As we move into mid-July, we’ve got one more week to go until we’re a third of the way through the regular season. No wonder that this is time where we start to see some notable shakeups happening. As a REDBLACKS fan myself, significant change is in the air, so I’ll have to learn how to better deal with the circumstances of this change just as the team will need to do on the field. At any rate, some good football to look forward to all the same.

In league news this week:

• With the news that Jeremiah Masoli is likely out for the next 10-12 weeks thanks to the leg injury he suffered in last week’s game against Saskatchewan, the Ottawa REDBLACKS traded their 2023 fourth-round pick in exchange for Elks QB Nick Arbuckle. Things really have come full circle with Ottawa and Arbuckle; the REDBLACKS traded for him in early 2020 before the season was wiped out, and he was released in early 2021 without playing a game when he and the team couldn’t come to an agreement on restructuring his contract. After spending 2021 split between the Argos and Elks, Arbuckle is still looking to establish himself as a true starting QB in the CFL; after failing to win the job both in Toronto and Edmonton, Arbuckle’s name has lost a little bit of its shine after he won a Grey Cup in 2018 as Bo Levi Mitchell’s backup in Calgary. However, at 28, he’s still young enough that there’s a little time left to turn things around, and the REDBLACKS, with all of their talented receivers on the roster, might be one of the best possible spots he could land.
• Speaking of the Masoli fallout, Roughriders DL Garrett Marino received a four-game suspension for his conduct last week against Ottawa – the biggest penalty ever given out as a result of a player’s actions in a single game. Marino gets two games for his reckless tackle of Masoli, one for the racial slurs he spouted at him in taunting him afterwards, and one other for a different illegal hit on a REDBLACKS offensive lineman. Absolutely ridiculous stuff from Marino – and it was interesting to hear Alouettes QB Trevor Harris on former CFL receiver Natey Adjei’s podcast state earlier this week that he felt that Marino should be suspended without pay for the remainder of the season. Can’t really say I disagree, honestly – a refreshing bit of candidness from a CFL player. Marino’s apology to Masoli, released yesterday through the Roughriders official Twitter account, rings a little hollow.
• The Hamilton Tiger-Cats signed former Saskatchewan Roughrider (and NFLer) Jon Ryan this week to punt for them; Ryan recently turned 40, and as a Super Bowl champ and CFL All-Star, a Grey Cup might be the perfect for him to wind down his impressive 16-year pro football career. The Ti-Cats also signed K Seth Small to compete with current kicker Michael Domagala, who’s had a wildly inconsistent start to the year. They also released Canadian RB Maleek Irons.
• The Montreal Alouettes signed LB Micah Awe, who was released from BC last week; Awe is an excellent middle linebacker who was unfortunately in a numbers game on the Lions roster, as their two other ILBs are not only really talented, but also Canadians, giving them the inside edge on starting jobs. Expect to see Awe in Montreal’s lineup soon – he’s a great addition to the defence, and with Tre Watson traded away last week for several conduct incidents with the team, Awe could very well slot into Watson’s old spot.
• Touchdown Atlantic is rolling into town in tiny, picturesque Wolfville, Nova Scotia this weekend, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Toronto Argonauts at Raymond Field, home of the Acadia Axemen USports football program. Raymond Field, a 3000-seat stadium that consistently packs the house for the football and women’s rugby programs, will receive 7000 temporary seats to help accommodate the larger crowd. You couldn’t ask for a much more picturesque setting for a football game; for those of you who’ve not had the chance to visit God’s Country, the view of Cape Blomidon as the highway crests over the top of hill and enters the Annapolis Valley is one of the most gorgeous views of any place on this entire planet. Wolfville’s an absolutely fantastic town that I love dearly, and I think as a one-off event to try and further grow the CFL brand across the country, this is a great way to do it. As much as I’d love to see the Atlantic Schooners come to fruition and enter the league soon, the current political climate in the Maritimes stacks the odds against them for as long as they continue to search for taxpayer money to build an appropriate stadium. It’s reasonable to say that Touchdown Atlantic somewhat tokenizes the CFL experience a little bit, but with previous games held in Moncton, New Brunswick (population 160,000) and Halifax, Nova Scotia (population 465,000), this game, staged in a town of just 4,000 year-round residents, is going to feel far, far different – in a really good way, I think.
  • As fortune favours it, I will, against all odds, be in the province this weekend… but unable to see the game. My family is having a celebration of life of my recently departed grandfather, and as cool as it would be to see this game in Lady Maestro’s hometown with her family, my own family clearly comes first here. It’ll be the first time in years that all 40+ of us will be under the same roof at once, and I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone. Grampy was a legend in his 93 years on this earth, and I’m immensely proud to be related to him; with six kids, 13 grandkids, and 13 great-grandkids, there will be lots to celebrate. (To make this anecdote further football-related: one year, when the TV went out in the middle of the Grey Cup game, he rushed out of the house to buy a new one and had it set up and ready to go before the second half kicked off. Hilarious, and fantastic. Miss you always.)

