Big Blue hard to beat

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/06/2022 (1235 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. It’s an old adage in sports and it applies to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as we enter the first weekend of the 2022 Canadian Football League season.

As back-to-back winners of the Grey Cup, the Bombers enter the fresh campaign as top dogs among the litter. Any power rankings that don’t have them at the top are hardly worth the paper they’re written on, especially considering the Bombers have returned several players from last season, even if a few key contributors have moved on.

Let’s not waste time here; the rest of my early rankings are as follows: 2. Saskatchewan; 3. Toronto; 4. Calgary; 5. Hamilton; 6. Montreal; 7.Ottawa; 8. Edmonton; and 9. B.C.

Despite my best efforts, I can’t seem to predict the future. So, if you feel your team hasn’t received the respect it deserves, well, feel free to send me your list at the email below and we’ll compare notes by season’s end.

Until then, let’s take a look back at the week that was in the three-down loop with the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) Let’s just start off by welcoming the first full regular-season schedule in more than two years. It took a lot to get here, with a ton of bumps along the way, but it’s nice to finally arrive at what should be a great 2022 campaign. On that note, Thursday’s game between the Stampeders and Alouettes is the earliest (June 9) a season has started in CFL history.

2) Speaking of getting off to a strong start, the B.C. Lions have sold out the lower bowl of BC Place for Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Elks and have opened up parts of the upper bowl, which I believe is being capped at an additional 5,000. The lower bowl seats around 25,000 people, and given the Lions averaged around 12,000 fans a game in 2021, that’s a significant bump. I’ve been to BC Place many times, and while they aren’t always the biggest crowds, they sure have some of the most fun.

3) There were a few surprising cuts out of training camp, leaving a number of quality free agents up for grabs. Some notable names include receivers Quan Bray (Mtl) B.J. Cunningham (Ott); defensive end Adrian Tracy (Tor) and defensive back Trumaine Washington (Ott), who led the CFL with five interceptions.

4) TSN released its top-50 players this week, a list that I usually take part in voting but found myself too busy to submit my ballot. Which I’m kind of happy about now, as I was surprised by some of the choices. Not all that surprising, though, was six of the top-10, including QB Zach Collaros at No. 1, played for the Grey-Cup winning Bombers, with DE Willie Jefferson (No. 2), LB Adam Bighill (No. 4) and LT Stanley Bryant (No. 5) all cracking the top-5.

5) Does anyone else feel the QB talent in the CFL is seriously hurting? It could be a lack of experience. Only three of nine starters have more than 30 starts under their belt, with Calgary’s Bo Levi Mitchell leading the way with 108. Perhaps that’s a sign the best is yet to come.

6) Speaking of Mitchell, is there a player with more to prove this season than the Stamps No. 1 pivot? Lots of talk about his injury history and having backup Jake Maier in his shadow. An underwhelming preseason for Mitchell, including just three completions and two interceptions, certainly didn’t help.

7) QB controversies have come to define the start of the season. It took Alouettes head coach Khari Jones until earlier this week to name Vernon Adams Jr. the starter over Trevor Harris, and despite Chris Jones’ seemingly best efforts in Edmonton to rid the Elks of Nick Arbuckle, he has also been named the starter for Week 1. It’s McLeod Bethel-Thompson in Toronto, but we’re led to believe rookie Chad Kelly isn’t far behind. Lots can change in a week.

8) I like Dane Evans in Hamilton and I believe he’ll have a big season, especially with Jeremiah Masoli now in Ottawa. The Tiger-Cats will take a step back this year, but it won’t be because of Evans.

9) The Argonauts have gone all in with players on the back nine of their careers, shelling out big money to sign RB Andrew Harris, WR Brandon Banks and DE Ja’Gared Davis. If they can squeeze even one good year out of all three, or even two, I like Toronto’s odds of claiming the East Division. Harris needs just 625 rushing yards to pass former Bomber Charles Roberts (10,285) and move into the top-5 all-time.

10) There’s definitely a void left in Winnipeg with the departure of Harris, but I see big things for fellow Winnipegger Brady Oliveira in what will be his first season as a starting running back. The 24-year-old trimmed trimmed 15 pounds, to 215, shedding the weight in order to withstand a gruelling 18-game season. A lot of people want Johnny Augustine to chew into his carries, and he likely will, but it’s going to be Oliveira getting the lion’s share. Augustine isn’t built to take on the load of a full season, but he will provide some exciting plays and be the lightning to Oliveira’s thunder.

11) I don’t care what Ottawa did over the offseason, rarely does the team that wins free agency make a notable dent in the standings. I have colleagues that predict they’re good enough to win the East, but I have them falling short of the playoff line for a third straight year.

12) B.C. will start Nathan Rourke Saturday against Edmonton, making him the first Canadian QB to begin the season as the No. 1 since Gerry Dattilio with Calgary in 1983. If Michael O’Connor is his backup, which it’s looking like it will be, it marks the first time a team dresses two Canadians as a starter/backup in league history.

13) Finally, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment chairman Larry Tanenbaum granted a rare interview to the Globe and Mail this week and among his notable comments were how unhappy he is with the CFL’s current structure. I think when one of the country’s most successful businessmen in the industry of professional sports speaks, we should listen. But I wonder if he’d even be talking about this had Dale Lastman last week not been replaced as the chair of the CFL’s board of governors. For those unaware, Lastman is the director of MLSE.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton