CFL Beat: Week 3

I have tickets to the REDBLACKS home opener this Friday, and I have to say that I really, really miss live football. It’s gonna be really nice to get back in the swing of things so that I can be practised up properly for the fall. Anyways, enough yammering!

WEEK 2 RECAPS

Ottawa 28 vs. Montreal 13: It seems like the REDBLACKS just can’t avoid controversy so far this season. Ottawa played well against the underdog Alouettes; Trevor Harris had a fantastic outing in his first start at quarterback, going 20-26 for 395 yards and 3 TDs, and receiver Chris Williams led the team in receiving once again with 187 yards and a TD catch. Montreal had some pressure going on offense, clawing back a 14-2 Ottawa lead to 14-13 after a Boris Bede field goal to end the first half, followed by a touchdown catch from Duron Carter in the 3rd. However, Carter ignited a firestorm when he was celebrating by the REDBLACKS’ bench after his touchdown, and ended up shoving Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell to the ground. A melee ensued, and Carter and Ottawa DB Jerrell Gavins were ejected as a result. Carter’s fellow receiver SJ Green left the game as well with a bad knee injury, and he’s done for the year. Carter will serve a one-game suspension and will return for their Week 5 matchup as Montreal takes on Toronto on July 25th. The Alouettes have to be frustrated with Carter, as he brims with talent but has consistently had issues with emotional control that date back to his time at Ohio State; his own team also fined him an undisclosed amount before league discipline was passed down on July 4th.

PICK: Ottawa

RESULT: Ottawa

Toronto 30 vs. Saskatchewan 17: A much, much better outing for Toronto this week than last. Ricky Ray threw for just 186 yards, but the two touchdowns the Argos scored on their first two opening drives were enough cushion to seal a win. While Riders fans are disappointed with a loss, they should be encouraged that Darian Durant looked very solid in his first game back after losing an entire season to a ruptured ACL. Durant went 31/48 for 310 yards and a touchdown, and it’s a good starting place for this new-look Saskatchewan team. The score would have been closer, but a turnover on downs and a fumble recovered for a TD by Argos DB Matt Black finally salted away the win for Toronto.

PICK: Saskatchewan

RESULT: Toronto

BC 28 vs. Hamilton 3: What a stinker from the Tiger-Cats. The fans were pissed, and rightfully so. Jeremiah Masoli played like absolute dogshit, throwing two picks. The offense also fumbled twice, and the team overall had 13 penalties for 105 yards lost. The Lions’ D was completely stifling, and Brett Maher missed both his field goal attempts for Hamilton in the notoriously blustery Tim Hortons Field. Hamilton’s only points came on two rouges and a safety – their most inept offensive performance at home since 2006. Shaq Murray-Lawrence scored BC’s first touchdown on a 1-yard rush in the 3rd quarter, and Manny Arcenaux scored another in the 4th from a pass from Jon Jennings to put it away for good. BC has surprised in a big way so far this year, and it’s much to do with the return of Wally Buono from the GM suite to the sidelines; Buono is the CFL’s all-time wins leader for a reason!

PICK: Hamilton

RESULT: BC

Winnipeg 22 vs. Calgary 36: The Blue Bombers have won only once in their last 14 games at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, and that losing trend continued. The Stampeders were down 7-3 in the second quarter, but rattled off a string of 30 unanswered points that put it away. QB Bo Levi Mitchell and RB Jerome Messam shined for the Stamps, as Mitchell went 24-37 for 309 yards and 2 TDs, while Messam ran for 135 on 14 carries. Winnipeg drops to 0-2, but Drew Willy continues to be a highlight for the Bombers; he passed for 200 yards in the 4th quarter alone against Montreal in Week 1 and followed it up this week with 358 and 2 TDs. With top receiver Weston Dressler out, the Stamps D keyed in on Andrew Harris, who was held to just 13 yards on 8 rushes, but chipped in 87 yards on 9 catches. Winnipeg needs work on defense and a healthy Dressler if they want to dig themselves out of this early hole they find themselves in at the West Division’s cellar.

