As we sit here and discuss the beautiful game of Canadian football, I am so looking forward to the end of the school year. Just a few more days until these report cards are done and dusted once more, and I can enjoy my summer precisely how it was meant to be – sitting on my deck, beer in hand, with this great league on in the background. Also, probably a mosquito coil or two. Even with all the hot and dry weather thus far this year, those little buggers are still out there somehow…

In league news this week:

• The Montreal Alouettes teased the release of a new red alternate uniform yesterday, believed to be based off of a 1946 design featuring red sweaters and pants, white numbers, and blue side and shoulder stripes. The last time this team had an alternate uniform was in 2018, when they wore some ugly monotone grey outfits with some ugly feathers on the shoulders, harkening to the bird theme of the Alouette nickname. (Did you know that’s what an alouette is in Quebec? Now you know.)
• The Edmonton Elks are dealing with the loss of their local radio affiliate, as Bell Media, owner of TSN, abruptly shut down the TSN 1260 AM station in Edmonton in advance of last week’s game against BC. It’s a brutal, short-sighted move that comes pretty much exclusively just as a cost consideration rather than any of sort of public good or community social fabric – and we should all collectively be pissed off about that decision. As a response, and as a thank you to the decades of work the 1260 staff put in, the Elks announced a limited ticket deal with some seats available for just $12.60. Yes, the Elks have been terrible at home, and yes, a price reduction is probably justified considering the terrible football patrons of Commonwealth Stadium have been subjected to over these last few years, but I do think that this is a legitimately good move by the team, who have been working hard to try and mend relationships with the community through so many losing years and waning interest.
• The BC Lions have a new naming rights deal, with the field at Vancouver’s BC Place to now sport the name “Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place” exclusively for Lions home games through the next several years. Just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?

Onto the games!

WEEK 2 RECAPS

Calgary 25 vs. Ottawa 15: I’ve seen enough. It’s time to move on from Nick Arbuckle. Year in and year out, Ottawa’s offence is the exact same – all this to say, it’s been inept since 2019. There’s been a ton of change – new line, new receivers, new coaching staff… but the one consistent factor here is that the QB play has always been terrible. Arbuckle looked bad last year under Paul LaPolice, and he looks bad this year under Bob Dyce and Khari Jones. It’s just as well the REDBLACKS have a bye this week, because they need to figure out some way of shaking up their offence in a big fat hurry. What a blessing for them that Hamilton has also been equally bad to start the year… for the Stamps, this was a good win to try and get them back on their feet and stick with the pack in the tough West division. Even with no star RB in Ka’Deem Carey, the team managed to grind out a solid victory thanks in part to their D capitalizing on some timely opportunities – including a strip-sack TD return on Ottawa QB Tyrie Evans. At least REDBLACKS fans had a big 79-yard punt return TD from Brandon Dandridge to cheer about. Don’t look now, but that’s 24 losses in their past 26 home games. Figure it out. Changes need to happen.

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Calgary

Winnipeg 45 vs. Saskatchewan 27: With last week’s victory, Winnipeg’s now won their last eight straight games against their prairie rival – ouch for Riders fans. Trevor Harris was dealing with a hip injury in practise this week, but was well enough to get the start – and delivered 413 yards on 29-41 pass attempts, plus three TDs. And it still wasn’t enough to keep pace with the best offence in the league. Rookie receiver Sam Emlius caught all three TDs for Saskatchewan, but the Bombers matched his output, and then some. Zach Collaros threw for two scores, ran in another, and backup QB Dru Brown pulled off two goal-line sneaks for two rushing majors. Finally, kick returner Janarion Grant had one of the best return TDs I’ve ever seen in any league, breaking multiple tackles to run it back 92 yards to deliver the kill shot against the visiting Green and White. Saskatchewan drops to 1-1 on the year with the loss.

PICK: Winnipeg

RESULT: Winnipeg

Edmonton 0 vs. BC 22: It’s the first time the BC Lions have shut out a team since 1977, when they blanked the Toronto Argos 30-0 in August that year. It’s also the first time the Elks have been shut out since 1976, when BC Lions’ head coach Rick Campbell’s dad, Hugh, was the bench boss of Edmonton’s CFL team. That’s a long, long time for teams to be successful at scoring points – and while the game was definitely a slog at times, it shows the Leos are almost definitely the #2 team in the league behind really just Winnipeg. Kicker Sean Whyte hit five field goals to help seal the deal, while the BC defence held Edmonton to just 149 total yards on offence. The Elks may be a better team than last year’s edition, but there’s still a hell of a lot of work to do ahead in this year’s schedule.

PICK: BC

RESULT: BC

Hamilton 14 vs. Toronto 32: The Argos celebrated last year’s Grey Cup victory in style with a season-opening victory against their most hated rivals, and Chad Kelly looks like he was right in proclaiming himself ready to be a starting QB earlier this year, thanks to three first-half rushing scores. Toronto’s new #1 guy had some help on offence with receiver Damonte Coxie making six catches for 131 yards and RB Andrew Harris rushing for another TD. Hamilton was in tough all game – Bo Levi Mitchell was picked off twice before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a lower body injury, and couldn’t get much of anything going for the team. Backup Matt Shiltz threw for a score late in the game while RB James Butler had another on the ground – but this game was decidedly tilted in Toronto’s favoUr. With so many replica Grey Cup rings weighing down fans in the stands, it’s a (wildly, ridiculously remote) possibility.