Onto the games!

WEEK 5 RECAPS

Calgary 49 vs. Edmonton 6: For the second time in three weeks, the Stampeders came out on top over the Elks – and it was a good old-fashioned beatdown in this one. Emerging star receiver Malik Henry had 150 yards on just six grabs – one of which he took to the house on an 89-yard catch-and-run – while RB Ka’Deem Carey cracked the century mark for the first time this year. Rookie RB Peyton Logan also had himself a game, with five carries for 45 yards and a score, and he added an absolutely monstrous 122-yard return TD on a missed Edmonton field goal in the third quarter. The hits just keep coming for the Elks – QB Tre Ford suffered a shoulder injury in just his second CFL start, so it was up to Nick Arbuckle and Kai Locksley to split the snaps for the remainder of the game. An incoherent mess for the Elks – and I expect more roster turnover to come even after the Arbuckle trade they made this week.

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Calgary

Ottawa 13 vs. Saskatchewan 28: A complete team win by the Riders was marred by a late, dirty hit by DL Garrett Marino when he went low for Jeremiah Masoli’s ankles. After bringing him down and rolling on Masoli’s legs, he got up taunting him, and also spouted a number of racial slurs at him. Even his own teammates and coaches felt he crossed the line – and as previously mentioned in this week’s Beat, he’ll be on the shelf for the next four games as a result of his idiocy. All fourth-quarter antics aside, the Riders had a good game, with Cody Fajardo very efficient with two TDs and 231 yards passing on 17-22 completions; both Saskatchewan RBs, Jamal Morrow and Frankie Hickson, also had really strong games.

PICK: Saskatchewan

RESULT: Saskatchewan

Winnipeg 43 vs. BC 22: We so looked forward to this game all last week, and it was over by the end of the first quarter when Winnipeg already had a 21-0 lead. The Bombers are just a force to be reckoned with – this was their best offensive showing of the season, and BC’s defence just couldn’t contain Zach Collaros, who passed for three TDs, including two rookie to rookie WR Dalton Schoen. Facing some strong defensive pressure from the league’s top unit, Lions’ pivot Nathan Rourke threw two picks in this game, but still managed three touchdowns on 278 yards passing, including an impressive 66-yard connection with Josh Pearson. The Lions are still a very good team – but they’re not at Winnipeg’s level just yet. Frankly, I don’t think any other team is right now.

PICK: BC

RESULT: Winnipeg

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

WEEK 6 PREVIEWS

Edmonton (1-4) vs. Montreal (1-3), Thursday, July 14th, 7:30 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): With Nick Arbuckle gone and Tre Ford injured, Taylor Cornelius will be activated for the first time this season and start against the Alouettes. Cornelius played a number of games down the stretch last year for the Elks after Trevor Harris was traded, but looked quite unimpressive – regardless, the situation at quarterback is now quite thin for the Elks. Expect some signings to come soon to address this issue if Ford isn’t back from his shoulder injury soon. This is also going to be the first game under Danny Maciocia as head coach after Khari Jones and DC Barron Miles were let go last week. If the team can be more disciplined, as Maciocia explicitly stated, they have the chance to turn around their season in short order – and a game against the lowly Elks could be just what the doctor ordered to bring back some confidence in La Belle Province. One other fun note is that QB coach Anthony Calvillo – himself an Alouettes legend at quarterback and the CFL’s all-time passing yards leader – will be calling the plays this week for the first time. Could be fun.

