Well, July whizzed by. For me at least. Hard to believe the end of the month is already upon us – that means some people are almost halfway through their summer already. I haven’t even had the chance to get out on vacation yet – this needs to be rectified ASAP. Fortunately, I have had time to watch the CFL. If I can’t have vacation, I can at least have football.

In league news this week:

• Jon Ryan’s late-career hot potato continues; after signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats two weeks ago, Ryan was dealt to the Edmonton Elks a couple of days ago in exchange for an eighth-round pick in next year’s CFL Draft. He hasn’t played yet this season – and it’s unclear if he is indeed going to see the field – but special teams depth, and Canadian depth at that, could potentially be useful for the Elks.
• Edmonton also acquired Canadian WR Llevi Noel from the Ottawa REDBLACKS in exchange for a seventh-rounder; Noel has shown some talent based on the snaps he got in preseason, but has also been lost in the shuffle of a strong receiver depth chart in the nation’s capital. Perhaps an opportunity in the West is what he needs to prove himself.
• Ottawa snatched up DE Antonio Simmons yesterday, who was recently released by the Montreal Alouettes.
• Saskatchewan brought back veteran RB Shaq Cooper, who was released after training camp at the start of this season; the American vet has played with BC, Edmonton and Winnipeg in his previous three CFL seasons and hopefully will provide some necessary veteran depth moving forward.
• The Toronto Argonauts signed QB Khalil Tate yesterday following the retirement of Austin Simmons as their #3 guy; Tate will sit behind McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Chad Kelly on the roster.

Onto the games!

WEEK 7 RECAPS

Montreal 40 vs. Ottawa 33: Are the Ottawa REDBLACKS bad? Probably. Are they unlucky? Most definitely. It’s the fifth time in the last six games that they’ve lost by 7 or less – and that’s incredibly frustrating for every single person in the organization – not to mention the fanbase as well. On a night where defences were mostly ineffective, the REDBLACKS gave up a 26-25 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, and had no shortage of chances to try and tie this game up – Caleb Evans had a good night with one TD through the air, and two more on the ground, and engineered two excellent drives to put Ottawa within striking distance with just over two minutes to go. The first score cut Montreal’s lead to seven thanks to Evans punching it in himself from the goal life; after a quick two-and-out from some good pass defence, Darvin Adams dropped what would have been the game-tying score all alone in the endzone… and that was all she wrote for Ottawa. Montreal had a good night, with Trevor Harris throwing two scores and backup Dominique Davis rushing in three scores of his own; the Alouettes jump into second in the East with their second win of the year.

PICK: Ottawa

RESULT: Montreal

Hamilton 12 vs. BC 17: In an uncharacteristically defensive knock-’em-down, drag-’em-out battle, the Lions emerged out of a bye week to keep pace with Calgary for the second spot in the West. BC’s young star Nathan Rourke threw two touchdowns, while RB James Butler had 104 yards from scrimmage. Lucky Whitehead – remember him? – also scored his first TD of the year for BC on a big night, with 8 catches for 111 yards and the aforementioned score. Dane Evans found the end zone once, connecting with Steven Dunbar for the TD in the third quarter, while new kicker Seth Small went 2-3 on field goals; that said, the Tabbies still looked dysfunctional as a unit out on the field – most notably on the offensive side of the ball. Dane Evans only had one interception tonight – but with nine picks on the season already, he still retains the league lead – by one over Nick Arbuckle, who threw a number while belonging to the lowly Edmonton Elks, and by three over Nathan Rourke, who will naturally make mistakes as a young QB. Hamilton should be legitimately concerned by this lack of progress as a unit.

PICK: BC

RESULT: BC

Winnipeg 24 vs. Edmonton 10: It was Winnipeg’s worst game of the year… and they still came away with a road win by two full scores. Zach Collaros had an uncharacteristically tough night, going just 7-16 for 188 yards, two TDs, and two picks… but he was lucky to have a great performance from teammate Dalton Schoen, who led the way with four catches for 146 yards, including a giant 81-yard score. The Bombers’ D once again came to play, sacking Elks QB Taylor Cornelius five times on the night. Edmonton couldn’t find the back of the end zone all evening – and moreover still can’t seem to win a game at home, a serious ongoing struggle to win back fans of the team in light of some truly wretched football these most recent couple of seasons. In a more positive note, this game was broadcast over radio in the Cree language for the very first time in history – a really cool initiative that hopefully might broaden some horizons to the game and its place in the landscape of Canadian society and culture.

PICK: Winnipeg

RESULT: Winnipeg

Toronto 31 vs. Saskatchewan 21: Despite the notable holes in their roster due to injuries and COVID, the Roughriders gave it their all and fought until the bitter end – and until the final six minutes of the game, things were actually looking good for the undermanned home side. Unfortunately, Toronto’s offence not only stepped up in the clutch late in the game (Andrew Harris leading the way with 143 rush yards and McLeod Bethel-Thompson throwing for 336 yards and two TDs), but the defence and special teams came up big as well. After a Boris Bede field goal gave the Argos a 24-21 lead with just 47 seconds, Riders returner Mario Alford fumbled on the kickoff return… and Toronto pounced on the ball, taking it to the house in dramatic fashion for the second straight week. Too bad for Alford – it undid all the hard work he’d put in earlier in the game, including a massive 112-yard return TD off a missed field goal at the end of the first half which gave the Roughriders a 15-11 lead after 30 minutes. Too bad they couldn’t hold onto it – but that’s football for you. There was also some controversy surrounding the overturned strip-sack-and-fumble-return TD by Riders’ DE Charleston Hughes – CFL rules dictate that you cannot bat a ball forward with your hands to advance it out of a strip sack, but rather can only use your feet. In most other codes of football, Hughes’ actions would’ve been fine – but not here in this strange Canadian game of ours.

