After one month of games thus far, the 2022 season has thrown us several curveballs already. Who saw Hamilton being this atrocious? Who saw TWO Canadians starting at QB this year? Who saw such a ridiculous imbalance in records across divisions? Things will most certainly stabilize a little more in the months to come, but it’s been a rather strange ride thus far.

In league news this week:

• In a really surprising shakeup yesterday, Montreal fired head coach Khari Jones and his defensive coordinator Barron Miles; Danny Maciocia, the team’s current GM, and Noel Thorpe, who served as the Als’ DC from 2012-2017 and has lived in the city for over a decade even while coaching in Ottawa and Edmonton, will take over as HC and DC, respectively. I think this is somewhat of a rash move – I think the Alouettes have been recipients of some bad luck as well as inconsistent play – but with Gary Stern showing himself to be quite the involved owner compared to Bob Wetenhall, the previous guy, it’s safe to say that the orders change came from the very top of the org chart. That said, discipline has somewhat been an issue over these last few years for the Alouettes, so maybe this is a net positive in the long run. I’m not holding my breath, however.
• Montreal also released LB Tre Watson earlier this week in a surprise move earlier this week, but he was quickly snapped up by the Edmonton Elks. Allegations of “conflict” with unnamed Alouettes team personnel may have driven the move, but the rumour mill continues to churn.
• Montreal also traded kick returner Mario Alford to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick in next year’s CFL Draft; with Chandler Worthy on a tear as of recent, Alford found himself as the odd man out on the Alouettes’ special teams.
• The Elks, in a move designed to re-ignite community interest in the team, announced that admission for all fans 12 and under will be free of charge for the rest of the season. Guess they hope the kids’ll crack open their piggy banks for 50/50 draws for the rest of the year?
• Toronto will get All-Star LB Chris Edwards back sooner than expected; in the aftermath of a tumultuous East Final last year against Hamilton, Edwards was suspended six games for fighting with fans in the stands at BMO Field following the Argos’ loss. An arbitration ruling from the league reduced his suspension to three games, finding that the fans in question had in fact provoked the incident in the first place; in a related move, the CFL also announced a new Fan Code of Conduct that is intended to more strictly govern behaviour of all those in attendance at games.
• Legendary Bombers QB Jim Van Pelt passed away on Wednesday at age 86; he led the team to the 1958 Grey Cup, which I wrote about here a couple of years ago. Van Pelt’s short but illustrious CFL career saw him set records, going 20-5 as a starter while throwing 40 touchdowns and 25 interceptions on 4151 passing yards at a 54.3% completion rate – which were good numbers in the 1950s. Van Pelt was also a West Division All-Star in 1959, the same year in which he set a CFL record by throwing six TDs in a game, which lasted until 1962 when Joe Zuger threw eight. Van Pelt also had the single-player point scoring record in a Grey Cup game from 1958 through to 1977, thanks in part to his throwing two touchdowns and kicking two field goals and four converts singlehandedly. Van Pelt’s pro football career when he was drafted into the USAF in 1959, but one wonders what he could’ve been if he’d stuck around longer.

Onto the games!

WEEK 4 RECAPS

BC 34 vs. Ottawa 31: Ottawa’s offence woke up for the first time in 2022, and the D forced Lions QB Nathan Rourke into three turnovers… and it still wasn’t enough to contain the white-hot Lions offence, who improve to a perfect 3-0 on the season. Despite the interceptions and fumble recovery, all courtesy of REDBLACKS DB Money Hunter, Rourke still electrified the crowd by going 23-31 for 359 yards, two TDs, and a rushing score. RB James Butler also had 129 total yards and two scores on the night. Despite falling to 0-3, the REDBLACKS hung in there, going for the onside kick to try and retain possession after a late TD from Jeremiah Masoli to Darvin Adams; unfortunately, it was unsuccessful. Too little, too late – and despite a much better game than in Week 2, the REDBLACKS still have nothing to show for their effort.

PICK: BC

RESULT: BC

Edmonton 29 vs. Hamilton 25: In a surprise move, rookie Canadian QB Tre Ford got his first-ever CFL start. Ford, a four-year starter at the University of Waterloo and two-time winner of the Hec Creighton trophy as the best player in Canadian university football, was projected to be more of a project at QB despite his accolades as a university player… and despite the gamble on Chris Jones’ part, the move paid off for the Elks. Hamilton was up 22-9 in the third quarter with the Elks looking out of sorts once more, though Lawrence Woods got Edmonton on the board with a cracking 72-yard punt return TD earlier in the game; as the second half marched on… the Tiger-Cats just disintegrated once again. Dane Evans was a tire fire yet again at quarterback, with two costly interceptions that gave the Elks 10 points, tying the game in the fourth; to cap it all off, with less than two minutes to go, the Elks forced Dane Evans to fumble deep in his own zone, where DB Jalen Collins scooped up the ball and sealed the game for Edmonton.