PICK: Montreal

Calgary (4-0) vs. Winnipeg (5-0), Friday, July 15th, 8:30 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): This is another fun matchup between two undefeated teams; the Stampeders may have put up 49 points last week, but the Bombers put up 44 – against a much, much better opponent in BC, to boot. Going into IG Field and winning is virtually impossible for any team right now – my money’s on the home side once again. A fun stat I learned last week – Zach Collaros has lost just two meaningful games since joining the Blue Bombers in 2019. Two. That’s incredible. All we can hope for is that both teams can bring their offensive A game and entertain us, at the minimum. What Winnipeg is doing right now is well and truly remarkable.

PICK: Winnipeg

Saskatchewan (4-1) vs. Toronto (1-2), Saturday, July 16th, 2:00 PM EDT – Raymond Field, Wolfville, NS (TSN, ESPN+): The Boatmen may somewhat feel at home in a stadium that sees cold salt air come whipping over the low-lying dikes of the Minas Basin – but even after coming off a week of rest, they’re going to be in for a tough time against a very complete Riders team. That said, Gang Green will be missing DL Garrett Marino for myriad reasons previously mentioned, as well as Pete Robertson, the CFL’s sack leader, who’s expected to be out 4-5 weeks with a foot injury also sustained in last week’s game. Toronto’s D has actually been fairly good to start the year, but they need to figure things out on offense in short order – if Montreal can wake up soon, the Argos are soon going to lose the division lead. Hell, is it truly fair to call yourself a division leader when you’ve literally won a single game this season? At least there’s few distractions to be had in small-town Wolfville, so both teams should play some good football – unless they happen to take over the Anvil Pub one night. Bring your ‘Vil shoes – don’t let your good ones get trashed from the sticky floor.

PICK: Saskatchewan

Ottawa (0-4) vs. Hamilton (0-4), Sunday, July 17th, 5:00 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): The Battle of the Basement, coming to you live from Tim Hortons Field. The Tiger-Cats can’t stop turning over the ball, while the REDBLACKS need to make sure they can regroup as a team after the frustrating loss of their star QB last week. New REDBLACK Nick Arbuckle probably won’t play in this game – I would expect to see Caleb Evans start at QB this one – and if that’s the case, I’ll be interested to see what he can do as a player now that he has some really good receiver and an offensive line that’s not made out of papier-maché, as he was working with an empty cupboard last season following injuries to both Matt Nichols and Dominique Davis. For Hamilton, the winning formula is really, really easy: protect the football, and the rest will come.

PICK: Hamilton

BYE: BC (3-1)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards 

1. Rourke, BC – 1355
2. Collaros, WPG – 1221
3. Fajardo, SSK – 1204

Passing TDs

1. Rourke, BC – 12
2. Collaros, WPG – 7
3. Mitchell, CGY – 6

Rushing Yards

1. Morrow, SSK – 335
2. Carey, CGY – 269
3. Butler, BC – 243

Receiving Yards

1. Henry, CGY – 388
2. Rhymes, BC – 371
3. Ellingson, WPG – 366

Sacks

1. Robertson, SSK – 7
2. Lanier, SSK – 4
3. Leonard, SSK – 3

Interceptions

1. Marshall, SSK – 3
2. Taylor, WPG – 3
3. Moncrief, SSK – 3

Field Goals

1. Lauther, SSK – 15
2. Castillo, EDM – 13
3. Cote, MTL – 13

PICK POOL

Litre refuses to be denied a third straight pick pool championship. Just like his beloved Blue Bombers, he’s still the class of this establishment.

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

Enjoy the games, everyone.