PICK: Toronto

RESULT: Toronto

BYE: Montreal (1-0)

WEEK 3 PREVIEWS

BC (2-0) vs. Winnipeg (2-0), Thursday, June 22nd, 8:30 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): Yes, the Argos won the Grey Cup last year in a stunning upset, but if we’re being honest with ourselves, the Lions and Blue Bombers are probably the two best teams in the league. This is why it’s a shame that there’s such an infinitesimally slim chance we’ll see them compete in a Grey Cup game against each other (the only way this could happen is if one team somehow slid to fourth in the West but had a better record than the third-place team in the East and stole the third playoff spot, and then ran the table against Eastern opponents – which has never been done since the crossover rule was added in ’96.). At any rate, there’s a much higher statistical likelihood that this early season matchup is a preview of the West final. The Bombers are truly a sight to behold on offence – and they’re still absolutely racking up yards and points even without star receiver Kenny Lawler in the lineup as he continues to resolve his immigration paperwork. As the home side, things are definitely tilted in the Bombers’ favour with their stellar record in recent years at IG Field – one of the only notable things that might somehow tip the scales against them is the status of RB Brady Oliveira. He missed practise this week and is questionable to play – if BC’s excellent D can focus in more effectively on a pass attack rather than Winnipeg’s overall effective run game mixed in, they’ll have prime opportunity to keep this game a close one.

PICK: Winnipeg

Montreal (1-0) vs. Hamilton (0-2), Friday, June 23rd, 7:30 PM EDT (TSN, CBSSN, CFL+): With Bo Levi Mitchell dinged up, Matt Shiltz will get the start for the Tabbies in their home opener, and fittingly, it’s against his old team. He went 9-10 for 81 yards and a TD in fourth-quarter action last week, and, most importantly, he doesn’t have a wet noodle for an arm. Say what you will about BLM, but when your shoulder is made of pulled pork, it’s time to change how you play the game if you do want to survive as a QB. Considering there’s significant evidence through the first two games of the year to suggest that I’m correct in my diagnosis, the Ti-Cats’ offence is going to radically need to alter their game plan if they still truly believe in Mitchell, if only for his decision-making ability instead of his arm strength. Montreal is coming off an early bye still with much to prove. After the rest, they’ll next be on bye all the way in Week 7. Always tough to get a true picture of a team at this stage of the season when they’re hardly played at all…

PICK: Montreal

Saskatchewan (1-1) vs. Calgary (1-1), Saturday, June 24th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): Saskatchewan elected to throw the ball a ton last week, but that wasn’t only in part due to having a good QB with the ability to do it consistently well – more so, the team needs to address their running game in this game and in the weeks ahead. I think if they can’t diversify their playcalling, they’re going to be in trouble in the days and weeks to come. Having lots of excellent receivers will often take you far – but when up against Calgary, a team that has, historically, been a really effective defensive team, you need to have further looks available. Even 8-10 more plays a game from the ground might be enough, so long as they’re effective… but you have to start somewhere. The Stamps, meanwhile, may find themselves in a similar situation, having had to move star RB Ka’Deem Carey to the six-game injured list, but Dedrick Mills and Peyton Logan have both been effective rushers when called upon previously. They just lack some of the brute size and strength that Carey often displays on the field.

PICK: Calgary

Toronto (1-0) vs. Edmonton (0-2), Sunday, June 25th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): The nice thing about having absolutely nothing going right for you on offence is that the bar is now set so low that it is probably impossible to surpass it. Taylor Cornelius couldn’t find his receivers at all last week, despite having quite the arsenal on hand – so the team needs to figure things out in a hurry. One more stinker and Chris Jones will probably be begging ownership to let him cut Cornelius, despite having all that guaranteed money on his contract for next year – though just by a quick look around the league, there’s probably not a ton of other options out there. Possibly Dane Evans out of BC if they’re willing to pay a good price for him, but even then, considering all his interception woes last year in Hamilton, he may also be permanently damaged goods. In going up against a fantastic defence, at home, in front of an increasingly desperate and despondent fanbase… there may be no other good options and they may just have to stick it out and ride or die with Taylor Cornelius. God, that sounds bleak.

PICK: Toronto

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards

1. Collaros, WPG – 647
2. Adams, Jr., BC – 300
3. Fajardo, MTL – 261

Passing TDs

1. Collaros, WPG – 5
2. Harris, SSK – 4
3. Adams, Jr., BC – 3

Rushing Yards

1. Mizzell, BC – 174
2. Oliveira, WPG – 155
3. Butler, HAM – 126

Receiving Yards

1. Schoen, WPG – 205
2. Begelton, CGY – 182
3. Rhymes, BC – 172

Defensive Tackles

1. Awe, CGY – 17
2. Morgan, EDM – 15
3. Dean, SSK – 14

Sacks

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

Interceptions

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

Field Goals

1. Whyte, BC – 6
2. Ward, OTT – 6
3. Castillo, WPG – 5

PICK POOL

Just like his local LioUns, BC Dick is off to a very hot start to the year. We have some work to do. And by “work”, I mean paying the fine denizens of East Hastings Street to knock on the door of his place of work until he agrees to throw the competition in the future.

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

Enjoy the games, everyone.