CFL Beat: Week 2

I want to give you all some insider info on how the CFL Beat is made; I have a perfect workflow, honed from over seven years of doing these articles. At least, it was perfect, until PFF stats fucked me. Looks like live stats are totally down on CFL.ca, which is now forcing me to pore over poorly-formatted PDF documents of records and gamesheets to pull the info I need. It’s going to take me twice as long to write these now if things aren’t cleaned up and made more interactive in short order…

OK, temper tantrum over.

In league news this week:

• Toronto re-signed DB Jamal Peters, a key contributor to last year’s Grey Cup team, to a one-year deal on Monday. This is a very late addition, but as the Argos started off their year on a bye, he’ll be ready for their season opener this week against
• Hamilton released Canadian DL Kwaku Boateng on Tuesday, having signed him to a contract earlier this season. Boateng must still be recovering from his torn Achilles that he suffered during 2022 training camp with Ottawa, as he hasn’t played since that time. With two nine- and eight-sack seasons with Edmonton in 2018 and 2019, if he can get healthy again, he has the potential to be some highly useful Canadian depth for a number of teams.
• The BC Lions cancelled practise on Wednesday when OL Phillip Norman had a “significant medical episode” where he allegedly collapsed and lost consciousness during a walkthrough. Hope he’s OK and is able to return to play soon – these incidents are always scary.
• Longtime Stampeders OL Derek Dennis announced his retirement from the CFL on Wednesday; the 34-year-old was a four-time all-star, 2016’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, and won the 2018 Grey Cup with Calgary. Dennis was part of the final cuts of this year’s training camp, having not quite been able to come back from the leg injury he suffered in 2022 which cut his season short. At any rate, Dennis was a great player and I’m confident that football still has much to offer him in the near future if he chooses to find other ways to stick with the game.
• The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced they’ll be temporarily expanding Tim Hortons Field to a capacity of 31,000 for this year’s Grey Cup game through a series of new temporary features, all of which seem reasonably cool – new private suites, an in-building tailgate in the south concourse, and temporary seating integrated around a stage in the north concourse. Interesting to try new stuff, and to try to boost ticket sales too. The last time they hosted, in 2021, the province of Ontario was still dealing with many COVID restrictions which have since been shuttered – good to shake things up.

Onto the games!

WEEK 1 RECAPS

BC 25 vs. Calgary 15: No Rourke, no problem. The Lions walked into McMahon Stadium and emerged as victors to start their year off with a bang. The Leos stopped up Stamps QB Jake Maier very effectively – he was one of the most efficient and accurate passers in the league last year – and limited him to just 166 passing yards and 1 TD, plus an (irrelevant) interception. With big shoes to fill courtesy of his NFL-departed predecessor, Vernon Adams, Jr. had an excellent night for BC, going 28-36 for 270 yards, 2 TDs and a pick, plus ten carries for 35 yards and a rushing score. Even with the score being just a ten-point difference, the LioUns were consistently in control, providing tons of pressure on the Calgary O-line while also ensuring their own signal-caller wasn’t hit once all game.

PICK: BC

RESULT: BC

Hamilton 31 vs. Winnipeg 42: Even without star receiver Kenny Lawler in the lineup due to immigration paperwork issues stemming from a 2021 DUI, the Bombers continued their frantic pace from last year, with consecutive MOP winner Zach Collaros hanging three first-quarter TDs and over 350 yards on the visiting Tabbies, while RB Brady Oliveira had 173 total yards. Had it not been a series of bizarre, out-of-character fourth-quarter goofs from Winnipeg, this game would’ve been far more lopsided, but Hamilton benefited from a blocked punt recovered in the end zone for a major, followed soon after by a pick-six off a Zach Collaros fumble – but alas, it wasn’t to be. Bo Levi Mitchell’s arm already looks cooked – with 187 yards and two picks, with only one TD, this might be a long season for Ti-Cats if he really, truly is toast.

PICK: Winnipeg

RESULT: Winnipeg

Ottawa 12 vs. Montreal 19: The 2023 REDBLACKS sure look an awful lot like 2022’s team. Once again, the D came to play – racking up six sacks on Als QB Cody Fajardo – but the offence was just absolutely putrid once again, failing to score a single TD once more. Nick Arbuckle continues to rankle fans in the nation’s capital, as he threw for three interceptions, all of which were agonizingly stupid, and diehards are clamouring for the return of Jeremiah Masoli even more after Arbuckle’s latest inept adventure as a theoretical CFL starter. With five turnovers, the Als had tons of opportunities to put points on the board, and despite the win, their own offence also remains a work in progress. One notable highlight was rookie receiver Austin Mack, an Ohio State grad, who led the team with six catches for 120 yards – one wonders if he’ll be able to quickly make up for the lost production of Eugene Lewis, Jake Wieneke and Quan Bray, who all left Montreal in the offseason.

PICK: Ottawa

RESULT: Montreal

Saskatchewan 17 vs. Edmonton 13: That first home win will have to wait longer still for long-suffering Elks fans. Despite packing in over 30K to the game – their largest crowd at Commonwealth in years – the Green and Gold side went home disappointed once more. Despite the loss, the Elks really did give it their all – and unfortunately met up with a Riders’ D that proved to be absolutely relentless. Edmonton was stuffed three times at the goal line late in the fourth quarter, which proved to be the tipping point. Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther hit three field goals, while Trevor Harris and Derel Walker, both making their debuts in white and green, connected for a four-yard TD in the first quarter. The Elks’ home loss streak is now at 18 games and counting… at least a 102-yard catch and run TD from Taylor Cornelius to new star receiver Eugene Lewis had the crowd feeling good for a couple of minutes, I guess?

