CFL Beat: Week 15

September may honestly be the perfect month. With the back-to-school routine now established and with football Sundays in session, I can also now fill out my Fridays and Saturdays perfectly. Some people tell me the weekend weather is beautiful, but as all good football fans know, I have no idea if that’s actually true or not. The start of Week 15 marks the final third of the CFL’s regular-season schedule – and while we have one playoff-bound team thus far in the year (Montreal), we have another (Ottawa) poised to join them soon in clinching a berth… outside of that, we’re in for a wild finish, especially in the West Division. A lighter slate of games this week with three Western teams on bye, but a good line up for us all the same.

In league news this week:

  • The CFL has inexplicably opted to rename its long-running All-Stars designation for players voted on by fans and media to be “All-CFL” rather than “All-Stars”, as it has been for decades now. At first glance, this appears to be insignificant, but what makes it weird to me is the fact that the league has awarded both Divisional All-Star and league-wide All-Star designations each season. How is an “East Division All-CFL” truly a reputable award if the moniker deliberately frames it as not including the entire CFL? Seems counterintuitive to me.
  • With the loss of QB Chris Streveler for the year due to a catastrophic knee injury suffered last week, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed QBs Jake Dolegala and Bryan Scott to vie for the backup job behind veteran Zack Collaros for the remainder of the year. Both have been around the league for a while, with Dolegala’s ten career CFL starts giving him the edge on experience, but with the season wearing on and options wearing thin, the team needs an insurance policy for the stretch drive.
  • Alouettes receiver Austin Mack is on the six-game injured list after getting hurt in practise last week just before Montreal’s game against the BC Lions; too bad, as he’d just returned from NFL training camp and had played in a single game before signing a four-year contract extension. We’ll see him back for sure – he’ll be in Montreal long-term – but important for him to get healthy for the playoffs for the league-leading Alouettes.

Onto the games!

WEEK 14 RECAPS

BC 37 vs. Montreal 23: In a matchup of the league’s hottest team versus the league’s best team, the visiting Lions kept their win streak going, and continue to come on strong in the return of Nathan Rourke to the CFL. William Stanback, making his return to Montreal after leaving the team in free agency this past off-season, ran roughshod over his teammates, racking up another huge game on the ground with 22 touches for 156 yards and a TD; Nathan Rourke also found a lot of different receivers and spread the ball around well all game long. The Als have an excellent defence, but any team is going to struggle against a passing attack led by Nathan Rourke. Cody Fajardo had a relatively average on offence himself, but with so many receivers injured right now, it’s no wonder that he’s looked a bit more average as of late. Better for a loss at this stage in the season rather than in the playoffs, I think.

PICK: BC

RESULT: BC

Toronto 27 vs. Ottawa 41: Let’s be clear: this game was not as close as the score indicated. Indeed, the REDBLACKS clearly took their foot off the gas in the second half of this matchup, but could afford to, as the first 30 minutes were some of the most dominant football I’ve seen this team play in the decade since their re-introduction to the CFL. DB Damon Webb stole the show for Ottawa, racking up TWO pick-sixes on embattled Argos QB Chad Kelly; that makes him just the ninth player in the history of the CFL, and the first in Ottawa’s combined franchise history, to ever record two interception return TDs in a single game. These REDBLACKS are something special this year; the win takes them to 6-0-1 at home this season.

PICK: Ottawa

RESULT: Ottawa

Saskatchewan 21 vs. Winnipeg 26: The Blue Bombers completed the back-to-back sweep of their prairie rivals – but the victory came at a cost. Backup QB Chris Streveler tore three knee ligaments and is done for the year after a hit from Riders DT Miles Brown – the same guy who took out Zach Collaros the week before last with a headshot. Bombers fans want to see him drawn and quartered by now; while the hit was pretty bad, the team was able to rebound well; Bombers DB Tyrell Ford picked off Saskatchewan QB Trevor Harris twice in the contest, including late in the fourth quarter which helped to stop the Riders’ attempted comeback in its tracks for good. With the 103rd victory of his career in Winnipeg, head coach Mike O’Shea is now the winningest coach in franchise history – topping the record set by Winnipeg and Minnesota Vikings legend Bud Grant.

