bo Levi Mitchell was inconsistent yet again, throwing three interceptions against one second-quarter TD strike to receiver Richard Sindani.

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Saskatchewan

BYE: Edmonton (2-7)

WEEK 13 PREVIEWS

Calgary (5-6) vs. Ottawa (2-9), Friday, October 29th, 7:00 PM EST (TSN, ESPN+): Every team is excited to face off against the REDBLACKS right now, and for Calgary, finding themselves a tight playoff race in the West, the timing couldn’t be more ideal. With just a one-game lead over the floundering BC Lions, the Stamps will want to put some additional cushion between them and the Leos for the third seed. Meanwhile, Ottawa, despite somehow not yet being mathematically eliminated yet from the playoffs, will essentially just be playing out the string to the end of the year. With their GM gone, expect to see some significant roster overhauls in Ottawa this offseason… I expect the coaching staff will start to give some looks at some younger guys moving forward. In particular, I hope we get to see more of Duck Hodges at QB in this game… he was mediocre in his debut last week, but hopefully will settle in with some more game reps provided.

PICK: Calgary

Hamilton (5-5) vs. Edmonton (2-7), Friday, October 29th, 9:45 PM EST (TSN, ESPN+): Speaking of another team playing out their schedule, the Elks are screwed. I don’t think Nick Arbuckle will be ready to go just yet for his new team, so I’m expecting another Dakota Prukop/Taylor Cornelius human centipede at QB for Edmonton. After a rough start to the year, Hamilton’s Jeremiah Masoli appears to have found his game again… though reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player Brandon Banks has struggled all year. He’s been on the injured list for a while, but should be ready to go for this game. The Ti-Cats could really use a healthy Speedy B for these last few games, particularly as Montreal continues to surge up the East standings.

PICK: Hamilton

BC (4-6) vs. Toronto (6-4), Saturday, October 30th, 4:00 PM EST (TSN, ESPN+): Toronto didn’t have a great game last week, but they also appear to be a team that struggles against the run. Fortunately for the Double Blue, the Lions are not a running team at all. In fact, their offence has been in the toilet as of recent – particularly if you consider last week’s tilt in Winnipeg. True, the Lions are missing Lucky Whitehead and have both Jevon Cottoy and Lemar Durant banged up right now… but when Michael Reilly is your quarterback, you could probably have a ball boy pick up three catches for 60 yards at a minimum. BC has to figure it out if they want to avoid dropping out of the playoff race altogether.

PICK: Toronto

Saskatchewan (6-4) vs. Montreal (6-4), Saturday, October 30th, 7:00 PM EST (TSN, ESPN+): This one looks like the game of the week right now. After such a strong game from William Stanback last week, I hope the Alouettes continue to engage the run, as it opens up so much of their offence. Saskatchewan gutted out a big win last week over Calgary in part to a strong defensive effort and forcing turnovers; with big-name receiver Duke Williams now getting integrated into the Riders’ offence, one might also hope to see the long ball used effectively here too. Hard to say if Trevor Harris will play just yet – Matthew Shiltz looked really good at QB last week against the Argos, so I can only imagine Khari Jones and his coaching staff will continue to ride the hot hand.

PICK: Saskatchewan

BYE: Winnipeg (10-1)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards

1. Collaros, WPG – 2832
2. Fajardo, SSK – 2326
3. Reilly, BC – 2323

Passing TDs

1. Collaros, WPG – 18
2. Adams, Jr., MTL – 14
3. Fajardo, SSK – 10

Rushing Yards

1. Stanback, MTL – 880
2. Carey, CGY – 681
3. Wilder, EDM – 675

Receiving Yards

1. Lewis, MTL – 815
2. Lawler, WPG – 804
3. Wieneke, MTL – 705

Sacks

1. Jeffcoat, WPG – 9
2. Jefferson, WPG – 7
3. Menard, MTL – 7

Interceptions

1. Brooks, HAM – 4
2. Lawrence, HAM – 3
3. Gainey, SSK – 3

Field Goals

1. Paredes, CGY – 36
2. Lauther, SSK – 29
3. Cote, MTL – 26

PICK POOL

goes 4/4, just like most Blues Brothers tunes. The rest of us need to get it together.

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Enjoy the games, everyone.