We’re now just a week away from the kickoff to the 2023 CFL season! Last week, I previewed the four teams from the CFL’s East Division – Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto; this week I’ll be bringing you a quick overview of each of the five West Division teams. Reminder as well to those who are interested – the weekly pick ’em pool is linked below, if you feel like predicting game matchups this season – PoolTracker also has a web app for phones and desktops available here!

https://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=221760

In league news this week:

• The Toronto Argonauts are celebrating their 150th anniversary this year – they’re the longest-running sports franchise in North American history that has not changed its name once. This season-long celebration, which will also celebrate their Grey Cup win from last year, also some features some funky new powder blue uniforms and helmets, which surprisingly look really sharp, especially compared to some of the league’s more modern uniform designs in the last few years. The team also plans to induct former QB Damon Allen and former receiver Mookie Mitchell into the list of All-Time Argos, the first addition ssince cross-border legend Doug Flutie was inducted back in 2017.
• The BC Lions hired long-time CFL coach Mike Benevides to take over as their special teams coordinator due to Don Yanowsky having some urgent family matters that came up. This is a great hire for the Lions, as Benevides has a long history of success with the team, having won Grey Cups in 2006 and 2011 as STC and DC, and even compiling a winning record in his three-season stint as head coach of the team from 2012-2014. Special teams has been a weak spot for BC in recent seasons, and I think that he has a ton to offer the team.

I’ll be getting back to doing full league-wide news next week as the season kicks off; tune in June 8th to catch the first matchups of Week 1, 2023! And now, onto the main event.

BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS

Founded: 1954

Home Stadium: BC Place, Vancouver, BC (54,500)

Grey Cups: 6 (1964, 1985, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2011)

2022 Record: 12-6, second in West Division;

GM: Neil McEvoy and Rick Campbell

Head Coach: Rick Campbell

Starting QB: Vernon Adams, Jr.

Famous Alumni:

• Doug Flutie, QB
• Joe Kapp, QB (once fought Ti-Cats defensive lineman Angelo Mosca at an alumni banquet when they were in their 70s!)
• Austin Collie, WR
• Jim “Dirty Thirty” Young, WR/RB (first Canadian Interuniversity Sport [CIS] player drafted to the NFL – Minnesota Vikings, 1965, from Queen’s University. Also a great nickname, though I don’t know where it comes from.)
• Cameron Wake, DE

Fun Facts: One of the main rivals of the BC Lions is actually the Montreal Alouettes, clear across the other side of the country; the two teams have a long-running Labour Day series that is similar to the game traditionally played between Toronto and Hamilton that same weekend. The Lions are also the first team from Western Canada to win a Grey Cup at home, in 1994, and also the only team to beat an American-based team in a Grey Cup, also in 1994 against the Baltimore Stallions.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: Last year was all about the emergence of Canadian superstar quarterback Nathan Rourke. Despite playing only half the season due to a Lisfranc injury, he took the CFL by storm and shattered passing records, delighting Lions fans in their most enjoyable season in a number of years. Unfortunately for BC fans, besides Rourke’s injury, he actually ended up playing too well. Rourke signed a contract with the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars in the off-season to compete for Trevor Lawrence’s back-up job; while great for him as an individual, it does rob the league of further marketing of a true Canadian superstar quarterback that the league arguably hasn’t seen since Russ Jackson led the Ottawa Rough Riders to multiple titles in the 1960s. Despite Rourke being gone, team owner Amar Doman has continued to work hard to rebuild the status of the team in the Lower Mainland, and besides all the fan-forward marketing going on, the actual team itself is looking pretty good once again. Vernon Adams, Jr. is not Nathan Rourke – nobody is – and while his 2022 start was so-so, he showed he’s an elite quarterback back in 2021 when the Montreal Alouettes had a dynamite dual-threat offence with him as play-caller. The Lions also lose elite receiver Bryan Burnham to retirement – but with Lucky Whitehead, Dominique Rhymes and Jevon Cottoy on the roster, BC remains flush with pass-catchers. Losing shifty RB James Butler also changes the run game – he was a force to be reckoned with last year. The Lions aren’t nearly as good as their 2022 selves – but they still appear to be a pretty solid squad overall.