PICK: Hamilton

RESULT: Edmonton

Montreal 20 vs. Saskatchewan 41: One week after the Alouettes defence feasted on Cody Fajardo and his offensive line, the Roughriders returned the favour to Trevor Harris and his Montreal teammates. The Riders D had two picks, two recovered fumbles, and six sacks as the home side thoroughly shut the door in a revenge game. Cody Fajardo, playing in a knee brace, had two touchdowns through the air and another on the ground to go with 18-29 completions and 224 pass yards, while RB Jamal Morrow had 16 carries for 103 yards a major as well. The Alouettes had only a single offensive touchdown all night despite carrying a 13-11 lead into the half, with #2 RB Walter Fletcher scoring in the fourth quarter long after Saskatchewan had cracked the game wide open. Chandler did have a nice return TD for the Als once again, taking the ball 84 yards to the house to put Montreal up 10-7 towards the end of the first quarter. That said, what a difference a week makes in the CFL – the Riders meant business in this one, especially in the second half.

PICK: Montreal

RESULT: Saskatchewan

Winnipeg 23 vs. Toronto 22: Winnipeg was lucky to win this one. Just a few weeks after a shanked Montreal kick gave the Argos the W in their home opener, Toronto was on the receiving end of bad kicking karma this time around. After McLeod Bethel-Thompson found Markeith Ambles for a TD with less than a minute to play, Boris Bede just had to make an extra point to send the game to overtime. And he missed left. What a gut punch for Toronto, who were down 17-3 at the half, and who apparently had a few players fighting each other on the sidelines at one point… they showed remarkable chemistry to pull together and overcome a two-score deficit with time winding down. Also feel terrible for Bede, who virtually never misses those extra points. Ghosts of CNE Stadium at work?

PICK: Winnipeg

RESULT: Winnipeg

BYE: Calgary (3-0)

WEEK 5 PREVIEWS

Calgary (3-0) vs. Edmonton (1-3), Thursday, July 7th, 9:00 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): In a short week, Round 2 of the Battle of Alberta kicks off the schedule; Calgary won the previous matchup in Week 3 by a score of 30-23 thanks to a strong push late in the previous game. As the Elks’ roster continues to take shape, we’ll see what new looks emerge on field – fresh off his first CFL start, and win, expect to see Tre Ford under centre once again – though who knows exactly how long of a leash he’s got. The Stampeders remain undefeated, and while playing on the road for this one, still have the added benefit of a week of rest thanks to the bye they just had – I expect all the horsepower to come rumbling through the provincial capital.

PICK: Calgary

Ottawa (0-3) vs. Saskatchewan (3-1), Friday, July 8th, 9:30 PM EDT (TSN, ESPNews): The REDBLACKS’ early schedule has done them precisely zero favours thus far. When you have two games against the Bombers and one against the Lions – arguably the league’s top two teams this year – it’s hard to compare an 0-3 record compared to their similar winless cousins in Hamilton. There is absolutely hope on the horizon – but this early schedule has been absolutely crushing. This game won’t be any easier – the Roughriders have played great at home thus far this year, and coming off a thorough thumping of the Alouettes last week appear to be finding their groove as a team. Could Ottawa be the best 0-4 team the CFL has ever seen? Honestly, as a REDBLACKS fan it pains me to see them like this… but yes.

PICK: Saskatchewan

Winnipeg (4-0) vs. BC (3-0), Saturday, July 9th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, ESPNews): Now this is gonna be must-watch TV. Back-to-back champs up against the new upstart division rivals – and both teams are undefeated. Winnipeg hasn’t looked perfect this year – but they’ve still found ways to win when it matters most. Also, they’ve gotten some incredible luck thus far too – but you have to be good to be lucky in the first place. The Lions are back at home, and while there’s no concert for this game, I hope the matchup will drive fan attendance here. After three games this year, Nathan Rourke really, truly looks like the real deal. One more solid game from him and I think it’s time for Lions fans to be really, really excited for the future ahead – not to mention the present.

PICK: BC

BYE: Hamilton (0-4), Toronto (1-2), Montreal (1-3)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards 

1. Evans, HAM – 1081
2. Rourke, BC – 1077
3. Fajardo, SSK – 973

Passing TDs

1. Rourke, BC – 9
2. Evans, HAM – 5
3. Mitchell, CGY – 4

Rushing Yards

1. Morrow, SSK – 257
2. Harris, TOR – 225
3. Butler, BC – 210

Receiving Yards

1. Lewis, MTL – 359
2. T. White, HAM – 297
3. Hatcher, BC – 289

Sacks

1. Robertson, SSK – 7
2. Lanier, SSK – 4
3. Lemon, CGY – 3

Interceptions

1. Taylor, WPG – 3
2. Moncrief, SSK – 3
3. Hunter, OTT – 3

Field Goals

1. Cote, MTL – 13
2. Domagala, HAM – 12
3. Lauther, SSK – 12

PICK POOL

Once again, I am the dipshit idiot who forgot to hit the “Submit” button after making picks last week. And that’ll probably do it for my chances to win this stupid pool. Can you believe that for the guy who’s supposed to be the Beat writer and league expert, I’m just so unbelievably bad at gambling?

Also, congrats on the perfect week, GTD!

Remember to submit your picks here! https://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=205786

Enjoy the games, everyone.