PICK: Winnipeg

RESULT: Winnipeg

Calgary 16 vs. Edmonton 37: In a surprising move, the Stampeders elect to bench starting QB Jake Maier in favour of young backup Logan Bonner – and boy, did it not go well for them. The Stamps pivot threw five interceptions on the night, and almost had a sixth, and the Elks just stomped all over their provincial rivals for the second week in a row, sweeping their September season series for the first time in twenty years. Despite the loss, one cool bright spot for Calgary was big man DT Mike Rose snagging an interception and running it back 83 yards for the pick-six; that’s a beefy touchdown right there. The Elks are now nipping at the Roughriders’ heels for the third playoff spot in the West Division following their big win and are poised to return to Tre Ford as their starting QB, as McLeod Bethel-Thompson left this game shortly after throwing his pick-six.

PICK: Edmonton

RESULT: Edmonton

BYE: Hamilton (3-9)

WEEK 15 PREVIEWS

Toronto (6-6) vs. BC (7-6), Friday, September 13th, 10:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): The Argos are in a tough spot right now. While they remain comfortably in the third spot in the East, there is a small risk that a West team could possibly cross over and claim the third and final playoff spot in the division if things continue to slide for the Double Blue. Furthermore, facing a Lions side that’s heating up at the exact right time in the season – and having to face them on the road – is a similarly tough task for a team that looked a shell of themselves last week. Not all is lost, but Chad Kelly, in words of Ottawa LB Adarius Pickett, was “seeing ghosts out there” last week against the REDBLACKS. He definitely doesn’t look like the 2023 Most Outstanding Player he was last season, but that’s likely because his soul is also generally diseased as well. If he can’t turn it around, that’s a lot of money that the team will need to figure out if it can be better spent elsewhere rather than paying him to sexually harass team employees.

PICK: BC

Ottawa (8-3-1) vs. Hamilton (3-9), Saturday, September 14th, 3:00 PM EDT (CTV, CFL+): The Tiger-Cats continue to have no defence. It was cool to see them get the win a couple weeks ago in the Labour Day Classic against their hated Toronto rivals, but there’s no denying this has been a really bad year for them. Even at home this week, I don’t like their chances against a REDBLACKS team that put the clamps on the Argos’ offence for much of last week’s game. If the REDBLACKS win this week, I believe they clinch a playoff spot – added incentive for the team to go hard.

PICK: Ottawa

Montreal (10-2) vs. Calgary (4-8), Saturday, September 14th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): Hard to believe that the Calgary Stampeders haven’t missed the playoffs since 2004. It’s true that it’s only a nine-team league, but that streak is quite remarkable all the same. I mention it because fans of the Stamps are going to need to start to reckon with the notion that it’s very likely this team is going to miss the playoffs this year. Jake Maier will get the start again after sitting last week in what turned out to be a decisively failed experiment – but it’s not likely to do much good. Despite the loss, the Als remain the league’s best team, and I expect them to come into this one with their heads on straight after getting outworked last week by the Lions. That bodes poorly for Calgary fans in the immediate future and in the season aftermath.

PICK: Montreal

BYE: Edmonton (5-8); Saskatchewan (5-7-1); Winnipeg (7-6)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

Team Games Wins Losses Ties Points For Points Against
x-Montreal 12 10 2 0 332 269
Ottawa 12 8 3 1 314 310
Toronto 12 6 6 0 331 325
Hamilton 12 3 9 0 310 388

West Division Standings

Team Games Wins Losses Ties Points For Points Against
Winnipeg 13 7 6 0 295 274
BC 13 7 6 0 335 317
Saskatchewan 13 5 7 1 333 330
Edmonton 13 5 8 0 385 342
Calgary 12 4 8 0 282 362

x – clinched playoff spot
y – clinched division
e – eliminated from playoff contention