Key Additions: LB Jordan Herdman-Reed (FA); QB Dane Evans, Dominique Davis (FA); DB Mike Jones (FA)

Key Subtractions: QB Nathan Rourke (released to NFL); RB James Butler (FA); LB Kevin Francis (FA); DB Delvin Breaux (FA); WR Bryan Burnham (retired)

2023 Record Prediction: 10-8

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

Founded: 1945

Home Stadium: McMahon Stadium, Calgary, AB (35,400)

Grey Cups: 8 (1948, 1971, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2008, 2014, 2018)

2022 Record: 12-6, third in West Division; lost in West semifinal to Saskatchewan

GM: Dave Dickenson

Head Coach: Dave Dickenson

Starting QB: Jake Maier

Famous Alumni:

• Doug Flutie, QB (won the 1992 Grey Cup as the starter)
• Jeff Garcia, QB (played 1994-98, won the 1998 Grey Cup, and was a 4-time All-Star before jumping to the San Francisco 49ers)
• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, LB (was on the 1995 practise roster)

Fun Facts: The 1948 Stampeders are the only professional Canadian football team to ever have a perfect season, when they went 12-0 and won the Grey Cup in Toronto against the Ottawa Rough Riders; the celebrations were so epic that they had a giant pancake breakfast on the steps of Toronto’s City Hall and even rode horses through the lobby of that city’s famous Royal York hotel.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: With the question of two-time MOP and Grey Cup winning QB Bo Levi Mitchell’s succession plan now seemingly solved for good, the Stamps can get back to challenging for division titles once again. Jake Maier, now in his third year in the league, has fantastic arm strength and a strong ability to improvise in a collapsing pocket. He rightfully won the starter’s job from Mitchell last year, who struggled in his return from a shoulder surgery, and with the quarterback question no longer an issue, the team can focus on finding an identity in the post-Mitchell era. A good place to start? More focus on RB Ka’Deem Carey, who led the league in rushing yards last year in a big, punishing north-south rumbling manner. Head coach Dave Dickenson, long considered one of the best in the league, is also adding GM responsibilities to his portfolio this year, as his predecessor John Hufnagel, the team’s current president of football ops, once did. While the Stamps haven’t won a title since 2018, they still remain the class of the league – the last two decades have been heady times to be a fan of Calgary’s team. All the same, with the West once again loading up, they’ll have some work to do.

Key Additions: LB Micah Awe (FA); DL Julian Howsare (FA); DB Nick Taylor (FA)

Key Subtractions: QB Bo Levi Mitchell (trade); DL Folarin Orimolade (FA), Shawn Lemon (FA, then released); LB Jameer Thurman (FA); DB Trumaine Washington (released), WR Richie Sindani (FA)

2023 Record Prediction: 11-7

EDMONTON ELKS

Founded: 1949

Home Stadium: Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, AB (56,302)

Grey Cups: 14 (1954, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2005, 2015)

2022 Record: 4-14, fifth in West Division; missed playoffs

GM: Chris Jones

Head Coach: Chris Jones

Starting QB: Taylor Cornelius

Famous Alumni:

• Warren Moon, QB (longtime Houston Oilers QB and 5-time Grey Cup winner, 2-time Grey Cup MOP, 1983 CFL MOP)
• Joe Anoa’i, DT (now famous as current WWE superstar Roman Reigns)
• Henry “Gizmo” Williams, RB (5’6″, 185 lbs, a forerunner to Darren Sproles & Devin Hester – one of the greatest kick returners in CFL history with 31 kick return touchdowns – 26 punts, 2 kickoffs, and 3 on missed FGs)
• Chris Getzlaf, WR (brother of NHL Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf)
• Willie Pless, LB (greatest defensive player in the history of the CFL; five-time Best Defensive Player, 11-time all-star, Grey Cup winner, and the league’s all-time leading tackler with 1241)