PICK: Saskatchewan

RESULT: Toronto

BYE: Calgary (4-1)

WEEK 8 PREVIEWS

Montreal (2-4) vs. Hamilton (1-5), Thursday, July 28th, 7:30 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): Hamilton has proooooblems. Turnovers remain the biggest one, however. One more loss and we’ll see big changes coming – considering it’s the last game of the month, I can’t see Tommy Condell making it to August if the Tabbies tank again. Danny Maciocia still hasn’t brought in the discipline he’s spent so much time waxing poetic about in Montreal, but their offence really came to play last week – though it’s weird that Vernon Adams, Jr. has basically vanished into the ether. A trade awaits – but in the meantime, we’ll see what happens. While Hamilton did snag Khari Jones from Montreal’s coaching staff last week, he still has no specific job responsibilities for now – so it’s premature to call this a revenge game at this current juncture. The Tabbies will also be without all-star LB Simoni Lawrence again this week; he’s off the six-game injured list but continues to rehab from a groin injury.

PICK: Montreal

BC (4-1) vs. Saskatchewan (4-3), Friday, July 29th, 9:00 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN2): A lot can change in two weeks in this league. The Riders are dealing with the aftermath of a slide in the standings from some undisciplined play, an injured starting QB, and a sizable COVID outbreak on the roster. Unfortunately, excuses don’t have a long shelf life in pro sports. In a hypercompetitive West this year, Saskatchewan needs to right the ship quickly if they’re to make the playoffs – a crossover berth is still definitely a possibility, but with more intra-division games scheduled between East teams down the stretch, that leg up has the chance to shrink notably soon. Hard to say what the QB situation will be for this one – Cody Fajardo’s knee could still use some time, while Mason Fine had COVID last week, paving the way for Dolegala’s start – perhaps we see Fine in this week as the clear #2 guy. Meanwhile, the Lions have cooled down somewhat since their hot start to the season, but still find ways to win. Nathan Rourke has continued to throw interceptions, but at least he’s consistently made up for those with TD throws – all part of the learning curve of young quarterbacks.

PICK: BC

Winnipeg (7-0) vs. Calgary (4-1), Saturday, July 30th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN2): The Stamps may be dealing with some COVID issues of their own this week; unusual to see the Bombers listed as dogs in any matchup as of recent all the same – even if they are the road team and it’s just by 1.5… Perhaps that illness news might swing the line back again before the start of this game. The Stampeders had a bye week last week, and maximizing your rest against the league’s only remaining undefeated team is essential right now. That said, Winnipeg didn’t look very good last week at all but still found a way to win. Great teams do that consistently. While their run game continues to be inconsistent, it’s been cool to see second-year receiver Dalton Schoen emerge as a star this year – he’s currently the league’s third-leading receiver behind only Jaelon Acklin and Schoen’s own Winnipeg teammate, wily vet Greg Ellingson. The Bombers have a good one there for sure.

PICK: Winnipeg

Ottawa (0-6) vs. Toronto (3-2), Sunday, July 31st, 5:00 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): Surely, Ottawa has to win at some point, right? At some point, the mistakes must stop… But it’s hard to say when, exactly. Since 2019, they are now 6-38. This is now also after wholesale roster, coaching, and front office changes. What’s left to be done? Fire the ticket takers? Even taking into account the fact that all their most recent losses have been incredibly close, heartbreaking ones, it doesn’t matter. This organization is going to have a full-scale fan revolt soon if something doesn’t change. Toronto has consistently been a thorn in the REDBLACKS’ side these past few years – and with their overall prolonged home success at BMO Field, I don’t see that changing just yet. There’s no doubt they remain a flawed team – but their run D means business, and McBeth has been making his throws when it counts the most. Andrew Harris has also found his game as of recent – last week’s contest that saw him crack the 10K rush yards mark was a tidy piece of work.

PICK: Toronto

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards 

1. Collaros, WPG – 1724
2. Evans, HAM – 1720
3. Rourke, BC – 1605

Passing TDs

1. Rourke, BC – 14
2. Collaros, WPG – 11
3. Evans, HAM – 8

Rushing Yards

1. Morrow, SSK – 437
2. Harris, TOR – 407
3. Carey, CGY – 379

Receiving Yards

1. Acklin, OTT – 543
2. Ellingson, WPG – 518
3. Schoen, WPG – 503

Sacks

1. Robertson, SSK – 7
2. Mauldin, OTT – 6
3. Lanier, SSK – 4

Interceptions

1. Marshall, SSK – 3
2. Peters, BC – 3
3. Taylor, WPG – 3

Field Goals

1. Lauther, SSK – 21
2. Castillo, EDM – 18
3. Paredes, CGY – 16

PICK POOL

Nobody worse than .500 this week, but it was clearly BC Dick’s week to shine, as he was the only one to be perfect in his selections this week! Congrats to you.

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

Enjoy the games, everyone.