PICK: Edmonton

RESULT: Saskatchewan

BYE: Toronto (0-0)

WEEK 2 PREVIEWS

Calgary (0-1) vs. Ottawa (0-1), Thursday, June 15th, 7:30 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): The bad news for Calgary is that they’re down star RB Ka’Deem Carey this week due to a toe injury, which is probably going to impact their playcalling quite a bit. The good news is that they get OL Zack Williams back, which hopefully means a little more pass protection for Jake Maier, who’s going to need a significant amount of help dealing with Ottawa’s ridiculously aggressive front seven. The REDBLACKS also need to have Nick Arbuckle on the shortest of all possible leashes this week – if he starts off another game throwing some of the ducks he did last week, it’s time to move on from him. Nobody is quite when Jeremiah Masoli will be able to lead this team out onto the field again – hopefully soon – but I can’t help but feel you should at least take a chance on some young talent with a massive cannon arms such as Tyrie Adams, rather that stick it out with a 29-year-old that’s tried and failed three times to win the starter’s job on three different teams now. Calgary has many opportunities to right the ship after last week’s flat effort. But if the REDBLACKS can’t get offence going two weeks in a row, you have to start making roster changes soon. Home fans, also long-suffering – though perhaps not quite as severe as in Edmonton – desperately need something to cheer about in their opener.

PICK: Calgary

Winnipeg (1-0) vs. Saskatchewan (1-0), Friday, June 16th, 9:00 PM EDT (TSN, CBSSN, CFL+): Kicking off the Prairie rivalry early this year. I like it. That said, we have to be realistic here and acknowledge that over the last four seasons, this has been an incredibly one-sided rivalry, with Winnipeg absolutely dominating Saskatchewan in every aspect of the game. As always, in looking at the juggernaut in Manitoba, the Riders will need just about everything to go right for them in order for them to start turning the tide in this rivalry – and with QB Trevor Harris potentially dealing with a hip injury, likely incurred in one of the final plays of last week’s game, that’s not a great start. The team hasn’t made a decision on his status yet, but his services. Even with some excellent receiver signings – seven different players caught balls last week against Edmonton – to me it seems awfully difficult to imagine Saskatchewan successfully trading offensive punches with Winnipeg. If the Riders’ D can come out to play like they did last week, then this team has a chance. But Edmonton is not Winnipeg. Not all wins are the same. Let’s get that right out of the way, first and foremost.

PICK: Winnipeg

Edmonton (0-1) vs. BC (1-0), Saturday, June 17th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CBSSN, CFL+): It’s going to be another big home opener in Vancouver, including an LL Cool J concert with a football game thrown in on the same admission ticket. There’s real positivity about BC on and off the field, however. Last week’s win was a great start to the year, and if the team can keep Vernon Adams, Jr. as protected as they did while playing such tidy defensive ball, it’s legitimately going to be a two-horse race for the best team in the West. This is another difficult early season matchup for the Elks, but at least if they can play the LioUns tightly, we’ll see what other shakeups Chris Jones has up his sleeve. To say he enjoys shaking up a roster might be the understatement of the year…

PICK:

Hamilton (0-1) vs. Toronto (0-0), Sunday, June 18th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CBSSN, CFL+): The Battle of Southern Ontario is also kicking off early, with the Argos trying to rub salt into the wound of their rivals just down the Queen Elizabeth Way by presenting fans with replica Grey Cup championship rings and raising their title banner during their home opener. For the Black & Gold, this year’s hosts – not to mention the team with the longest current title drought in the league, dating 24 years all the way back to 1999 – that’s unquestionably going to get them heated. But as we’ve seen, some of the best matchups come when these teams have reached their peak despisal of each other. Hard to get to that level early in the year, but if you’re trying to turn up the temperature in that regional hatred, this is a great way to do it. We’re also going to see for the first time if Chad “Mr. Irrelevant” Kelly truly has what it takes to be a full-time #1 starting QB in the CFL. Considering the team really wasn’t in the quarterback market at all over the offseason, it seems to me like coaching staff and football ops clearly have a ton of faith in him and his abilities. I only hope he uses that for good and not evil.

PICK: Toronto

BYE: Montreal (1-0)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards

1. Collaros, WPG – 354
2. Adams, Jr., BC – 300
3. Fajardo, MTL – 261

Passing TDs

1. Collaros, WPG – 3
2. Adams, Jr., BC – 2
3. Cornelius, EDM – 1

Rushing Yards

1. Oliveira, WPG – 113
2. Mizzell, BC – 81
3. Morrow, SSK – 80

Receiving Yards

1. Lewis, EDM – 148
2. Mack, MTL – 120
3. Demski, WPG – 113

Defensive Tackles

1. Awe, CGY – 12
2. Thurman, HAM – 10
3. Williams, MTL – 8

Sacks

1. Ceresna, EDM – 2
2. Coleman, OTT – 2
3. Jefferson, WPG – 2

Interceptions

1. Houston, WPG – 2
2. Evans, MTL – 2
3. 4 others

Field Goals

1. Castillo, WPG – 4
2. Cote, MTL – 4
3. Ward, OTT – 4

PICK POOL

Big crew this year. Awesome to see. Looks like I’m back in with the riff raff in the midpack once more. At least I’m setting phone alarms to remember to submit my picks on time this season…

Remember to submit your picks here! https://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=221760

Enjoy the games, everyone.