Even my vacation won’t stop the CFL Beat from getting written. Thanks to mobile data hotspots and cheap beer for allowing to continue the writing process from anywhere on earth – I don’t know what I’d do without either of you.
In league news this week:
- The Argos signed former NFL and XFL RB Trey Williams this week; he was the #1 pick in the 2020 XFL Draft. Williams spent training camp with Calgary before being released.
- Edmonton Elks’ star OL SirVincent Rogers has COVID-19, and he’ll miss this week’s game against Montreal. Rogers took to Twitter to publicly advocate for the importance of getting vaccinated; his loss won’t help Edmonton’s offensive woes much this week, most likely.
- The TV ratings for the season-opening game between Winnipeg and Hamilton were up 31% from two years ago – a positive sign, especially considering the airtime conflicts with the Olympics, the NFL Hall of Fame game, and the national TV contract airing the Blue Jays on Rogers Sportsnet. Let’s hope these TV ratings can sustain themselves over a full season.
Onto the games!
WEEK 1 RECAPS
Hamilton 6 vs. Winnipeg 19: The first CFL game in 620 days… and the defending Grey Cup champions opened their season with a win at home in front of a sold-out, fully vaccinated crowd. Hamilton opened the scoring first, with QB Jeremiah Masoli connecting with WR Jaelon Acklin for a touchdown… but after they missed the two-point convert, that was it for the offense for the night. The Bombers dominated the rest of the game, with rookie Canadian running back and Winnipeg native Brady Oliveira carrying the rock 22 times for 126 yards and QB Zach Collaros throwing for 217 yards on 18/28 attempts, connecting twice with Kenny Lawlor for touchdowns. Willie Jefferson and Jontrell Rocquemore each picked off Jeremiah Masoli, leading the way for a solid, full-team effort to secure the victory.
PICK: Hamilton
RESULT: Winnipeg
BC 29 vs. Saskatchewan 33: This was a topsy-turvy game, with Saskatchewan jumping out to a commanding 31-0 lead halfway through the second quarter. With BC’s Michael Reilly dealing with a nagging elbow injury, the Lions started Canadian rookie Nathan Rourke at quarterback… and while he did throw a 75-yard touchdown to Lucky Whitehead to get BC on the board, Reilly came in to take over in the second half, arm and all. And the Lions made it damn close, with an excellent push through the final 30 minutes to make things difficult for the Riders. Reilly threw a TD in the fourth quarter to RB James Butler, but Rourke came in during garbage time to close things out – and ended up throwing another TD to Bryan Burnham, cutting the Riders’ lead to 4. BC forced a two-and-out in the dying minutes, leaving Rourke with one more chance to complete the Leos’ comeback – but his pass was picked off by Saskatchewan DE A.C. Leonard, sealing the deal and preventing the impressive comeback from happening.
PICK: Saskatchewan
RESULT: Saskatchewan
Toronto 23 vs. Calgary 20: A very close, tightly-contested game here. Toronto started strong with an 8-0 lead off a touchdown from McLeod Bethel-Thompson to former Stampeder Juwan Brescacin, but Calgary battled back with a Rene Paredes field goal and Bo Levi Mitchell TD toss to Kamar Jorden in the second quarter. Halfway through the fourth quarter, after a few traded field goals, the score was knotted at 20 apiece. Boris Bede kicked a late FG to put the Argos ahead, but left Calgary with enough time on the clock to respond with one final drive. Unfortunately for the Stamps, Bo Levi Mitchell’s first pass on his final drive was picked off by DB Shaquille Richardson – a dagger for Calgary, and a very promising start for a highly revamped Argos team.
PICK: Calgary
RESULT: Toronto
Ottawa 16 vs. Edmonton 12: A defensive showdown for this one. Neither team scored an offensive touchdown; unfortunately for the Elks, Trevor Harris had an especially tough night, with three interceptions – two by REDBLACKS’ DB Abdul Kanneh, including a 102-yard pick-six which proved to be the game-winning score. This game remained close through all four quarters – even after Kanneh put the REDBLACKS up with ten minutes left in the game, the Elks still hung around. With Harris leading Edmonton on a late drive to try and win, Abdul Kanneh again stepped up to save the victory for Ottawa, tackling fullback James Tuck on the final play of the game and keeping him out of the end zone. Both teams will need to fix their offense later on in this season, but Ottawa is hopefully feeling very good about their D through Week 1 of the season.
PICK: Edmonton
RESULT: Ottawa
BYE: Montreal
WEEK 2 PREVIEWS
BC (0-1) vs. Calgary (0-1), Thursday, August 12th, 9:30 PM EST (TSN, ESPN+): Calgary didn’t look quite their usual dominant selves last week against the Argos – but there’s plenty of time left for them to hit their stride and develop a rhythm as a team. If the Stamps can work on turning field goals into touchdowns, they’ll be able to make some leaps as a team. For the Lions, QB Michael Reilly’s status remains up in the air; backup Nathan Rourke started slow but ended up putting in a pretty good performance in his first-ever CFL start last week, but the coaching staff will unquestionably be excited to see Reilly back in the lineup if he’s ready to go this week. Against a team like Calgary, the Lions will need every possible break to go their way in order to beat the Stamps at McMahon Stadium, where they have historically dominated against all comers.
