We’re down to the final three games of the 2024 CFL season – I certainly hope we have some entertainment left here. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate turning 32 this weekend – hope you join me in double-screening your football between JV and CFL action on Saturday!
In league news this week:
- The league announced its 2024 Awards nominees late last week:
- Most Outstanding Player: RB Brady Oliveira, WPG; QB Bo Levi Mitchell, HAM
- Most Outstanding Defensive Player: DB Rolan Milligan, Jr., SSK; LB Tyrice Beverette, MTL
- Most Outstanding Canadian: RB Brady Oliveira, WPG; DL Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, MTL
- Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman: Logan Ferland, SSK; Ryan Hunter, TOR
- Most Outstanding Special Teams Player: K Sean Whyte, BC; KR Janarion Grant, TOR
- Most Outstanding Rookie: LB Nick Anderson, EDM; WR Shemar Bridges, HAM
- Coach Of The Year: Corey Mace, SSK; Jason Maas, MTL
- The Edmonton Elks named former O-lineman Chris Morris as their new team president late last week; after a lot of uncertainty surrounding the team between Victor Cui’s departure from the job last year and the team’s subsequent transition to private ownership and sale to Larry Thompson, there’s now a chance to start rebuilding the football ops staff and try to regroup for the year ahead. The first job will be to try and get a new GM in place following the mid-season firing of dual GM/HC Chris Jones; Morris will have to act quickly to be set for the rush of expiring contracts in December ahead of the opening of free agency in early February.
Onto the games!
DIVISION SEMIFINAL RECAPS
EAST DIVISION SEMIFINAL
(3) Ottawa 38 vs. (2) Toronto 58: The REDBLACKS looked like the team they were in the second of the regular season, particularly in the second half, as the defence absolutely imploded and couldn’t do their part to assist the offence. Dru Brown, who completed 46 passes for 476 yards and three TDs, had absolutely zero run game going on, and was forced to throw 61 times in this game; with the REDBLACKS down in the second half, he had no choice but to keep chucking, and threw two pick-sixes that iced the game. Credit to the Argos for another complete three-phase game; in addition to the D attacking effectively, Sex Pest Chad Kelly and the offence were razor-sharp – especially in the second half as they blew things wide open. This was a disappointing loss for Ottawa – despite being back in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, the team looked much as they did through the second half of the regular season. They dominated the time of possession in the first half, holding onto the ball for 24 minutes, but Toronto but up 20 points in those six minutes. Both head coach Bob Dyce and GM Shaun Burke will be back next year for the REDBLACKS as they’re under contract through the end of 2025 – and while I think there’s definitely some talent on the roster, I think there are some serious questions about coaching and tactics that need to be very heavily reviewed in the meantime.
PICK: Toronto
RESULT: Toronto
WEST DIVISION SEMIFINAL
(3) BC 19 vs. (2) Saskatchewan 28: The BC Lions will not have the chance to play for the Grey Cup on home turf this year after a weak outing by Vernon Adams, Jr. spelled defeat. The Lions QB threw three interceptions while the defence just couldn’t stop the bleeding all game long. Riders QB Trevor Harris completed almost 80% of his passes on the night, even as the wind played havoc on both teams’ possessions all evening. It was RB AJ Ouellette who got the home crowd their money’s worth on their tickets, rumbling for 70 yards and two TDs on 14 carries; DPOY nominee Rolan Milligan, Jr., the CFL leader in interceptions, iced things for good late in the fourth quarter by picking off Adams in the end zone as time was close to running out. While it was not the offensive showdown that the East semifinal was, the Roughriders crowd has to feel really good about the strides this team has made compared to last year, no matter what the outcomes of next week’s game entail.
PICK: Saskatchewan
RESULT: Saskatchewan
BYE: (1) Montreal (12-5-1), (1) Winnipeg (11-7)
DIVISION FINAL PREVIEWS
EAST DIVISION FINAL
(2) Toronto (11-8) vs. (1) Montreal (12-5-1), Saturday, November 9th, 3:00 PM EST (CTV, TSN, CFL+): The Alouettes, despite winning the East early and electing to rest some key players down the stretch, don’t, to me, feel like the hottest team in the East right now. With the way that the Argos have turned it on since Sex Pest Chad Kelly’s return for the second half of the year, it feels like they have a really strong chance to play spoiler for this one. The Argos have a good run game; if the Alouettes have weaknesses, outside of numerous various injuries on the roster, it’s their ability to stop the run. I like the potential for Toronto to go and challenge them at the line of scrimmage early to try and open things up for later on in this matchup. Just as well that Montreal’s had the chance to rest over the last while – despite being the home crowd, I think they’ll need all the help they can get for this one.
PICK: Toronto
WEST DIVISION FINAL
(2) Saskatchewan (10-8-1) vs. (1) Winnipeg (11-7), Saturday, November 9th, 6:30 PM EST (TSN, CFL+): It’s the two biggest, most bitter rivals in the entire CFL, facing off for a West Division championship and a trip to the Grey Cup. In 2021, the Bombers hosted the Riders and won a tight-fought game. In Saskatchewan’s first postseason trip in three years since that fateful game, it’s only fitting that they find themselves back in the same position once more. While Winnipeg has the league’s best defence, is rested, and ready for just about anything, I will say that the ability of Saskatchewan to elevate their game over these last few weeks of the season has been a remarkable change when comparing to how this team looked when Craig Dickenson was head coach last year. In particular their running game has significantly improved; while Winnipeg is strong pretty well everywhere on the defensive side of the ball, it’s nice to see that the Riders have an option to keep swapping backs to even out carries and keep guys fresher for longer. That play in the trenches might be what wears down the Bombers. Still, winning in Manitoba is a Herculean task for any road team as of recent.
PICK: Winnipeg
Enjoy the games, everyone.
I’m kind of upset that my Google search of “How to increase my midichlorian count” doesn’t produce much useful information, because I’d really like to boost my numbers before RFK Jr. institutes mandatory testing.
Why am I getting even more junk texts now than before the election??
God hates us
No, turns out he doesn’t. At least that’s what my 90 year old nun Aunt told me this morning. She’s a nice old lady, so I just agreed with her instead of telling her how I really feel. You’ll be happy to know the Sisters of Charity are on the case, praying for Gumby’s soul. Couldn’t hurt!
[hugs]
I’m always kind of surprised to hear about those because mine automatically go to a spam folder; I assumed that was the case for everybody.
Mine do as well, but I keep an eye on them
I bought a new phone last Saturday, and I haven’t rebuilt my spam filters yet. Smart move right before the election!
*Afternoon
Tis my utmost regret I have but one +1 to give.
Yup. I’m with “Team Redshirt” tonight.
One, thanks for the support.
Two, in the entire history of DFO, including the pre-Crisis KSK years has joining Team Redshirt ever worked out?! Hell, even Team Rocket got a win against us!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLDOAuT06uw
I’m only in it for the Burrow/Gesicki fantasy points, but go Bengals this weekend!
LOL. Get the fuck out of here with that shit.
https://www.oregonlive.com/nfl/2024/11/jim-harbaugh-calls-justin-herbert-the-toughest-quarterback-in-nfl-history.html
Thats gotta be Jared Lorenzen
Runner Up: Jared Lorenzen’s Jersey’s Seams
“The Pillsbury Throw Boy!!”
Still in better shape than most of DFO
Round is a shape.
Mandatory Butterbean photo:
https://ibb.co/mbvs0Tj
My dipshit father-in-law (what’s the opposite of “RIP”?) told United he had divorced my mother-in-law during the last few weeks of his life (he was lying) she lost her spousal flight privileges. What a mean-spirited, spiteful piece of shit he was, even in death.
Same letters. “Rest in Piss” or “Rot in Perdition” if you want to get all fancy and shit.
BIH: Burn in Hell
Thanks. Yeah, that fits.
What even is the fucking point of doing that?
Spite
Exactly. Just pure unadulterated spite. He also took her off his health insurance.
Wow, what an unmitigated asshole move
Some people suck and are only valuable as fuel.
I think this is the part where you, her or someone pisses on his grave.
Anyone else having an issue with Slack? I have not been able to get on for quite a while. Today they’re saying they sent a code to my email address, but no code appears.
it’s a PEBCAK error
/no
//Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard
I don’t see what my desk has to do with this, Sir.
He’s talking about your belly button actually. Clean the lint out and retry.
ID10T error.
I’m reading a book
‘Founding Partisans’ by HW Brands, about the changeover from the Articles of Confederation to the US Constitution and in it he writes that James Madison didn’t want a small republic, like they’d have with the original 13 states, but favored a larger one because “[d]emagogues might sway a small number of people, but they would never delude a large number, especially when spread over an extensive geography” and holy fuck did James Madison get that one wrong.
I’m reading The James Ellroy book “The Big Nowhere” which details a series of gruesome murders in Los Angeles which I assume is some kind of metaphor about the future of the United States as a Republic.
I finished ‘The Black Dahlia’ and took a break from Ellroy, but ‘The Big Nowhere’ is up next for him.
I also have Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Blood Meridian’ in the to-be-read pile, which I’m sure will be a real pick-me-up.
Yeah, a nice break after The Black Dahlia is exactly what I did. Stranger Times and then some nice science fiction short stories (two of which had to do with the repeal of Roe v. Wade, hooray!).
To be fair, the interwebz didn’t exist in Madison’s time.
This is Federalist Madison, not Democratic-Republican because Hamilton fucked everything up (literally and metaphorically) Madison.
Yes, Federalist #10 if we really want to nerd out here.
Apparently Arizona and Nevada use aged prospectors on burros to collect votes.
Still that’s awesome that Mike Shanahan is still working at his age.
I see he matched his jacket to his skin.
[whistles appreciatively] – guy working the paint counter at Home Depot
Prospectin’ draculers
Je suis désolé monsieur. C’est ça le football et l’avantage qu’a Montréal en raison du repos tardif de son équipe est réel. Cela se joue chaque saison dans la NFL. Certaines équipes Wild Card s’échauffent, éliminent un champion de division faible au premier tour – puis affrontent les Chiefs avec 2,5 semaines de repos et gagnent 75 verges au total.
All y’all really need to win the Picks Pool. I just received my prize from the generous Mr. Maestro and WOW!
Thank you!
Is it a Big Turk?
“Gently used” Big Turk is just what was fished out of the toilet.
Lets go Montreal.