Fun Facts: The Elks won 5 straight Grey Cups between 1978-82, and this streak of dominance is considered to be the best that the CFL and all of Canadian football has ever seen in its history. The team also made the playoffs in 34 consecutive years between 1972-2005, a feat no other team has equalled in any North American pro sports league. Commonwealth Stadium is the largest stadium in the CFL, and is also the traditional home of the Canadian national soccer teams due to its size and its use of a real grass field until 2009.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt:  Last year’s 4-14 record doesn’t really do justice of the current nadir the Elks franchise is experiencing. The team hasn’t won a home game since 2019 – that’s 17 consecutive home dates with no victories. That’s abominable. Fans have every right to be upset. But, despite that current awful mark, there’s some hope on the horizon. Head coach and GM Chris Jones used the sorry state of the team to completely tear down the roster last year, and in doing, has rebuilt virtually everything. The defence did give up the most points in the league by a large margin last year, but a significant portion of that had to do with how they were on the field for so much time each game thanks to the offence having basically nothing going for it. This year, Jones has brought in a few big hitters, including elite receiver Eugene Lewis out of Montreal, to help this Edmonton team the swagger it’s been lacking for several seasons now. I have little doubt in my mind that this team is going to better than it was last year, in part that it is truly hard to be much worse than they were last year, but also because Chris Jones, for better or for worse, has turned around every CFL franchise he’s ever been in charge of (though his loyalty to the league certainly remains suspect, particularly after the snafu of his departure from Saskatchewan in 2019, leaving his HC/GM job for the Cleveland Browns just one week after he’d signed a two-year contract extension with the organization). The Elks literally have to be better this year, or fans may honestly never, ever return to Commonwealth Stadium ever again – a death knell in a gate-driven league like the CFL.

Key Additions: WR Eugene Lewis, Steven Dunbar, Kyran Moore (FA); LB Kevin Francis (FA); OL Josiah St. John (FA); K Michael Domagala (FA)

Key Subtractions: WR Derel Walker, Kenny Lawler (FA); RB Ante Milanovic-Litre (FA); DB Duron Carter, Treston Decoud (released); OL Tony Washington (released)

2022 Record Prediction: 7-11

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

Founded: 1910

Home Stadium: Mosaic Stadium, Regina, SK (33,000, expandable to 40,000)

Grey Cups: 4 (1966, 1989, 2007, 2013)

2021 Record: 6-12, fourth in West Division; missed playoffs

GM: Jeremy O’Day

Head Coach: Craig Dickenson

Starting QB: Trevor Harris

Famous Alumni: 

• Ron Lancaster, QB/DE (led Riders to the 1966 Grey Cup; 4 time CFL All-Star, 2-time CFL MOP)
• George Reed, RB (9-time CFL All-Star, 1965 CFL MOP, CFL record-holder for rushing TDs with 134)
• Kent Austin, QB (won the 1989 Grey Cup as the Riders’ starter and served as OC in 2007; later served as Hamilton’s HC from 2013-17)

Fun Facts: The Roughriders are one of only two CFL teams currently owned by community shareholders. They are the #3 overall sports team in Canada in merchandise sales, behind only the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. Until 2013, you could joke about my alma mater, the Queen’s University Golden Gaels (Kingston, ON) having won the same number of Grey Cups (3) as the Roughriders, despite not playing for the trophy since the 1920s. Finally, it’s very easy to upset Ottawa fans about the Rough Riders/Roughriders controversy of the 20th century, especially since Saskatchewan lawyers blocked the new expansion team in Ottawa from taking their old name back (WE HAD IT FIRST, DAMMIT!).