Passing Yards

  1. Mitchell, HAM – 3383
  2. Bethel-Thompson, EDM – 3098
  3. Collaros, WPG – 2932

Passing TDs

  1. Mitchell, HAM – 21
  2. Bethel-Thompson, EDM – 19
  3. Harris, SSK – 15

Rushing Yards

  1. Stanback, BC – 938
  2. Oliveira, WPG – 894
  3. Carey, TOR – 770

Receiving Yards

  1. McInnis, BC – 1074
  2. Hardy, OTT – 910
  3. Hollins, BC – 881

Defensive Tackles

  1. Morgan, EDM – 85
  2. Milligan, SSK – 80
  3. Anderson, EDM – 78

Sacks

  1. Teuhema, BC – 6
  2. Wakefield, OTT – 6
  3. Jefferson, WPG – 6

Interceptions

  1. Ford, WPG – 6
  2. Milligan, SSK – 6
  3. Bynum, EDM – 5

Field Goals

  1. Ward, OTT – 41
  2. Castillo, WPG – 40
  3. Whyte, BC – 36

PICK POOL

So I technically had a good week, as evidenced by picks above… but apparently I hadn’t clicked the “submit picks” button the first time I’d loaded last week’s picks… yikes. Kudos to BC Dick for winning last week.

Remember to submit your picks here! https://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=231808

Rank Total Points Weekly Score Win Percentage
Ballsofsteelandfury 36 2-2 64.29%
The Maestro 34 1-3 60.71%
WCS 33 2-2 58.93%
SonOfSpam 30 2-2 53.57%
BC Dick 30 4-0 53.57%
Game Time Decision 28 0-4 50.00%
Gumbygirl 27 2-2 48.21%
Don T 27 1-3 48.21%
The Right Reverend Electric Mayhem 5 0-4 8.93%

Enjoy the games, everyone.

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The Maestro
The Maestro is a mystical Canadian internet user and New England Patriots fan; when the weather is cooperative and the TV signal at his igloo is strong enough, he enjoys watching the NFL, the Ottawa Senators & REDBLACKS, and yelling into the abyss on Twitter. He is somehow allowed to teach music to high school students when he isn't in a blind rage about sports, and is also a known connoisseur of cheap beers across the Great White North.
https://www.doorfliesopen.com/index.php/author/the-maestro/
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clint greasewood
Horatio Cornblower

If I see the Will Ferrell ad for Pay Pal one more time I am going to dedicate the rest of my life to hunting Ferrell down and skinning him alive.

And no, I don’t think I’m overreacting. It might be the most obnoxious ad ever.

SonOfSpam

Do it in Springfield OH and I’ll buy you a Coke.

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly
Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

Trump is such a gigantic pussy that if you roasted him on a spit you could feed a family of Haitian immigrants for a month.

King Hippo

MAN, that is just PERFECT. All hail Rikki!!!!

Horatio Cornblower

Trump tucking tail and running from a second debate was an easier bet than Nick Castellanos hitting a home run on 9/11.

Which he did.

King Hippo

I’m convinced this is good. His team was always gonna do the opposite of what hers proposed. A 2nd debate would get “graded on a curve” because of the media’s hurr druu BOTH SIDES smh. And it would be quite hard for him to do even worse.

yeah right

After 6 days of heat in Pedro I’m freezing my ass off in Dublin. It’s fucking awesome. Already adjusted to local time meaning we’re crushing Guinness and Harp at noon local home time.

Cliffs of Moher road trip tomorrow.

This city is a fucking blast.

WCS

Slainte!

LemonJello

Say “Hi!” to Lowratio’s people from all of the clubhouse, if you bump into them.

Horatio Cornblower

Ah, shit, I had a good Brigadoon joke there but it turns out that doesn’t involve little people.

Nothing worse than a good line ruined by facts.

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

Oh is Guinness back in the pubs? When I was there 20 years ago there was some kind of money dispute with the new ownership and everyone was happily drinking Murphy’s.

yeah right

No shortage of Guinness that’s for damn sure.