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Calgary

WEEK 3 PREVIEWS

Winnipeg (0-2) vs. Hamilton (1-1), Thursday, July 7th, 7:00 PM EST: Weston Dressler returns for the Bombers after missing the Calgary game with a concussion. He’ll be a boost to the offense, which could benefit from spreading the ball around a bit more so Hamilton’s defense won’t key in on Andrew Harris like the Stampeders did last week. For the TiCats, they’ll just want to turn the page on a disastrous Week 2 and work on getting Jeremiah Masoli more time to make throws. DE John Chick was a bright spot last week for Hamilton with 2 fumble recoveries, but the entire D needs to step up to match his contribution. Hamilton traded away promising linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis for an 8th-round selection in the 2018 CFL Draft; after a breakout 2015 for BC he surprisingly tumbled down the depth chart, and will benefit from a fresh start in Edmonton.

PICK: Hamilton

Toronto (1-1) vs. BC (2-0), Thursday, July 7th, 10:00 PM EST: BC has their home opener after an unexpectedly strong start to the season on the road, where they face a Toronto team that won their first road game as well. Toronto made the first big trade of the season, landing former NFL DE Shawn Lemon from the Roughriders in exchange for backup QB Mitchell Gale and OL Matt Sewell. Lemon fell out of favour early with coach Chris Jones, but he’s a game-breaker of a player and was an integral part of Calgary’s 2014 Grey Cup winning team and Ottawa’s 2015 finalist. On the Lions side, Wally Buono’s return to the sidelines has probably helped the team a ton – they lead the league in fewest points allowed, with just 21 in 2 games. While Jon Jennings is a capable quarterback, the difference-maker for BC will have to be a strong defensive outing against Ricky Ray, Vidal Hazelton, and the rest of the Argos’ offense.

PICK: BC

Calgary (1-1) vs. Ottawa (2-0), Friday, July 8th, 7:00 PM EST: This is gonna be a great match. Can’t wait to drink all the $8 beers my heart desires. These are two great offenses, though at the current moment, Calgary is showing a little bit more balance to theirs with the strong play of Jerome Messam at RB. Ottawa lost RB Travon Van to the 6-game DL last week against the Alouettes, so new signee Mossis Madu is expected to step in to lead the rushing attack. QB Henry Burris is also now on the 6-game DL, so if Trevor Harris continues to light it up, we may well have a [takes pre-emptive drink] QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY [takes second drink] on their hands when Burris returns. Still, the REDBLACKS lead the league in overall yards and scoring, so I’m taking them over the Stampeders.

PICK: Ottawa

Saskatchewan (0-1) vs. Edmonton (0-1), Friday, July 8th, 10:00 PM EST: Edmonton had the early bye, and will host the Roughriders in their second game of the season. The Eskimos got shredded on D in their first matchup against Ottawa, and will need to fix a number of things to avoid giving up almost 600 yards again. The acquisition of Alex Hoffman-Ellis at DE from Hamilton will hopefully remedy this, but it’s obviously going to be a full-team effort. Mike Reilly threw for 383 yards and a TD against Ottawa, and was an offensive catalyst all game; Edmonton’s weakness is most certainly not on offense. For Saskatchewan, if Darian Durant isn’t afraid to air it out, there’s a very good chance Saskatchewan could make life miserable for the Eskies. Still, I like Edmonton at home in this one.

PICK: Edmonton

BYE: Montreal (1-1)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards

1. Harris, OTT – 687
2. Willy, WPG – 661
3. Glenn, MTL – 591

Passing TDs

1. Harris, OTT – 6
2. Ray, TOR – 4
3. Masoli, HAM – 3

Rushing Yards

1. Messam, CGY – 153
2. Van, OTT – 133
3. Johnson, BC – 120

Receiving Yards

1. Williams, OTT – 363
2. Sinopoli, OTT – 189
3. Gore, BC – 183

Game picks this week: 2-2

Game picks this season: 2-6