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: The Roughriders are at a crossroads right now. Last season started off promising and ended absolutely brutally, going 4-1, before backsliding to lose every other game save two, including seven consecutive losses to end the year. It’s the first time the team missed the playoffs since the 2016 season; the offence was limited, with QB Cody Fajardo unable to make basic throws (which was due to some poor O-line play), but moreover, the biggest issue prevalent throughout the year was the lack of discipline the team showed. Former pass rusher Garrett Marino was undoubtedly the worst example of this issue (knocking Jeremiah Masoli out for the year on a low, late, dirty hit, followed by some racial slurs, which caught him a four game ban… not to mention multiple other fines for different dirty plays as soon as he returned), but as much as his suspension is often looked as the symbolic turning point of the season, the rest of the team similarly didn’t hold it together down the stretch. It’s probably fair to say that all the coaching staff should’ve lost their jobs as opposed to merely OC Jason Maas, but with a coaching and football ops salary cap in place in the CFL, the team probably wouldn’t have been able to fit paying multiple HCs under the number this season. It’s Craig Dickenson’s final year on his deal, as it is for GM Jeremy O’Day. If the team can’t rebound, both won’t be back. That said, the organization is keenly aware of its weaknesses; picking up Trevor Harris from Montreal is a good upgrade at QB over Cody Fajardo, and while there haven’t been many established CFL free agent offensive linemen this year, the team has looked elsewhere to try and bring some talent in to improve from their league-worst 77 sacks surrendered last year. They will probably be better, but it still not may be enough in this cut-throat division.

Key Additions: QB Trevor Harris (FA); WR Derel Walker, Jake Wieneke, Juwan Brescacin, Shawn Bane (FA); OL Peter Godber (FA), DL Micah Johnson

Key Subtractions: QB Cody Fajardo (FA); WR Shaq Evans, Duke Williams (FA); RB Shaq Cooper (FA); DE Charleston Hughes (FA); OL Josiah St. John, Dan Clark (FA), DB Nick Marshall (FA)

2023 Record Prediction: 9-9

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Founded: 1930

Home Stadium: Investors Group Field, Winnipeg, MB (33,500)

Grey Cups: 12 (1935, 1939, 1941, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1984, 1988, 1990, 2019, 2021)

2022 Record: 15-3, first in West Division; lost Grey Cup to Toronto

GM: Kyle Walters

Head Coach: Mike O’Shea

Starting QB: Zach Collaros

Famous Alumni: 

• Milt Stegall, WR (played 3 seasons in the NFL for the Bengals before coming north to Winnipeg, where he holds the CFL record for all-time touchdowns with 144; also a 9-time CFL All-Star but never won a Grey Cup)
• Tom Clements, QB (won 1976 Grey Cup with the Ottawa Rough Riders, as well as the 1984 Grey Cup with the Bombers; currently serving as the Green Bay Packers’ assistant head coach)
• Bud Grant, Head Coach (4x Grey Cup champ as Bombers’ leader, and later coached the Minnesota Vikings for 18 years and won the 1969 NFL championship)

Fun Facts: The Blue Bombers are owned by a community-based collective, in extremely similar fashion to the Green Bay Packers, and are the second of two CFL teams still with this model of ownership. They were also the first team not from Ontario or Quebec to win a Grey Cup, with their initial 1935 victory. The Bombers have the most Grey Cup game appearances of any CFL team, with 25 title games played.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: The Bombers may not have won the Grey Cup last year… but they were the league’s best team all year long, save for the final few minutes of the title game. With an absolutely sparkling 15-3 regular season record, they had a season for the ages. Basically everyone is back from last season’s squad, with a few other additions, including WR Kenny Lawler, who won Grey Cups with the Bombers in 2019 and 2021 before spending last season in Edmonton. Despite the lack of hardware from last season, this is a deep, deep roster, and there are hardly any holes to be seen; even the kicking game is improved from last year. The Bombers’ biggest controversy was what was likely to happen to highly acclaimed head coach Mike O’Shea and whether or not he’d be back with the team due to an expiring contract and/or perhaps opportunities elsewhere to climb even in football ops. That said, armed with a three-year contract extension, the gang’s all here, and it looks like they’re choosing to run it back this year. I don’t think any sane person would fault them for that. Expect more greatness from this team.

Key Additions: K Sergio Castillo (FA); WR Kenny Lawler (FA)

Key Subtractions: WR Greg Ellingson (FA); DB Casey Sayles (FA)

2023 Record Prediction: 12-6

And that concludes your 2023 team previews, folks! I look forward to kickoff next Thursday, June 8th – hope to see you back here, same bat-time, same bat-channel.