BeefReeferLives
ArmedandHammered

Five Points Vids – Dirty Cowboys lover he is, posted a video in which he calls DeShaun “Groper Cleveland”, has anybody else heard him called that before?

WCS

Five Points is a Giants fan (hahaha), and he’s been used that for a while. The Sportsbait crew has various nicknames for Cosby.

BeefReeferLives

Almost scrolled by this on the Google news feed. Kinda wish I hadn’t noticed it. The more I thought about it, the more enraged I became.

These fuckheads are equalizing John McCain, a man who refused to leave his fellow POW’s behind at the Hanoi Hilton, with a repeated draft dodger???

What the actual fuck?

comment image

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

Of course the “fact check” didn’t mention the context that it was a clip in passing and as soon as it was brought to McCain’s attention he had them pull the ad and edit it out.

BeefReeferLives

of course it fucking didn’t.

blaxabbath

Went big at the squat rack this am and tweaked my back. Spotter had to bail me; which like never happens (because I never challenge myself because, when I do, I always defeat me).

I took a nuproxin and am lying on an ice pack. What’s thing for backs? I assume not sitting. Lying down? Standing desk? Squatting Desk?

Oh there was an earthquake in LA? That was probably me just over here dropping BIG IRON.

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

See this is why I only ever work on my glamour muscles.

blaxabbath

Is Hawaii, surfing is about more than glam.

ArmedandHammered

I usually end up sort of reclining, but I have a giant bean bag. I am going to PT for my back and I end up doing a lot of back and leg stretches there.

blaxabbath

Thanks for the real advice or whatever but I’m just seeking pill suggestions from hippo.

ArmedandHammered

THC works really, really well. Take a few bong rips and I think you are supposed to do a damp heat instead of dry heat.

litre_cola

At Chase Field. Blax takes a big rip off a vape. “I don’t care what are they going to do?”

blaxabbath

The location was like a dead part of the concourse. I don’t share my second hand smoke at the Alicia Keys concert for free.

LemonJello

Other Hippo re: pills

“Yes, have some!”

King Hippo

And what you want for muscular-based stuff is vicuprofen if they won’t give you straight oxycodone (which is generally harder to get prescribed, b/c you can OD with it easier if reckless).

Horatio Cornblower

Tweaked my back this weekend, (sleeping, apparently), and made heavy use of my standing desk and also an accupressure pad my wife got me. Walking tended to loosen ut up.

It’s slowly loosening up.

Last edited 1 month ago by Horatio Cornblower
King Hippo

it’s spelled O-P-I-U-M

ArmedandHammered

Updated my FF roster, how much longer till I just decide to let the computer do it?

blaxabbath

My league sucks. I paid to be a part of it and the league doesn’t auto-set or allow me to play QBs in every single position.

Think about it! I have an offense made up completely of players that you are not allowed to hit!

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

THAT EARTHQUAKE LOS ANGELES JUST EXPERIENCED I CALL IT DEANNA FAVRE’S FANTASY BECAUSE IT WAS LONGER THAN IS TYPICAL.

Dunstan

First time I’ve been on the toilet for an earthquake. It wasn’t just my bowels that were moving!

ArmedandHammered

“Shit, Rattle, and Roll” – Bill Haley and the Vomits – protopunk band of the 50s and 60s

blaxabbath

Better run out and buy some real estate!

blaxabbath

THIS EARTHQUAKE I CALL ITS EXACT LOCATION THE TRUMP TOWER WESTLAKE VILLAGE BECAUSE IT’S FIVE MILES AWAY FOM WESTLAKE VILLAGE.

blaxabbath

QB Bryan Scott provides the Blue Bombers with the kind of insurance policy that you can usually only get for a collapsing condo tower in Florida’s “Hurrican Alley”.

ballsofsteelandfury

I need to increase my pick percentage by five points just for Scotchy….

scotchnaut

Quiet, you…

King Hippo

TRUE STORY – at our auction, scotchy was engaged in a bidding war on some RB (I fergets who). The other dude raised to 68 and I knew that would end the bidding,

And I was RITE. Niiiiiicccccce