PICK: Calgary
Toronto (1-0) vs. Winnipeg (1-0), Friday, August 13th, 8:30 PM EST (TSN, ESPN+): The Bombers looked really good last week – if they can keep putting together full-team efforts like that then they’ll absolutely have a shot as repeat Grey Cup champs. That said, it’s Week 2 – we have so, so much time to go. It would be a real boost for Winnipeg to get RB Andrew Harris back in the lineup, but backup Brady Oliveira really had a wonderful performance – so if Harris still isn’t ready, then the Bombers are fortunate to have some depth. McLeod Bethel-Thompson will get the start again at quarterback for Toronto – even as he wins and puts up stats, he will still have a short leash due to the potential that Nick Arbuckle shows as the Argos’ backup.
PICK: Winnipeg
Montreal (0-0) vs. Edmonton (0-1), Saturday, August 14th, 7:00 PM EST (TSN, ESPN+): It’s our first look at the Alouettes this year, who had a bye to open their season. Against an Edmonton team that couldn’t get their offense in sync last week, Montreal has to be liking their chances – even as the road team. The Elks are favoured by 1.5, which I think is generous, even early on this year. Montreal had a fun, dynamic offense in 2017, and with almost all of those key contributors returning, especially with dual-threat QB Vernon Adams, Jr. leading the way, I think the Als are going to fun once again this year.
PICK: Montreal
Hamilton (0-1) vs. Saskatchewan (1-0), Saturday, August 14th, 10:00 PM EST (TSN, ESPNews): Hamilton’s offense sputtered last week, but they’ll hopefully have some key contributors back, especially receiver Bralon Addison, who will be a go-to guy to draw away some attention from 2019 MOP receiver Brandon Banks. Saskatchewan took their foot off the gas in the second half last week against BC – they’ll need to do a better job of sustaining pressure this week against the Tiger-Cats, who despite a sub-par game last week, remain the favourite to win the East Division this year. I would expect an improved effort from both clubs for this one, and despite Hamilton being on the road for the second straight week, feel like they’re a suitable underdog pick.
PICK: Hamilton
BYE: Ottawa (1-0)
STANDINGS AND STATS
East Division Standings
| Team | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Points For | Points Against |
| Ottawa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 12 |
| Toronto | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 20 |
| Montreal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hamilton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
West Division Standings
| Team | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Points For | Points Against |
| Saskatchewan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 29 |
| Winnipeg | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 6 |
| Calgary | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 23 |
| Edmonton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 16 |
| BC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 33 |
Passing Yards
- Bethel-Thompson, TOR – 354
- Harris, EDM – 333
- Mitchell, CGY – 252
Passing TDs
- Rourke, BC – 2
- Fajardo, SSK – 2
- Bethel-Thompson, TOR – 2
Rushing Yards
- Oliveira, WPG – 126
- Wilder, EDM – 89
- Carey, CGY – 75
Receiving Yards
- Whitehead, BC – 136
- Collins Jr., TOR – 126
- Walker, EDM – 98
Sacks
- Moore, EDM – 2
- Boateng, EDM – 2
- Sayles, WPG – 1
Interceptions
- Kanneh, OTT – 2
- Rocquemore, WPG – 2
- Evans, OTT – 1
Field Goals
- Paredes, CGY – 4
- Whyte, EDM – 4
- Ward, OTT – 3
PICK POOL
Week 1 of picking is always a crapshoot. At least things tend to stay pretty tight until about Week 7 or 8 – and if you still haven’t joined the pool, it’s definitely not too late! A one-point lead is hardly insurmountable.
Remember to submit your picks here! https://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=193216
| Rank | Total Points | Weekly Score | Win Percentage |
| Mr. Ayo | 2 | 2-2 | 50.00% |
| Litre_Cola | 2 | 2-2 | 50.00% |
| Doogs | 2 | 2-2 | 50.00% |
| 2 | 2-2 | 50.00% | |
| GameTimeDecision | 2 | 2-2 | 50.00% |
| WCS | 2 | 2-2 | 50.00% |
| Prittlewell Pumas | 1 | 1-3 | 25.00% |
| The Maestro | 1 | 1-3 | 25.00% |
| Anthony in TX | 1 | 1-3 | 25.00% |
| SonOfSpam | 1 | 1-3 | 25.00% |
| BC Dick | 1 | 1-3 | 25.00% |
| Wakezilla | 1 | 1-3 | 25.00% |
| Ballsofsteelandfury | 1 | 1-3 | 25.00% |
Enjoy the games, everyone.
Dan Crenshaw is a soulless, lying, cyclops weasel with no integrity and he’s still a RINO?
A virus coming for them from one side, their own cannibalistic pack moving from the other.
It’s called the invisible hand — or ‘common sense’.
Oh Crenshaw fits this comment section because he is good enough to field punts for the Bleaux Bômbiers.
I mean, he wears an eyepatch. It’s a telling sign of his plans.
Mr. Maestro, Hamilton did not win as per your Result. I only say this as I am from the hole known as Winnipeg and a Bomber win is the only thing they have in the summer except mosquitos.
https://twitter.com/kdubinthisclub/status/1425585595523362817?s=21
Deep cut. I like it.
At first I was disappointed with getting only one pick right but then I saw the leaders only got 2.
Nice comeback from BC, but you can’t play like that and expect success.